

'"-"It. 



Another important acquis 1st ion is an early 
autograph letter by Sir Humphry Davy of 
April 1808, referring to his exciting 
discovery of the alkali metals only a^few 
months earlier. By passing an electric 
current from a chemical "pile" (battery) 
through molten soda or potash, Davy produced 
shine y globules of metal which burst into 
flame on exposure to air. This letter 
predates his published paper on these two 
new elements, which he here proposes to 



name 



otassium and sodium. He also writes 



that his recent work suggested the 
existence of similar w&X new metals in 
alkaline eafeths. This work later led ^ to 
the discovery of four more new metallic 
elements, barium, strontium, calcium, 
and magnesium. 



DAVY ^ Humphrey 



Sir 



■en 



Three fragments of 
handwriting 



Swills** 

Bp 

■ 



DAVY (Sir Humphry, p.r.s., 1778-1829) Doc. signed, From the Appartements of the 
Royal Society, November 19, 1821, to Dr. Charles Hutton, f.r.s., giving notice of i 
the Elections of Council and offices of the Royal Society,, at which his Presence is 
expected, 1 p. 4to, £3 10s/$9.80 &U/ar'r- 5 '/ 



mm t S1E EOMHIHY (1778-1829) Natural Philosopher . Holograph 
Manuscript Poem entitled:- "Nonsense Verses* The death of the 
tfeazel". 4pp. 4 to. The Grange: October 22nd 1825 £10/l0/r. 
The poem is written in blank verse, consisting of 79 lines, the 
last 23 of which are written in another hand, and were dictated, 

s a lovely morning. Though the year 
Was fast departing, yet the hues of heaven 
Were bright as in the genial month of June.. 
Bavy wrote the poem while he was staying with Alexander Baring 
(later Lord Ashburton) at The Grange, Hampshire, to celebrate 
killing of a weazel on the estate. 



The p o em be gi n s : 



Tf 



Si 



DA VY TO AMPERE 

51. DAVY, Humphry. English chemist. Last page of an Autograph Letter 
Signed, full page, quarto, undated. Addressed on the verso to M. Ampere, 
Paris. Seal tear, otherwise fine. /fi *?/ $50.00 

"the impulse given by the most distinguished scientific members of the Royal Soc- 
iety to the body in favor of distinguished foreigners, than to attempt to create it, in 
your celebrity is so high that you require no personal favor.. .from private friendship. 
Lady Davy who I am sorry to say is carried by bad health to a milder climate will de- 
liver this letter.... I hope she will soon recover and return and save me from a journey to 
France this season which under any other circumstances except those depending upon the 
illness of a beloved object would be agreeable to me...." 




DAVY, SIR HtMHSS ^ 

A.L.S. to ¥m.Phillips (1775-1828) Geologist. 

2pp. 8vo.July 1st. 1822. £10/l0/~ 
Writing a second time to thank Mm for his "very interesting <§ important 
Geological work" .just published. He had left his first letter at the 
London Institution and thought Phillips had not received it. He hoped 
that he would continue his valuable publication "so illustrative of exact 

geological science". Phillips published Outlines of the Ge ology of England 



and Wales in 1822. 



With portrait engraving. 



AUTOG 




de 




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OBSERVATIONS 



l&i+^^l***^,. .4*44*. j£*4r, 



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loot) (ftr. btttoi), Sir |iiinu>r,n), beriibmter I 
cugl. feljemifer, net. 17. Sec. 1778 m fomianct £ 
Cornwall , War re 1 1795 8ebrfing M eff ffiun* 
«3t, roerdjer jugtet^ bie Stt-otbeferei betrieb, ram 
bann alg ©ebuife 3 u SBebboe^ i„ Srifiol, ber ib 
1798 in feiiter meWiMen SSCnfiaft (pUmaHc 
Institat.on) befdjof lfi te. SDabr/g erfle Strbeit betraf 
bag ©tict |to||on)bu(, wetdjcg SBebbocS afS Xviimitter I 

K , ?m ^ l1 ^; 1801 «■ * W ' ! mb 
1802 SBrofe for bet .Sarnie cm ber 9ta,a 3n|tirution I 
m Son on, and, Men n Sovtefungen am Bmb 
or Stancuttftre. ©eit 1801 aKit fl tieb bet 
©oaetu, funflitte er 1820-27 als sprfifibent bet' I 

I felben, big ifyn jute^t era ©djlaganfalT nbtfjiqte, 
. fetnc ©telle nieberjutegen. 3m 3ab)v 18J2 et^trit 
cr bie Sfttttertofirbe, uerbeiratfjete fid) mit einer rei= 
djen Same unb madjte nun t)5ufige Dieifen auf bem 
Sfqntinent. 6r fiarb 29. SDlai 1829 in ©enf. S3, 
gait am (Sitbe bcS erfien SDeceuniumg unferg 3at)r= 
fmnbertg afg ber bebeutenbjle SBemiler; mit »or= 
jiiglidjev Begabung, neue $utf8tmttel fur bie erpevU 
meutale Srmittclu'ng ber 3ufammenfe(jimg ber J?br= 
per in Slntoenbung ju brtngcn, oereinigte er eine 
bamalg (eltene Unabtjfingigfeit con ben biBb)er an= 
erfannten tfjeoretifdjen Sebren. <5r Ijat juerft in bem 
Don Eaooifier oufgeftettten ©nflem ber gfiemie eine 
teefeuttidje Stbauberuug jur ©cltung gebradjt. 3m 
3»[)r 1806 Begannen feine eminenten Strbeiten liter 
bie©intou'fung beg eleftrifdjen ©tromg auf d)emi= 
fd;e S3erBinbimgen, wetdje if)ii 3111- Sntbecfung beg 
SaliumS nub SJfatriumS, ber ©rbalfarimetat[e nub 
beg SBorg fiitjrten. Stnberfeitg tefjrte er feit 1810 bag 
GBJot atg eiufadjen Sorper betradjten uub gab ba= 
nut ben 51iiflog ju ben wtdjtigften Sftcformen in ber 
Sfjeorie ber ©arje. ©eine SIrbeiten liejieu bie S3e- 
jietjuugen jwifdjen ben djemifdjen uub eleftrifdjen 
ArSftett Haver unb bcftimmter fjeroortrcten, alg bie§ 
big baljiu ber gait gcwefen war; er oerlnarf bie 2In= 
ualjme eineg befonbern 2Ba'rmefioffg unb fucfite bie 
SBSrmeerfdjcmungen auf ffleloegungen ber fleiufteu 
£I)ei(djen ber ffiorper jutiicfjufiujren. 3in 3at)r 
1815 entbedtc er bie ©tgcnfcbaft ber JDietaHbrafjts 
gewebe, bem Umfidjgreifen ber gtanuue ju roetjren, 
unb fonftruirte bie nadj itjm benannte ©idjer6,eits= 
lampe. 25ou feinen ©diriften neuucu air: »Che- 
mical and philosophical researches, chiefly concer- 
ning nitrons oxid and its respiration* (Soub. 1800; 
beutfcfi ton SJaffe, Seipj. 1812-14, 2 Sbe.); >»Ele- 
ments of chemical philosophy* (Sonb. 1812; betltfd) 
Bon SEotff, S3er[. 1814); »Elements of agricultural 
chemistry* (Soub. 1813, juteht 1855; beutfd) oou 
SBolff, 53er(. 1814, uon §ermbftfibt, baf. 1817); 
»On the safety-lamp and on dame* (Sonb. 1828); 
»Salmonia, or the Days of fly-fishing* (baf. 1828, 
5. Stuff. 1870; beutfd) Son fteubert, £eipi. 1840); 
^Consolations in travel, or the last days of a philo- 
sopher. (3. Stuff., Sonb. 1831, 7. 2lufi. 1869; beutfd) 
won Smarting, 9Mimb. 1833). SDie gefammeften 
Sffierte, berauggeg. B. 3oi)it erfdjienen in 9 93bn., 
£onb. 1839. 9Jgt. SParig, The life of SirHnmphry 
D. (2oub. 1831, 2 S3be.),unb bie con feinem Sruber 
3of^n S. berauggegebenen Memoirs of the life of 
Sir H. D. (baf. 1836, 2 S3be.; beutfd; oonjfteubetf, 

Seipj. 1840, 4 SJbdjn.); iFragmentary Komnins, 
literai-y and scientific of Sir H. D.« (Sonb. 1858). 



no DAVY (Sir Humphrey, Bart., Natural Philo'sapher, invented 
safety lamp, 1778-1829) A.L.s., 2 pp., 8vo. To William Kerr, with 
whom he is arranging an appointment to give him particulars concern; 
ingr Dr. Kerr. 



Waterloo Hotel, Regent Bridge [1821] 



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