CORRESPONDENCE. 8 1 



a great advantage of being in town in the summer ; for, saving 1834. 

 your absence, it is a good thing to be thrown upon oneself for a 

 month or two, to say nothing of the quantity of work one does. 

 I was very sorry to find when I came home that Mr. Woolgar 

 had been very uncourteously received by B - with my note. 

 That unfortunate man will never rest until he succeeds in getting 

 nobody's good word. He calculates very wrong (for a calculating 

 machine maker) if he thinks such a thrower of stones as himself 

 can stand alone in the world. It takes all his analysis and his 

 machine to boot to induce me to say I will ever have any com- 

 munication with him again, which nothing should induce me to 

 do except the consideration that men of real knowledge should 

 have more allowance made for them than some charlatans I 

 know. I make no doubt Mr. Woolgar will detail to you the 

 reception he received. . . . 



Apropos of logarithms, give my kind regards to all your 

 circle, and believe me, dear sir, 



Yours sincerely, 



A. DE MORGAN. 

 5 Upper Gower Street. 



To William Frend, Hustings. 



DEAR SIR, I have nothing whatever in the nature of news 

 to tell you, except that the Astronomical Society has ob- 

 tained possession of its rooms l and moved into them, with 

 nothing remarkable except that one of the secretaries, whom you 

 know, had an opportunity of confirming an observation he has 

 often made, that upholsterers, carpenters, and all concerned in 

 furniture, are laudatores temporis acti, whatever may be their age. 

 The bookcases of the Society are * such as are not made now ; ' 

 and even the old orange chests, bought for a trifle to put books 

 in, are * such as they doesn't make nowadays,' according to one 

 of the workmen. However, the race of men are not degenerated, 

 for four of them took up in their arms our large iron safety 

 affair, and carried it slick right away into a van, whereas five 

 men took two hours with iron rollers, &c., to get it into the 

 chambers a year ago. 



I have got the care of all the churches upon me now ; that is, 

 builders' estimates, &c., with a hitch as to prices. Mr. Baily is 

 out of town, and workmen must be in the premises on Wednes- 

 day at latest. We are in this condition. The Royal Society, 



1 In Somerset House. 

 G 



