OF ROBERT LESLIE ELLIS. xxv 



to believe them to be the production of the same person. He 

 dictated also papers on Vegetable spirals, on Comparative Me- 

 trology, and on various points of Etymology. 



But the most remarkable effort of his illness was the dic- 

 tation of a pamphlet (reprinted in this volume) on the subject of 

 a Chinese Dictionary, and the best mode of constructing such a 

 work. This pamphlet was in the form of a letter to the Rev. 

 J. Power, the Librarian of the University, who had kindly as- 

 sisted him in his literary researches, and had supplied him with 

 the most recent literature bearing upon the Chinese language. 

 I can give no opinion of its value, but can hardly be wrong in 

 regarding it as a marvellous exertion of mental vigour under 

 very depressing conditions. 



In truth his taste for language was as marked as that for 

 mathematics. I have just now remarked incidentally upon his 

 study of the Eomaunce language ; Gothic also appears from 

 his letters as having received considerable attention; he has 

 left a paper on Sanscrit; and amongst the modern languages, 

 besides the usual acquirements of French and German, I per- 

 ceive that he was well versed in Italian, and that he had given 

 attention to Danish and Spanish. He thoroughly enjoyed the 

 study of a language, and I remember very well the pleasure which 

 he expressed at having had the courage to communicate a 

 French memoir to Liouville's Journal: it seemed to me that 

 the writing mathematics in a foreign language gave him al- 

 most as much satisfaction as the mathematical results them- 

 selves *. I ought, perhaps, to mention that I found him one 

 day reading the New Testament in Swedish, which he told 

 me he had " picked up " since he had been ill 2 . 



I have said that through his long illness Ellis retained his 



1 He was very fond of translating. Amongst his papers are some translations 

 of Danish ballads, Spanish ballads, Andersen's Tales, &c. 



2 During his illness his notes to his physician were usually written in 

 Latin. 



