Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1870-04-01
HENRY CAEENDESEE.
4 Remarkable Life and More Re.
Lnurisarie Death.

In the transactions of the British Asso-
ciation Of 1869, recently published, the
philosopher whose name heads this notice,
receives the honor of having discovered the
composition of water. 1t was long regard
ed as simple body. He proved it to be
the result OF combination between oxygen
and hydrogen. If be had discovered moth
ing ese,-it he had not demonstrated that
carbonic acid gas was always the same
from whatever produced, that nflammable
air was always hydrogen.--or if bis dcterm-
na,ion of the earthS density had not been
a success, he would still have been the
father Of chemistry. No one SO much as
he, little as Lis name is known, laid the
foundations Of modern science.
Henry Cavendish was the son Of an Eng
lish nobeman, first seeing the light in 1871,
nheriting a large estate, living a retired
life, known only by such men as Lavoisier
and Sir Humphrey Davy, and to them only
by his brilliant discoveries, and dying at
the age Of so, leaving more thaa a million
sterling among his different relations.
Cavendish House still stands in Cllpham,
and when the writer visited it, twelve years
ago, remained as its owner left it nearly
half century before. In external appear
ance it was the mansion of an English gen
tleman. One sees a thousand like it. But
to its arrangements within, the whole world
could not, perhaps furnish parallel. An
wills and torges, files and hammers, grind
stones and teirpering troughs, furnaces and
huge bellows, had converted the panneled
and wall-irescoed drawing room into the
shop of blacksmith. In the spacious din
ing room, chemical apparatus occupied the
place OF fur, iture. Electrical machines,
Leyden jars, endiometers, thermome,ric
scales and philosophical Instruments, were
distributed through the chambers. The
third story, save two chambers-one for the
bousekeeper, the other for the footman-
had been fitted up for an observatory. The
lenses and achromatic glasses, tubes and
specula, concave mirrors and object prisms,
and the huge telescope peering through the
roof, were still there as their owner left
them. Furniture there was not. All appli
ances of housekeeping were absent. Com
fort, as we understand it, was no element
of life in Cavendsh House. 1t was the
residence, simple and pure, of a philoso-
pher. 1t is said of the eccentric occupant
that he was so shy Of the female sex as to
instantly dismiss any chambermaid VIII"
appeared in his presence, that he ordered
his dinner daily by note to the house
keeper left on the hall table.
At the age of 40, a large accession came
to his fortune. His income already exceed
ed his expenditure. Pecunlary transac-
tons were his aversion. Other matters oc-
cupied his attention. The legacy was,
therefore, paid in to his bankers. 1t was
safe there and he gave it no more heed.
One of the firm sought TO see him at Clap
ham. In answer to the inquiries of the
footman rs to his business, the banker re-
piled that he wished to see Mr.. Cavendish
personally. "You must wait tn H." re-
sponded the servant, "til he rings his bell. y
The banker tarried for hours, when the
long expected bell rang. His name was
announced. "What does he want?" the
master asked. ~ personal Interview
"Send him up" The banker appeared.
81 am come, sir, to ascertain your views
concerning sum of two hundred thousand
pounds placed to your account"
"Does it inconvenience your asked the
philosopher. "If so transfer it elsewhere. y
Inconvenience, sir? By no means, y
replied the banker; but pardon me tor
suggesting that it is too large sum to re-
nam unproductive. Would you not like to
invest it p
Invest it, ch? Yes, if you will. Do as
you please. But don't interrupt me again
| have other matters to think about
Perhaps no man ever lived whose charac-
ter could be more accurately described by
negations. He did not love, nor hate, nol
hope, nor fear like other men. To his fam
| ily he was unknown His scientific friends
were scarcely acquainted with his person
Through his papers published in the Trans.
actions of the Royal Society he was alone
known to the world. He separated him
self from his fellow men. There was moth
ing earnest, historic, or chiyalrous in his
nature. Neither was there anything mean
grovelling, or ignob|e. He was passionless
His brain, looking through a pair Of won
derful acute eyes, used oil the organs of his
body as its slaves. He did not stand aloo
from men in any supercilious spirit, Bu
they were not his fellows. There We're NJ
sympathies between them. They did no
know him, nor he them. Apart from th,
world, under the soll-impo5cd vows Of ;