1804.

Only a few yards from Jacob's Well Mews is a bookET.12-13. seller's shop, at No. 2 Blandford Street.

There Faraday went as errand boy, on trial for a year, to Mr. George Riebau, in 1804. He has spoken with much feeling that it was his duty, when he first went, to carry round the papers that were lent out by his master. Often on a Sunday morning he got up very early and took them round, and then he had to call for them again; and frequently, when he was told the paper was not done with, "You must call again," he would beg to be allowed to have it; for his next place might be a mile off, and then he would have to return back over the ground again, losing much time, and being very unhappy if he was unable to get home to make himself neat, and to go with his parents to their place of worship.'

He

6 says, I remember being charged with being a great questioner when young, but I do not know the nature of the questions.' One instance, however, has been preserved. Having called at a house, possibly to leave a newspaper, whilst waiting for the door to be opened, he put his head through the iron bars that made a separation from the adjoining house; and, whilst in this position, he questioned himself as to which side he was on. The door behind him being opened, he suddenly drew back, and, hitting himself so as to make his nose bleed, he forgot all about his question.

In after life the remembrance of his earliest occupation was often brought to his mind. One of his nieces says that he rarely saw a newspaper boy without making some kind remark about him. Another niece recalls his words on one occasion, I always feel a

tenderness for those boys, because I once carried newspapers myself.'

Faraday's indentures as an apprentice are dated October 7, 1805: one line in them is worthy to be kept-In consideration of his faithful service no premium is given.'

Four years later his father wrote (in 1809), Michael is bookbinder and stationer, and is very active at learning his business. He has been most part of four years of his time out of seven. He has a very good master and mistress, and likes his place well. He had a hard time for some while at first going; but, as the old saying goes, he has rather got the head above water, as there is two other boys under him.'

Faraday himself says, 'Whilst an apprentice I loved to read the scientific books which were under my hands, and, amongst them, delighted in Marcet's "Conversations in Chemistry," and the electrical treatises in the "Encyclopædia Britannica." I made such simple experiments in chemistry as could be defrayed in their expense by a few pence per week, and also constructed an electrical machine, first with a glass phial, and afterwards with a real cylinder, as well as other electrical apparatus of a corresponding kind.' He told a friend that Watts On the Mind' first made him think, and that his attention was turned to science by the article Electricity' in an encyclopædia he was employed to bind.

'My master,' he says, 'allowed me to go occasionally of an evening to hear the lectures delivered by Mr. Tatum on natural philosophy at his house, 53 Dorset Street, Fleet Street. I obtained a knowledge of these

1809.

ET.17-18.

1810.

lectures by bills in the streets and shop-windows near ET. 18-19. his house. The hour was eight o'clock in the evening. The charge was one shilling per lecture, and my brother Robert (who was three years older and followed his father's business) made me a present of the money for several. I attended twelve or thirteen lectures between February 19, 1810, and September 26, 1811. It was at these lectures I first became acquainted with Magrath, Newton, Nicol, and others.'

He learned perspective of Mr. Masquerier,' that he might illustrate these lectures. Masquerier lent me Taylor's "Perspective," a 4to volume, which I studied. closely, copied all the drawings, and made some other very simple ones, as of cubes or pyramids, or columns in perspective, as exercises of the rules. I was always very fond of copying vignettes and small things in ink; but I fear they were mere copies of the lines, and that I had little or no sense of the general effect and of the power of the lines in producing it.'

In his earliest note-book he wrote down the names of the books and subjects that interested him: this he called "The Philosophical Miscellany," being a collection of notices, occurrences, events, &c., relating to the arts and sciences, collected from the public papers, reviews, magazines, and other miscellaneous works; intended,' he says, to promote both amusement and instruction, and also to corroborate or invalidate those theories which are continually starting

1 Mr. Masquerier was probably a lodger in Mr. Riebau's house. In Crabb Robinson's Memoirs (vol. iii. p. 375, dated Feb. 18, 1851) it is written, 'At Masquerier's, Brighton. We had calls soon after breakfast. The one to be mentioned was that of Faraday. When he was young, poor, and altogether unknown, Masquerier was kind to him; and now that he is a great man he does not forget his old friend.'

into the world of science. Collected by M. Faraday, 1811. 1809-10.'

6

Among the books and subjects which are mentioned in this volume are, Description of a Pyropneumatic Apparatus,' and 'Experiments on the Ocular Spectra of Light and Colours,' by Dr. Darwin, from Ackerman's Repository; Lightning,' and 'Electric Fish and Electricity,' from Gentleman's Magazine; 'Meteorolites,' from the Evangelical Magazine; Water Spouts,' from the Zoological Magazine; Formation of Snow,' from Sturm's Reflections; To loosen Glass Stopples,' from the Lady's Magazine; To convert two Liquids into a Solid,' 'Oxygen Gas,' Hydrogen Gas,' 'Nitric and Carbonic Acid Gas,'' Oxymuriate of Potash,' from Conversations in Chemistry.

6

6

'Galvanism:'' Mr. Davy has announced to the Royal Society a great discovery in chemistry-the fixed alkalies have been decomposed by the galvanic battery,' from Chemical Observer; Galvanism and a Description of a Galvanometer,' from the Literary Panorama.

Through Mr. Tatum, Faraday made the acquaintance of Mr. Huxtable, who was then a medical student, and of Mr. Benjamin Abbott, who was a confidential clerk in the city, and belonged to the Society of Friends. Mr. Huxtable lent him the third edition of Thomson's Chemistry,' and 'Parkes's Chemistry: this Faraday bound for his friend. The earliest note of Faraday's that is known to exist was written this year to Mr. Huxtable. It shows a little of the fun and much of the gentleness of his writing at this time:

Dear Sir,-Tit for tat, says the proverb; and it is

ÆT. 19-20.

1812. my earnest wish to make that proverb good in two inET.20-21. stances. First, you favoured me with a note a short

time since, and I hereby return the compliment; and, secondly, I shall call "tit " upon you next Sunday, and hope that you will come and tea "tat" with me the Sunday after. In short, the object of this note is to obtain your company, if agreeable to your convenience and health (which I hope is perfectly recovered long before this), the Sunday after next.

This early application is made to prevent prior claims; and I propose to call upon you this day week to arrange what little circumstances may require it.

In hope that your health is as well as ever, and that all other circumstances are agreeable, I subjoin myself, Sir, yours,

'M. FARADAY.'

The following are among the few notes which Faraday made of his own life:

During my apprenticeship I had the good fortune, through the kindness of Mr. Dance, who was a customer of my master's shop and also a member of the Royal Institution, to hear four of the last lectures of Sir H. Davy in that locality. The dates of these lectures were February 29, March 14, April 8 and 10, 1812. Of these I made notes, and then wrote out the lectures in a fuller form, interspersing them with such drawings as I could make. The desire to be engaged in scientific occupation, even though of the lowest kind, induced me, whilst an apprentice, to write, in my ignorance of the world and simplicity of my mind, to Sir Joseph

He always sat in the gallery over the clock.