24 ENGLISH MEN OF SCIENCE. [CHAP. 



the lists, and found that out of 45 senior classics 

 (1824-68 inclusive) 10 had gained the scholar- 

 ship, whence I conclude that at least 1 out of 

 every 4 or 5 Cambridge graduates is the son 

 of a clergyman. At this rate, out of 100 Cam- 

 bridge graduates, 22 would have had clergy- 

 men of the Church of England for their fathers, 

 whereas out of 100 scientific men only 3 or 4 

 were so circumstanced. It is therefore a fact, 

 that in proportion to the pains bestowed on 

 their education generally, the sons of clergymen 

 rarely take a lead in science. The pursuit of 

 science is uncongenial to the priestly character. 

 It has fallen to my lot to serve for many years 

 on the councils of many scientific societies, and, 

 excepting a very few astronomers and mathe- 

 maticians, about whom I will speak directly, I 

 can only recall 3 colleagues who were clergy- 

 men ; curiously enough, 2 of these, the Revs. 

 Baden Powell and Dunbar Heath, have been 

 prosecuted for unorthodoxy ; the third was 

 Bishop Wilberforce, who can hardly be said to 

 have loved science ; he rarely attended the meet- 

 ings, but delighted in administration, and sought 



