Xll 



the necessary printing to complete their engagements, which print- 

 ing was done according to the making up of packages by boys in our 

 employ without any order or system or mathematical arrangement. 

 This was a tedious process, and required some months' labour and 

 consequent expense, and terminated in making a great number of 

 miscellaneous packages containing a disproportion of numbers. Had 

 your mathematical skill been known when they commenced business 

 in 1823, or even five years after, and had they adopted your arrange- 

 ment, they would have saved thousands of dollars expended by them 

 in preparing for the printer." 



Sylvester was less than two years at the Liverpool Institution. 

 Afterwards he read for a few months with the Rev. Richard 

 Wilson, D.D. (late Fellow of St. John's College, Cambridge), and 

 then in 1831, at the age of seventeen, was entered at St. John's 

 College, Cambridge. He came out first in his first year ; but in 

 June, 1833, he became seriously ill and had to remain at home till 

 November. He then returned to the University, but again unfort- 

 unately became ill in February, 1834, and was obliged to remain at 

 home for nearly two years, not rejoining his college till January, 



1836. In the following month he had the misfortune to break a 

 blood-vessel. On recovering, he pursued his studies till January, 



1837, when he came out Second Wrangler. Griffin was Senior of 

 the year, and the list contained also the name of Green. 



Being unwilling to sign the Thirty-nine Articles, he was unable to 

 take a degree, to obtain a Fellowship, or to compete for one of the 

 Smith's prizes. 



At this time, on the occasion of laying the foundation stone of the 

 Mechanics' Institution, Mount Street, Liverpool, Sylvester presented 

 Lord Brougham with his pamphlet criticising Euclid's definition of 

 a straight line as length without breadth. He also composed his first 

 paper on " Fresnel's Optical Theory of Crystals," which appeared in 

 vol. 11 of the ' Philosophical Magazine ; ' and on the death of 

 Dr. Ritchie in the same year he became a candidate for the Chair of 

 Natural Philosophy in the London University College. The testi- 

 monials which he received for that occasion are evidence of the high 

 estimation in which he was held by tutors, examiners, and the other 

 scientific men with whom he had been brought into contact. The 

 list of his supporters includes the names of J. W. Heaviside (the 

 Senior Moderator in 1837), S. Earnshaw (Senior Examiner), George 

 Peacock, W. H. Miller, H. Philpot, J. Hymers, W. Hopkins, J. W. 

 Colenso, P. Kelland, J. Bowstead, J. Gumming, Frederick Thackeray, 

 James Hildyard, E. Bushby, Richard Wilson, J. Challis, and Olinthus 

 Gregory. Evidently all these were aware that a star of the first 

 magnitude was rising in the mathematical firmament. They seein 

 particularly to have noticed his analytical power and command of 



