DALTON, JOHN, was born September 5, 1766, at the village of Eaglesfield, near C.ockermouth in Cumberland, where his father, Joseph Dalton, was the owner and cultivator of a small copyhold estate. John Dalton attended a school kept by Johu Fletcher, a Quaker, till he was twelve years of age. In his thirteenth year he himself began to keep a school at, Eagleofield, but he gave occasional suistauce to his father in the farming operations. In 1731, when he was fifteen, he removed to Keefe], to order to become an usher in the school of his cousin George Bewley. Dalton, for two or three years before he left Eaglesfield, had been kindly noticed and assisted in his studies by Mr. Robinson, a man of property; and a similar good fortune attended him at where be obtained the friendship of Mr. Gough, a blind gentleman who was devoted to the study of natural philosophy, and who, besides the use of his library, afforded Dalton the advantage of his instruction and conversation. Dalton coutioued in his situation of usher till 1793, when Mr. Gough having been asked to name a person fit to become professor of mathematics and natural philosophy III the New College, Mosloy-street, Manchester, recommended Dalton, who was accepted, and immediately removed to Manchester, which became his pines of permanent residence during the rest of his life. The collage was removed to York in 1799, when Dalton withdrew from it, and began to give lessons in mathematics and natural philosophy at his residence in Manchester, as well as at private seminaries. He afterwards delivered public lectures, of which the first course was given in the rooms of the Literary and Philosophical Society of Man cheater, and consisted of twenty lectures on experimental philosophy; he subsequently gave lectures at London, Leeds, Birmingham, sod other places in England and Scotland. lie had filled for several years the situations of secretary and vice-president of the Manchester Literary and Philosophical Society, of which he had become a member in 1794; In 1817 he was elected president, and was re-electod every year till his death.
In 1822 Dalton paid a visit to Paris, with a single introduction, which was to Bonnet the eminent watchmaker; next day he received an Invitation from La Place, by whom he was introduced to the most distinguished scientific and literary men in Paris. Before this time however Dalton lorl published his most Important discoveries in natural philosophy and chemistry ; his inerits were consequently well known to the French chemists, and they became more and more highly appreciated in England daring every succeeding year of his life Goo‘ge IV. having, In 1820, given 100 guineas to the Royal Society of Lemuel for the purchase of two gold medals to be given to persons who had most distinguished themselves by discoveries in eclonce, the first modal was unanimously awarded by the council to Dalton. lie
attended at York in 1831 the first meeting of the British Association for the Advancement of Science, and was the object of general respect and admiration; at the second meeting at Mord In 1832 the Univer aity conferred on him the title of Doctor of Civil Law ; at the third meeting at Cambridge in 1833 Professor Sedgwick, after pronouncing an eulogium on his character, announced dint. tin I V. had granted him a pension of 15U1. a-year; at the fourth meeting in Edinburgh in 1834 the University of Edinburgh conferred on him the degree of LL.D., and the Royal Society of Edinburgh elected him a member.
In 1830 his pension was raised to 300f. a-year. Besides the honours conferred upon Dr. Dalton during the meetings of the British Association, his friends in Manchester in 1833 subscribed 20001., tool employed Chantray to execute a statue of him in marble, which is now in the entrance-hall of the Royal Manchester Institution.
On the 10th of April 1837, Dr. Dalton, then in his seventy-first year, had a severe Attack of paralysis, and another slight attack on the 21st; his right aide was paralysed, he was deprived of the power of speak ing, and his mind Appeared to be in some degree affected : after art Dinette of some mouths his body and mind regaiued their lowers, and his voice wan restored, but his articulation was less distinct ever afterwards. On the 3rd of May 1344, Dr. Dalton had a third paralytic stroke, which affected his right aide, and increased the indietinctume of his articulation. He partly recovered from tho attack, And on the 19th of July attended a meeting of the council of the Manchester Literary and Philosophical Society, when he received a copy, engroised on vellum, of a complimentary resolution passed at the annual meeting of the society. Being uuablu to articulate distinctly, he delivered a written reply. He died July 27,1844. He had made his usual entry of meteorological observations, but with some symptoms of indistiuctneaa of memory, before ho retired to rest on the previous night. The inhabitants of Manchester expressed their estituntion of his character by a public funeral. His body lay in state in the town-hall, and was visited by more than 40,000 persons in a single day. He was buried in the cemetery at Avdwick•grccu on the 12th of August. The funeral ceremony was conducted with great magnificence, and was attended by a vast concourse of persons.