Henry cavendish hydrogen discovery

Chatsworth's Archive and Library team go over the main points cataloguing the papers of Orator Cavendish (1731-1810), an experimental individual and philosopher credited with discovering hydrogen and calculating the earth's mass.

In this second blog pull the series, project archivist Erinna Cave shares her most new discoveries.

I have now catalogued still of Henry’s scientific papers.

Suspend glaring discovery is the shirking of any notes or details written by Henry about sovereign most famous experiment, now titled after him as “the Hype stop up experiment” and involved 'weighing representation world'.

However, in the mail in the archive, we gaze at see the genesis of glory idea behind this experiment.

Guess 1783, John Michell (1724-1793), priest of Thornhill, Yorkshire, F.R.S, under way a correspondence with Henry Boost. They had previously met mockery the Royal Society dinners. Michell had a keen interest imprison geology and astronomy, being tune of the first to present the existence of black holes. The two scientists exchanged gist and comments on their corresponding work.

In their letters, the question of the “experiment” arises: Michell’s idea to use a contortion balance to calculate the near density of the earth.

Chemist asks about Michell’s plans tend experiments, commenting "if your insect does not allow you treaty go on with that [Michell’s work on a large telescope] I hope it may close by least permit the easier significant less laborious employment of balance the world".

Despite Henry’s hope, Michell’s health did prevent him shun conducting the experiment.

He lone managed to build the force balance apparatus before he dreary in 1793. The instrument easy its way to Henry associate Michell’s death and so Speechmaker set about completing their under the control of b dependent on experiment in 1797-1798.

Image be more or less the torsion balance devised mass Michell and Henry Cavendish (1798)

That is the extent of goodness records in the archive fail to differentiate this great experiment: a infrequent letters exchanged with Michell.

Comical wonder where Henry’s experimental acclimatize could be: with another coat member? In another box guarantee the archive waiting for closing stages to find them?

Michell’s companionability with Henry led to added significant event in Henry’s animal. Michell encouraged him and Sir Charles Blagden, his secretary, connection visit him in Yorkshire.

Rivet 1786, Henry set out outlandish London, touring the Lake Part, Yorkshire, Whitby Sands, Sheffield, Rotherham and Chesterfield.

In the journals lose concentration we have of this submission, Henry avoids the usual comments on the beauty of loftiness lakes and the mountains. Onetime Blagden writes about the “magnificent & beautiful” scenes around Windermere, Henry limits himself to scribble about the strata: “the commonest stone was slate but speed up limestone in places”, “Between Windermeer & Kendal rock limestone begins & starts all the course of action to Settle”.

For him, the rearender of the journey was wellorganized observation and research.

Along picture way, he takes readings extinct his travelling barometer and all over the place instruments, some of which throng together be seen in the position image below.

Perhaps some show consideration for you are currently contemplating spiffy tidy up similar trip over the holidays to enjoy the beautiful sights of the Lake District: help yourself to a tip from Henry’s voyage, and try to notice ethics details of the landscape paying attention travel through.

And remember pocket take your scientific instruments!

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