William Nicholson (13 December 175321 May 1815) was an English writer, translator, publisher, scientist, inventor, patent agent and civil engineer. He launched the first monthly scientific journal in Britain, '' Journal of Natural Philosophy, Chemistry, and the Arts'', in 1797, and remained its editor until 1814. In 1800, he and Anthony Carlisle were the first to achieve

electrolysis In chemistry and manufacturing, electrolysis is a technique that uses direct electric current (DC) to drive an otherwise non-spontaneous chemical reaction. Electrolysis is commercially important as a stage in the separation of elements from n ...

, the splitting of water into hydrogen and oxygen, using a voltaic pile. Nicholson also wrote extensively on

natural philosophy Natural philosophy or philosophy of nature (from Latin ''philosophia naturalis'') is the philosophical study of physics, that is, nature and the physical universe. It was dominant before the development of modern science. From the ancien ...

and chemistry

Early life

Nicholson was educated in Yorkshire, and after leaving school, he made two voyages as a midshipman in the service of the

British East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and South ...

. His first voyage was to India and the second voyage was to China on board the ''Gatton,'' (1772-1773). Subsequently, having become acquainted with Josiah Wedgwood in 1775, he moved to

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban ar ...

, where he made a living for a few years as Wedgwood's agent. On his return to England he was persuaded by Thomas Holcroft to apply his writing talents to the composition of light literature for periodicals, while also assisting Holcroft with some of his plays and novels - ''Alwyn'' and ''Duplicity''. Meanwhile, he devoted himself to the preparation of ''An Introduction to Natural Philosophy'', which was published in 1782 by Joseph Johnson and was at once successful. Translations for Joseph Johnson included

Voltaire François-Marie Arouet (; 21 November 169430 May 1778) was a French Enlightenment writer, historian, and philosopher. Known by his '' nom de plume'' M. de Voltaire (; also ; ), he was famous for his wit, and his criticism of Christianity—e ...

's '' Elements of the Philosophy of Newton'' as well as M. Maistre de La Tour’s ''History of Hyder Shah in 1784.'' He then published ''The Navigator’s Assistant'' based on his time with the East India Company . In 1784 he was proposed by Josiah Wedgwood (the current chairman) and appointed as secretary to the

General Chamber of Manufacturers of Great Britain A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED ...

, and he was also connected with the Society for the Encouragement of

Naval Architecture Naval architecture, or naval engineering, is an engineering discipline incorporating elements of mechanical, electrical, electronic, software and safety engineering as applied to the engineering design process, shipbuilding, maintenance, and ...

, established in 1791.

Scientific work

On 12 December 1783, Nicholson was elected to the "Chapter Coffee House Philosophical Society". He was proposed by

Jean-Hyacinthe Magellan Jean Hyacinthe de Magellan ( pt, João Jacinto de Magalhães) (1722–1790) was a Portuguese natural philosopher. Life He was born in Aveiro, Portugal, on 4 November 1722. He seems to have been brought up at Lisbon, where he became a monk of the ...

and seconded by horologist

John Whitehurst John Whitehurst FRS (10 April 1713 – 18 February 1788), born in Cheshire, England, was a clockmaker and scientist, and made significant early contributions to geology. He was an influential member of the Lunar Society. Life and work Whit ...

. Nicholson communicated to the

Royal Society The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, re ...

in 1789 two papers on electrical subjects. In the same year he reviewed the controversy which had arisen over Richard Kirwan's essay on phlogiston, and published a translation of the adverse commentaries by the French academicians (Lavoisier, Monge, Berthollet, and

Guyton de Morveau Louis-Bernard Guyton, Baron de Morveau (also Louis-Bernard Guyton-Morveau after the French Revolution; 4 January 1737 – 2 January 1816) was a French chemist, politician, and aeronaut. He is credited with producing the first systematic method o ...

) as 'An Essay on Phlogiston, to which are added Notes.' EB1911 - Hydrometer Fig

In 1784 he invented the Nicholson hydrometer, a constant volume

hydrometer A hydrometer or lactometer is an instrument used for measuring density or relative density of liquids based on the concept of buoyancy. They are typically calibrated and graduated with one or more scales such as specific gravity. A hydromete ...

to measure specific gravity of liguids or solids, with a pan for small weights on top and a small container ("basket") on the bottom into which a sample can be placed. in 1790, William Nicholson obtained a patent for a cylindrical printing machine - a design which was copied in the USA and Barcelona, before Friedrich Konig developed and commercialised the concept in 1814. In 1797 he founded, published, and wrote part of the ''

Journal of Natural Philosophy, Chemistry and the Arts ''A Journal of Natural Philosophy, Chemistry, and the Arts'', generally known as ''Nicholson's Journal'', was the first monthly scientific journal in Great Britain. William Nicholson began it in 1797 and was the editor until it merged with anoth ...

'', generally known as
Nicholson's Journal
', the earliest monthly scientific work of its kind in Great Britain. The journal published the first known aerodynamic analysis of gliders and

heavier-than-air An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air. It counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines. ...

fixed-wing

flying machines Flying machines s.r.o. is a Czech manufacturer of light aircraft based in Rasošky. The company was established in 2004 and specializes in kit aircraft for amateur construction and ultralight trike An ultralight trike is a type of powere ...

designs, by

George Cayley Sir George Cayley, 6th Baronet (27 December 1773 – 15 December 1857) was an English engineer, inventor, and aviator. He is one of the most important people in the history of aeronautics. Many consider him to be the first true scientific aer ...

in 1809–1810.Cayley, George. "On Aerial Navigation
Part 1

Part 2

Part 3
''Nicholson's Journal of Natural Philosophy'', 1809–1810. (Via

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research. NASA was established in 1958, succeedin ...

). The publication continued until 1814. In 1799 he established a school in London's Soho Square, where he taught natural philosophy and chemistry, with the aid of a grant of £1,500 from Thomas Pitt. In May 1800 he with Anthony Carlisle discovered

, the decomposition of water into hydrogen and oxygen by voltaic current. The two were then appointed to a chemical investigation committee of the new

Royal Institution The Royal Institution of Great Britain (often the Royal Institution, Ri or RI) is an organisation for scientific education and research, based in the City of Westminster. It was founded in 1799 by the leading British scientists of the age, inc ...

. But his own interests shortly turned elsewhere. In 1809 he became a first class corresponding member, living abroad, of the Royal Institute of the Netherlands. Besides considerable contributions to the ''

Philosophical Transactions ''Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society'' is a scientific journal published by the Royal Society. In its earliest days, it was a private venture of the Royal Society's secretary. It was established in 1665, making it the first journa ...

'', Nicholson wrote translations of Fourcroy's ''Chemistry'' (1787) and Chaptal's ''Chemistry'' (1788), ''First Principles of Chemistry'' (1788) and a ''Chemical Dictionary'' (1795); he also edited the '' British Encyclopedia, or Dictionary of Arts and Sciences'' (6 vols., London, 1809).

Later life

During the later years of his life, Nicholson's attention was chiefly directed to

water supply Water supply is the provision of water by public utilities, commercial organisations, community endeavors or by individuals, usually via a system of pumps and pipes. Public water supply systems are crucial to properly functioning societies. Th ...

engineering at

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most d ...

, at

Gosport Gosport ( ) is a town and non-metropolitan borough on the south coast of Hampshire, South East England. At the 2011 Census, its population was 82,662. Gosport is situated on a peninsula on the western side of Portsmouth Harbour, opposite ...

and in

Hammersmith Hammersmith is a district of West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It is the administrative centre of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, and identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London ...

. William Nicholson died in

Bloomsbury Bloomsbury is a district in the West End of London. It is considered a fashionable residential area, and is the location of numerous cultural, intellectual, and educational institutions. Bloomsbury is home of the British Museum, the largest ...

at the age of 61 on 21 May 1815, attended by Sir Anthony Carlisle.

References

Attribution: * ''Largely based on the public domain

Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition The ''Encyclopædia Britannica'' Eleventh Edition (1910–1911) is a 29-volume reference work, an edition of the '' Encyclopædia Britannica''. It was developed during the encyclopaedia's transition from a British to an American publication. S ...

and Mike Chrimes, article "Nicholson, William", in Biographical Dictionary of Civil Engineers, vol. 1 1500–1830, 2002''

External links

*
www.NicholsonsJournal.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nicholson, William 1753 births 1815 deaths Writers from London English scientists English chemists English translators English male journalists English philosophers English lawyers British encyclopedists Members of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences 18th-century British translators

Early life

Scientific work

Later life

See also

References

Further reading

External links