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OCR Rendition - approximate
Lehrjahre and Wanderjahre 165 The Glaciarium is composed of a mixture of carbonate and sulphate of potass which deliquesces in their water of crystallisation and afterwards hardens. This Miller told me, who himself had heard it from Faraday. I have not seen the specification. I shall be quite dissipated next week. Monday I dine with Dr Fisher and go to an evening party at Hopkins; Tuesday, Bachelors' Ball; Wednesday, I go to Keswick etc. Good bye, your affectionate Son, In this letter Galton returns to his original and later usual form of signature, but it took a long time to re-establish it. The letter of March 19th tells us more details of the Little-Go and Galton's work at mathematics TRINITY, CAMBRIDGE, March 19, 1842. MY DEAR FATHER, I enclose you the Little Go list. I ought to have sent it yesterday, but was not in my rooms till after post-time. I have I consider had 3 grand escapes in my lifetime : l1r walking into a Lion's den and coming out undigested, 2ndly bathing in a frosty stream at moonlight and not remaining at its bottom in an apoplexy, 3rdly going into the Little Go when I had not read over half my subjects and coming out unplucked, not, however, that the pluck would be of any consequence. I have never the less been the gainer by this examination for calculating the advantage of being in the first class to be estimated at sixpence, I went to a man yesterday and bet a shilling I would be in the 2°a, thus leaving 2 sixpenny pieces, to luck, which as you see I have won. I am much obliged to Bessy for the melancholy news about Miss H. I was, however, aware of my misfortune the same week that the engagement took place, but had not been informed who Mr E. was ; there is one thing that acts as a poultice to my wounded feelings which is that that small chimpanzee Mr S. is not the happy man. Time has done wonders for me in soothing etc., but, oh Bessy ! ! Miss D. has done much more ; she is without exception the most beautiful etc., etc., etc. I have ever seen. I was at a hop at her Ma's house the other night (I know most of the families in Cambridge now), I was dancing with her (the daughter not the mama) in a quadrille with one of my Little Go-Examiners for a vis-a-vis. Today as the sun was shining beautifully I decked myself out in resplendent summer apparel, light trowsers, light waistcoat (those that I had last year) to make a- call upon this fair creature, but as I was fast finishing my toilette, and was " throwing a perfume over the violet " in the way of arranging my cravat ties, the wind blew and the rain fell horribly, and the streets were one mass of mud. I was in despair, but reflecting that if Leander swam the Hellespont for Hero, I was duty-bound to wade as far as the Fitzwilliam for Miss D., off I set. When, however, I arrived at their door, I wisely reflected on the splashed state of my trousers before I knocked, and then retreated crest-fallen. Tonight I hang out (otherwise give a spread) in oysters ; I have been all anxiety to get a dish of frogs as an adjunct and yesterday I made tremendous efforts to catch some with the annexed apparatus [sketch of triple hook attached to a line pendent to a walking stick] FRANCIS GALTON.
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