xlviii 



the season, another on Wheatstone's Electro-magnetic Chronoscope, at the 

 end of which he said he was induced to utter a speculation long on his 

 mind, and constantly gaining strength, viz. that perhaps those vibrations 

 by which radiant agencies, such as light, heat, actinic influence, &c, convey 

 this force through space, are not vibrations of an ether, but of the lines of 

 force which, in his view, equally connect the most distant masses together 

 and make the smallest atoms or particles by their properties influential on 

 each other and perceptible to us. A little later he sends these views to 

 the Philosophical Magazine as thoughts on ray vibrations ; " but, from first 

 to last, understand that I merely throw out, as matter for speculation, the 

 vague impressions of my mind ; for I give nothing as the result of sufficient 

 consideration or as the settled conviction, or even probable conclusion, at 

 which T had arrived." His last Friday discourse was on the Cohesive Force 

 of Water. 



He reported to the Trinity House on drinking-water of the Smalls 

 Lighthouse, and on a ventilation apparatus for rape-oil lamps. 



To the Secretary of the Institution, who consulted him regarding evening 

 lectures, he said, " I see no objection to evening lectures if you can find a 

 fit man to give them. As to popular lectures (which at the same time are 

 to be respectable and sound), none are more difficult to find. Lectures 

 which, really teach will never be popular ; lectures which are popular will 

 never really teach. They know little of the matter who think science is 

 more easily to be taught or learned than ABC; and yet who ever learned 

 his A B C without pain and trouble ? Still lectures can (generally) inform 

 the mind and show forth to the attentive man what he really has to learn, 

 and in their way are very useful, especially to the public. I think they 

 might be useful to us now, even if they only gave an answer to those who, 

 judging by their own earnest desire to learn, think much of them. As to 

 agricultural chemistry, it is no doubt an excellent and a popular subject ; 

 but I rather suspect that those who know least of it think that most is 

 known about it." 



He received both the Rumford and a Royal Medal, and was made 

 Honorary Member of the Society of Sciences, Yaud. 



JSt. 55 (1847). 



He gave Friday discourses on the Combustion of Gunpowder; on Mr. 

 Barry's mode of ventilating the New House of Lords ; and on the Steam-jet 

 chiefly as a means of procuring ventilation. 



He reported to the Trinity House on the ventilation of the South Foreland 

 lights, and on a proposal to light buoys by platinum wire ignited by 

 electricity. 



He writes to the First Lord of the Admiralty from Edinburgh: — " For 

 years past my health has been more and more affected • and the place 

 affected is my head. My medical advisers say it is from mental occupa- 

 tion. The result is loss of memory, confusion, and giddiness ; the sole 



