ut I declined"
(Oct. 14th). In this year (1824) I commenced account with a banker by
placing _L110_ in the hands of Messrs Mortlock and Co. On Oct. 16th I
walked to Bury, and after a single day's stay there returned to
Cambridge.
"On Oct. 23rd, 1824,1 began my lectures as Mathematical Assistant
Tutor. I lectured the Senior Sophs and Junior Sophs on Higman's
side. The number of Senior Sophs was 21. Besides this I took part in
the 'Examinations of the Questionists,' a series of exercises for
those who were to take the Bachelor's degree in the next January. I
examined in Mechanics, Newton, and Optics. I had also as private
pupils Turner, Dobbs, and Cooper. I now ceased from the exercise which
I had followed with such regularity for five years, namely that of
daily writing Latin. In its stead I engaged a French Master (Goussel)
with whom I studied French with reasonable assiduity for the three
terms to June, 1825.
"Among mathematical investigations I find: Theory of the Moon's
brightness, Motion of a body in an ellipse round two centres of force,
Various differential equations, Numerical computation of sin pi from
series, Numerical computation of sines of various arcs to 18 decimals,
Curvature of surfaces in various directions, Generating functions,
Problem of sound. I began in the winter a Latin Essay as competing
for the Middle Bachelors' Prize, but did not proceed with it. I
afterwards wished that I had followed it up: but my time was fully
occupied.
"On Jan. 28th, 1825, I started for Edensor, where I paid a visit, and
returned on Feb. 2nd. On Feb. 4th I wrote to Mr Clarkson, asking his
advice about a profession or mode of life (the cares of life were now
beginning to press me heavily, and continued to do so for several
years). He replied very kindly, but his answer amounted to nothing.
About the same time I had some conversation of the same kind with Mr
Peacock, which was equally fruitless.
"On Feb. 4th I have investigations of the density of light near a
caustic (on the theory of emissions). On Feb. 5th I finished a Paper
about the defect in my eye, which was communicated to the Cambridge
Philosophical Society on Feb. 21st. Mr Peacock or Mr Whewell had some
time previously applied to me to write a Paper on Trigonometry for the
Encyclopaedia Metropolitana, and I had been collecting some materials
(especially in regard to its history) at every visit to London, where
I read sometimes at the British Museum: also
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