CORRESPONDENCE, 1856-66. 301 



they can be detected. They contain handwriting of Horrocks, 1859. 

 the famous predecessor of Newton in the Lunar Theory. They 

 will no doabt have the book-plate of either Christopher or 

 Richard Towneley with these arms. . . . J 



Such a book-plate in a book with handwriting in it is very 

 likely to be Horrocks's, if astronomical. I found one of these 

 books at a sale, and gave it to Trinity College, and I remember 

 your brother having two at least. Bat the thing does not press. 

 A life of Horrocks just published reminds me of it. 



August 27. We are all pretty well, and I have got my books 

 into something which is not disorder. But two negatives do 

 not make one affirmative. . . . 



Yours very truly, 



A. DE MORGAN. 



To Sir John Herschel. 



41 Chalcot Villas, Sept. 9, 1859. 



MY DEAR SIR JOHN, You puzzle me. I always took it that 

 you and our friend Francis Baily foregathered at the Astro- 

 nomical Society, and then and there concocted a private friend- 

 ship, as many good men have done, and more by that same 

 token will do. But if Miss Baily was a friend of early boyhood, 

 you can hardly miss to have the same to say of Francis. She 

 must have been, I should say, ten years older than you : if Men 

 of the Time be correct in time, eight years. Explain this point, 

 I pray you. Where did you first make Francis B.'s acquaint- 

 ance ? As you have let out the name of the person who sold 

 you cakes, there is nothing that you can have any excuse for 

 being secret upon. 



I am not clear in my memory about the names of any of my 

 purveyors till about fourteen years of age. I think I took their 

 names to be immaterial, and their sweetmeats the real thing. 

 But at the age I named I was introduced to Mother Fudge her 

 real name who could carry in her head the debts of any number 

 of boys, and no mistake. How she managed to remember the 

 several little accounts from l^d. up to half-a-crown I never knew, 

 nor she either ; but those who really wanted to do her, and those 

 who pretended to want it, found her utterly uncheatable. She 

 would run over their tradings for a week past with a confidence 



1 The arms drawn appear to be on a field argent, a bar sable sur- 

 mounted by three stars sable. ED. 



