The “Social Chemists”: English Chemical Societies in the Eighteenth and Early Nineteenth Century

REFERENCES

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• For example, at Oxford: the Society for Scientific and Literary Disquisition, 1795—; and at Cambridge: the Society for the Promotion of Philosophy and General Literature, 1784—and the Society for Promoting Useful Knowledge, 1784—. The societies of Fellows and students were quite separate.
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• The minute book for 1780–1787 of this society is in the Museum of the History of Science, Oxford, MS. Gunther 4. The printed Abstract of such Resolutions and Precedents as relate to the Constitution of the Philosophical Society, dated March 14, 1788. W/M 1109, is held at Keele University Library where the document is deposited by Messrs. Josiah Wedgwood 8c Sons Ltd., Barlaston, Stoke-on-Trent. Both documents are referred to by date of entry. From 26 November 1784 the Society met at the Baptists Head Coffee House.
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• B. Higgins, Minutes of the Society for Philosophical Experiments and Conversations, London, 1795.
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• Ibid, List of members, 7–9. Addresses of members are given but not reproduced here. Many of the identifications were made on the basis of the address.
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• Thomas Blunt was the apprentice (760) and partner (1774–91) of Edward Nairne, who was an original member of the Chapter Coffee House Society. I am indebted to A. V. Simcock for this information.
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• R. J. Spring, "The Development of Chemistry in London in the Nineteenth Century", Ph.D. thesis, King's College, London, 1978, 326, fn.87 quotes from S. Parkes, Chemical Essays, London, 1815, 5 vols, 3 84–85, that Coxwell sold the first large-scale produced citric acid in England.
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• D. Hill, Practical Observations on the Use of Oxygen, or Vital Air, in the Cure of Diseases: to which are added a few experiments on the Vegetation of Plants, London, 1800, 1.
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• B. DaMes, "Observations on the Floating Ice which is found in High Northern and Southern Latitudes. To which are added Experiments on the Freezing of Sea Water. By B. Higgins, M.D.", London, 1776, 121, 55 part of The Probability of Reaching the North Pole Discussed, London, 1774–76.
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• C. H. Wilkinson, An Enquiry into the Natural History, Chemical Properties and Medical Virtues of the Rock Oil, or Green Mineral Naphtha of Barbados, London, 1830, 57–8, fn. Wilkinson (cr 763–1850) recalls being a member of Higgins's society in i 796 and 1797. I am indebted to Hugh Torrens for this independent proof of the society's continued existence.
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• Royal Society of Arts, Loose Archives, Cr1/33 Eden. This proposal was first mentioned in D. G. C. Allan, "Productions, Inventions and Improvements: A Note on the History of the Royal Society of Arts", Chemistry and Industry, 12 August 1961, 1244–6.
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• F. W. Gibbs, "Bryan Higgins & his Circle", Chemistry in Britain, 2 (1965), 60–65.
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• Royal Society of Arts, Minutes of Committees, bound annually. D. Hudson & K. W. Luckhurst, The Royal Society of Arts, 1754–1954, London, 1954, 119–125, 172.
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• Royal Society of Arts, Minutes of the Society, 1798–97, vol. 42. George Wilson was Chairman of the Committee of Chemistry, 1791–1799.
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• Anonymous, Life of William Allen, with selections from his correspondence, London, 1846, 3 vols., 1 24.
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• Ibid, 1 26.
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• E. Clarke, Guy's Hospital Gazette, 33 (1919), 379–384 & 396–401. J. R. Wall, "The Guys Hospital Physical Society ( 1771–1852)", Guy's Hospital Reports, 123 (1974), 159–I 70.
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• Nor is it mentioned in S. Wilks & G. T. Bettany, The Biographical History of Guy's Hospital, London, 1892. For these facts I am indebted to Mr. Alan Baster, Assistant Librarian, Guy's Hospital.
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• H. C. Cameron, Mr. Guys Hospital 1726–1948, London, 1954, 95, 145. Cameron makes no mention of a chemical society.
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• op. cit. (14). I have added Taylor and Greve', who were not in the list of members but appeared in the list of officers.
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• C. A. Browne, "The Life and Chemical Services of Frederick Accum", J. of Chemical Education, 2 (10), 1925, 829–851; 2 (11), 1925, 1008–34 & 2 (12), (1925), 1140–49. C. A. Browne, "Recently acquired information concerning Frederick Accum, 1769-1838", Chymia, 1 (1948), 1-to. R. J. Cole, "Friedrich Accum (1769–1838) A Biographical Study", Annals of Science, 7 (1951), 128–143.
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• Med. & Phys. J., 16 (1806), 96; Monthly Magazine, 21 (1 July 1806), 556; and longer [identical] proposals in Phil. Mag., 25 (1806), 83–86, and [Nicholson's] J. of Nat. Phil., 14 (1806), 268–70.
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• F. Accum, A Practical Essay on the Analysis of Minerals, London, 1804, preface and section headed "Chemical Demonstrations or Private Lectures, on Practical Chemistry", at end of copy in British Library; op cit., (34).
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• op. cit. Managers' Minutes (13), 3 143 (6 June 803).
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• E. Thorpe, Essays on Historical Chemistry, London, 1911, Essay XVIII, 565. wrote that: "even as far back as 1806 an effort was made to form a Chemical Society independent of the Royal Society, to be called the London Chemical Society, but it received scant encouragement from persons in high places, and few chemists of note joined its ranks. Sir Joseph Banks, indeed, frowned down upon all such attempts. 'I see plainly', he once said, 'that all these new fangled associations will fully dismantle the Royal Society, and not leave the old lady a rag to cover her'. And the frown of the masterful old President meant social ostracism to all who chose to disregard it. But. . . Banks, if he could not reverse, could at least control and modify a natural tendency, and with the aid of Wollaston, Davy, Hatchett and Brande he managed to keep chemistry for a time almost exclusively under the cloak of 'the old lady'." It is not known what evidence Thorpe had for this statement it may have been a reference to the Animal Chemistry Club rather than Accum's Society.
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• Sowerby Collection, General Library, British Museum (Natural History), Box 27, Philosophical and Chemical Society, Regulations, London. [1808]. Section II. Of the Views of the Society.
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• op. cit., (39). This is collated from an undated list (internal evidence suggests that it should be dated 1807) and a list dated 1808. Addresses of town members are given but not reproduced here.
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• Works of David Ricardo. . . Life by]. R. McCulloch, London, 1846, xvii.
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• John Haslam was elected a member of the Society for Promoting Natural History (SPNH) in 1785, as were A. Allardyce (1789) and H. S. Conway (1790), (both of Higgins's society). On 27 September 1784 this society decided against the proposal of George Wilson (of the Society of Arts committee of chemistry) "that such Specimens as are the Result of Artificial Chemical Operations shall be considered as a Part of Natural History". Minutes of the SPNH, Linnean Society.
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• Ed. Emily Robertson, Letters and Papers of Andrew Roberston, London, [1895], 150.
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• British Library, Add. MSS. 60360–66, account books of William Ayrton, 1803, 1805–1810. Entry for ii December 1807 in Add. MS. 60363.
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• A., A. [Anna Atkins], Memoir off G. Children, Westminster, 1853, 149–55,279. A. E. Gunther, "John George Children, F.R.S., 1777-1852", Bull. B.M. (N.H.) Historical Series, 6 (4), (1978), 75–108.
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• Lowry referred to this analysis in a letter to David Mushet, Gloucestershire Record Office, D2646/9. I am indebted to Hugh Torrens for this reference.
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• OP. cit. Sowerby Collection (39). Box 4, Item 5 ( ), Committee Meetings, Philosophical and Chemical Society.
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• op cit. (39). Box 4, Item 5 (a).
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• This list has been compiled from two separate lists at the Lambeth Archives Department [IV/87/2b] and the Sowerby Collection B.M. (N.H.) Box 24.J. B. MacDonald, "The Sowerby Collection in the B.M. (N.H.) a brief description of its holdings and a history of its acquisition", J. Soc. Bibliog. Nat. Hist., 6 (6), February 1974, 380–401. The whole issue pp– 378–568, is devoted to studies of the Sowerbys.
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• Both lists (49) give "E. Davey". Identification is based on a letter in the Sowerby Collection (39), Box 18, from E. Davy, to J. de C. Sowerby dated 14 November 1815. In this letter Davy, Secretary of the Cork Institution, asked Sowerby to place an advertisement for a lecturer in natural history for the Cork Institution in the London papers. He adds: "pray remember me very kindly to your father & Brothers also to Mr. E. Forster & his Brother—& to Mr. Lowry". This suggests that he had been a member of the Lambeth circle.
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• Sowerby Collection (39), Box 41.
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• Obituary of J. de C. Sowerby, Lancet, 23 September 1871, 451.
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• A. de Cade Sowerby, A. M. Sowerby & J. E. Stone, The Sowerby Saga: being a brief account of the origin and genealogy of the Sowerby Family, Washington, D.C., 1952. Part II., 34. Sowerby Collection (39), Box 4 Item 15 a short biography of J. de C. Sowerby by his son William. No confirmation of his friendship with Faraday has been found.
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• G. F. Elliott, "Two London Clay Clubs 1836–1847, and 1923-1940", J. Soc. Bibliog. Nat. Hist., 5 (5), 1970, 333–9.
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• Sowerby's two eldest sons were frequent visitors from mid 1802 onwards, but particularly so during 1803 and 1804. Linnean Society, General Minute Book, No. 1. 1802–1813.
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• The Entomological Society of London was formed on the dissolution of the (third named) Aurelian Society ( 801–1806). R. Cuming was a member of this Society (see "Original declaration" of the Society, i June 1801 in Southwark Local Studies Library, p. 595.7). The Aurelian Society is described in A. H. Haworth, Prodomus, 1803, preface and idem, Lepidoptera Britannicae, London, 1811, postscript, 587. The rule compelling members to give up unique specimens to the society's cabinet was much disliked. In 1806 the Entomological Society was formed by most of the members of the Aurelian but it did little between 1812 and 1822 when some of its members formed the Entomological Society of Great Britain.
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• Obiturary, G. B. Sowerby, Proc. Linnean Society, 1855, 2, 415.
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• op. cit. Sowerby Saga (53), 42. George Brettingham married Elizabeth, second daughter of Nicholas and Mary Meredith in 1811 and his elder brother James de Carle married Mary Ann Edwards in 1813. It seems possible that both had married daughters of members of the Lambeth Chemical Society though certain identification has not been achieved.
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• J. L. Roget, A History of the Old Water-Colour Society now the Royal Society of Painters, London, 1891, 1 172.
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• op. cit. Sowerby Collection (39), Box 27, letter from Neale, General Post Office, 6 September 1809 to G. B. Sowerby concerning a trip to "beat for Larva", in which Neale also mentions Fenton.
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• Linnean Society, Certificate of Recommendation of Wm. Sweeting. I am grateful for the assistance of the Librarian, Gina Douglas.
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• Linnean Society, General Minutes 1802–1813, 25 May 1812.
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• Monthly Magazine, 30 1 August 1810, 11–12. By "C. C.". "Far from being an opponent to the Linnean Society, I deem it an introductory seminar to raise future candidates for admission into that ever by me revered society". The society was described as a union of Fellows of the Linnean Society and "practical collectors" lacking a classical education. It is not known why J. P. Neale and R. Cuming were not proposed as Fellows of the Linnean Society.
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• Holden's Triennial Directory for 1809, 1810, 1811, 5th edn. (1811) lists "Cuming, R. drawingmaster, 3, Dean's-r. Walworth". The list in the Lambeth Archives (49) is written on the back of an envelope addressed to "Richd. Cummings, Deans Row, Walworth".
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• A. Graves, The Royal Academy ofArts. A Complete Dictionary of Contributors and their Work from its foundation in 1769 to 1904, London, 1905.
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• P. J. P. Whitehead, "Zoological Specimens from Captain Cook's Voyages". J. Soc. Bibliog. Nat. Hist., 5 (3), (1969), 161–201, see pp. 168, Igo. Obituary R. Cuming (Anon.]]. Brit. Archaeol. Assoc., 27 (1871), 542–544. I am indebted to D. E. Allen for bringing these references to my attention.
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• Op. cit. (67).
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• op. cit. Managers' Minutes (13), 3 205–206, 23 January 1804.
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• op. cit. Managers' Minutes (13), 4 8 May 1809.
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• H. G. Friedstein, "A Short History of the Chemistry of Painting", J. of Chem. Educ., 58 (4), April 1981, 291–295.
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• op. cit. Sowerby Collection (39), Box 2 Item 5, announcement of a Lecture on Chromatometry on i December 1808 by James Sowerby, lasting one hour, 5s. a ticket. The demonstration room could only take twenty people at a time. Monthly Magazine, 27 r February 1809, 70 gives an account of Sowerby's lecture given on the 12 and 19 December 1808. "Mr. Sowerby continues to repeat the lecture every Monday".
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• Ed. Prince Hoare, The Artist: A Collection of Essays, relative to painting, poetry, sculpture, architecture, the drama, discoveries of science, and various other subjects, London, 1810, 2V. Reprint, originally issued 1807–1809. 2 (12), 199–205.
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• There was at least one all-female philosophical society at the end of the eighteenth century at Chichester, but its existence is all that is known of it, see Commercial and Agricultural Magazine, 2 (6), January 1800, 69.
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• Lambeth Archives Department, IV/87/2c. The two lectures by Cuming are held in the Southwark Local Studies Library, [Cuming Papers, 2/Boxes 40-41] in Box 41 entitled "Lecture on Light" and "Lecture on the Sources of Caloric". These also contain lists of the accompanying experiments performed by Cuming. These boxes contain his extensive notes on many subjects, particularly chemistry and entomology, extracted from published works.
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• op. cit. Sowerby Collection (39), Box 13, containes the draft of the reply, which differs only slightly in wording from the published version. In Box 1 is a draft of a letter, dated May 1811 to an unknown addressee concerning the analysis of the resin.
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• The resin was inquired after in 1816 in a letter from Sir Joseph Banks to Bernard Geary Snow on behalf of Alexandre Brongniart. W. R. Dawson, The Banks Letters. A Calender of the manuscript correspondence of Sir Joseph Banks, London, 1958, 770–771.
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• These three documents are in Lambeth Archives Department, IV/87/2a, 2e, 2d respectively.
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• In his advert in the Newcastle Courant, 31 October 1801, Stancliffe unusually gave a list of subscribers to his course (55 male, 28 female) which appears to consist mostly of members of the Lit. Sr. Phil. and their relations.
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