The Life of Sir Humphry Davy (Volume 1) - Softcover

Book may have numerous typos, missing text, images, or index. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. 1831. Excerpt: ... CHAPTER VII. The unfair rivalry of Philosophers.--Bonaparte the Patron of Science. -- He liberates Dolomieu. -- He founds a Prize for the encouragement of Electric researches.--His letter to the Minister of the Interior.--Proceedings of the Institute.--The Prize is conferred on Davy.--The Bakerian Lecture of 1807.--The Decomposition of the Fixed Alkalies--Potassium--Sodium.-- The Questions to which the discovery gave rise.--Interesting Extracts from the Manuscript Notes of the Laboratory.--Potash decomposed by a chemical process.--Letters to Children, aud Pepys.--The true nature of Potash discovered.--Whether Ammonia contains Oxygen.--Davy's severe Illness.--He recovers and resumes his labours.--His Fishing Costume.--He decomposes the Earths.--Important views to which the discovery has led. It must be confessed that there has too frequently existed amongst philosophers a strange and ungenerous disposition to undervalue the labours of their contemporaries. If a discovery be made, its truth and importance are first questioned; and should these be established, then its originality becomes a subject of dispute. Truth, although she may have been rarely held fast, has been frequently touched* in the dark: it * A most remarkable illustration of this fact occurs in the history of Locke, who certainly came as near to an important disis not extraordinary, therefore, that evidence may be often strained from the writings of philosophers in support of prior claims to late discoveries; but upon a candid review, these loose statements, or obscure hints, will generally be found wholly destitute of the pretensions which an unfair spirit of rivalry has too often laboured to support. Many of such hints, indeed, so far from advancing the progress of truth, had never even attracted notice, until after t...