Late at night I carried the papers to
Whewell's rooms, and he on inspection agreed with me. The other
examiners (Professors Lax and Woodhouse, Lowndean and Plumian
Professors) generally supported me: and Turner had the honour of First
Smith's Prize.
"On Jan. 30th my mother wrote, asking if I could see Cropley in
London, where he was imprisoned for contempt of Chancery. I attended
the meeting of the Board of Longitude on Feb. 1st, and afterwards
visited Cropley in the Fleet Prison. He died there, some time
later. It was by the sale of his effects under execution that my
father's debt was paid.
"On Feb. 15th I communicated to the Royal Society a Paper on the
correction of the Solar Tables from South's observations. I believe
that I had alluded to this at the February meeting of the Board of
Longitude, and that in consequence Mr Pond, the Astronomer Royal, had
been requested to prepare the errors of the Sun's place from the
Greenwich observations: which were supplied some months later. With
the exception of South's Solar Errors, and some investigations about
dipping-needles, I do not find anything going on but matters connected
with my approaching lectures. There are bridges, trusses, and other
mechanical matters, theoretical and practical, without end.
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