Scientific Society. 21 9 



was present, said, " Come to the observatory, and 

 measure the distance of Mercury from the sun ; for 

 they are in close approximation, and I wish to see 

 what kind of observation you will make." It was 

 erroneous, as might have been expected ; but when I 

 took the mean of several observations, it differed but 

 little from that which Sir James South had made ; 

 and here I learnt practically the importance of taking 

 the mean of approximate quantities. 



* * * # 



Dr. Wollaston, Dr. Young, and the Katers died 

 before I became an author; Lord Brougham was 

 one of the last of my scientific contemporaries, all 

 the rest were younger than myself, and with this 

 younger set, as with their predecessors, we had 

 most agreeable and constant intercourse. Although 

 we lived so much in scientific society we had all 

 along been on the most friendly and intimate terms 

 with the literary society of the day, such as Hal] am, 

 Milman, Moore, Malthus, &c., &c. The highly in- 

 tellectual conversation of these was enlivened by the 

 brilliant wit of my early friend, Sydney Smith, who 

 was loved and admired by every one. His daughter 

 married our friend Sir Henry Holland, the distin- 

 guished physician, well known for his eminent 

 literary and scientific acquirements as well as for his 

 refined taste. 



