J. B. Hannay and the Artificial Production of Diamonds

IT seems to be a well-established fact that Hannay did make diamonds, and as the result of an investigation which, in my memoir1 of him, I described as difficult, and carried out in a masterly manner. That work like this would be scoffed at, and the mere evidence that could be put forward at the time discounted, was to be expected. It will be remembered that, when the discovery of argon was first announced, there were plenty of critics ready to suggest that the announcement was made on altogether insufficient evidence, and to commit themselves to observations which no one would attempt to justify to-day.