556 



with unpalatable propositions, committed his thoughts to a friend to 

 be digested and presented to the Cambridge Philosophical Society, 

 from nothing but timidity at the idea of appearing in person. But 

 by the time the paper was drawn up and publicly read, the real author 

 took heart of grace, and drew up his own thoughts with additions. 

 This paper " On the Partition of Numbers, and on Permutations and 

 Combinations," was printed by the Cambridge Society in 1847. An- 

 other, "On Self- Repeating Series," was published in 1854. Both 

 papers show a great command over the German factorial notation, 

 and add several curious theorems to their subjects. 



JOHANNES MULLER was born in the city of Coblentz, on the 14th 

 of July, 1801. His father, Matthias Miiller, was a shoemaker, in 

 a small way of business, but, notwithstanding his narrow means, 

 determined not to deny his son the advantages of a good education. 

 Accordingly, after such tuition as was suited to his earlier years, the 

 boy, in 1810, entered the secondary school or gymnasium of his na- 

 tive town, where for eight years he was instructed in classics, mathe- 

 matics, and other branches of liberal learning. His rather mono- 

 tonous life at this institution, which is said to have been carried on 

 in an old-fashioned scholastic way, was relieved, and his mind ex- 

 panded, by independent reading, especially of Goethe, and by fre- 

 quent rambles in the country, in which he gratified his love of 

 external nature, and collected plants and animals, for the study of 

 which he showed an early predilection. 



At the recommendation of the Director of Schools of the pro- 

 vince, Johannes Schultze, who had doubtless noted the intellectual 

 promise of the youth, Matthias Miiller had destined his son for a 

 learned profession ; and although he did not live to see the fulfil- 

 ment of his intentions, they were dutifully carried out by his widow. 

 Accordingly in 1819 young Miiller was sent to the University of 

 Bonn, having in the mean time, after leaving the gymnasium, gone 

 through a year's military service, as was the custom with those of 

 his age and condition. 



Before entering on his university course, the young man had an 

 important question to settle. Born of Roman Catholic parents and 

 nurtured in the same faith, he had when yet a child manifested a 

 desire to be brought up for the priesthood, and this inclination had 

 been fondly cherished by his pious and affectionate mother. The 



