A BOOK OF THE DAY.

Otago Witness, Issue 2370, 3 August 1899, Page 59

A BOOK OF THE DAY.

MICHAEL FARADAY.

A BEAUTIFUL LIFE. The latest addition to the "Century Science Series " is " The Life and Letters of Faraday," by Sylvamis Thompson. The three biographies of Faraday thai wove published soon after his death, which occurred in 1867, those, namely, by Dr Bence Jones, by Professoi Tyndall. and by Dr J. H. Gladstone, are now out of print. Some briefei accounts of him exist, but there was room for another narrative of the life and labours of a. man whose influence on the century in. which he lived was unquestionably great. Foi 40 years Michael Faraday was an inspiring voice in the Royal Institution, and beyond all question, the greatest expositor of science in his lime. Throughout almost the whole of that period hib original researches in physics, and especially in electricity were extending the boundaries of knowledge and laying the foundation*) not only for the great achievements in electrical engineering which have distinguished the hst 20 years, but also for those still greater developments in the theories or electricity, magnetism, and ligl-t which ate anuually carried for.vyrd and made «'i"jitfuJ.

Michael Faraday was bom on September 22, 1791. at Newinglon Butts, then an ourly.ing Surrey village, but since swallowed up within the area of Greater London. He wa.» tlie third child of his parents. James and Margaret Faraday, who had migrated to the metropolis from tlio Yorkshire village of Clapham. The father, James Faraday, was a working blacksmith, the niolhei a daughter of a tarmei. Aftei Michael's birth his parents moved to the north side of the Thames, and from 1796 to 1809 lived in rooms, over a coach-hou. c a in Jacob's* Well Mews, Lancashire square. In the year last named, when young Michael was nearly 18 years old, they moved to Weymouth street, Portland place. Here the father soon died, ;ind the widow maintained herself by taking in lodgers until her sons could support themselves and her. As might be expected under the circumstances, Michael had received very little schooling. Ho was sent to a day school, and from the age of 5 to 13 lit- spent his out-of-school hours at home oi in the streets playing at games with the children of the neighbourhood. Jn 1804 he went on rrial for 12 months as errand boy to a booksellei at No. 2 Blundford street. Aftei Ihe ye;u Michael was formally apprenticed to learn the trade of bookbinder, stationer, and bot.kseller. Duung the subsequent ••even years of apprenticeship then .cairn opportunities* for self-improvement. To one A hk. friends he said that a book by Walls, '' On the- Mirul," first taught linn to thinJ-', ano thai an article m "Electricity" m . . cyclopedia which came, into his hand*- to oe hound first turned his attention to science. To another acquaintance he wrote " Whilst <iri apprentice I loved u> read the scu*iii,illi; book' which were tinder my hand ; and. amongst them, delighted in Marcet's ' Conversation m Chemistry' and the -Jectricai treatises id the ' Encyclopaedia Britannica. ' T 3idd' 3ii ch experiments in chemistry as coulf !>. defrayed bj a few pence, anJ alrio ;oust'**-« ted tn electrical machine, fii>t wir.li „ brass phial uul afterwauls with a iva) eyhndei. aa also other electrical apparatus / . corresjyouding kind." This .•■irly m. < >-

-.■hiri. it now pref.ir.rvec 1 at the lfor»! f'n-it-*-I ut ion. Thfif lodged ■» oat cirne fit H:elmn': nn artist, /vimed Matqwwiei.. vfr'!io had Mcd from Fvaacf di'i-ip}. ch-5 tfunblotis linws \il tl.s Revolution nnd Fiisir Kinpire. Foi ih« ap-prtU-.i.ii:ft )»oy. »*rlli> il^ed I"O (lusf- llli VOIUV u ii<l bl.ick In* booifc. Masque-rie-i took x, strong liking. IFo lent him books on per.>pec*uve, -aid i ought, him how to draw. Aiw hift apprenticeship had expired, in October, JBi?., Faradaj auguged himself a° a jourr.nyxptu L-nukbinder to a Fienc-h emigre., bus, .'owgi-.i', V get oui of trade, ha present 1\ ->"o avuei' 1 a temporary engagement ul some diiys i< amanuensis to Sii Humphrey Dior at a time when ihe. lattei had been wounded ii the tyo tiy 'ia explosion of ihc chkirirtf •»* .-.iTro&en. Su Humphiey must: ha\e Ihs-mi a arguably nnpiesaed with turn, otheiM-i'-t. he woold not h-ivL* offered him Ihe post o- •-.«- ii^iant in his laboratory. In Septcmbei, 1813,' aftei bin six. n-nm'tns •a work in hi*-, new vocation, Sii Huinplm-y proposed that, young Faraday should go abroad with him as amanuensis. He eagerly accepted the offer, and. aftei travelling with* Sn Humphrey tlu-ough France, Italy, Switzerland, the Tyrol, and other countries during a ye-u a nd- a-half, returned to London iii April, 18] 5. For Faraday foreign travel in the company of such a man as Sii H. Davy took the place, and more than the place, of residence at a university, in .some ' respects, however, hu relation., to Day} at this time must have been singularly tinpJfc't&ant, for he seems to have been called upon tc play the part of a valet. It may b<?> remembered that Davy, who had come up to London at the beginning of the renf nry as a raw youth of immense ability but very uncouth exterior, had developed into a fashionable person, married a very rich widow, had been knighted and had given hiinselt uj very largely to the company and pursuit* ot tho aristocracy. As. Farad-iy explains ifc a *etter iroiu home, Sir Humphrey's vale' h-id declined ! to go with his master to the Continent, and, consequently, Ms scientific ar-sistant was degraded by Ladj Davy, ' or. as bhe may have thought, promoted to the valei's place.

11. A fortnight after his return to London in April, 1815, Faraday was engaged at a salary of 30s a week at the Royal Institution as assistant in the laboratory and mineralogical collection. Notwithstanding the humble relation in which Davy had striven to keep him, he had profited by 18 months of daily intercourse with tlie most brilliant chemist of the age. He had also seen and conversed with Ampere, Arago, Gay-Lussac, Chevreul, Dumas, Volta, De la Rive, Biot, Pictet, De Saussure and De Slael. He had also dined with Count Rumford, tlie founder of the Royal Institution. Faraday threw himself enthusiastically into the work of the institution, which was then in financial difficulties, not only helping as lecture assistant, but lending a hand also in the preparation of the "Quarterly Journal of Science," which had been established as a kind of record of the proceedings. In 1816 Faraday gave seven lectures at tlie City Philosophical Society, a very modest institution, on chemistry, the fourth of them being " on radient matter." There is no doubt that, at this time, he materially aided Sir Humphrey Davy in the invention of the safety lamp. On June 12, 1821, when Faraday was 29 yearo old, he married Miss Barnard, the daughter of a working -silversmith in Paternoster vow. He took his wife to live in his rooms at the Royal Institution, his position having been changed from that of lecture assistant to that of superintendent of the house and laboratory. His salary, however, remained £100 a year. His marriage, though childless, was extremely happy. Tyndall, in after years, made the Intensity of Faraday's attachment to his wife tlie subject of a striking simile — " Never, I believe, existed a manlier, purer, steadiei love. Like a burning diamond, it continued to shed for six and forty years its white and .smokeless glow.' 1 Faraday now settled down to a routine life of scientific work. His services as analyst were being sought after, but he pursued* investigations on his own account. In the late summer of 1821 he made the discovery of the electro-magnetic rotations described in the third chapter of this book, his first important piece of original research, and had, in consequence^ a serious misunderstanding with Dr Wolloston. On September 3, 1821, working in the saboras tory, he &aw tho electric wire for the first lime revolve around the pole of the magnet. Rubbing his hands as he danced around tbe table with beaming face, he exclaimed — "-Theie they go ; there they go! We have succeeded at last." There can be no doubt that, from this time. Davy began to be seriously jealous of Faraday's rising fame. According to Bence Jones, the election of Faraday to a fellowship of the Royal Society was actively opposed in 1825 by Sir Humphrey Davy, who was the president. Nevertheless, Faraday was elected on January 8, 1824. In I'o'd.b Faraday was advanced to the position of Director of the Laboratory of the Royal Institution. In this post his activity was incessant and fruitful. We should mention that, down to the year 1830 Faraday continued to undertake for professional fees chemical analyses and expert work in the law courts, and theieby added veiy considerably to the slender emoluments of his position. But, finding this work making increasing demands upon his time, he decided to abandon the practice which would have made him rich, and devoted himself exclusively to original researches. This sacrifice for science was not small. He had earned £1000 in 1830 out of his piofe&sional occupations, and, in 1831, would have made more but for his own decision. He might soon afterwards have earned £6000 a year had he chosen to cultivate the professional connection svhich )im had formed. But he chose otherwise ; and hi? first reward came in the autumn ot 1851 in the great discovery of magnetoe'tcctric currents, the principle upon which all our modern dynamos and transformers are based, the foundation of all the electric lightinj^ and electric transmission of po- | vr*s. From this work he wont on to a re-

search into the identity of all tlie'ldnds of cjeci'-icity, until then' supposed to be of separate suvtf*. and to this added electrochemical \**ork oi thp. very highest value. 111. The immense umour.i, of patient, scieniilic j-iboiu* pcrioi-med by Faraday for the lore of science was not achieved without ■aorifi-.'(-> 0* more kinds than one. He *< mid • himself obliged to withdraw more aiu more Croni social relations, declined to dine ir, society, ceased to give dinners, vrittidrfc-vv f'om all social and philanthropic •■jgaals.-ii.ions, and i-ven forebore to take any part in the management of any learned societies Tlie Brid&h Association for the Advancement of Science was started in ißoi. f'arnday did not- attend the inaugural meeting, but the next j-ear made, in the presence of the association, some experiment? which attracted great attention. From the great magnet in the Museum of tht University of Oxford he drew a spark oj induction in a coil of wire 220 ft long. Ht also showed that the induced currents ovid heat a thir wire connected to the terminals of this coil. The theologians of Oxfo;d dppear to have been greatly distressed, both by the success of the spark expe/iment and by the welcome shown by the university to the representatives of science. In 1827 Faraday declined" the. appointment) of Professor of Chemistry in University College, London, giving as his reason his interest in the Royal Institution. Two years after, however, he consented to become lecturer on Chemistry at the Royal Academy at Woolwich, inasmuch iS ihe work here involved only 20 lectures a year. Theee lectures were continued until 1849. We should mention that in 18X6 the whole course of Faraday's scientific work had been changed by his appointment as scientific adviser to Trinity House, a body which has official charge of the lighthouse service in Great Britain. This post he occupied for nearly 20 years, and the records of his work in it are to be found m 19 largo portfolios full of manuscript. About the year 1835 it was the intention of Sir Robert Peel to confer a pension upon Faraday from the Civil List, but he went out of office before this could bo arranged. A pension of £300 per annum was granted, however, on December 24, 1835. As early as January, 1834, Faraday observed a slight obscuration of the sight of his left eye. This trouble did not recur, but a loss of memory set in. With increasing age the infirmity made itself increasing-- felt. He alludes to it frequently in his letters. To one friend, who upbraided him gently foi not having replied to a letter, he says : "Do you remember that I forget?" To another he writes that he is forgetting how to spell such words as "withhold" and " successful. "' To Matteucci. in 1849, he bemoans how. after working for six weeks at certain experiments, he found, on looking back at his notes, he. had ascertained all the same results eight or nine months before, and had entirely forgotten them. In the journals of Walter White is noted the following incident under the date of' December 22, 1858, when Faraday was 67 years old—'- Mi Faraday called to inquire whether au MS. of meteorological observations made in Greenland would be acceptI able. The question answered, 1 expressed 1 my pleasure at seeing him looking so well, -md asked him if he were writing a paper toi tha Royal. • "He shook his head. 'No, lam too old.' ' Too old? Why, age brings wisdom.' '• ' Yes, but one may overshoot the wisdom !' '" You cannot- mean that you have outlived your wisdom?' '■ ' Something like it, foi my memorf is gone. If I make an experiment I "forget before 1? hours are over whethci the result was positive or negative ; and how can I write a paper while that is the case? No. I must, content myself -vith giving lectures to children ** i The author of this book gives, on the authority of Lady Pollock, an account of the feeling aroused by Faraday's presence when he returned to' his acouhtome.l seat I in the lecture room of the^ Royal Institui tion, after a protracted absence caused by illness. ' As soon 'is his presence was recognised the whole audience rose simultaneously and burst into a spontaneous utterance of wel- ' come, loud and long Faraday stood in Acknowledgment of this enthusiastic greeting wi tli his fine head slightly bent .uul then a i-ei-tain resemblance to the pictures Hnd busts of Lord Nelson, which was always observable in his countenance w^s very apparent. His hair had grown white and Hong his face had lengthened. Tnd the agility of his movements was gone. The eyes no longer flashed with the fire ot the soul, but they still radiated kindly thoughts, and ineffaceable lines of intellectual energy were stamped upon his face " In .857 the Presidency of the Royal Society was offered to Faraday A painting preserved in the rooms of the association records the scene when Lord Wrottesley Grove, and Gassiot wailed upon him us k . deputation from the council to press i oh him the acceptance ot the highest place which science ha? to offer. He hesitah-d, and finally, declined, even as he had declined the suggestion <>i knighthood years before. " Tynoall. he said in private to hi> snecessoi' "I must remain plain Michael Fai.tdai to ihe last, and let me now tell you thai*, if I accepted the honour- which "the Royal Society desires to confer upon me, I oould not answer foi the integrity oi my intellect for a single year " He also declined the Presidency oi the Royal Institution, which he had served for 50 years. His one desire was foi rest. "The reverent affection of his friends was." said Tyndall, " to him infinitely more precious than all the honour.*- of official life ' fn 1858 the Queen, at the -suggestion of Prince Albert, placed at Fantday's disposal for life the comfort of a house on the Green neai Hampden Court. Faraday's only hesitation about accepting the honour was a doubt whether he could afford the needful repair. On a hint of this reaching the Queen she at once ' directed that the

house should be put into thorough ropait inside and out. He still kept his rooms at the. Royal Institution, and continued t* live there occasionally. Gradually . hil mental powers had decayed. / He gave his last lectures to youth at' Christmas, 1860, and in October, 1861, bether* 70 years of age, he resigned his pro-fessoi-ship, while retaining his superintendentship of the laboratory. In March, 1865, he resigned the position of superintendent of the house and laboratories of the Royal Institution. All through the succeeding two years his physical powers waned. He slowly sank into torpor, saying nothing and talcing little notice of anything. Seated in a chair in his study, he died, peacefully and pain'.essly, on August 26. 1867. An .madorned tombstone marks the last resting place of Michael Faraday. — New ITork Sun.