1834-1836.] 



BRISTOL COLLEGE. 



11 



who introduced him to one of the private meetings of the 

 Zoological Society. At the beginning of 1834, he re-entered 

 the Bristol College, where he remained for two years and a 

 half. Though his studies were sometimes interrupted by ill 

 health, his steady perseverance enabled him to make good 

 progress, especially in mathematics, in which he attained the 

 highest place. Professor F. W. Newman, at that time one of 

 the masters, writes to the editor : u You are quite right in 

 thinking that your brother Philip was my pupil, first in Bristol, 

 afterwards in Manchester. Naturally I did not see much of 

 him out of class ; but he certainly made unusual advances to 

 me, and I soon gained a perception how very transparent was 

 his nature — guileless and ardent— a nature with which I had 

 warm sympathy, even while (as I must confess) I had a 

 tender sorrow and pity that he was being educated for the 

 Unitarian ministry. But by the time of my going to Man-^ 

 Chester, this had evaporated with me. I there saw him without 

 any refracting or distracting medium, and much admired the 

 earnest purpose, solid character, sweetness and gentleness of 

 temper, combined with originality, free from eccentricity of 

 juvenile arrogance." On another occasion Mr. Newman 

 wrote : " When I heard of his eminence in natural history, I 

 thought it to be a natural result of his youthful tendencies. . . . 

 From very early years he possessed the highly valuable quality 

 of minute and persevering diligence, with* great love of order 

 and precision." 



In the year 1836, the British Association for the Promotion 

 of Science visited Bristol, and Philip was very useful in helping 

 to arrange the valuable conchological collection at the Institu- 

 tion, his judgment in the discrimination of species being 

 highly estimated by the very able curator. The meeting was 

 an occasion of intense enjoyment to him, to which he often 

 referred. His father had aided in the preparations for it with 

 his usual enthusiasm, and at his breakfast-table were assembled 

 some of its most distinguished members, who did not forget 

 Philip when they met him in after years. 



With all his love of natural history, the ministry was his 



