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post. But his aunt was anxious for him to be a minister, as he himself desired, and therefore in 1752, when his health had improved, he went to See also:

DAVENTRY

Daventry to attend the Nonconformist See also:

academy formerly carried on by Dr P. See also:

DODDRIDGE, PHILIP (1702-1751)

Doddridge at See also:

Northampton. There he stayed three years, exchanging his See also:

early Calvinism for a See also:

SYSTEM

system of " necessarianism " under the See also:

INFLUENCE (Late Lat. influentia, from influere, to flow in)

influence of D. See also:

Hartley's Observations on See also:

Man and A. See also:

Collins's Philosophical Enquiry concerning Human See also:

LIBERTY (Lat. libertas, from liber, free)

Liberty.

In 1755 he was appointed to a small See also:

CONGREGATION (Lat. congregatio, a gathering together, from cum, with, grex, gregis, a flock, herd)

congregation at Needham See also:

MARKET (Lat. mercatus, trade or place of trade)

Market, in See also:

Suffolk, where he was not very successful. In 1758 he obtained a more congenial congregation at See also:

NANTWICH

Nantwich, where he opened a school at which the elementary lessons were varied with experiments in natural philosophy. Three years later he removed to See also:

WARRINGTON

Warrington as classical See also:

TUTOR (Lat. tutor, guardian, tueri, to watch over, protect)

tutor in a new academy, and there he attended lectures on See also:

chemistry by Dr See also:

Matthew See also:

Turner of See also:

Liverpool and pursued those studies in See also:

ELECTRICITY

electricity which gained him the fellowship of the Royal Society in 1766 and supplied him with material for his See also:

HISTORY

History of Electricity. In 1762 he had married the daughter of See also:

ISAAC (Hebrew for " he laughs," on explanatory references to the name, see ABRAHAM)

Isaac See also:

Wilkinson, a See also:

WREXHAM (Welsh•Gwrecsam, in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle Wrighlesham)

Wrexham ironmaster. In 1767 he was appointed to the charge of See also:

Mill See also:

Hill See also:

CHAPEL

Chapel at See also:

Leeds, where he again changed his religious opinions from a loose Arianism to definite Socinianism and wrote many See also:

POLITICAL

political tracts hostile to the attitude of the See also:

government towards the See also:

AMERICAN

American colonies. He also began his researches into " different kinds of airs," getting a plentiful See also:

SUPPLY (through Fr. from Lat. supplere, to fill up)

supply of " fixed See also:

air " from a brewery next See also:

DOOR (corresponding to the Gr. Bbpa,. Lat. fores or valvae; the English word, with other forms common in allied languages, comes from the same Indo-European stem as the Gr. Obpa and Lat. fares)

door to his house. By the end of 1771 his scientific reputation was such that he was suggested for the post of " astronomer " to See also:

CAPTAIN (derived from Lat. ca put, head, through the Low Lat. capitanus)

Captain See also:

Cook's second expedition to the See also:

South Seas, but his unorthodox opinions were objectionable to certain members of the See also:

BOARD (O. Eng. bord)

board of See also:

LONGITUDE (from Lat. longitudo, " length ")

longitude and the See also:

APPOINTMENT, POWER OF

appointment was not ratified. In 1772, the See also:

YEAR

year in which he was chosen a See also:

FOREIGN

foreign See also:

ASSOCIATE (Lat. associates, from ad, to, and sociare to join)

associate of the French Academy of Sciences, he accepted the position of librarian and See also:

LITERARY

literary See also:

COMPANION (through the O. Fr. compaignon or compagnon, from the Late Lat. companio,—cum, with, and panis, bread,—one who shares meals with another; the word has been wrongly derived from the Late Lat. compagnus, one of the same pages or district)

companion to See also:

Lord Shelburne (afterwards 1st See also:

Marquess of Landsdowne) at See also:

CALNE

Calne, with a See also:

SALARY

salary of £25o a year and a house. With that nobleman he travelled on the See also:

CONTINENT (from Lat. continere, "to hold together "; hence " connected," " continuous ")

Continent; the See also:

month of See also:

OCTOBER

October 1774 he spent in See also:

Paris, and See also:

MEETING (from " to meet," to come together, assemble, 0. Eng. metals ; cf. Du. moeten, Swed. mota, Goth. gamotjan, &c., derivatives of the Teut. word for a meeting, seen in O. Eng. Wit, moot, an assembly of the people; cf. witanagemot)

meeting See also:

LAVOISIER, ANTOINE LAURENT (1743-1794)

Lavoisier and his See also:

friends, gave them an See also:

account of the experiment by which on the previous 1st of See also:

AUGUST (originally Sextilis)

August he had prepared " dephlogisticated air " (See also:

OXYGEN (symbol 0, atomic weight 16)

oxygen). In 178o he parted See also:

COMPANY

company with his See also:

PATRON

patron, who allowed him an See also:

ANNUITY (from Lat. annus, a year)

annuity of £15o for See also:

LIFE

life, and settling at See also:

BIRMINGHAM

Birmingham was appointed junior minister of the New Meeting Society. There he continued his literary and scientific labours, enjoying congenial intercourse with such men as Matthew See also:

BOULTON, MATTHEW (1728-1809)

Boulton, See also:

James Keir, James See also:

WATT, JAMES (1736-1819)

Watt and See also:

ERASMUS, DESIDERIUS (1466–1536)

Erasmus See also:

Darwin at the periodical dinners of the Lunar Society. On the 14th of See also:

JULY

July 1791 the Constitutional Society of Birmingham arranged a See also:

DINNER

dinner to celebrate the anniversary of the fall of the See also:

BASTILLE (from Fr. bastir, now bdtir, to build)

Bastille.

Priestley, according to his own account, " had little to do with it " But his predilections in favour of the revolutionists were notorious, and the See also:

mob seized the occasion to See also:

BURN, RICHARD (1709-1785)

burn his chapel and See also:

SACK

sack his house at Fairhill. He and his family escaped, but his material possessions were destroyed and the labour of years annihilated. He retreated to See also:

LONDON

London, where he See also:

FELT (cognate with Ger. Filz, Du. vilt, Swed. and Dan. fill; the root is unknown; the word has given Med. Lat. filtrum, " filter ")

felt safe, though he continued to be an See also:

OBJECT

object of " troublesome See also:

ATTENTION (from Lat. ad-tendo, await, expect; the condition of being " stretched " or " tense ")

attention," and even the See also:

FELLOWS, SIR CHARLES (1799-1860)

fellows of the Royal Society shunned him. But he received an invitation to become See also:

MORNING

morning preacher at See also:

GRAVEL, or PEBBLE BEDS

Gravel See also:

PIT (O. E. pytt, cognate with Du. put, Ger. Pfutze, &c., all ultimately adaptations of Lat. puteus, well, formed from root pu-, to cleanse, whence gurus, clean, pure)

Pit Chapel, See also:

Hackney. This he accepted, and performed the duties of the charge till 1794, when he determined to follow his three sons, who had emigrated to See also:

AMERICA

America in the previous year. On the 7th of See also:

APRIL

April he embarked with his wife at See also:

GRAVESEND

Gravesend and reached New York on the 4th of See also:

JUNE

June. Finally settling at See also:

Northumberland, See also:

Pennsylvania, he lived there for nearly ten years, until on the 6th of See also:

FEBRUARY

February 1804, after clearly and audibly dictating a few changes he wished made in some of his writings, he quietly expired. Priestley was a most voluminous writer, and his See also:

WORKS

works (excluding his scientific writings) as collected and edited by his friend J. T. Rutt in 1817–1832 fill 25 See also:

OCTAVO

octavo volumes. (The first See also:

VOLUME

volume, containing his life and See also:

correspondence, was issued separately in two parts, 1831–1832.) His first See also:

APPEARANCE (from Lat. apparere, to appear)

appearance as an author was in 1761, when he published the Scripture See also:

DOCTRINE

Doctrine of Remission and the Rudiments of English Grammar. His See also:

CHIEF (from Fr. chef, head, Lat. caput)

chief theological and philosophical works were Institutes of Natural and Revealed See also:

Religion (3 vols., 1772-1774) ; History of the Corruption of See also:

CHRISTIANITY

Christianity (2 vols., 1782); See also:

General History of the See also:

Christian Church to the Fall of the Western See also:

EMPIRE

Empire, vols. i. and ii.

(179o), vols. iii. and iv. (1802–1803) ; Disquisitions See also:

RELATING

relating to See also:

MATTER

Matter and Spirit (1777), and various essays and letters on necessarianism. But his theological writings are forgotten, and he is chiefly remembered as a scientific investigator who contributed especially to the chemistry of gases. Yet judged by See also:

MODERN

modern See also:

STANDARDS

standards he had an inadequate conception of the meaning of ordered See also:

RESEARCH (O. Fr. recerche, from recercher, re- and cercer, mod. chercher, to search; Late Lat. circare, to go round in a circle, to explore)

research. In reference to his preparation of oxygen he says, " It provides a striking See also:

ILLUSTRATION

illustration of a remark I have more than once made in my philosophical writings and which can hardly be too often repeated, viz. that more is owing to what we See also:

CALL (from Anglo-Saxon ceallian, a common Teutonic word, cf. Dutch kallen, to talk or chatter)

call See also:

CHANCE (through the O. Fr. cheance, from the Late Lat. cadentia, things happening, from cadere, to fall out, happen; cf. " case ")

chance—that is, philosophically speaking, to the observation of events arising from unknown causes—than to any proper See also:

DESIGN (Fr. desiin, drawing; Lat. designare, to mark out)

design or preconceived theory in this business." If in this See also:

SENTENCE (Lat. sententia, a way of thinking, opinion, judgment; vote, sentire, to feel, think)

sentence he scarcely does See also:

JUSTICE (Lat. justitia)

justice to the See also:

POWERS, HIRAM (1805-1873)

powers of logical inference and inductive reasoning displayed in much of his See also:

WORK

work, it remains true that See also:

BLIND, MATHILDE (1841—1896)

blind experiment—See also:

HEATING

heating a substance, or treating it with some reagent, to see what would happen—was his characteristic method of inquiry. Thus by heating See also:

SPIRITS

spirits of See also:

salt he obtained " marine See also:

ACID (from the Lat. root ac-, sharp; acere, to be sour)

acid air " (hydrochloric acid See also:

gas), and he was able to collect it because he happened to use See also:

mercury, instead of See also:

WATER

water, in See also:

ISIS (Egyptian Ese)

Isis pneumatic trough. Then he treated oil of See also:

VITRIOL

vitriol in the same way, but got nothing until by See also:

accident he dropped some mercury into the liquid, when " vitriolic acid air " (See also:

SULPHUR

sulphur dioxide) was evolved. Again he heated fluorspar with oil of vitriol, as K. W. See also:

SCHEELE, KARL WILHELM (1742-1786)

Scheele had done, and because he was employing a See also:

glass See also:

VESSEL (O. Fr. vaissel, from a rare Lat. vascellum, dim. of vas, vase, urn)

vessel he got " fluor acid air " (See also:

SILICON [symbol Si, atomic weight 28.3 (0= 16)]

silicon fluoride). Heating spirits of See also:

HARTSHORN, SPIRITS OF

hartshorn, he was able to collect " alkaline air " (gaseous See also:

AMMONIA (NH3)

ammonia), again because he was using mercury in his pneumatic trough; then, trying what would happen if he passed electric See also:

SPARKS, JARED (1789-1866)

sparks through the gas, he decomposed it into See also:

NITROGEN [symbol N., atomic weight 14.01, 0=16]

nitrogen and See also:

HYDROGEN [symbol H, atomic weight x-oo8 (0=16)]

hydrogen, and " having a notion " that mixed with hydrochloric acid gas it would produce a " neutral air," perhaps much the same as See also:

COMMON

common air, he synthesized sal ammoniac. Dephlogisticated air (oxygen) he prepared in August 1774 by heating red See also:

OXIDE

oxide of mercury with a burning-glass, and he found that in it a See also:

CANDLE (Lat. candela, from candere, to glow)

candle burnt with a remarkably vigorous See also:

FLAME (Lat. flamma; the root flag- appears in flagrare, to burn, blaze, and Gr. d, XEryew)

flame and mice lived well.

He concluded that it was not common air, but the substance, " in much greater perfection," that rendered common air respirable and a supporter of See also:

COMBUSTION (from the Lat. comburere, to burn up)

combustion. Of the See also:

ANALOGY (Gr. avaXo-yLa, proportion)

analogy between combustion and respiration—both true phlogistic processes in his view—he had convinced himself three years before, and his See also:

paper, " On Different Kinds of Air " (Phil. Trans., 1772) described experiments which showed that growing See also:

PLANTS

plants are able to " restore air which has been vitiated, whether by being breathed or by having candles burnt in it. Priestley displayed much ingenuity in devising apparatus suited to his requirements and in carrying out and varying his experiments; it was in the See also:

INTERPRETATION (from Lat. interpretari, to expound, explain, inter pres, an agent, go-between, interpreter; inter, between, and the root pret-, possibly connected with that seen either in Greek 4 p4'ew, to speak, or irpa-rrecv, to do)

interpretation of results that he was deficient. Had this not been the See also:

case he could scarcely have remained a See also:

FIRM

firm believer in the phlogistic doctrine. At one See also:

time, indeed, he found Lavoisier's views so specious that he was much inclined to accept them, but he overcame this wavering, and so See also:

LATE

late as 1800 he wrote to the Rev. See also:

THEOPHILUS

Theophilus See also:

LINDSEY, THEOPHILUS (1723—1808)

Lindsey (1723-1808), " I have well considered all that my opponents have advanced and feel perfectly confident of the ground I stand upon.... Though nearly alone I am under no See also:

APPREHENSION (Lat. ad, to; prehendere, to seize)

apprehension of defeat." His chief books on chemistry were six volumes of Experiments and Observations on different Kinds of Air, published between 1774 and 1786; Experiments on the See also:

GENERATION (from Lat. generare, to beget, procreate; genus, stock, race)

Generation of Air from Water (,793); Experiments and Observations relating to the See also:

ANALYSIS (Gr. avci and Meta, to break up into parts)

Analysis of Atmospheric Air, and Considerations on the Doctrine of Phlogiston established and that of the See also:

Composition of Water refuted (1800). He also published (1767) a See also:

TREATISE

treatise on the History and See also:

PRESENT

Present See also:

State of Electricity, which embodies some See also:

ORIGINAL

original work, and (1772) a History of Discoveries relating to See also:

VISION (from Lat. videre, to see), or SIGHT

Vision, See also:

LIGHT

Light and See also:

COLOURS, MILITARY

Colours, which is a See also:

mere compilation.

End of Article: PRIESTLEY, JOSEPH (1733-1804)

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