MRS. SOMERVILLE. 9 



one of which any geometer might be proud. There is, 

 indeed, ample evidence of the disadvantage under 

 which Mrs. Somerville laboured, in the want of tho- 

 rough mathematical training ; but so much the more 

 wonderful is it that she should have completely mas- 

 tered her subject. Every page indicates her apprecia- 

 tion of the methods employed by Laplace and Lagrange. 

 Where she does not strictly follow the Mecanique 

 Celeste, she evidences a clear recognition of the pur- 

 poses to be subserved by adopting a different course. 

 I would not be understood as commending all the 

 departures thus made ;-on the contrary, there are cases 

 where it appears to me that on the whole it would have 

 been preferable to have followed the processes of the 

 Mecanique Celeste more closely, while there are others 

 where certain more modern processes might perhaps 

 with advantage have been introduced. But even in 

 such instances we recognise in the course pursued by 

 Mrs. Somerville the decision of one perfectly familiar 

 with the subject in hand. And many of the changes 

 must undoubtedly be regarded either as improvements, 

 or else as altogether desirable when the scale of Mrs. 

 Somerville's treatise is taken into account. Amongst 

 instances of the former kind must be classed the method 

 employed in the investigation of the equations of con- 

 tinuity of a fluid ; amongst instances of the latter, I 

 would specially cite the treatment of the theory of 

 elliptic motion, in the opening chapters of the second 

 book. 



If however I were asked to point out the feature of 



