hich I
enjoy at present is hardly sufficient, in my opinion, to support
respectably the honor which you and Lord John Russell have proposed to
confer upon me. For this reason only I beg leave most respectfully to
decline the honor of Knighthood at the present time.

I have only to add that my services will always be at the command of
the Government in any scientific subject in which I can be of the
smallest use.

I am, my dear Sir,
Your very faithful Servant,
G.B. AIRY.

_The Right Honorable T. Spring Rice_.

* * * * *

"In brief revision of the years from 1827 to 1835 I may confine myself
to the two principal subjects--my Professorial Lectures, and my
Conduct of the Cambridge Observatory.

"The Lectures as begun in 1827 included ordinary Mechanics, ordinary
Hydrostatics and Pneumatics (I think that I did not touch, or touched
very lightly, on the subjects connected with the Hydraulic Ram), and
ordinary Optics (with a very few words on Polarization and
Depolarization). In 1828 the two first were generally improved, and
for the third (Optics) I introduced a few words on Circular
Polarization. I believe that it was in 1829 that I made an addition
to the Syllabus with a small engraving, shewing the interference of
light in the best practical experiment (that of the flat prism); and I
went thoroughly into the main points of the Undulatory Theory,
interference, diffraction, &c. In 1830 I believe I went (in addition
to what is mentioned above) into Polarization and Depolarization of
all kinds. My best lecture diagrams were drawn and painted by my
wife. The Lectures were universally pronounced to be valuable. The
subjects underwent no material change in 1831, 2, 3, 4, 5; and I
believe it was a matter of sincere regret to many persons that my
removal to Greenwich terminated the series. Each lecture nominally
occupied an hour. But I always encouraged students to stop and talk
with me; and this supplement was usually considered a valuable part of
the lecture. Practically the lecture, on most days, occupied two
hours. I enjoyed the Lectures much: yet I felt that the labour (in
addition to other work) made an impression on my strength, and I
became at length desirous of terminating them.

"The Observatory, when I took charge of it, had only one
instrument--the Transit-Instrument The principles however which I laid
down for my own direction were adapted to the e