The New York herald., 1873-12-28
A Bird's-eye View of Books
at Boston.


knows very little. 1t is class whose members
are characterized by great refinement deep cul-
ture and charming social qualities but not by
those gifts or achievements which are apt to reach
the ears and stir the sympathles OF the masses.
The late Sir Henry Holland belonged to this linn
tied and brilliant circle. The memories and reco-
lections OF such people are sure to be fascinating,
because by those means q number of eminent per-
sonages are brought forward and familiar anec-
dotal light is shed over living characters whom we
have been accustomed to see only through the
mist of rumor and the vague enulgence OF celeb
rity. The late Mrs. Somerville was one OF those
remarkable women of whom, while she was
living, the general world knew next to
nothing, but or whom, now that she is
dead and her personal recolections have been so
well edited by her daughter, everybody will be In
terested in hearing all that there Is to teu The
work VIII be issued early in January by the Roberts
Brothers, and / am able to inform the readers
OF the HERALD that 1t will be one of the most
charming specimens Of personal recollection that,
with the exception Of the aut0biographic sprnk
lings OF Sir Henry Holland have been given to the
English speaking public for some years. The style
is as simple and unaffected as was Mrs. Somer-
ville's life.
MRS. soMERvILLE
was mathematician and an astronomer; but, as
she remarks in foot note somewhere In the pend
ing volume, an astronomer does not necessarily
spend his life with his eye at the telescope. This
autobiography is the autobiography, not OF the Sc
we're student alone, but Of a woman who was
courted by the world and went much into the
highest society who loved her husband her fam
lily and her religion, and whose highest scientific
attanments never seemed to lift her into that
pride of reason which, offensive In anybody, is
particularly ungracious in the gentler sex.
When Mrs. SOmerville died, some months
ago, her newspaper biographers could not
agree in regard to her age. The au-
photography settles that point. She was
born December 26, 1850 at the Manse of Jedburg,
in Burntlsland, a small and quiet seaport town,
with little or no commerce, situated on the coast
Of Fife, Immediately opposite to Edinburgh. For
twelve months she attended a school at Mussel-
burgh. Her first impulse toward mathematics was
caught from accidentally observing some figures
In an algebraic equation In answer to a rebus at
the end Of an illustrated magazine Of fashions.
This was the spark that Lit the latent train OF
which she was unconscious She attempted to
find relief by taking up Robertson's "Navigation,"
but. falling in this, applied herself for time to
painting landscapes, an accomplishment upon
which she was comphmented by the author OF
Blair's "RhetOric." BY the by, Mrs. Somerville's
recoectiOns are frequently supplemented in
very pleasant manner by the interpretations Of her
daughter 1t is to one OF these that the reader Is
indebted for the information that as Mrs. somer-
vile advanced toward womannood she became
beauty, and was generally known as
1.-THE ROSE OF JEDwOoD.v
The best ltkenesses extant OF her are a bust mod
eled in Rome py Lawrence Macdonald in 1914, ana
q crayon drawing by James Swinton, In 1S4S. In
her young womanhood she was OF graceful figure,
below the middle size with a small head, well set
on her shoulders, beautiful complexion, bright,
intelligent eyes, and prouslon of soft brown
hair. At this period the future student of the stars
made ner own dresses even her ball dresses, and
the modern literary belle Qf there is such being)
Will learn with some contempt that these consisted
OF India muslin, trimmed with little Flanders
lace. Her incipient passion for isopermetrica
problems did not lead her to disdain those of dc
tion, and long after the beauties Of algebra first
blinded her she continued to be subdued by "The
Mysteries OF Udopho' and ''The Romance of the
Forest" In 1904 she married her cousin,
Samuel Greg, commissioner in the Rus
sian navy. He proved very unsympathetc so
far her scientific studies we're concerned. After
three years she became widow and returned to
Burntsland with her two little boys. BY this time
she had studied plane and spherical trigonometry
comic sections and Fergusson's "Astronomy." She
now attempted Newton's "Principia" J." but found 1t
too difficult at that stage of her studies. MI. Wal
lace with whom she became acquainted, and who
was mathematical teacher at the military college
at NARROW, introduced her to Francoeur's "Mathe
maticsn and advised her to STUDY Lacroix's "Alge-
bra," 'Dinerential and Integral Calculus" and
"Fnte Differences and Seres;" Biot's Analytical
Geometry and astronomy" and other works by
Poisson, Lagrange, Euler, Clairault, Monge, Calet
and Laplace. By the time she had made this ex
tensive progress our autobiographer was 33. About
this time she met Henry Brougham and became
intimate with Sydney Smith. In 1872 she
married Mr.. Somerville; but matrimony
did not interfere with mathematics. She
appears to have made herself as thoroughly
at home among the constants and variables OF
welded life as among those OF algebra. Her math-
ematical enthusiasm excited the anger OF some Of
her relatives, who discovered in her love for ioga.
rithms mortal sin. Her acquain tanceship with
Professor Jameson, pupil of Werner melted her to
the study OF mneralogy But her friends were not
exclusively among scientific men. She visited
Scott at Abbotslord, ana gives most genial de-
scrIption OF the author OF "lvanhoe" as he APP
peared when acting host In 1916, her husband
being appointed member OF the Army Medical
Board, she went to live in London. subsequently
she visited Paris, and Hospitality entertained
by Arago, likewise by Blot, Bonvard and Poisson.
To those who think that mathematicans and az
tronomers converse In equations and express
themselves In axioms and algebraic symbols 1t will
be interesting TO learn that the dinner tables OF
these philosophers we're among the most jelly
OF which Mrs. Somerville gives any account
Her sketch OF Cuvier and his wife is
graceful. Cuver thought that Madame dc Stael's
energy and not old age had worn her out About
tins juncture Mrs. Somerville took up botany and
was encouraged in IL by Candolle. Returning to
London, s'e was present. by Babbage's invitation.
at the construction OF his calculating macnlne. she
never completely lost that dnidence in society
which sne ascribes to secusion In youth, and was
immediately sicnced in argument, though enter.
tanning convictions she felt just. At florence
she met Cataani. then living In retirement as
Nine. valabreque. she formed pleasant lcquant-
anceship with Joanna Baillic, and about this time
read Miss Austen's novels with interest," ,onfcssing
20 partiality Tor "Pride and Prejudice. At Mrs.