1 58 SIR GEORGE DARWIN 



Moulton, who was kind enough to give me his 

 impressions : 



My memories of your brother during his 

 undergraduate career correspond closely to 

 your suggestion that his mathematical power 

 developed somewhat slowly and late. Through- 

 out most, if not the whole, of his undergraduate 

 years he was in the same class as myself and 

 Christie, the ex-Astronomer Royal, at Routh's.^ 

 We all recognised him as one who was certain 

 of being high in the Tripos, but he did not 

 display any of that colossal power of work 

 and taking infinite trouble that characterised 

 him afterwards. On the contrary, he treated 

 his work rather jauntily. At that time his 

 health was excellent and he took his studies 

 lightly, so that they did not interfere with his 

 enjoyment of other things. ^ I remember that 

 as the time of the examination came near I 

 used to tell him that he was unfairly handi- 

 capped in being in such robust health and such 

 excellent spirits. 



Even when he had taken his degree I do 

 not think he realised his innate mathematical 

 power. ...It has been a standing wonder to me 

 that he developed the patience for making the 

 laborious numerical calculations on which so 

 much of his most original work was necessarily 

 based. He certainly showed no tendency in 

 that direction during his undergraduate years. 



1 The late Mr. Routh was the most celebrated mathematical 

 "Coach" of his day. 



' Compare Charles Darwin's words : " George has not slaved 

 himself, which makes his success the more satisfactory " {More 

 Letters of C. Darwin, Vol. ii., p. 287). 



