20 AUTOBIOGRAPHY. [l828. 



The autobiography continues : 



On the occasion of the battle of Navarino, where the combined 

 fleets of England, France, and Eussia managed to destroy the 

 Turkish fleet, greatly to the advantage of the latter Power and 

 little to the profit of the first two, the boys were given a half 

 holiday, and naturally looked upon the battle as a glorious vic- 

 tory. A great event was a general election, for as elections then 

 lasted three weeks, the boys shared in the excitement by siding 

 with the blues or the yellows, finding it a pleasant break in the 

 monotony of school-life. Boating and bathing we had in plenty 

 in the Thames at Caversham and Pangbourne. Among my con- 

 temporaries there was Jackson, afterwards Bishop of London, a 

 studious tall lad, who joined but little in the school games. 

 Reading was then a quiet country town without railways, and 

 with little trade except its breweries ; [Huntley and] Palmer and 

 Sutton were still below the horizon. 



Leaving school, I was entered at sixteen years of age at Uni- 

 versity College, London, then recently opened. Having partly 

 my own choice of subjects, I selected Chemistry under Dr Turner, 

 a popular and excellent teacher ; English under Mr Dale ; Latin, 

 Prof. Key; Greek, Prof. Long; Natural Philosophy under Dr 

 Lardner ; and Mathematics, Augustus de Morgan. As I had to 

 walk four miles daily to and from South Lambeth, I found my 

 curriculum rather too extended; and as I had little liking for 

 the classics, I fear I neglected them in favour of chemistry and 

 natural philosophy. 



Unfortunately I missed the first few mathematical [lectures], 

 and then feeling discouraged in being unable to follow, I ceased 

 to attend, much to my subsequent regret. All my spare time, 

 spare pocket-money, and spare thoughts were spent on chemistry. 

 I also entered the practical class, then under the direction of 

 Robert Warington, a most kind and painstaking teacher. In 

 this subject I passed a good examination and obtained a certifi- 

 cate [with honours, Ed.~\ 



At " The Lawn," at the foot of a few steps leading 

 down from the breakfast-room, there was a small dark 

 room, which was our student's laboratory, and known 



