This paper discusses Humphry Davy's geological interests and the formation of the Royal Institution's mineral collection during the early nineteenth century. Compared to other aspects of Davy and the Royal Institution, both these topics have been comparatively neglected in historical studies. The evidence supports the argument that applying scientific knowledge and method to practical problems was very difficult at the time. This suggests, despite the hopes entertained for it, that geology and mineralogy did not then contribute to the process of industrialisation, except in a negative manner. This failure may explain why the Royal Institution did not develop its mineral collection following initial enthusiasm.

中文翻译：

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负地质：虚构的戴维和皇家机构的矿藏，1803-1806年

本文讨论了汉弗莱·戴维的地质利益以及19世纪初期皇家机构矿物收藏的形成。与戴维和皇家机构的其他方面相比，这两个主题在历史研究中都被相对忽视。证据支持这样的论点，即在当时将科学知识和方法应用于实际问题非常困难。这表明，尽管抱有希望，但地质和矿物学除了以负面的方式之外，没有对工业化进程做出贡献。这次失败可能解释了为什么皇家学会在最初的热情之后没有发展其矿物收藏。