New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-09-02
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
c,p,r u.TuEMATICIAN.

IT, 80 much that is entertaining and a great
~, ;s nedanto and tiresome in this memoir Of
.ba mathematician who, when ne was oh'y
tva,tv-one years old and still an undef
graduate at Dublin, was made Professor
Of astronomy ia the University ana astronomer
r,val of Ireland The book is crowded WITH letters
many of them Of no possible public interest, many
of,ben wholly unimportant, except to those sKl'eu
in the science to which Hamilton devoted nus me-
AR Graves. being no Mathematician himself
has not been able 20 invest with the
charm of scientific enthusiasm his rscol"S
of Hamilton's work; neither has he succeedea III
imparting literary graces to his chronicle.
Wordsworth once said that Coeridge ana haHli-
ton were the two most wonderful men, taxing an
their endowments together. that he nao ever iho''
Hamilton indeed. began 10 be WONDERFUL az
yesy early age. At three years old ne co"iu ieSu
the Bible; at tour years and i've months lie was az
c,mnshinp the fcats thus related by his mother III
letter TO her sister:
He il one of the most surprising childreh you can
imaone: IT Is scarcely credible: he not only reads
we'll. but with such nice Judgment and point tha'
il would shame many who have finished their edu-
cation. His recitng is astonishing, and MS clear
and accurate knowledge of geography IS beyond De-
lief no even draws the countries with pencil on
nap.r and will cut them out though not periectv
accurate vet so well that anybody knowing 'ne
countries could not mistake them; Dut you VIII
,b;,k this nothing when tell you that he reads
Latin. Greek and Hebrew Ii is truly funny 10
see the faces some of the Wise Heads pnt on aitef
examining HIM they irst look ncredulous; theh
tbey look as If he said it as parrot would; DLV
after an examination of various BOOKS ana various
n.rts ,f the same book. and when sometimes TO
correcs those who from long neglect 10 READ thes9
dead languages have forgotten some letters lie puts
in, ri say no
and when they must agree with him, he says, " now
see the advantage of attending TO what you read -
they stare then say that it wrong to let his nina
be so overstocked. They cannot suppose that ali
this Is learned by him play, and that he coulu no
more speak or play children in generate DO than ne
coald ly Everything he must have reason LOT.
The things at dinner are the different countries Oh
the world; if ne wants his handkerchief ted rounu
his threat It is-please put this round my lSthmus
if his eve itche it is his east eve or his west lie
reads the Hebrew with points II. H. is learning lt
v,tbort She being rather incredulous, brought
her hook to see the difference Of pronunciation, and
what was the advantage of points. She read tor
HIM but be got so vexed at her persevering to pro-
nounce the words differently from what II Is with
ints that he began to cry most plteously' ana
came and told me she went to examine him. and
that sho knew nothing about 1t tall, that she
called her letters wrong, ard could not say
Ha,haRaia as it should be SAID, or any other part
anv more than Ounce We had some trouble to
pacify him. and after that. if he asked to read
Hebrew, he always asked, do you read with
poiptsi' But by this time you completely
tired Of mothers enthusiasm about her prodigy OF
son."
His devotion to Hebrew did not prevent him from
undertaking other Oriental languages. Before he
was ten wears old he was master of all those
languages except the minor and comparatively
provincial ones. Already proficient IN sanscnt.
at nine years and nine months he undertook the
study of Chinese That was in 1915 and 1t was
with g. eat difficulty and az much expense that the
Dublin solicitor. his father procured the necessary
hooks in London" Willy" was not occupied only
with these grave studies ho cultivated the Muse as
well. 1t related that hen called out of bed by
his aunt ono mornng-the child being then six years
and nine months old-hs gravely responded that
3Though Diana had long withdrawn her pale light
vet that Aurora had unbarred ler gates. and
therefore he begged to be allowed to lie STILL AT
fourteen he became the author OF poem on Society
in which hc recorded his conviction OF the superb
ority of the female sex as entertaining companions
and this dropping iuto poetry no continued
more less throughout his life. Yet with ali these
intellectual exertIons the boy remained robust and
healthy minded little fellow, fond Of all toyish
exercises, not unacquanted with mischief, aud NIL
ing his little journals with notes Uf games and ath
letic acheycmen:s well with the records OF his
first experiments in mathematics.
At seventeen he began the INDEPENDENT Inv estiga-
tions which led to his Theory OF Systems of Rays.
thus entering at this early age upon tue path OF
original mathematical discovery From thaJ time
onward science became his sster passion, with re-
sults which have made his name memorable.
While hardly ut his majority his remarkable attain
mants and bis high stand at the University made
him celebrity in Dublin but he maintained then
as ever after singular mOdesty and humility. The
man had no ALLEGATIONS; the simplicity of his char
acter was admirable and winning. lie had bovish
cheerfuluess and heartedness; witticsms
sparked often on the grave current of his teaching
and discussions on the poets we're heard almost as
much from his lips as disnusitions Oh Astronomy,
Mr.. Graves has presented this volume far too
MANY of Hamton's verses, which while affecting
one as Wordsworth said, as evidences of high.
and-pure- mndedness, from which bumble-mnded-
ness Is lnseparable" are still commonplace and a
little wearisome at last Hamilton Guilty. ated his
poetical faculty principle. "The pleasure of
INTENSE thought" lie once wrote to friend is so
great. the exercise of mind afforded by mathemat-
ical research delightful, that having once fully
known it is scarce possible ever to resign it. But
it is the very passonateness Of my love for Science
which makes me fear its unlimited indulgence. /
would preserve some other taste some rival prnci-
pie; would cherish the fondness for classical and
for elegant literature which was early infused into
me- not in the vain hope OF emiu ence. not
in the idle Alteration of universal genius. bnt to
expand and liberalizo my mind to multiply and
vary its resources, to guard not against
the name but against the reality OF
beins nero mathematician. For while there
is no one study the exclusive attention 10 which has
not dangerous effect in the formation of character
perhaps as there is none fascinating so there
is none in this respect dangerous than Maine
matics" Wordsworth aud Hamilton were warm
friends and the mathematician submitted not a