Personal Recollections, from Early Life to Old Age, of Mary Somerville: With Selections from Her Correspondence by Her Daughter Martha SomervilleJ. Murray, 1874 - 377 pages |
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acquainted Admiral afterwards agreeable Algebra amused ancient Arago asked astronomy battle of Camperdown beautiful became Biot brother Brougham brought burgh Burntisland celebrated comet conversation copy daughter dear death dined dinner early Edinburgh Edition England Euclid excellent Fairfax father Florence French friends garden Greig heard Henry honour husband Inchbonny interest invited Italian Italy Jedburgh JOANNA BAILLIE kind kirk knew lady letter lived London Lord Lord Brougham Madame Maria Edgeworth married MARY SOMERVILLE mathematical minister Miss morning mother MURRAY'S LIST Naples nebulæ never night painted party piano played pretty Professor received remarkable Rome Samuel Greig scientific Scotch Scotland sent Sir John Herschel Sir Walter Scott sister society soon spent stars theatre thought tion told took Trinity College Veitch Whewell wife women Woronzow writing young
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Page 209 - Ward has no heart, they say; but I deny it. He has a heart, and gets his speeches by it.
Page 6 - THE MOON: CONSIDERED AS A PLANET, A WORLD, AND A SATELLITE. BY JAMES NASMYTH, CE, AND JAMES CARPENTER, FRAS Late of the Royal Observatory, Greenwich.
Page 54 - I was thrown on my memory, which I exercised by beginning at the first book, and demonstrating in my mind a certain number of problems every night, till I could nearly go through the whole. My father came home for a short time, and, somehow or other, finding out what I was about, said to my mother, " Peg, we must put a stop to this, or we shall have Mary in a strait jacket one of these days. There was X., who went raving mad about the longitude...
Page 1 - The Life and Death of John of Barneveld, Advocate of Holland. With a View of the Primary Causes and Movements of the "Thirty Years
Page 324 - Pliicher, and the investigations of Professor de Filippi, &c. The author comments on this book (p. 337): ' In writing it I made a great mistake, and repent it. Mathematics are the natural bent of my mind. If I had devoted myself exclusively to that subject I might probably have written something useful, as a new era has begun in that science.
Page 360 - ... deep-rooted faith which influenced every thought, and regulated every action of her life. Great love and reverence towards God was the foundation of this pure faith, which accompanied her from youth to extreme old age, indeed to her last moments, which gave her strength to endure many sorrows, nnd was the mainspring of that extreme humility which was so remarkable a feature of her character.
Page 22 - A few days after my arrival at school," Mrs. Somerville tells us in her memoirs, "although perfectly straight and well made, I was enclosed in stiff stays, with a steel busk in front; while above my frock, bands drew my shoulders back until the shoulder-blades met.
Page 150 - A man can always command his time under the plea of business, a woman is not allowed any such excuse. At Chelsea I was always supposed to be at home, and as my friends and acquaintances came so far out of their way on purpose to see me, it would have been unkind and ungenerous not to receive them. Nevertheless, I was sometimes annoyed, when in the midst of a difficult problem some one would enter and say, ' I have come to spend a few hours with you.
Page 47 - Unfortunately not one of our acquaintances or relations knew anything of" science or natural history; nor, had they done so, should I have had courage to ask any of them a question, for I should have been laughed at. I was often very sad and forlorn; not a hand held out to help me.
Page 142 - ... remarkably soft voice, strong, but well-bred Scotch accent; timid, not disqualifying timid, but naturally modest, yet with a degree of selfpossession through it which prevents her being in the least awkward, and gives her all the advantage of her understanding, at the same time that it adds a prepossessing charm to her manner and takes off all dread of her superior scientific learning.