In the Autumn of 1821, Davy visited his mother and relatives at Penzance; upon which occasion he received from the inhabitants of the town, and from the gentlemen resident in its neighbourhood, a flattering testimony of respect, which made a deep and lasting impression upon his heart.
At a General Meeting, summoned for the purpose of taking into consideration some mode by which his fellow-townsmen might express their sense of his transcendent talents, and of the lustre which his genius had cast upon the place of his nativity:—It was unanimously RESOLVED—
"That a public dinner be given to Sir Humphry Davy, and that the Mayor be desired to wait upon him forthwith, in order to communicate the Resolution, and respectfully to request that he would appoint the day, on which it would be agreeable to him to meet their wishes."
On the day appointed, a deputation of Gentlemen proceeded in their carriages to the house of his mother, for the purpose of conducting him to the hotel, where an appropriate entertainment had been provided for the occasion.
The following letter evinces the sincere satisfaction which this visit afforded him.
TO THOMAS POOLE, ESQ.
Penzance, July 28, 1821.
MY DEAR POOLE,
An uncontrollable necessity has brought me here. Close to the Land's-end I am enjoying the majestic in nature, and living over again the days of my infancy and early youth.
The living beings that act upon me are interesting subjects for contemplation. Civilization has not yet destroyed in their minds the semblance of the great Parent of good.