CHARLES BUTLER. 55 



of the puzzles had a pleasant result. Mr. Charles 1832. 

 Butler, the Roman Catholic author of ' The Revolutions of Charles 

 the Germanic Empire,' &c., an old friend of my father's, 

 was not only a very learned, but a very kind and genial 

 man. He dabbled (by his own account not very deeply) in 

 Mathematics, and was fond of algebraical and geometrical 

 questions. He gave me one, declaring that he had puzzled 

 over it in vain, and never yet had found a person who 

 could solve it. The following in Mr. De Morgan's writing 

 will tell the rest : 



' Mr. Charles Butler betted Miss Trend a coffee party A. wager. 

 that she could not find a Mathematician who could make 

 out a certain difficulty. Miss Trend referred it to Mr. 

 De Morgan, who solved it. This letter is for the settle- 

 ment of the bet.' 



' Mr. Butler presents his compliments to Mr. De 

 Morgan. . . . He has perused with great pleasure Mr. 

 De Morgan's solution of the question proposed to Miss 

 Frend. It is certainly satisfactory in the highest degree. 

 Mr. Butler's great professional employment has prevented 

 his giving the attention he wished to the exact sciences, 

 but he has always entertained the greatest regard for them, 

 lamented his inability to prosecute them, and looked with 

 a holy envy on those who have time and talents to cultivate 

 them. The proposed coffee party has been changed into 

 a dinner party. It is fixed for Saturday, the 18th inst., at 

 Mr. Butler's house, 44 Great Ormond Street. Mr. Butler 

 requests Mr. De Morgan will do him the honour to join 

 the party. 



' February 11, 1832.' 



The party, a pleasant one, as the few now living 

 who remember Mr. Butler will readily believe, dined 

 together as appointed, and the solver of the problem was 

 duly honoured. 



Everything belonging to education commanded Mr. 

 De Morgan's attention from the time when he began 

 to think. Many circumstances of his own University 



