during the year, but in view of
the general merit of all that he has done. Five times in its history
the medal has crossed the Atlantic. It was awarded to Franklin in
1753, Agassiz in 1861, Dana in 1877, and J. Willard Gibbs in 1902.
The long time that elapsed between the first and the second of these
awards affords an illustration of the backwardness of scientific
research in America during the greater part of the first century of
our independence. The year of my visit the medal was awarded to
Mr. Joule, the English physicist, for his work on the relation of
heat and energy.

I was a guest at the banquet, which was the most brilliant function
I had witnessed up to that time. The leaders in English science
and learning sat around the table. Her Majesty's government was
represented by Mr. Gladstone, the Premier, and Mr. Lowe, afterward
Viscount Sherbrooke, Chancellor of the Exchequer. Both replied
to toasts. Mr. Lowe as a speaker was perhaps a little dull, but
not so Mr. Gladstone. There was a charm about the way in which his
talk seemed to display the inner man. It could not be said that he
had either the dry humor of Mr. Evarts or the wit of Mr. Depew; but
these qualities were well replaced by the vivacity of his manner and
the intellectuality of his face. He looked as if he had something
interesting he wanted to tell you; and he proceeded to tell it in
a very felicitous way as regarded both manner and language, but
without anything that savored of eloquence. He was like Carl Schurz
in talking as if he wanted to inform you, and not because he wanted
you to see what a fine speaker he was. With this he impressed one
as having a perfect command of his subject in all its bearings.

I did not for a moment suppose that the Premier of England could have
taken any personal interest in the matter of the eclipse. Great,
therefore, was my surprise when, in speaking of the relations of
the government to science, he began to talk about the coming event.
I quote a passage from memory, after twenty-seven years: "I had the
pleasure of a visit, a few days since, from a very distinguished
American professor, Professor Peirce of Harvard. In the course of
the interview, the learned gentleman expressed his regret that her
Majesty's government had declined to take any measures to promote
observations of the coming eclipse of the sun by British astronomers.
I replied that I was not aware that the government had declined to
t