Smith's Prize Research Articles

Obituary notices

Alfred George Greenhill, born November 29, 1847, elected F. R. S. in 1888, died February 10, 1927. After a distinguished career at Christ’s Hospital, and at St. John’s College, Cambridge, he was second wrangler in 1870, but bracketed with the Senior Wrangler, Richard Pendlebury, of his own college, in the Smith Prize Examination. In the same year he was elected Fellow of the College. Shortly afterwards he was appointed to the Royal Indian Engineer­ing College, Cooper’s Hill. In 1873, however, he was made Fellow and Lecturer at Emmanuel College, Cambridge. This he left in 1876 to become Professor of Mathematics to the Advanced Class of Artillery Officers at Woolwich. After more than thirty years’ government service he retired, and the rest of his life was spent, as a bachelor, in London, first in New Inn, and later in Staple Inn; in his later years, he was the recipient of a Civil List Pension. During his residence in London he was very active in mathematical and scientific circles; he became a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1888, and received a Royal Medal from that Society in 1906; he was awarded the De Morgan Medal by the London Mathematical Society in 1902; he had served as President of this Society 1890-92. He was on the Councils of both societies, of the Royal Society, in 1896, 1897, and of the London Mathematical Society for many years. He also became a corresponding member of the Académie des Sciences (Paris), and a foreign member of the Accademia dei Lincei (Rome). He was knighted in 1908, on his retirement from Woolwich. His original contributions to knowledge were mainly to Dynamics, to Hydrodynamics, and to Elasticity. Of the great value of these a highly appreciative account is given by an expert, in Prof. Love's Obituary Notice of Greenhill, “Journal of the London Math. Soc.,” vol. iii, pp. 29 and 30, 1928. Prof. Love writes as follows.

Mr. H. M. Taylor, F.R.S

HENRY MARTYN TAYLOR at the time of his death the senior on the roll of fellows of Trinity College, cambridge, was born at Bristol on June6, 1842,the second son of the Rev. James Taylor, D,D. After being educated at Wakefield Grammar School, of which his father had become headmaster, he was sent to Cambridge, being elected to a scholar- ship at his college. He graduated as third wrangler and was awarded the second Smith's Prize in 1865; in that year the late Lord Rayleigh was senior wrangler and first Smith's prizeman, and the well-known economist Alfred Marshall was second wrangler. In the year of his graduation, Taylor was appointed vice-principal (with H. J. Purkiss, the senior wrangler of 1864, as principal) of the newly established Royal School of Naval Architeeture and Marine Engineering at South Kensington, afterwards the Royal Naval College at Greenwich. Taylor's most distinguished pupil was Sir W. H. White, later Naval Constructor; the relation, there begun, lasted until the death of the younger man in 1913.

Mr. William Welsh

MR. WILLIAM WELSH, whose death occurred on September 12, was born at Edinburgh in 1859. After being educated at George Watson's College he went, at fifteen years of age, to the University of Edinburgh, where he worked under Tait and Blackie. From there he proceeded to Jesus College, Cambridge, where, under the guidance of Routh, he secured the senior position in the Mathematical Tripos of 1882 and in the Smith's Prize examination in the following year. Elected to a fellowship in 1883, he remained on the active staff of his college until his death.

Obituary notices of fellows deceased

Sydney Samuel Hough was born at Stoke Newington on June 11, 1870. He was educated at Christ's Hospital and at St. John's College, Cambridge. After graduating as third wrangler in 1892, he was awarded a Smith's Prize in 1894 for his Essay on the oscillations of an ellipsoidal shell containing fluid, and in the following year he was elected to a fellowship at his college and to an Isaac Newton studentship. He was a man of very quiet disposition, rather inaccessible, except in astronomical matters. Even in these he was reluctant to take part in public discussions; yet in private conversation be made it clear that he had very definite views, though it was not always an easy matter to elicit them. In private life he was extremely modest and unassuming, a very faithful friend, always cheerful and kindly, and inclined to regard unpleasant events and people from a humorous point of view.

PROF. W. JACK, LL.D., D.Sc

PROF. WILLIAM JACK, whose death on March 20: at his residence, 5 St. John's Terrace, Billhead, Glasgow, was announced in NATURE of March 29, was born at Stewarton, Ayrshire, on May 29, 1834. As a pupil in Irvine Academy he showed marked ability, and when he passed on to Glasgow University he confirmed the promise of his schooldays by taking a leading position in all the classes of the Faculty of Arts. In the Scottish Universities of that day there was little specialisation; all the students in the Arts Faculty followed the same curriculum and, as they usually entered the University comparatively young, the education they received formed a good foundation for the specialised studies of later life. For such more advanced studies, however, there was little direct provision in the University, and Jack, after graduating in Glasgow, proceeded to Cambridge, where he entered at Peterhouse. In the Tripos of 1859 he was fourth wrangler, but though he missed the coveted position of senior wrangler, he won the distinction of first place for the Smith's Prize. In 1860 he was elected a fellow of Peterhouse. The sound general training of the Arts curriculum in Glasgow, followed by the specialisation at Cambridge, was an admirable preparation for a varied and successful career.

Obituaries

BY the comparatively early death of DR. R. C. MACLAURIN on January 15 last, the United States have lost an accomplished and energetic immigrant. Dr. Maclaurin was born at Lindean, Scotland, in 1870, and in 1897 was placed in the first division of the first class of the advanced part of the Mathematical Tripos. It was an unusually good year, the candidates including Grace and Bromwich. Dr. Maclaurin was also equal for the second Smith's prize. After graduating, he at first turned his attention to law, but before very long became professor of mathematics in the University of New Zealand. This post he left in 1907 to occupy the chair of mathematical physics at Columbia, N.Y., and two years later became president of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He published one legal treatise, and two on the theory of light; besides this, he contributed various papers to the Philosophical Transactions and other periodicals.

Lord Rayleigh, O.M., F.R.S

JOHN WILLIAM STRUTT, third Baron Rayleigh, was born in Essex on November 12, 1842, and succeeded his father in the title in 1873. He was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge, taking his degree as Senior Wrangler in 1865. His immediate neighbours in the Tripos list were Prof. Alfred Marshall and Mr. H. M. Taylor. The same year he obtained the first Smith's prize, and in 1866 became a fellow of his college. He married Evelyn, daughter of Mr. James Maitland Balfour, of Whittingehame, and sister of Mr. A. J. Balfour, the Foreign Secretary. Of his four sons two survive him—Robert, now professor of physics in the Imperial College of Technology, who succeeds to the title; and Arthur, who for a great part of the war was navigating officer on the flagship of the ist Battle Squadron. They, with their mother, were present at their father's funeral, which took place at Terling on Friday last.

University and Eductatonal Intelligence

CAMBRIDGE.—Certain friends of the Chancellor desire the establishment of some award to be associated with Lord Rayleigh's name, in order to commemorate the unanimous election of a scientific investigator to the office of Chancellor of the University. With this object they have deposited a sum of money at the bank, the interest of which may be used for the purpose of awarding from time to time a prize to be called the Rayleigh prize. It is proposed to adjudicate these prizes at the same time and by the same adjudicators as the Smith's prize.

University and Educational Intelligence

CAMBRIDGE.—The first Smith's Prize is awarded to Mr. W. S. Adie, bracketed Senior Wrangler 1894; the second is divided between Mr. A. Y. G. Campbell, bracketed ninth Wrangler, and Mr. F. W. Lawrence, bracketed fourth Wrangler in the same year. All the prizemen are members of Trinity College.