prudently in adhering to French, for I made no great progress. On
Aug. 2nd I saw a murderer guillotined in the Place Martroi. The
principal investigations on my quires are--Investigations about
pendulums, Calculus of Variations, Notes for the Figure of the Earth
(Encyc. Metrop.) and commencement of the article, steam-engine
machinery, &c. I picked up various French ballads, read various books,
got copies of the Marseillaise (this I was obliged to obtain rather
secretly, as the legitimist power under Charles X. was then at its
height) and other music, and particulars of farm wages for Whewell and
R. Jones. The summer was intensely hot, and I believe that the heat
and the work in Dolcoath had weakened me a good deal. The family was
the old clergyman, his wife, his daughter, and finally his son. We
lived together very amicably. My brother lodged in a Cafe in the Place
Martroi; the others in different families. I left Orleans on
Sept. 30th for Paris. Here I attended the Institut, and was present at
one of Ampere's Lectures. I arrived at Cambridge on Oct. 14th.
"On Oct. 16th Whewell mentioned to me that the Lucasian Professorship
would be immediately vacated by Turton, and encouraged me to compete
for it. Shortly afterwards Mr Higman mentioned the Professorship, and
Joshua King (of Queens') spoke on the restriction which prevented
College tutors or Assistant tutors from holding the office. About
this time Mr Peacock rendered me a very important service. As the
emolument of the Lucasian Professorship was only _L99_, and that of
the Assistant Tutorship _L150_, I had determined to withdraw from the
candidature. But Mr Peacock represented to me the advantage of
position which would be gained by obtaining the Professorship (which I
then instantly saw), and I continued to be a candidate. I wrote
letters to the Heads of Colleges (the electors) and canvassed them
personally. Only Dr Davy, the Master of Caius College, at once
promised me his vote. Dr French, Master of Jesus College, was a
candidate; and several of the Heads had promised him their votes. Mr
Babbage, the third candidate, threatened legal proceedings, and Dr
French withdrew. The course was now open for Mr Babbage and me.
"In the meetings of the Philosophical Society a new mode of proceeding
was introduced this term. To enliven the meetings, private members
were requested to give oral lectures. Mine was the second, I think,
and I took for subject The Machinery of the
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