various Attractions (some evidently referring to
Maclaurin's), Integrals, Conic Sections, Kepler's Problem, Analytical
Geometry, D'Alembert's Theorem, Spherical Aberration, Rotations round
three axes (apparently I had been reading Euler), Floating bodies,
Evolute of Ellipse, Newton's treatment of the Moon's Variation. I
attempted to extract something from Vince's Astronomy on the physical
explanation of Precession: but in despair of understanding it, and
having made out an explanation for myself by the motion round three
axes, I put together a little treatise (Sept. 10, 1820) which with
some corrections and additions was afterwards printed in my
Mathematical Tracts. On Sept. 14th I bought Woodhouse's Physical
Astronomy, and this was quite an epoch in my mathematical
knowledge. First, I was compelled by the process of "changing the
independent variable" to examine severely the logic of the
Differential Calculus. Secondly, I was now able to enter on the Theory
of Perturbations, which for several years had been the desired land to
me.

"At the Fellowship Election of Oct. 1st, Sydney Walker (among other
persons) was elected Fellow. He then quitted the rooms in which he had
lived (almost the worst in the College), and I immediately took
them. They suited me well and I lived very happily in them till I was
elected Scholar. They are small rooms above the middle staircase on
the south side of Neville's Court. (Mr Peacock's rooms were on the
same staircase.) I had access to the leads on the roof of the building
from one of my windows. This was before the New Court was built: my
best window looked upon the garden of the College butler.

"I had brought to Cambridge the telescope which I had made at
Colchester, and about this time I had a stand made by a carpenter at
Cambridge: and I find repeated observations of Jupiter and Saturn made
in this October term.

"Other mathematical subjects on my scribbling-paper are: Geometrical
Astronomy, Barometers (for elevations), Maclaurin's Figure of the
Earth, Lagrange's Theorem, Integrals, Differential Equations of the
second order, Particular Solutions. In general mathematics I had much
discussion with Atkinson (who was Senior Wrangler, January 1821), and
in Physics with Rosser, who was a friend of Sir Richard Phillips, a
vain objector to gravitation. In Classics I read Aeschylus and
Herodotus.

"On October 5th I received notice from the Head Lecturer to declaim in
English with Winnin