y the Superintendent of the Nautical Almanac) and Mr Paul
were the first extra assistants.

"Of private history. On Feb. 29th I went to Cambridge with my Paper on
the Going Fusee. On Mar. 27th I went to visit Mrs Smith, my wife's
mother, at Brampton near Chesterfield. I made a short visit to
Playford in April and a short expedition to Winchester, Portsmouth,
&c., in June. From Sept. 5th to Oct. 3rd I was travelling in the
North of England and South of Scotland." [This was an extremely active
and interesting journey, in the course of which a great number of
places were visited by Airy, especially places on the Border mentioned
in Scott's Poems, which always had a great attraction for him. He also
attended a Meeting of the British Association at Glasgow and made a
statement regarding the Planetary and Lunar Reductions: and looked at
a site for the Glasgow Observatory.] "In November I went for a short
time to Cambridge and to Keysoe (my brother's residence). On
Dec. 26th my daughter Hilda was born (subsequently married to
E.J. Routh). In this year I had a loss of _L350_ by a fire on my Eye
estate."

* * * * *

The following extracts are from letters to his wife. Some of them
relate to matters of general interest. They are all of them
characteristic, and serve to shew the keen interest which he took in
matters around him, and especially in architecture and scenery. The
first letter relates to his journey from Chesterfield on the previous
day.

FLAMSTEED HOUSE,
_1840, April 2_.

I was obliged to put up with an outside place to Derby yesterday, much
against my will, for I was apprehensive that the cold would bring on
the pain in my face. Of that I had not much; but I have caught
something of sore throat and catarrh. The coach came up at about 22
minutes past 8. It arrived in Derby at 20 minutes or less past 11
(same guard and coachman who brought us), and drew up in the street
opposite the inn at which we got no dinner, abreast of an omnibus. I
had to go to a coach office opposite the inn to pay and be booked for
London, and was duly set down in a way-bill with _name_; and then
entered the omnibus: was transferred to the Railway Station, and then
received the Railway Ticket by shouting out my name. If you should
come the same way, you would find it convenient to book your place at
C