518 Mr. T. T. Wilkinson on Mathematics and Mathematicians : 



" October 16. I lent Mr. Clarke £1 2s. 6d. 



" October 18. Lent Mr. Clarke two shillings. 



" October 28. I let Mr. Clarke have half-a-guinea. 



" Since the above was written I lost my ink-bottle, and the 

 tailor made my coat without a side-pocket, which is the reason 

 why I neglected to keep my Diary as I used to do. 1 put up 

 for the place of Mathematical Master of Christ's Hospital and 

 lost it. 



" December 26. I called on Clarke and went to New Square, 

 where I found a note for me to wait on Mr. Humfrey, junior, 

 in the Tower. Waited on him, and am to go tomorrow to give 

 him a Lesson in Geometry. 



" December 28. Did nothing or worse ; was with Rogers in 

 Chancery Lane. 



" January 6, 1776. Was at the Nest, and Isaac Dalby was 

 there. 



" January 12. Called and supped with Mr. Robertson at the 

 Royal Society. In conversation Mr. Robertson said that Mr. 

 William Jones, who was Secretary to the Royal Society, lived in 

 Beaufort's Buildings. He was a little shortfaced Welshman, 

 and used to treat his mathematical friends with a great deal of 

 roughness and freedom. He rated Mr. Thomas Simpson in such 

 a manner about his paper against De Moivre, that Simpson said 

 he would never go to see him more, but he did see him again how- 

 ever. Gardiner, the Logarithm fellow, and Dodson he used to 

 treat very harshly. Mr. John Robertson was his great favourite : 

 the first of their acquaintance was caused by Mr. Robertson's 

 book of Mensuration. Mr. Jones asked Dr. Bevis if he knew 

 the author, when the Doctor replied that he was a young man 

 of his acquaintance. ' Tell the young man,' said Jones, * I should 

 like to see him.' On Mr. Robertson calling, Mr. Jones told him 

 there was an error in his book, and gave him some papers to copy 

 where it was corrected. After some few visits, Jones began to 

 take the liberty of talking in his harsh manner to Mr. Robert- 

 son, and he took it once or twice, but finding that it increased, 

 he resolved to take it no longer, and began to retort. Jones 

 seemed surjjrised to find that Mr. Robertson had more spirit 

 than others had exhibited, but never talked to him in that strain 

 again, and ever afterwards treated him with the greatest kind- 

 ness. It was Mr. Jones's failing to be always speaking of the 

 faults of his mathematical acquaintances : — one was conceited, 

 another was obstinate; this was ignorant, and that had some 

 fault or other. His remarks, however, were generally shrewd 

 and satirical. He left a whole Course of Mathematics nearly 

 ready for the press, and Mr. Robertson was to have had the care 

 of printing them, but when Mrs. Jones found that it could not 



