94 JAMES CLERK MAXWELL 



While attempting it I wish to express my indebted- 

 ness to others who have already written about Max- 

 well's scientific work, especially to Mr. W. 1). Miven, 

 whose preface to the Maxwell papers lias been so often 

 referred to; to' Mr. Garnett, the author of Part II. 

 of the " Life of Maxwell," which deals with his con- 

 tributions to science; and to Professor Tail, who in 

 failure for February 5th, 1SSO, gave an account of 

 Clerk Maxwell's work, " necessarily brief, but sullicicnt 

 to let even the non-mathematical reader see how 

 very great were his contributions to modern science" 

 an account all the more interesting because, again 

 to quote from Professor Tait, " I have been intimately 

 acquainted with him since wo were schoolboys 

 together." 



Maxwell's main contributions to .science may bo 

 classified under three heads" Colour Perception/ 1 

 " Molecular Physics," and " Electrical Theories." In 

 addition to these there were other papers of the 

 highest interest and importance, such as the essay on 

 "Saturn's Rings," the paper on the " Equilibrium of 

 Elastic Solids," and various memoirs on pure geometry 

 and questions of mechanics, which would, if they stood 

 alone, have secured for their author a distinguished 

 position as a physicist and mathematician, but which 

 are not the works by which his name will be mostly 

 remembered. 



The work on "Colour Perception" was begun at 

 an early date. We have seen Maxwell while still at 

 Edinburgh interested in the discussions about Hay's 

 theories. 



His first published paper on the subject was a 



