' I set two
papers of questions for Smith's Prizes (there being a deficiency of
one Examiner, viz. the Plumian Professor).
"Before the beginning of 1828 Whewell and I had determined on
repeating the Dolcoath experiments. On Jan. 8th I have a letter from
Davies Gilbert (then President of the Royal Society) congratulating me
upon the Solar Theory, and alluding to our intended summer's visit to
Cornwall. We had somehow applied to the Board of Longitude for
pendulums, but Dr Young wished to delay them, having with Capt. Basil
Hall concocted a scheme for making Lieut. Foster do all the work:
Whewell and I were indignant at this, and no more was said about
it. On Jan. 24th Dr Young, in giving notice of the Board of Longitude
meeting, informs me that the clocks and pendulums are ready.
"I had made known that I was a candidate for the Plumian
Professorship, and nobody thought it worth while to oppose me. One
person at least (Earnshaw) had intended to compete, but he called on
me to make certain that I was a candidate, and immediately withdrew. I
went on in quality of Syndic for the care of the Observatory,
ingrafting myself into it. But meantime I told everybody that the
salary (about _L300_) was not sufficient for me; and on Jan.
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