Mr. T. S. Davies on Geometry and Geometers. 445 



references to Professor Leybourn^s speculations as a pub- 

 lisher*, ih 

 Mr. Leybourn came to London^ as most young men do/ to 

 make his way in the world. He had served an apprenticeship 

 to a business in Shields ; but during that period had contracted 

 a strong propensity to the study of mathematics,, and had deter- 

 mined somehow or other (as he should find an opening) to render 

 his inclinations coincident with his ^^ bread-and-cheese ^^ toils. 

 The companion of his pilgrimage was the late Mr. Glendinning, 

 the printer of Hatton Garden. 



jT Mr. Leybourn was fortunate enough to obtain the partiality 

 and friendship of Dr. Hutton; and being a handsome young 



(with the exception of the heading, for which I am responsible) are auto- 

 graphs of my deceased friend Professor T. S. Davies, have been confided to 

 me by Mrs. Davies. From the strong internal evidence oflPered by the 

 opening paragraph of the above paper, I infer that the present are the 

 * remarks ' alluded to by Professor Davies at p. 394 of vol. xxxvi. S. 3, and 

 reserved by him for another occasion. They were apparently not intended 

 by their author to stand alone ; but in the difficulty, perhaps impractica- 

 bility, of realizing the views of one so many of whose scientific aspirations 

 were frustrated by death, I hope to find a sufficient apology for so placing 

 them. They form at all events an interesting fragment of mathematical 

 biography and historj'^, and I considered it better to forward them for pub- 

 lication now, than to delay them until I could communicate with Mrs. Davies, 

 and request her to search among Professor Davies' papers for those intended 

 to accompany them. The result of such a search would moreover be 

 doubtful, and I have delayed these papers too long already. 



" The following references may be found useful, my deceased friend having 

 omitted to give back -references at the commencement of his papers : — 

 No. I. of * Geometiy and Geometers ' will be found in the Phil. Mag. S. 3. 

 vol. xxxii. p. 419 ; No. II., Ibid. vol. xxxiii. p. 201 ; No. III., Ibid. p. 513 ; 

 No. IV., Ibid. vol. XXXV. p. 497 ; No. V., Ibid. vol. xxxvi. p. 382. In No.V. 

 will be found Professor Rigaud's letter alluded to in the text. 



" James Cockle. 



"2 Pump Court, Temple, 

 Sept. 8, 1851."] 



* Mr. Leybourn speculated extensively in the way of publishing mathe- 

 matical works ; and I am convinced with the purest motives for the ad- 

 vance of science, and with very little eye to whether he should lose or 

 gain. All his business operations were conducted through his printer 

 Glendinning, of Hatton Garden (to whom he w^as greatly attached, and 

 whose press was alternately at the service of mathematics for Leybourn, 

 posting bills, bills for the auctioneer, and programmes of the entertain- 

 ments at Sadler's Wells); but the indifference of the workmanship and 

 paper, together with the extreme irregularity with which his Repository 

 appeared (varying from a few months to eight or ten years) prevented the 

 possibility of pecuniary success attending that undertaking. The book 

 referred to by Professor Rigaud was one of his " ventures," viz. Strachey's 

 translation of the Beja Ganita. The editorship of the Gentleman's Diary 

 for the Stationers' Company, was probably the only undertaking which ever 



Phil Mag, S. 4. Vol. 2. No. 13. Dec. 1851. 2 H 



