Even had his contributions to science amounted to no more than these
discoveries, his tenure of the chair would have been an illustrious
one. It happens, however, that in the gigantic mass of his
intellectual work these researches, though intrinsically of such
importance, assume what might almost be described as a relative
insignificance.
The most famous achievement of Hamilton's earlier years at the
observatory was the discovery of conical refraction. This was one of
those rare events in the history of science, in which a sagacious
calculation has predicted a result of an almost startling character,
subsequently confirmed by observation. At once this conferred on the
young professor a world-wide renown. Indeed, though he was still
only twenty-seven, he had already lived through an amount of
intellectual activity which would have been remarkable for a man of
threescore and ten.
Simultaneously with his growth in fame came the growth of his several
friendships. There were, in the first place, his scientific
friendships with Herschel, Robinson, and many others with whom he had
copious correspondence. In the excellent biography to which I have
referred, Hamilton's correspondence with Coleridge may be read, as
can also the letters to his lady correspondents, among them being
Maria Edgeworth, Lady Dunraven, and Lady Campbell.
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