Page:Biographies of Scientific Men.djvu/165

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DALTON
125

there is a fresco, by Madox Brown, representing Dalton collecting methane or marsh gas from a stagnant pool. Opposite to Dalton's statue is one of Joule, by Gilbert. These two statues are the most beautiful sculptures Manchester possesses, and they commemorate the life-work of two men who are to the northern city what Shakespeare is to Stratford-on-Avon, or Kelvin to Glasgow. In addition to these honours to Dalton's memory, there are the Dalton chemical and mathematical scholarships awarded by the authorities of the Owens College, Manchester; and a street in Manchester bears his name.

To conclude, the "atomic theory," in the words of the celebrated French chemist Wurtz, "has thrown light upon the most recent discoveries, as it has been, since the time of Dalton, its immortal author, the most perfect instrument in the most profound theoretical conceptions, and the safest guide in experimental researches."