In more than one Literary and Scientific Society that he helped to found, he had long laboured hard to train his mind and increase his knowledge. He and his brothers, as he told me when he gave me an account of the foundation of the first of these small societies, were becoming aware of their great deficiencies in education. To cure these, some of them formed a Mutual Improvement Society. It never numbered more than five members. Their father gave them the use of a comfortable summer-house that was in the garden at Hill Top. Here they met early every Sunday morning, and set each other tasks for the coming week. They then read through, and talked over the tasks of the last week. He said, with a smile, that he could well remember strongly supporting in the summer-house the abolition of the National Debt, by the simple means of not paying it. They bought the quarto edition of Johnson’s Dictionary, and took in the “Edinburgh Review.” They paid for their own coal, and for their breakfast, which they always cooked with their own hands. “We never thought of coming upon our father for anything. We enjoyed the meal the most in the week.” From his Journal I find that it was in the year 1816 that this society was founded, and that its object was “the improvement of our literary knowledge.”
In the following year the members, while still keeping up their Sunday morning meetings, formed a second society for literary and scientific discussion. They met each Thursday evening in the summer-house. In course of time these two societies came to an end. But in 1819 a third society was formed. I extract the following entries from his Journal:—
“December 17th, 1819.—This evening I read a lecture on the history of Astronomy before a society of young men which has lately been formed, and of which I am a member. We have adopted the name of a society I have before mentioned, and which is not now in existence. We call it ‘The Society for Literary Improvement;’ our place of assembly is a large room in Great Charles Street. There are at present about twenty members, who lecture in rotation. After the lecture, which is but short, a discussion on the subject follows.
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“December, 1820.—During the last half-year I have continued the subject of Astronomy, by giving two lectures on the Solar System. I also opened the discussion at one of our monthly meetings by an address ‘On the nature and utility of systematic arrangements.’” Each of these lectures was delivered from short notes. At the first lecture on Astronomy, I was so completely taken-up with my subject that I was not aware how fast time was flying, till, looking at my watch, I found that I had been speaking an hour and three-quarters.
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“November, 1821.—Since February, which is the date of the last entry in this book, I have delivered two lectures before the Society for Literary and Scientific Improvement; one on Comets and the Asteroids, the other on the Fixed Stars.
“We have adopted a plan of electing a committee which secures a very exact representation of the whole body. Every member is returned by unanimous votes, and he may be recalled at any moment by a resolution of the majority of his constituents, who may then return another representative, but this must be done by a unanimous vote. Very much to my surprise, I was the first member elected.”
The plan of election had been devised by his father, who, as I have already said, was strongly in favour of the representation of minorities. I have before me a copy of the laws of this society. The tenth, in which the mode of election is described, I give below:—[31]