OBITUARY NOTICES OF FELLOWS DECEASED. 



The Rev. Thomas G-askin, who died at his residence at Cheltenham 

 on February 17th, 1887, was born at Penrith, in Cumberland, in 

 1810. He was educated at Sedburgh, and for some time before he 

 left was second in the School. On leaving Sedburgh School, in 1827, 

 he proceeded, to St. John's College. One of the men of his year 

 writes that it was understood that he came to Cambridge under the 

 auspices of Lord Brougham, who had formed a very high estimate of 

 his mathematical talent, and was confident he would be Senior 

 Wrangler. Later on, in 1851, Lord Brougham, writing a testimonial 

 for Mr. Gaskin, speaks of an intimate acquaintance of above thirty 

 years. 



On entering St. John's College, he found the freshmen exception- 

 ally strong in mathematics. The third wrangler of his year was then 

 a Johnian, who afterwards migrated to Caius College. Besides the 

 Senior, there was a fourth man reckoned equally good, whose health 

 broke down under hard reading. Nevertheless, he was always placed 

 first in the College examinations. This position could not be obtained, 

 much less retained, every year, but by the exhibition of considerable 

 classical knowledge. The late Dr. Kennedy, whose lectures he 

 attended, entertained a favourable opinion of his promise as a classi- 

 cal scholar, though his chief attention was then devoted to mathe- 

 matics. It has also been stated on the authority of some of his old 

 schoolfellows, that on leaving Sedburgh he could repeat above twenty 

 Creek plays by heart. 



He took his degree of B.A. in 1831, as second wrangler and second 

 Smith's prizeman, a member of his own College being Senior. . The 

 two were so nearly equal in merit that there was great difficulty in 

 arranging their order. According to the custom of that day, cases of 

 near equality were decided by questions given out orally, one by one, 

 by some competent Master of Arts, not one of the Moderators or 

 Examiners. In such a system a previous accidental acquaintance 

 with the subject matter of a question would make an appreciable 

 difference. Thus their positions in the final list, if decided by an 

 insufficien' number of questions, might indicate a greater difference 

 than really existed. 



Soon after his degree he was elected Fellow and Tutor of Jesus 

 College, the duties of which responsible position he continued to 

 discharge for eleven years. When, on his marriage, in 1842, he 

 resigned these offices, a subscription was opened among his friends. 



vol. xlvi. h 



