Sheepshanks was a Fellow of Trinity, in orders: he was probably seven
years older than Airy (he took his degree in 1816). He was not one of
Airy's earliest friends, but he had a great taste and liking for
astronomy, and the friendship between them when once established
became very close. He was a very staunch and fearless friend, an able
and incisive writer, and remarkably energetic and diligent in
astronomical investigations. He, or his sister, Miss Sheepshanks, had
a house in London, and Sheepshanks was very much in London, and busied
himself extremely with the work of the Royal Observatory, that of the
Board of Longitude, and miscellaneous astronomical matters. He was
most hospitable to his friends, and while Airy resided at Cambridge
his house was always open to receive him on his frequent visits to
town. In the various polemical discussions on scientific matters in
which Airy was engaged, Sheepshanks was an invaluable ally, and after
Airy's removal to Greenwich had more or less separated him from his
Cambridge friends, Sheepshanks was still associated with him and took
a keen interest in his Greenwich work. And this continued till
Sheepshanks's death. The warmest friendship always subsisted between
the family at the Observatory and Mr and Miss Sheepshanks.
Pages:
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
194
195
196
197
198
199
200
201
202
203
204