V. Note on the history of the carbon spectrum

In a “ Note on the Spectrum of Carbon,” read before the Society on April 29,1880, Mr. Lockyer has in the first place alleged that we have advanced within a very short period inconsistent opinions as to spectra of compounds of carbon ; he has next implied that we havegiven an unfair representation of the history of the carbon spectrum, and, lastly, has directly challenged the correctness of some of the conclusions we have drawn from our experiments. We propose in this paper to reply to him on the historical questions, and in another paper to deal with the experimental evidence which he has produced in contravention of our conclusions. That the inconsistency alleged has not really existed in our opinions, will be seen by any one who reads the first passage referred to as it appeared in the published “ Proceedings of the Society ” (vol. xxx, p. 87), which stands as follows :— “ The well-nigh impossible problem of eliminating hydrogen from masses of carbon, such as can be employed in experiments of this kind, proves conclusively that the inference drawn by Mr. Lockyer as to the elementary character of the so-called carbon spectrum from an examination of the arc in dry chlorine, cannot be regarded as satisfactory,seeing that undoubtedly hydrogen was present in the carbon and in all probability nitrogen in the chlorine .”