The Life of Sir Humphry Davy, Bart. LL.D., Volume 1 (of 2)Paris, John Ayrton
Science
The Life of Sir Humphry Davy, Bart. LL.D., Volume 1 (of 2)
Paris, John Ayrton
Chemists -- England -- Biography; Davy, Humphry, Sir, 1778-1829
Hitherto his passion for angling has only been noticed in
connection with his conversation and letters; I shall now present
to the reader a sketch of the philosopher in his fishing costume.
His whole suit consisted of green cloth; the coat having sundry
pockets for holding the necessary tackle: his boots were made of
caoutchouc, and, for the convenience of wading through the water,
reached above the knees. His hat, originally intended for a
coal-heaver, had been purchased from the manufacturer in its raw
state, and dyed green by some pigment of his own composition; it
was, moreover, studded with every variety of artificial fly which
he could require for his diversion. Thus equipped, he thought,
from the colour of his dress, that he was more likely to elude
the observation of the fish. He looked not like an inhabitant
o' the earth, and yet was on't;--nor can I find any object in
the regions of invention with which I could justly compare him,
except perhaps with one of those grotesque personages who, in the
farce of "The Critic," attend Father Thames on the stage, as his
two banks.
I shall take this opportunity of stating, that his shooting
attire was equally whimsical: if, as an angler, he adopted a
dress for concealing his person, as a sportsman in woods and
plantations, it was his object to devise means for exposing it;
for he always entertained a singular dread lest he might be
accidentally shot upon these occasions. When upon a visit to
Mr. Dillwyn of Swansea, he accompanied his friend on a shooting
excursion, in a broad-brimmed hat, the whole of which, with the
exception of the brim, was covered with scarlet cloth.
Notwithstanding, however, the refinements which he displayed in
his dress, and the scrupulous attention with which he observed
all the minute details of the art; if the truth must be told, he
was not more successful than his brother anglers; and here again
the temperament of Wollaston presented a characteristic contrast
to that of Davy. The former evinced the same patience and
reserve--the same cautious observation and unwearied vigilance
in this pursuit, as so eminently distinguished his chemical
labours. The temperament of the latter was far too mercurial:
the fish never seized the fly with sufficient avidity to fulfill
his expectations, or to support that degree of excitement which
was essential to his happiness, and he became either listless or
angry, and consequently careless and unsuccessful.--But it is
time to resume the thread of our chemical history.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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