48 THE WORLD'S WORKERS. 



Herschel, Dr. Whewell, afterwards Master of Trinity 

 College, Cambridge, and Professor Peacock, a great 

 mathematician, were amongst the number of those 

 who praised the book. Added to this, Mrs. Somer- 

 ville was elected an honorary member of the Royal 

 Astronomical Society, of the Royal Academy at 

 Dublin, and of the Socie'te de Physique et d'His- 

 toire Naturelle of Geneva ; her bust was ordered to 

 be placed in the great hall of the Royal Society, and 

 a literary pension of 300 a year was bestowed upon 

 her. Some years later she was made a member of 

 the Royal Italian Geographical Society, and the first 

 gold medal ever awarded by the society was voted by 

 acclamation to her. Her work had been hard, but 

 the recognition came very speedily. She was feted 

 and complimented wherever she went, and at once 

 took up her position as one of the scientific leaders of 

 the day. 



One of the honours bestowed upon this gifted 

 woman was so extraordinary that it deserves special 

 mention. About this time all Englishmen were 

 thrown into a state of great excitement and in- 

 terest because the ships which had gone in quest 

 of a north-west passage from the Atlantic to the 

 Pacific had returned home. 



Mrs. Somerville was gratified to be told that an 

 island so far to the north that it was all but per- 

 petually covered with ice and snow had been named 

 " Somerville," after herself. It would, however, be a 



