It was on the 9th of May, 1865, that Hamilton was in Dublin for the
last time. A few days later he had a violent attack of gout, and on
the 4th of June he became alarmingly ill, and on the next day had an
attack of epileptic convulsions. However, he slightly rallied, so
that before the end of the month he was again at work at the
"Elements." A gratifying incident brightened some of the last days
of his life. The National Academy of Science in America had then
been just formed. A list of foreign Associates had to be chosen from
the whole world, and a discussion took place as to what name should
be placed first on the list. Hamilton was informed by private
communication that this great distinction was awarded to him by a
majority of two-thirds.
In August he was still at work on the table of contents of the
"Elements," and one of his very latest efforts was his letter to Mr.
Gould, in America, communicating his acknowledgements of the honour
which had been just conferred upon him by the National Academy. On
the 2nd of September Mr. Graves went to the observatory, in response
to a summons, and the great mathematician at once admitted to his
friend that he felt the end was approaching. He mentioned that he
had found in the 145th Psalm a wonderfully suitable expression of his
thoughts and feelings, and he wished to testify his faith and
thankfulness as a Christian by partaking of the Lord's Supper.
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