52 ENGLISH MEN OF SCIENCE. [CHAP. 



wood, near Birmingham. The boys were taken 

 into administrative co-operation ; they regulated 

 their own discipline, and the things they learnt 

 were of the most varied kind. Some men of high 

 note were educated there, and, among these at 

 least one of the scientific men on my list. He 

 gave much attention to mental calculation, and 

 even on his deathbed (set. 88) invented and 

 successfully applied a new method for determin- 

 ing for any year the date of Easter. Also 

 known for his analysis of articulate sounds 

 and phonography. (Short biographical notice in 

 Annual Keport R. Astronomical Society, Feb. 13, 

 1852.) 



Second generation consisted of 5 males and 

 2 females. All 5 males had strong points of 

 resemblance and deserve notice. (1) Sir Row- 

 land Hill, K.C.B. and F.R.S., originator and 

 organizer of the system of penny postage, which 

 is an influence of the first order of magnitude 

 in modern civilization. He was noted in youth 

 for powers of mental calculation, and in some 

 points was superior even to Zerah Colburn and 

 George Bidder ; thus he could mentally extract 



