PRIESTLEY, Josaro, a celebrated English philosopher and divine, was boon at Field-head, about six miles from Leeds, on the 24th March, 1733. His father, Jonas Priestley, was a woollen manufacturer, and a dissenter of the Calvinistic persuasion. An aunt, Mr. Keighly, by whom Joseph was early adopted, gave him a good educa tion at several schools in the neighbourhood; and, being intended for a dissenting clergyman, he was sent, in 1752, to the academy at Daventry, then kept by Dr. Ashworth, the successor of Dr. Doddridge. Alter spending three years at this institution, where he bad imhthed the doc trines of Hartley, and the principles of Arianism, he set tled as a minister at Needham Market, in Suffolk, in an obscure dissenting meeting-house, where his income never exceeded 301. per annum. After a residence of three years in that situation, he undertook the charge of 3. congregation at Nantwich, in Cheshire, where he superin tended also a school, teaching in public and in private about twelve hours every day. In 1761, he published an English Grammar, which was his first work; and, in the same year, he was called by the trustees of the academy at Warrington, to the situation of tutor in the languages. In this situation he continued for six years, engaged in the occupation of teaching, and in various literary and scien tific pursuits. His History of Electricity, which he pub lished in 1767, in one volume 4to. and which he dedicated to the Earl of Morton, the president of the Royal So ciety, first brought him into notice as an experimental philosopher. This work passed through several editions, and was translated into several foreign languages. While he was engaged in this work, he received the degree of LL. D. from the university of Edinburgh ; and on the 12th June, 1766, he was elected a member of the Royal Society of London.
During his residence at Warrington, Dr. Priestley mar ried the daughter of Mr. Isaac Wilkinson, an iron-master in Wales, by whom he had a family. Thus comfortably settled, though with the small income of 1001. per annum, and 151. for each boarder, Dr. Priestley devoted himself' to the labours of literature ; but a difference having arisen between Dr. Taylor and the trustees of the academy, in
which the other teachers were necessarily involved, Dr. Priestley was induced to accept an invitation to Mill-hill chapel, Leeds, where he went in 1767. In this new situa tion, the accidental proximity of a brewery directed Dr. Priestley's attention, in 1768, to the subject of pneumatic chemistry, which he afterwards prosecuted with such dis tinguished success. He invented the apparatus still used by chemists in this branch of their science.
In 1772, he published a pamphlet on the method of im pregnating water with fixed air, and on the preparation and medicinal uses of artificial mineral waters. In the same year, he read to the Royal Society his Observations on dif ferent kinds of air, for which he obtained the Copley medal, " the palm and laurel of the Royal Society," as Sir John Pringle denominated it in presenting it to Dr. Priestley.
The success of his History of Electricity, induced our author to conceive the extensive design of printing a simi lar historical account of the other sciences. He accord ingly published, in 1772, in one volume 4to. when lie was in Leeds, his History and Present State of Discoveries relating to Vision, Light, and Colours, a work which, though both instructive and amusing, contains but a very superficial history of optical discovery, and is obviously written by one whose acquaintance with that science was very limited and imperfect. The sale of this book did not answer the expectations of its author, and, indeed, does not seem to have defrayed its expenses.
In the year 1773, the Earl of Shelburne, afterwards Mar quis of Lansdowne, was induced, by a recommendation from Dr. Price, to engage Dr. Priestley as a librarian and literary companion, with a salary of 250/. a year, and a house. He accordingly took up his residence at Colne, near his Lordship's seat in Wiltshire, and during seven years he continued in that situation, attending Lord Shel burne during his residence in London. In 1774, he ac companied his Lordship abroad, and travelled with him through Holland, France, and part of Germany.