J. C. M.: “From the Vale of Urr. Ye spell it o, err, err, or oo, err, err.”
The study of geometry was begun, and in the mathematical master, Mr. Gloag, Maxwell found a teacher with a real gift for his task. It was here that Maxwell’s vast superiority to many who were his companions at once showed itself. “He seemed,” says Professor Campbell, “to be in the heart of the subject when they were only at the boundary; but the boyish game of contesting point by point with such a mind was a most wholesome stimulus, so that the mere exercise of faculty was a pure joy. With Maxwell the first lessons of geometry branched out at once into inquiries which became fruitful.”
In July, 1845, he writes:—
“I have got the 11th prize for Scholarship, the 1st for English, the prize for English verses, and the Mathematical Medal. I tried for Scripture knowledge, and Hamilton in the 7th has got it. We tried for the Medal on Thursday. I had done them all, and got home at half-past two; but Campbell stayed till four. I was rather tired with writing exercises from nine till half-past two.
“Campbell and I went ‘once more unto the b(r)each’ to-day at Portobello. I can swim a little now. Campbell has got 6 prizes. He got a letter written too soon, congratulating him upon my medal; but there is no rivalry betwixt us, as B—— Carmichael says.”
After a summer spent chiefly at Glenlair, he returned with his father to Edinburgh for the winter, and began, at the age of fourteen, to go to the meetings of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. At the Society of Arts he met Mr. R. D. Hay, the decorative painter, who had interested himself in the attempt to reduce beauty in form and colour to mathematical principles. Clerk Maxwell was interested in the question how to draw a perfect oval, and devised a method of drawing oval curves which was referred by his father to Professor Forbes for his criticism and suggestions. After discussing the matter with Professor Kelland, Professor Forbes wrote as follows[8]:—
“My Dear Sir,—I am glad to find to-day, from Professor Kelland, that his opinion of your son’s paper agrees with mine, namely, that it is most ingenious, most creditable to him, and, we believe, a new way of considering higher curves with reference to foci. Unfortunately, these ovals appear to be curves of a very high and intractable order, so that possibly the elegant method of description may not lead to a corresponding simplicity in investigating their properties. But that is not the present point. If you wish it, I think that the simplicity and elegance of the method would entitle it to be brought before the Royal Society.—Believe me, my dear sir, yours truly,
“James D. Forbes.”
In consequence of this, Clerk Maxwell’s first published paper was communicated to the Royal Society of Edinburgh on April 6th, 1846, when its author was barely fifteen. Its title is as follows: “On the Description of Oval Curves and those having a Plurality of Foci. By Mr. Clerk Maxwell, Junior. With Remarks by Professor Forbes. Communicated by Professor Forbes.”
The notice in his father’s diary runs: “M. 6 [Ap., 1846.] Royal Society with Jas. Professor Forbes gave acct. of James’s Ovals. Met with very great attention and approbation generally.”