GEORGE GABRIEL STOKES.-' 



P>.v Eknkst W. P.rown. 



George Gabriel Stokes was born in Ireland on Aug-nst 13, 1810. 

 His father, the Rev. (ial)riel Stokes, was rector of the chnreh in the 

 little village of Skreen, Sligo County, his mother l)eing a danghtei* 

 of the rector of Kilrea. He was sent for his early education to 

 "Walls's school in Dublin, and afterwards to the college in Bristol, 

 whence, in 1837. he proceeded to Cambridge, entering at Peml)roke 

 College. His life was henceforth fully identified with the interests 

 of his college. He was elected to a fellowship just after taking his 

 degree in 1841, and retained it until his marriage in 1857 to a 

 daughter of the Rev. T. R. Robinson, D. I)., director of Armagh Ob- 

 servatory. Under the statutes of the university at that time in force, 

 this event compelled him to vacate his fellowshi]), but he was reelected 

 in 18G9 under the new statutes and only resigned in 1*,)02, when he 

 was 83 years old, to become master of the college. His tenure of the 

 latter post was short; he died on February 1, 1903. 



Practically the whole of Stokes's scientific life Avas connected with 

 the interests of two bodies — liis university and the Royal Society. 

 He graduated as senior wrangler in 184:1, the first of the great trium- 

 virate which attained the coveted honor in three successive years — 

 Stokes, Cayley, and Adams. There were giants in those days. Sylves- 

 ter and George Green had taken their degrees in 1837, and Lord Kelvin 

 followed in 1845, and chief among those of note in other lines was 

 Charles Kingsley, who took honors in nuithematics and classics in 

 1842. This period was in reality not far removed from the time w hen 

 British mathematics had been entirely isolated. Until the beginning 

 of the century Newton's methods and fluxional notation were almost 

 exclusively employed, and it w'as only some ten years l)efore Stokes 

 matriculated that the influence of Woodhouse, aided later by Peacock, 

 J. F. W. Herschel, Babbage, Wliewell, Airy, and others, was success- 

 ful in completely establishing continental methods for examination 

 purposes and in forcing the recognition of the mathematical work 



"Reprinted by permission from Tlie Physieul Ileview, Lancaster, Pa., Vol 

 XVIII, No. 1, .Tunuary, 1!K)4. 



