CHAP. IX.] GLENLAIR. 261 



jealous of Antinomianism than of a cut and dried 

 morality. 1 But he was in no wise distracted from his 

 professional duties by this or anything else, and 

 although he referred to it in conversation, it has left 

 no trace in any of his remaining letters which I have 

 seen. 



LETTERS, 1856-1857. 



To R B. LITCHFIELD, Esq. 



Glenlair, 4th July 1856. 



I have got some prisms and opticals from Edinbro', 

 and I am fitting up a compendious colour-machine capable 

 of transportation. I have also my top for doing dynamics 

 and several colour-diagrams, so that if I come to Cheltenham 

 I shall not be empty handed. At the same time I should 

 like to hear from you soon. 



I have been giving a portion of time to Saturn's Rings, 

 which I find a stiff subject but curious, especially the case 

 of the motion of a fluid ring. The very forces which would 

 tend to divide the ring into great drops or satellites are 

 made by the motion to keep the fluid in a uniform 

 ring. 



I find I get fonder of metaphysics and less of calcula- 

 tion continually, and my metaphysics are fast settling into 

 the rigid high style, that is about ten times as far above 

 Whewell as Mill is below him, or Comte or Macaulay below 

 Mill, using above and below conventionally like up and 

 down in Bradshaw. 



Experiment furnishes us with the values of our arbitrary 

 constants, but only suggests the form of the functions. 

 Afterwards, when the form is not only recognised but under- 

 stood scientifically, we find that it rests on precisely the 

 same foundation as Euclid does, that is, it is simply the* 

 contradiction of an absurdity, out of which may we all get 

 our legs at last ! 



i Seep. 111. 



