CORRESPONDENCE, 1867-70. 387 



will employ yours, at any leisure you like, in answering a 1869. 

 question. 



I want a tolerably distinct account of the reading of a senior 

 wrangler of your day. How much had he read, and in what 

 books ? A very general view will do. Anything as to distinc- 

 tion between algebra and geometry will be valuable. 



The people are all gone who could give any information". 

 With me it will be perpetuated in some shape. 



I gain strength pretty fast, but am not without warning that 

 head-time is not come back yet. There are all kinds of legends 

 current about old reading. A trustworthy account would be of 

 historical value. With kind regards all round, 



Yours sincerely, 



A. DE MORGAN. 



On looking at the list of seniors, I see that you are not only 

 the last left, but that yon come at the turn. In 1810 comes 

 Maule, who was in communication with Babbage about functional 

 equations, and all kinds of novelties. Maule would have been 

 conspicuous, among the moderns, with Herschel, Peacock, Bab- 

 bage, if he had held on. Had I not known you, I should, on 

 these circumstances, have applied to you, as the only chance left 

 for information essential to historical knowledge of Cambridge. 



From Sir F. Pollock, Bart. 



Hatton, Hounslow, July 29, 1869. 



MY DEAE DE MORGAN, I am glad to hear you ' gain strength 

 pretty fast.' I lose it slowly ; but I lose it. I shall write in 

 answer to your inquiry, all about my books, my studies, and my 

 degree, and leave you to settle all about the proprieties which 

 my letter may give rise to, as to egotism, modesty, &c. The only 

 books I read the first year were Wood's Algebra (as far as 

 quadratic equations), Bonnycastle's ditto, and Euclid (Simpson's). 

 In the second year I read Wood (beyond quadratic equations), 

 and Wood and Vince, for what they called the branches. In the 

 third year I read the Jesuit's Newton and Vince's Fluxions ; 

 these were all the books, but there were certain MSS. floating 

 about which I copied which belonged to Deal try, second 

 wrangler in Kempthorne's year. I have no doubt that I had read 

 less and seen fewer books than any senior wrangler of about my 

 time, or any period since ; but what I knew I knew thoroughly, 



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