V 



October 11, he says, "As for the change which you suppose to have taken 

 place with respect to my situation and affairs, I have to thank my late 

 master, it is but little. Of liberty and of time I have, if possible, less than 

 before, though I hope my circumspection has not at the same time decreased. 

 I am well aware of the irreparable evils that an abuse of those blessings will 

 give rise to. These were pointed out to me by common sense ; nor do I 

 see how anyone who considers his own station and his own free occupations, 

 pleasures, actions, &c. can unwittingly engage himself in them. I thank 

 that Cause to whom thanks are due that I am not in general a profuse 

 waster of those blessings which are bestowed on me as a human being ; I 

 mean health, sensation, time, and temporal resources. Understand me 

 here, fori wish not to be mistaken : I am well aware of my own nature ; 



it is evil, and I feel its influence strongly. I know, too, that ; but I find 



that I am passing insensibly to a point of divinity ; and as these matters are 

 not to be treated lightly, I will refrain from pursuing it." 



To his friend Huxtable he writes on the 18th : " Conceiving it would be 

 better to delay my answer until my time was expired, I did so ; that took 

 place Oct. 7, and since then I have had by far less time and liberty than 

 before. With respect to a certain place I was disappointed, and am now 

 working at my old trade, the which I wish to leave at the first convenient 

 opportunity. I am at present in very low spirits, and scarce know how to 

 continue on in a strain that will be any way agreeable to you." 



" Under the encouragement of Mr. Dance," he says, " I wrote to Sir 

 Humphry Davy, sending, as a proof of my earnestness, the notes I had 

 taken of his last four lectures ; the reply was immediate, kind, and favour- 

 able. After this I continued to work as a bookbinder, with the excep- 

 tion of some days during which I was writing as an amanuensis for Sir 

 H. Davy, at the time when the latter was wounded in the eye from an ex- 

 plosion of the chloride of nitrogen." 



On the 24th of December, 1812, Sir Humphry Davy wrote to Faraday: — 

 " Sir, I am far from displeased with the proof you have given me of 

 your confidence, and which displays great zeal, power of memory, and 

 attention. I am obliged to go out of town, and shall not be settled in 

 town till the end of January ; I will then see you at any time you wish. 

 It would gratify me to be of any service to you ; I wish it may be in my 

 power. I am, Sir, Your obedient humble Servant." 



JEt. 21 (1813). 



He "went," he says, "to the City Philosophical Society, which was 

 ounded in 1808 at Mr. Tatum's house, and, I believe, by him. He introduced 

 me as a member of the Society in 1813. Magrath was Secretary to the So- 

 ciety. It consisted of thirty or forty individuals, perhaps all in the humble 

 or moderate rank of life. Those persons met every Wednesday evening 

 for mutual instruction. Every other Wednesday the members were alone, 

 and considered and discussed such questions as were brought forward by 



