Personal Recollections, from Early Life to Old Age, of Mary Somerville
155 pages
English

Personal Recollections, from Early Life to Old Age, of Mary Somerville

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155 pages
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Publié le 08 décembre 2010
Nombre de lectures 27
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The Project Gutenberg EBook of Personal Recollections, from Early Life to Old Age, of Mary Somerville, by Mary Somerville This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org Title: Personal Recollections, from Early Life to Old Age, of Mary Somerville Author: Mary Somerville Release Date: January 8, 2009 [EBook #27747] Language: English Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 *** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK PERSONAL RECOLLECTIONS *** Produced by Jane Hyland, Eric Hutton, David Garcia and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This book was produced from scanned images of public domain material from the Google Print project.) PERSONAL RECOLLECTIONS FROM EARLY LIFE TO OLD AGE OF [Pg i] MARY SOMERVILLE WITH Selections from her Correspondence. BY HER DAUGHTER, MARTHA SOMERVILLE. FIFTH THOUSAND. LONDON: JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE STREET, 1874. [The Right of Translation is reserved. ] [Pg ii] WORKS BY MRS. SOMERVILLE. THE MECHANISM OF THE HEAVENS. 8vo. 1831. THE CONNECTION OF THE PHYSICAL SCIENCES. 9th Edition. Post 8vo. 9s. 1858. PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY. 6th Edition. Post 8vo. 9s. 1870. MOLECULAR AND MICROSCOPIC SCIENCE. 2 vols. Post 8vo. 21s. 1869. [Pg iii] CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION—PARENTAGE—LIFE IN SCOTLAND IN THE LAST CENTURY—EARLY EDUCATION—SCHOOL CHAPTER II. FREEDOM—RELIGIOUS EDUCATION—JEDBURGH CHAPTER III. EDINBURGH—YOUTHFUL STUDIES AND AMUSEMENTS —POLITICS—THE THEATRES OF THE TIME CHAPTER IV. EDINBURGH SUPPER PARTIES—TOUR IN THE HIGHLANDS —MUTINY IN THE FLEET—BATTLE OF CAMPERDOWN CHAPTER V. FIRST MARRIAGE (1804)—WIDOWHOOD—STUDIES—SECOND MARRIAGE CHAPTER VI. SOMERVILLE FAMILY—DR. SOMERVILLE'S CHARACTER —LETTERS—JOURNEY TO THE LAKES—DEATH OF SIR WILLIAM FAIRFAX—REMINISCENCES OF SIR WALTER SCOTT CHAPTER VII. LIFE IN HANOVER SQUARE—VISIT TO FRANCE—ARAGO —CUVIER—ROME CHAPTER VIII. EDUCATION OF DAUGHTERS—DR. WOLLASTON—DR. YOUNG —THE HERSCHELS CHAPTER IX. SOCIETY IN LONDON—CORONATION OF GEORGE IV.—LETTER TO DR. SOMERVILLE CHAPTER X. DEATH OF MARGARET SOMERVILLE—LETTER FROM MRS. SOMERVILLE TO THE REV. DR. SOMERVILLE—LIFE AT 152 140 127 104 83 [Pg iv] PAGE 1 24 41 61 73 CHELSEA—THE NAPIERS—MARIA EDGEWORTH—TOUR IN GERMANY CHAPTER XI. LETTER FROM LORD BROUGHAM—WRITES "MECHANISM OF THE HEAVENS"—ANECDOTE OF THE ROMAN IMPROVISATRICE—LETTERS FROM SIR JOHN HERSCHEL AND PROFESSOR WHEWELL—ELECTED HON. MEMBER OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY—NOTICE IN THE ACADÉMIE DES SCIENCES, AND LETTER FROM M. BIOT—PENSION —LETTER FROM SIR ROBERT PEEL—BEGINS TO WRITE ON THE CONNECTION OF THE PHYSICAL SCIENCES—VISIT TO CAMBRIDGE—LETTERS FROM PROFESSOR SEDGWICK AND LAPLACE CHAPTER XII. PARIS—ARAGO, LAFAYETTE, MM. BOUVARD, POISSON, LACROIX, &C., MARQUISE DE LAPLACE, DUPIN, F. COOPER —LEGITIMISTE SOCIETY—MAJENDIE—VISIT BARON LOUIS —LETTER FROM LAFAYETTE CHAPTER XIII. RETURN TO ENGLAND—LETTER FROM HALLAM—TREATISE ON THE FORM AND ROTATION OF THE EARTH AND PLANETS —SECOND EDITION OF "THE CONNEXION OF THE PHYSICAL SCIENCES"—LETTERS FROM MARIA EDGEWORTH, MISS BERRY, LORD BROUGHAM, MRS. MARCET, ADMIRAL SMYTH —DOUBLE STARS—ECLIPSE OF DOUBLE STARS—LETTER FROM ADMIRAL SMYTH—SIR WILLIAM HERSCHEL—NEBULÆ —LETTER FROM LORD ROSSE—LETTER FROM SIR JOHN HERSCHEL—SIR JAMES SOUTH'S OBSERVATORY—MR. JOHN MURRAY—MISS BERRY—LORD DUDLEY—MR. BOWDITCH AND OTHER DISTINGUISHED AMERICANS—MRS. BROWNING WASHINGTON—LETTER FROM THE REV. DR. TUCKERMAN —SIR WILLIAM FAIRFAX ATTACKED BY HIGHWAYMEN CHAPTER XIV. ROME, NAPLES, AND COMO—BADEN—WINTER AT FLORENCE —SIENA—LETTER FROM LORD BROUGHAM—MR MOUNTSTEWART ELPHINSTONE—LIFE AT ROME —CAMPAGNA CATTLE CHAPTER XV. ALBANO—POPULAR SINGING—LETTERS FROM MRS. SOMERVILLE—GIBSON—PERUGIA—COMET OF 1843 —SUMMER AT VENICE—LETTERS FROM MRS. SOMERVILLE AND MISS JOANNA BAILLIE—ELECTED ASSOCIATE OF THE COLLEGE OF RESURGENTI AND R.I. ACADEMY OF SCIENCE AT AREZZO CHAPTER XVI. PUBLISHES "PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY"—LETTER FROM HUMBOLDT—CHRISTMAS AT COLLINGWOOD—LETTER FROM MRS. SOMERVILLE—FARADAY—LETTER FROM FARADAY —KEITH JOHNSTON'S MAPS—WINTER AT MUNICH —SALZBURG—LAKE OF GARDA—MINISCALCHI—POEM BY CATERINA BRENZONI—LETTER FROM BRENZONI—LETTER FROM MRS. SOMERVILLE—ÉLOGE BY MINISCALCHI—WINTER 152 161 183 [Pg v] 198 230 243 AT TURIN—BARON PLANA—CAMILLO CAVOUR—COLLINE NEAR TURIN—GENOA—TERESA DOVIA—FLORENCE—MISS F.P. COBBE—VIVISECTION—EXCURSIONS IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD—CHOLERA—MISERICORDIA—PIO NONO IN TUSCANY—COMET—TUSCAN REVOLUTION—WAR IN LOMBARDY—ENTRY OF VICTOR EMMANUEL INTO FLORENCE —LETTERS FROM MRS. SOMERVILLE—MY FATHER'S DEATH —LETTER FROM MISS COBBE CHAPTER XVII. SPEZIA—GENOA—BEGINS MOLECULAR AND MICROSCOPIC SCIENCE—TURIN—SPEZIA—BRITISH FLEET—LETTERS FROM MRS. SOMERVILLE—GARIBALDI—SEVERE ILLNESS —FLORENCE—MY BROTHER'S DEATH—NAPLES—ERUPTION OF VESUVIUS—J.S. MILL—CHANGE IN PUBLIC OPINION ON WOMEN'S EDUCATION—EIGHTY-NINTH YEAR—DESCRIBES HER OWN CHARACTER—THOUGHTS ON A FUTURE LIFE —PROGRESS IN KNOWLEDGE OF GEOGRAPHY—VICTORIA MEDAL—MEDAL FROM ROYAL ITALIAN GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY—LETTER FROM MENABREA—ROME, CAPITAL OF ITALY—AURORA BOREALIS CHAPTER XVIII. ECLIPSE—VISITS OF SCIENTIFIC MEN—LIFE AT NAPLES —DARWIN'S BOOKS—REMARKS ON CIVILIZATION—FINE AURORA BOREALIS—DEATH OF HERSCHEL—SUMMER AT SORRENTO—BILL FOR PROTECTION OF ANIMALS—NINETYSECOND YEAR—LETTER FROM PROFESSOR SEDGWICK —GRAND ERUPTION OF VESUVIUS—LAST SUMMER AT SORRENTO, PLANTS FOUND THERE—CONCLUSION 286 [Pg vi] 329 354 [Pg vii] PERSONAL RECOLLECTIONS OF MARY SOMERVILLE. CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION—PARENTAGE—LIFE IN SCOTLAND IN THE LAST CENTURY—EARLY EDUCATION—SCHOOL. The life of a woman entirely devoted to her family duties and to scientific pursuits affords little scope for a biography. There are in it neither stirring events nor brilliant deeds to record; and as my Mother was strongly averse to gossip, and to revelations of private life or of intimate correspondence, nothing of the kind will be found in the following pages. It has been only after very great hesitation, and on the recommendation of valued friends, who think that some account of so remarkable and beautiful a character cannot fail to interest the public, that I have resolved to publish some detached Recollections of past times, noted down by my mother during the last years of her life, together with a few letters from eminent men and women, referring almost exclusively to her scientific works. A still smaller number of her own letters have been added, either as illustrating her opinions on events she witnessed, or else as affording some slight idea of her simple and loving disposition. Few thoughtful minds will read without emotion my mother's own account of the wonderful energy and indomitable perseverance by which, in her ardent thirst for knowledge, she overcame obstacles apparently insurmountable, at a time when women were well-nigh totally debarred from education; and the almost intuitive way in which she entered upon studies of which she had scarcely heard the names, living, as she did, among persons to whom they were utterly unknown, and who disapproved of her devotion to pursuits so different from those of ordinary young girls at the end of the last century, especially in Scotland, which was far more old-fashioned and primitive than England. Nor is her simple account of her early days without interest, when, as a lonely child, she wandered by the seashore, and on the links of Burntisland, collecting shells and flowers; or spent the clear, cold nights at her window, watching the starlit heavens, whose mysteries she was destined one day to penetrate in all their profound and sublime laws, making clear to others that knowledge which she herself had acquired, at the cost of so hard a struggle. It was not only in her childhood and youth that my mother's studies encountered disapproval. Not till she became a widow, had she perfect freedom to pursue them. The first person—indeed the only one in her early days—who encouraged her passion for learning was her uncle by marriage, afterwards her father-in-law, the Rev. Dr. Somerville, minister of Jedburgh, a man very much in advance of his century in liberality of thought on all subjects. He was one of the first to discern her rare qualities, and valued her as she deserved; while through life she retained the most grateful affection for him, and confided to him many doubts and difficulties on subjects of the highest importance. Nothing can be more erroneous than the statement, repeated in several obituary notices of my mother, that Mr. Greig (her first husband) aided her in her mathematical and other pursuits. Nearly the contrary was the case. Mr. Greig took no interest in science or literature, and possessed in full the prejudice against learned women which was common at that time. Only on her marriage with my father, my mother at last met with one who entirely sympathised with her, and warmly entered into all her ideas, encouraging her zeal for study to the utmost, and affording her every facility for it in his power. His love and admiration for her were unbounded; he frankly and willingly acknowledged her superiority to himself, and many of our friends can bear witness to the honest pride and gratification which he always testified in the fame and honours she attained. No one can escape sorrow, and my mother, in the course of her long life, had her full share, but she bore it with that deep feeling of trust in the great goodness of God which formed so marked a feature in her character. She had a buoyant and hopeful spirit, and though her affections were very strong, and she felt keenly, it was ever her nature to turn from the shadows to all that is bright and beautiful in mortal life. She had much to make life pleasant in the great honours universally bestowed upon her; but she found far more in the devoted affection of friends, to say nothin
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