176 Mary Somerville. 



builder at Liverpool, who had just completed a fine 

 vessel intended for the China and India trade, wrote 

 to my friend, Sir Francis Beaufort, hydrographer of 

 the Royal Navy, asking him if I would give him 

 permission to call her the " Mary Somerville/' and 

 to have a copy of my bust for her figure-head. I 

 was much gratified with this, as might be expected. 

 The " Mary Somerville " sailed, but was never heard 

 of again ; it was supposed she had foundered during 

 a typhoon in the China sea. 



I was elected an honorary member of the Royal 

 Academy at Dublin, of the Bristol Philosophical 

 \ istitution, and of the Socie'te' de Physique et 

 d'Histoire Naturelle of Geneva, which was an- 

 nounced to me by a very gratifying letter from 

 Professor Prevost. 



Our relations and others who had so severely 

 criticized and ridiculed me, astonished at my suc- 

 cess, were now loud in my praise. The warmth 

 with which Somerville entered into my success 

 deeply affected me ; for not one in ten thousand 

 would have rejoiced at it as he did , but he was of 

 a generous nature, far above jealousy, and he con- 

 tinued through life to take the kindest interest in 

 all I did. 



I now received the following letter from Sir 

 Kobert Peel, informing me in the handsomest 



