e of that glory
which they considered should go wholly to Le Verrier. But it may be
remarked that feeling was not purely national. Some foreigners were
cordial in their recognition of the work of Adams, while some of those
most eager to oppose his claims were found in this country. In their
anxiety to show that they were free from national jealousy, scientific
men went almost too far in the opposite direction.

[Sidenote: The position of Cambridge in the matter.]

[Sidenote: Challis the weakest point.]

Airy's conduct was certainly strange at several points, as has already
been remarked. One cannot understand his writing to Le Verrier in June
1846 without any mention of Adams. He could not even momentarily have
forgotten Adams' work; for he tells us himself how he noticed the close
correspondence of his result with that of Le Verrier: and had he even
casually mentioned this fact in writing to the latter, it would have
prepared the way for his later statement. But we can easily understand the
unfavourable impression produced by this statement after the discovery had
been made, when there had been no previous hint on the subject at all. Of
those who abused him Cambridge had the least excuse; for there is no doubt
that with a reasonably competent Professor of Astronomy in Cambridge, she
need not have referred to Airy at all. It would not seem to require any
great amount of intelligence to undertake to look in a certain region for
a strange object if one is in possession of a proper instrument. We have
seen that Challis had the instrument, and when urged to do so was equal to
the task of finding the planet; but he was a man of no initiative, and the
idea of doing so unless directed by some authority never entered his head.
He had been accustomed for many years to lean rather helplessly upon Airy,
who had preceded him in office at Cambridge. For instance, when appointed
to succeed him, and confronted with the necessity of lecturing to
students, he was so helpless that he wrote to implore Airy to come back to
Cambridge and lecture for him; and this was actually done, Airy obtaining
leave from the Government to leave his duties at Greenwich for a time in
order to return to Cambridge, and show Challis how to lecture. Now it
seems to me that this helplessness was the very root of all the mischief
of which Cambridge so bitterly complained. I claimed at the outset the
privilege of stating my own views, with which others may not a