Sir Humphry Davy has the honour to inform the managers that he has found a person who is desirous to occupy the situation in the Institution lately filled by William Payne. His name is Michael Faraday. He is a youth of twenty-two years of age. As far as Sir H. Davy has been able to observe or ascertain, he appears well fitted for the situation. His habits seem good, his disposition active and cheerful, and his manner intelligent. He is willing to engage himself on the same terms as those given to Mr. Payne at the time of quitting the Institution.
Resolved—That Michael Faraday be engaged to fill the situation lately occupied by Mr. Payne on the same terms.[7]
There have come down several additions to the story. One, probably apocryphal, says that Faraday’s first introduction to Davy was occasioned by Davy’s calling at Riebau’s to select some bookbinding, and seeing on the shelves the bound volume of manuscript notes of his own lectures. The other was narrated by Gassiot to Tyndall, as follows:—
Clapham Common, Surrey,
November 28, 1867.
My dear Tyndall,—Sir H. Davy was accustomed to call on the late Mr. Pepys in the Poultry, on his way to the London Institution, of which Pepys was one of the original managers; the latter told me that on one occasion Sir H. Davy, showing him a letter, said, “Pepys, what am I to do?—here is a letter from a young man named Faraday; he has been attending my lectures, and wants me to give him employment at the Royal Institution—what can I do?” “Do?” replied Pepys, “put him to wash bottles; if he is good for anything he will do it directly; if he refuses, he is good for nothing.” “No, no,” replied Davy, “we must try him with something better than that.” The result was, that Davy engaged him to assist in the Laboratory at weekly wages.
Davy held the joint office of Professor of Chemistry and Director of the Laboratory; he ultimately gave up the former to the late Professor Brande, but he insisted that Faraday should be appointed Director of the Laboratory, and, as Faraday told me, this enabled him on subsequent occasions to hold a definite position in the Institution, in which he was always supported by Davy. I believe he held that office to the last.
Believe me, my dear Tyndall, yours truly,
J. P. Gassiot.
In 1808 Mr. Tatum had founded a City Philosophical Society.[8] It consisted of thirty or forty young men in humble or moderate rank, who met on Wednesdays for mutual instruction; lectures being given once a fortnight by the members in turn. Tatum introduced Faraday to this Society in 1813. Edward Magrath was secretary. Amongst Faraday’s notes of his life is the following:—
During this spring Magrath and I established the mutual-improvement plan, and met at my rooms up in the attics of the Royal Institution, or at Wood Street at his warehouse. It consisted perhaps of half-a-dozen persons, chiefly from the City Philosophical Society, who met of an evening to read together, and to criticise, correct, and improve each other’s pronunciation and construction of language. The discipline was very sturdy, the remarks very plain and open, and the results most valuable. This continued for several years.
AT WORK IN CHEMISTRY.