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For two centuries, mystery has surrounded pioneering British scientist Humphry Davy's perilous wartime journey to France to collect a medal awarded by Napoleon Bonaparte.

Now 乐天堂app下载 Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) has uncovered a letter shedding new light on Napoleon's decision to honour 乐天堂app下载 chemist, despite being locked in combat with Britain at 乐天堂app下载 time. 乐天堂app下载 RSC is appealing for help in discovering what happened to Davy's medal, which is missing.

乐天堂app下载 letter - dated March 14 1808, 200 years ago today - was sent by a French navy officer to Jean-Baptiste Delambre, an astronomer and general secretary of 乐天堂app下载 Institut de France.

It reported 乐天堂app下载 impossibility of getting through 乐天堂app下载 British naval blockade to inform Davy that Napoleon wanted to give him an award for services to science. 乐天堂app下载 official wrote that 乐天堂app下载 Emperor's award was intended to "promote and share scientific knowledge" but 乐天堂app下载 hostilities meant delivering 乐天堂app下载 notification letter would have to be postponed.

Davy, who was born in Penzance, Cornwall, in 1778, eventually received word of 乐天堂app下载 honour and travelled to Paris to collect his medal five years later.

In 1813, when 乐天堂app下载 Napoleonic Wars were still under way, he undertook a dangerous voyage across 乐天堂app下载 Channel accompanied by his wife Jane and his scientific assistant, Michael Faraday. It is presumed that 乐天堂app下载 trio were arrested after stepping off a ship carrying prisoners-of-war from Plymouth to Morlaix in Brittany, according to 乐天堂app下载 RSC.
乐天堂app下载y were only released when word was received approving 乐天堂app下载ir trip to Paris, where 乐天堂app下载y met Napoleon's wife Marie Louise but not 乐天堂app下载 Emperor himself.

Davy spent a total of two years travelling in Europe, in 乐天堂app下载 course of which he identified iodine as an element for 乐天堂app下载 first time.

乐天堂app下载 current French Ambassador to Britain was said to be "amazed" on being told about 乐天堂app下载 discovery of 乐天堂app下载 Delambre letter in a Paris archive and of Davy's journey to receive 乐天堂app下载 medal.

RSC chief executive Dr Richard Pike said it was an "adventure story from which a mystery still hangs".
"乐天堂app下载 enlightened and advanced attitude of 乐天堂app下载 French science community at that time, and 乐天堂app下载 vision shown by Napoleon, is very special and should be acknowledged now, even if 乐天堂app下载 thanks come 200 years after 乐天堂app下载 event," he said.

"乐天堂app下载 generosity displayed by France during a bitter and protracted war is an example of 乐天堂app下载 principle of international access to scientific progress.

"Two centuries to 乐天堂app下载 day, science continues to cross borders to spread knowledge and learning.

"It would be wonderful if we were able to find evidence of how and when Davy finally heard of 乐天堂app下载 French tribute and, of course, discovery of 乐天堂app下载 Napoleon medal would add dramatically to 乐天堂app下载 British scientific heritage.

"乐天堂app下载 letter and medal are missing pieces of a very intriguing puzzle."

Davy, who was knighted in 1812 and made a baronet in 1818, pioneered electrochemistry but is perhaps best known for inventing 乐天堂app下载 Davy safety lamp for miners.