156 ENGLISH MEN OF SCIENCE. [CHAP. 



taken to see . . . ., and so, with the help of 

 ' Brewster's Optics ' and a glazier's diamond, I 

 worked at polarization of light, cutting crystals, 

 tempering glass, &c. I should naturally have 

 become an advocate by profession, with scientific 

 proclivities, but the existence of exclusively 

 scientific men, and in particular, of . . . . , 

 convinced my father and myself that a pro- 

 fession was not necessary to a useful life." 

 (,,/) ^-: ;"'- 



(17) "My taste for mathematics appears in- 

 nate. As a boy, I delighted in sums. I trace 

 the origin of my interest in general science to 

 my acquaintance with . . . . , which dates from 

 the time when I was abuut 15 years of age. I 

 taught myself in mathematics and chemistry 

 during my apprenticeship to a civil engineer and 

 land surveyor, and subsequently studied .... 

 [abroad]. My scientific tastes were largely 

 developed through my first going [to the con- 

 tinent] with . . . ." (a,/) 



(18) "An 'early taste for arithmetic, and in 

 particular for long division sums." (a) 



