loO Life and Letters of Francis Galton 



court, and the bedroom looks west towards the river bank, the willow tree 



and the lime trees of the Avenue ; there is a small slip of* a gyp-room 



next the bedroom. The rooms were small, and, being on the ground 



floor and not far from the river, may have contributed to Gal ton's bad 



health in Cambridge. Of their internal appearance we have the rough 



sketch just referred to, and also a picture of the last meeting of the 



" Caseo-Tostic," 1843; apparently it was drawn vv^hen the New Year, 



1844, was five minutes old. (See Plate LIV.) Dalyell is in the chair, 



before what appears to be a punch bowl, Stewart and Clark are on the 



sofa in front of the fire and Galton's feet only are visible^he is sitting 



facing Dalyell'. It is a New Year's Eve celebration. The whole is 



drawn hastily upon a sheet of scribbling paper which had been used on 



the reverse for studying geometrical optics. The picture we get of 



Galton throughout his college career is of a man who cared about many 



things, who enjoyed equally work and social life, and had not yet learnt 



that human powers are limited. 



Three days later than the date of the "balance" letter — on 



February 3, Galton writes : 



Wednesday {Feb. 3, 1841]. 



Trin. Coll. 

 My dear Father, 



Atwood'- came down this morning and breakfasted witli me and I have left 

 him in the hands of Boulton to lionise, as I am invalided from a relapse of my old 

 illness which came on on Saturday without any cause to which I can assign it. I am 

 all but well, it has not confined me to my bed, but only to my room. Thanks for lecture 

 per post. I am rather mad about a rotatory steam engine which I have been contriving. 

 Boulton thinks it will do. Advantages being : P' The whole power being available 

 cranks being absent. 2'"' The momentum of the piston increasing the effect and .'. the 

 rapidity of working being unlimited, 3''' consequently very small cylinder, 4"" no fly- 

 wheel, 5* exceedingly light 



The principle involved is similar to that of pumps now used for air 

 and water ; the direct action of steam on a vane causes rotation of the 

 shaft to which the vane is attached. There is an ingenious mechanism 

 for admitting the steam first to one half and then to the other of the 

 pressure chamber, and there are numerous sketches. Galton's claims 

 for his rotatory engine are possibly unsound, but very little as to 

 rotatory engines could have been done before 1840 and that little 

 could hardly be known to Galton. The letter is evidence of Galton's 



' For reference to Dalyell see Memories, p. 78. ^ His old schoolmaster : see p. 77. 



