152 ENGLISH MEN OF SCIENCE. [CHAF. 



not from any natural preference for .... over 

 the other departments of physical science." (a, c) 



(6) " My tastes were partly natural, partly 

 encouraged by an eminent friend . . . . , who 

 had been honoured himself by the friendship of 

 most of the leading men of science in the early- 

 part of this century." (a,/) 



(7) [Yes.] "I remember [incidents which proved 

 an innate taste quoted at length] before I could 

 write, [but] I believe the origin of my pur- 

 suit of physical science was when I attended the 

 natural philosophy class at .... I was intend- 

 ed for business, but conceiving a distaste for it, I 

 left it and attached myself to science." (a, g) 



(8) "I cannot say, except that I had an 

 innate wish for miscellaneous information. My 

 interest in science arose from the chance cir- 

 cumstance of my choosing civil engineering as a 

 profession, and having spare time, when studying 

 at . . . , which I devoted to .... My scientific 

 tastes were subsequently determined by my not 



