CONTENTS
PAGE [Chapter I] 1 Birth—Parentage—Home Life—Early Education. [Chapter II] 17 Enters the Daventry Academy to be trained for the Ministry—Goes to Needham Market—His Life, Work and Privations there. [Chapter III] 30 Goes to Nantwich—Starts a School—Is appointed a Tutor in the Warrington Academy—Life at Warrington. [Chapter IV] 45 Priestley marries—Is ordained—His Essay on Education—Lectures on History and General Policy—His Chart of Biography—Becomes a Doctor of Laws of the University of Edinburgh—His visits to London—Makes the acquaintance of Dr Price, Canton and Benjamin Franklin—Writes the History of Electricity—Is elected into the Royal Society. [Chapter V] 66 Goes to Leeds as minister of the Mill Hill Chapel—Resumes his studies in Speculative Theology—The Theological Repository—Becomes a Unitarian—Priestley as a controversialist—His Theory and Practice of Perspective—His literary characteristics—Begins his inquiries on Pneumatic Chemistry—His invention of soda-water—Receives the Copley Medal of the Royal Society. [Chapter VI] 82 Becomes literary companion to Lord Shelburne—Goes abroad—His visit to Paris—His scientific work at Calne and in London—Continues his theological and metaphysical studies—His growing unpopularity—Leaves Lord Shelburne. [Chapter VII] 89 Removes to London—Declines a pension—Renews his acquaintance with Franklin—Goes to Birmingham—Becomes a member of the Lunar Society. [Chapter VIII] 103 Priestley at Birmingham—His theological work there—His love of literature—His catholicity—His personal characteristics. [Chapter IX] 120 The Birmingham riots of 1791. [Chapter X] 145 Determines to leave England—His arrival in America—Settles in Northumberland—His closing days—His death. [Chapter XI] 167 Priestley as a man of science—His characteristics as a philosopher—Experiments and Observations on Different Kinds of Air—His discovery of the influence of vegetation on vitiated air—Atmospheric air not elementary—His researches on nitric oxide—Eudiometry—Nitrous oxide—Discovers hydrogen chloride—Prepares oxygen from nitre (1771)—Isolates ammonia gas—Discovers sulphur dioxide—Dephlogisticated air (oxygen)—Discovers silicon fluoride—Intra-diffusion of gases—Respiration—Priestley’s opinions of the value of experimental science in education—Discovers nitrosulphuric acid—Notes the constancy of composition of the atmosphere—Prepares chlorine—Sound in “air”—Experiments relating to phlogiston—The seeming conversion of water into air—Watt and the compound nature of water—Discovers sulphuretted hydrogen—Priestley’s confession of faith in phlogiston. [Index] 225