I had resigned my Assistant Tutorship of _L150_ per
annum together with the prospect of succeeding to a Tutorship, and
gained only the Lucasian Professorship of _L99_ per annum. I had a
great aversion to entering the Church: and my lay fellowship would
expire in 7 years. My prospects in the law or other professions might
have been good if I could have waited: but then I must have been in a
state of starvation probably for many years, and marriage would have
been out of the question: I much preferred a moderate income in no
long time, and I am sure that in this I judged rightly for my
happiness. I had now in some measure taken science as my line (though
not irrevocably), and I thought it best to work it well, for a time at
least, and wait for accidents.
"The acceptance of the Lucasian Professorship prevented me from being
pressed by Sedgwick (who was Proctor this year) to take the office of
moderator: which was a great relief to me. As Lucasian Professor I was
ipso facto Member of the Board of Longitude. A stipend of _L100_ a
year was attached to this, on condition of attending four meetings:
but I had good reason (from intimations by South and other persons in
London) for believing that this would not last long.
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