SQUARING TUE CIRCLE. 315 



dearly-bought experience by speculating on horse- 

 races. We would recommend those who are tempted 

 to hold another opinion to follow the plan suggested 

 by Thackeray in a similar case to take a good look 

 at professional and practised betting-men, and to de- 

 cide " which of those men they are most likely to get 

 the better of" in turf transactions. 



(From Chambers' s Journal, July, 1869.) 



SQUARING THE CIRCLE. 



THERE must be a singular charm about insoluble 

 problems, since there are never wanting persons who 

 are willing to attack them. We doubt not that at 

 this moment there are persons who are devoting their 

 energies to Squaring the Circle, in the full belief 

 that important advantages would accrue to science 

 and possibly a considerable pecuniary profit to them- 

 selves if they could succeed in solving it. Quite 

 recently, applications have been made to the Paris 

 Academy of Sciences, to ascertain what was the 

 amount which that body was authorized to pay over 

 to any one who should square the circle. So seri- 

 ously, indeed, was the secretary annoyed by appli- 

 cations of this sort, that it was found necessary to 

 announce in the daily journals that not only was the 

 Academy not authorized to pay any sum at all, but 



