Professor Peacock. s 173 



science and literature ; and by Professor Peacock, a 

 profound mathematician, who with Herschel and 

 Babbage had, a few years before, first introduced the 

 calculus as an essential branch of science into the 

 University of Cambridge. 



In consequence of this decision the whole edition 

 of the " Mechanism of the Heavens," amounting to 

 750 copies, was sold chiefly at Cambridge, with the 

 exception of a very few which I gave to friends ; 

 but as the preface was the only part of the work 

 that was intelligible to the general reader, 1 had 

 some copies of it printed separately to give away. 



I was astonished at the success of my book ; all 

 the reviews of it were highly favourable ; I received 

 letters of congratulation from many men of science. 

 I was elected an honorary member of the Royal 

 Astronomical Society at the same time as Miss 

 Caroline Herschel. To be associated with so distin- 

 guished an astronomer was in itself an honour. 

 Mr. De Morgan, to whom I am indebted for many 

 excellent mathematical works, was then secretary of 

 the society, and announced to us the distinction 

 conferred. The council of the Society ordered that 

 a copy of the "Greenwich Observations" should be 

 regularly sent- to me. 



[The Academic des Sciences elected my mother's old 

 friend M. Biotto draw up a report upon her "Mechanism 



