| Description | He has not heard from home 'for an age' as Emma absorbs all letters and replies to them. The last from Collingwood gave the pleasant news of Alexander's appointment as a Professor at Glasgow, although William does not know in what subject. He envies Alick in having to work out a position for himself, as East India Company service pays royally but does not drive its servants. He describes the service, saying that it requires obedience and subordinating ideas, which 'comes hard on us Herschels'. Thirty-three years of age is too late to change course he thinks, recalling a letter of his father's saying that Sir John had only acquired judgement at thirty. His mother thought that her sons' development would be slow. William contrasts the Herschel sons and daughters, saying that the former have been eager to learn and follow up abstract truth , but have failed in applying this to everyday matters, considering their 'fellow men as obstacles in our way...as stick-in-the-muds...utterly incomprehensible beings'. He is anxious for Alick's assessment of his prospects. William now finds himself working with zest, because he works with others, rather than in 'sulky or hopeless separation'. He asks for details of Alick's new life, thanking him for a copy of the 'Intellectual Observer', with articles by Alick and their father. There was a rich assortment of other types too, William referring to some men's inablity to understand the rotation of plates at the equator or rotation of the Moon in its orbit. He asks to hear more about the 'hydrogen star' and remarks that he had never noticed before that they had a month without a full Moon. He asks Alick to send a copy of the latest edition of [Charles] Lyell's 'Principles of geology'. William states that in his zillah they are feeding 10,000 pepole per day, partly by Government funds, but they have raised 11,000 rupees from residents. |