FARADAY

Michaol, one of the | greatest of Mnglish chemists and phyficists, was born in humble cirmmstances at Newing ton Butts, near Ldadon, 22nd Sept, 1791, died 25th Aug, 1867. Early in life he was apor ced to a bookbinder in London, but, oecupied himself in his leisure hours with electrical and other scientific experiments. Having been taken by a friend to Sir Humphry Davy’s lectures, he attended the course, and became so interested that he decided to abandon his trade. With this end he sent his notes of the lectures to Sir Humphry Davy, who was so struck with the great ability they showed that he appointed him his a istant at the Royal Institution. In 1829 he became lecturer at the Royal Military Academy at Woolwich, and in 1833 he was appointed to the newly established chair of chemistry at the Royal Institution. t was while in this office that he made most of his great electrical discoveries. His communications to the Philosophical Transactions were published separately in three volumes (1839, 1844, 1855). In 1832 he received the honorary degree of D.C.L. from Oxford, and was made an honorary member of the Academy at Berlin. In 1835 he reccived a pension of £300 a year from Lord Melbourne. Faraday’s researches in electrolysis laid the foundations of electrochemistry, and were followed by many important discoveries in electrodynamics (including the laws which are the basis of modern clectrical power), and in various departments of pure and applied chemistry, particularly in the liquefaction of gases, the manuiacture of gla , the metallic alloys and the vaporization ofmerenry. AS an experimentalist Faraday was considered the very first of his time. As a popular leeturer he was equally distinguished, and used to draw crowds to the Friday evening lecture at the Royal Institution. Amongst his published works we may mention the following: Researches in Electricity (1831-55), Lectures on Non-metallic Elements (1853), Lectures on the Forces of DLlatter (1860), Lectures on the Chemtcal History of a Candle (1861).—BtLIOGRAPHY: J. Tyndall, Faraday as a Discoverer; S. P. Thompson, Jlichael Laraday: his Life and Work.