172 MEMOIR OF AUGUSTUS DE MORGAN. 



1 848. think of these things, exert your energies, and preserve us. So 

 shall you deserve well of your contemporaries, of posterity, and 

 of yours very truly, W. H. SMYTH. 



The writer had filled the President's chair after Sir 

 John Herschel and since the last difficulty, but it was 

 again vacant, and Mr. De Morgan was very earnestly 

 begged to take it. But he refused, for, while working 

 harder than ever, if possible, to keep up the character 

 and usefulness of the Society, his old reasons were still in 

 force. He always feared the love of rank and money 

 finding its way among the honest, useful workers who 

 had hitherto composed it. He held up the example of 

 the Royal Society as one in some ways to be avoided, and 

 resisted every measure that would tend to bring in the 

 sort of influence which had fettered its scientific work 

 during the last century. His commentary on the Royal 

 Society's history in times past will be found in the Budget 

 of Paradoxes, as well as some allusion to the fact of 

 his never having sought for membership. Touching the 

 charge against Sir John Hill, that his animus towards 

 the Society was occasioned by his failure to obtain admis- 

 sion to its ranks, he says, ' Whether I could have been a 

 Fellow, I cannot know ; as the gentleman said when asked 

 whether he could play the violin, " I never tried." On 

 the last point, however, Admiral Smyth gave evidence : 



Know that I dined yesterday with the Philosophical Club, 

 where was an ominous growl about your not being in the Royal 

 Society, and, on the entreaties of several warm friends, I under- 

 took to state the same to you. My own regret you are fully 

 aware of. Pray, therefore, reconsider the case, for it is declared 

 to be no favour at all to you, but a signal one to the Society, 

 to allow your name to be hung up. Pray grant this, and your 

 Petitioner will ever pray, &c. 



At this time a good many friends used to meet peri- 

 odically at our house, and my husband enjoyed the 

 opportunity they gave him of seeing them in an informal 



