TROUGHTON AND SIMMS V. SOUTH. 61 



every way suited for the place, was appointed, and held 1833. 

 it until his death in 1851. 



The ' opponent ' referred to in Mr. De Morgan's little 

 sketch of Mr. Sheepshanks was Sir James South, known 

 as the owner of the Campden Hill Observatory, and having 

 some name as an Astronomer on account of his dexterity 

 in using his very fine instruments. In the year 1833 a 

 trial of a curious character, in which Sir James South was 

 the defendant, commenced. With other scientific men 

 Mr. De Morgan was greatly interested in this affair, and 

 has left the following notice of it : 



'Mr. Sheepshanks's visits to Campden Hill were in 

 discharge of his duty as scientific adviser on the side of 

 Messrs. Troughton and Simms, who in 1833 brought an 

 action against Sir James South to recover payment for 

 mounting equatorially a large object-glass. While the 

 work was going on, Sir James thought it would not do, 

 insisted on beginning again upon a new plan, with offer 

 of payment of money out of pocket, and, on refusal, shut 

 Messrs. Troughton and Simms out of his observatory. 

 The Court of course recommended arbitration ; and this 

 arbitration, which extended over 1833-1838, is the most 

 remarkable astronomical trial which ever took place in 

 England. The arbitrator was Mr. Maule, afterwards 

 judge, the senior wrangler of 1810, a powerful Mathema- 

 tician, and a man of uncommon sharpness of perception. 

 The counsel for Troughton and Simms was Mr. Starkie, 

 the senior wrangler of 1803, with Mr. Sheepshanks, who 

 was a witness, for his scientific adviser. The counsel for 

 Sir James South was Mr. Drinkwater Bethune, a well- 

 known Mathematician, and a high wrangler of 1823, as 

 sharp as Mr. Maule. Mr. Babbage was a witness and a 

 sort of scientific adviser. The arbitrator began by insist- 

 ing that Troughton and Simms should be allowed to 

 finish the work; he also permitted certain additions to 

 the plan proposed by Mr. Sheepshanks, on condition that 

 they should only be paid for if they succeeded. The 



