"The following are the principal points of my private history: it was
a very sad year. On Jan. 24th I went with my wife to Norwich, on a
visit to Prof. Sedgwick, and in June I visited Sir J. Herschel at
Slough. On June 13th my dear boy Arthur was taken ill: his malady soon
proved to be scarlet fever, of which he died on June 24th at 7 in the
morning. It was arranged that he should be buried in Playford
churchyard on the 28th, and on that day I proceeded to Playford with
my wife and my eldest son George Richard. At Chelmsford my son was
attacked with slight sickness, and being a little unwell did not
attend his brother's funeral. On July 1st at 4h.15m. in the morning he
also died: he had some time before suffered severely from an attack of
measles, and it seemed probable that his brain had suffered. On July
5th he was buried by the side of his brother Arthur in Playford
churchyard.--On July 23rd I went to Colchester on my way to
Walton-on-the-Naze, with my wife and all my family; all my children
had been touched, though very lightly, with the scarlet fever.--It was
near the end of this year that my mother quitted the house (Luck's) at
Playford, and came to live with me at Greenwich Observatory, where she
lived till her death; having her own attendant, and living in perfect
confidence with my wife and myself, and being I trust as happy as her
years and widowhood permitted.
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