CORRESPONDENCE, 1836-46. 145 



Knowledge. Do you think favourably of the plan ? My own 1838. 

 opinion is that Young's lectures are an unsearched mine of good 

 things, often very happily expressed. But two quarto volumes 

 frighten most people. It is of course a work which any one 

 would like to see republished, but should your opinion be as 

 strong as mine the expression of it would materially forward the 

 object. I remain, dear sir, 



Yours faithfully, 



A. DE MORGAN. 

 69 Gower Street, Nov. 13, 1838. 



To Francis Baily. 



MY DEAR SIR, The word rapa or rapum means a turnip, or 

 any small white root. There is in Italian rapa, a turnip, and in 

 English the same word is seen in rape-seed. 



Raparium and rapina (both words are used) mean a collection 

 of many rapae, a turnip-store, or turnip-field. Consequently 

 your rapina must mean a cluster of stars. 



What a capital new word for the starry heavens a turnip- 

 field ! 



Yours truly, 



A. DE MORGAN. 



69 Gower Street, Monday Morning. 



To Sir John Herschel. 



69 Gower Street, Nov. 22, 1842. 



MY DEAR SIR JOHN, Thanks for your letter and the compli- 

 ments non omnis moriar with that big book. I shall be the 

 tenant of some old book-stall a hundred years hence, arid some 

 one, perhaps myself, Lethed and transmigrated, will give half a 

 crown for me as I have done for others, or perhaps for myself 

 again in some pre-transmigration and will put me down hi a 

 bibliographical list, with a slight mistake of the name (non 

 omnis moriar), and of a hundred years or thereabouts in the 

 date. 



As to Lardner's ' Cyclopaedia/ you must address direct to Long, 

 man, who is the real editor now. I think a second edition stuck 

 full of southern plums, with some nice nebulae, neat as imported, 

 would be a capital dish. When shall we begin to see the 

 southern heavens through your spectacles ? 



