Cavendish Henry

Cavendish, Henry, chemist and philosopher, son of Lord Charles Cavendish, and nephew of the third Duke of Devonshire, was born in 1731 at Nice. Though a man of great wealth, he lived in seclusion, devoting himself to scientific researches. In 1760 he discovered the levity of hydrogen, thus preparing the way for ballooning. He also found out the composition of water, and measured the density of the earth. He was distinguished for the accuracy of his processes, and is sometimes spoken of as the Newton of Chemistry. His writings are confined to papers in the Philosophical Transactions. He was a man of extraordinary shyness, and was so averse to meeting anyone that he had his magnificent library four miles from his residence, so as not to encounter any one coming to consult it. He never married, and died in 1810 at Clapham, leaving over a million sterling.