30 Mr. T. T. Wilkinson's Additions to the late 



moment to accept Mr. Davies's estimate of his abilities as a 

 geometer in the fullest acceptation of the terms ; but with regai-d 

 to existing- manuscripts, it may be observed that the following are 

 in existence " of a date prior to 1828," which, however, I have 

 not yet seen, nor were they sent by Mr. Swale amongst the rest 

 for Mr. Davies's inspection. 



No. I. Geometrical Disquisitions. Christmas. 1811. 



II. Geometrical Amusements. Christmas. 1818. 



TTT fMidsummer.^ ^o-in 



"I- " " Ichristmas. J^ 



IV. „ „ Christmas. 1820. 



fMidsummer."] 1823. 

 V. Geometrical Sketches. ■< Christmas. >1823. 



(^Christmas. J 1824. 

 VI. Geometrical Papers. 

 Several of the other manuscripts bear evidences of having been 

 transcribed from some of older date, since they contain original 

 investigations which had previously appeared in different peri- 

 odicals, and amended solutions to questions which had been 

 proposed in " Burrows's Diary," and various other mathematical 

 publications of the last and present centuries. This is more 

 particularly the case with two of the oldest MSS. ; the rest appear 

 to have resulted from his practice of " spinning geometrical cob- 

 webs" as an amusement during the leisure hours of declining age. 

 Up to the time when the " Geometrical Amusements" were pub- 

 lished in 1821, no attempts had been made to improve the style 

 of printing geometrical demonstrations : the old hackneyed form 

 had been rigidly adhered to by both editor and author, nor had 

 any geometer appeared who had ventured to deviate from the 

 established usage of j)rinting entirely across the page. Mr. Swale, 

 however, had learnt that the eye had something to do in geometry 

 as well as the intellect, and in his anxiety to aid both, he adopted, 

 to a considerable extent, the practice of printing each step in a 

 separate line, which has since been so fully carried out by Mr. 

 Potts in his excellent editions of Euclid^s Elements. The pages 

 of the "Amusements" therefore presented a somewhat novel 

 aspect to the mathematicians of his acquaintance, and this, 

 rather than his practice of making verses, induced them to banter 

 him respecting his " poetical geometry." 



The " Geometry of the Circle," or as his son has not unaptly 

 endorsed the manuscri])t volumes, the " Mascheronian Geometry," 

 had peculiar attractions for him : — several of the MSS. contain 

 short tracts on the subject, but volumes VIII. and IX. ax'e wholly 

 devoted to its consideration. Mascheroni's Geometric du Compas 

 was for a long time his favourite work, aud is contained in a list 



