151 
titled to my degree when I please: I only wait for 
the printing of my thesis. I doubt not you will 
rejoice with me at my having got through the trial, 
about which I felt no small anxiety; although I 
think scarcely so much as Idid before my election to 
the Royal Society. I thought the examination very 
proper and sensible; nothing but what was useful 
was asked, although some questions were very mi- 
nute. Mr. Vaughan, one of my companions, passed 
his examination at the same time as myself. The 
students here are treated like gentlemen by every- 
body; indeed the people are extremely polite, ra- 
ther troublesomely so. Whenone goes along the 
street every well-dressed person pulls off his hat 
in so slow and formal a manner, that one had 
need have nothing else to do but to return their 
compliments ; andall the students bow to each other 
in the same way. 
Yesterday I was at a party at Professor Alla- 
mand’s, the oldest professor in the university, to 
whom I was particularly recommended by Sir Jo- 
seph Banks : there was a large party, and very po- 
lite one ; their manners quite French, and nothing 
but French was talked: there were four or five 
card-tables, although it was Sunday; and before I 
was aware of it, a whist party was made on my 
account, being an Englishman; soI could not avoid 
playing, although it was a desperate undertaking 
for me, who do not pretend to be a whist player, 
nor ever played at cards in French before: how- 
ever, I was successful, and was at least as good a 
player as the rest; for ’tis not a game any people 
