i64 SIR GEORGE DARWIN 



" Flow of Pitch," on an "Equipotential Tracer," on 

 slide rules, and sent a paper on "Cousin Marriages" 

 to the Statistical Society.^ It is not my province 

 to deal with these papers ; they are enumerated here 

 as showing his activity of mind and his varied 

 interests, — features in his character which were 

 notable throughout life. 



The most interesting entry in his diary for 1875 

 is a "Paper on Equipotentials much approved by 

 Sir W. Thomson." This is the first notice of an 

 association of primary importance in George's 

 scientific career. Then came his memoir, "On the 

 influence of geological changes in the earth's axis 

 of rotation." Lord Kelvin was one of the referees 

 appointed by the Council of the Royal Society to 

 report on this paper, which was pubHshed in the 

 Philosophical Transactions in 1877. 



In his diary, November 1878, George records, 

 "Paper on tides ordered to be printed." This 

 refers to his work, "On the bodily tides of viscous 

 and semi-elastic spheroids, etc.," published in the 

 Phil. Trans, in 1879. It was in regard to this 

 paper that his father wrote to George on October 

 29th, 18782 : 



My dear old George, 



I have been quite delighted with 

 your letter and read it all with eagerness. You 

 were very good to write it. All of us are 

 delighted, for considering what a man Sir 



^Journal of the Statistical Society, 1875, Vol. xxxvin., pt. 2, 

 pp. 153-182, also pp. 183-184, and pp. 344-348. 



' Probably he heard informally at the end of October what was 

 not formally determined till November. 



