"
We may also record Hamilton's own opinion expressed to Humphrey
Lloyd:--
"In general, although in one sense I hope that I am actually growing
modest about the quaternions, from my seeing so many peeps and vistas
into future expansions of their principles, I still must assert that
this discovery appears to me to be as important for the middle of the
nineteenth century as the discovery of fluxions was for the close of
the seventeenth."
Bartholomew Lloyd died in 1837. He had been the Provost of Trinity
College, and the President of the Royal Irish Academy. Three
candidates were put forward by their respective friends for the
vacant Presidency. One was Humphrey Lloyd, the son of the late
Provost, and the two others were Hamilton and Archbishop Whately.
Lloyd from the first urged strongly the claims of Hamilton, and
deprecated the putting forward of his own name. Hamilton in like
manner desired to withdraw in favour of Lloyd. The wish was strongly
felt by many of the Fellows of the College that Lloyd should be
elected, in consequence of his having a more intimate association
with collegiate life than Hamilton; while his scientific eminence was
world-wide. The election ultimately gave Hamilton a considerable
majority over Lloyd, behind whom the Archbishop followed at a
considerable distance.
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