From this point onward the interest of Maxwell's life (save things “wherewith the stranger intermeddles not”) is chiefly concentrated in his scientific career. As some account of his labours in science will be given in the second portion of this book, what remains of the present narrative is comparatively brief.

1860-1865. Æt 29-34.

The work at King's College was more exacting than that in Aberdeen. There were nine months of lecturing in the year, and evening lectures to artisans, etc., were recognised as a part of the Professor's regular duties. Maxwell retained the post until the spring of 1865, when he was succeeded by Professor W. Gr, Adams, but continued lecturing to the working men during the following winter.

In June 1860 Maxwell attended the British Association's meeting at Oxford, where he exhibited his box for mixing the colours of the spectrum. He also presented to Section A a most important paper on Bernoulli's Theory of Gases; a theory which supposes that a gas consists of a number of independent particles moving about among one another without mutual interference, except when they come into collision. Maxwell showed that the apparent viscosity of gases, their low conductivity for heat, and Graham's laws of diffusion, could be satisfactorily explained by this theory, and gave reasons for believing that in air at ordinary temperature each particle experiences on an average more than 8,000,000,000 collisions per second.

1845. Æt. 22

James Clerk Maxwell's position as Second Wrangler and equal Smith's Prizeman, gave deep satisfaction to his friends in Edinburgh. Any lurking wish that he had been Senior was silenced by the examples of William Thomson and Charles Mackenzie, as others have been since consoled with the examples of Maxwell and Clifford. His father was persuaded by Miss Cay to sit for his portrait to Sir John Watson Gordon, as a gift of lasting value to his son. James was not indifferent to these reflex aspects of his success; but the chief interest of the moment to him undoubtedly was that he was now free to prosecute his life-career, and to use his newly-whetted instruments in resuming his original investigations. His leisure was not absolute, for he took pupils as a matter of course, and the Trinity Fellowship was only to be gained by examination. But his freedom was as great as he himself desired, and it is a fact worthy of attention from “researchers,” that Maxwell, with his heart fully set on physical inquiries, engaged of his own accord in teaching, undertook the task of examining Cheltenham College, and submitted to the routine which belonged to his position at Cambridge. As a foretaste of delights in store, he had spent the evenings of the Senate-house days in (physico-) magnetic séances with his friends. But when actually emancipated he seems to have reverted principally at first to his beloved Optics.

After Maxwell's return to Cambridge in 1871, several of those who had been “Apostles” together in 1853-7, revived the habit of meeting together for the discussion of speculative questions. This club of elder men (άνδρῶν πρεσβντέρων ἑταιρία), which included such men as Dr. Lightfoot, now Bishop of Durham, and Professors Hort and Westcott, was christened Erănus (see p. 366), and three of Maxwell's contributions, dated by himself, have been preserved. It seems advisable to print these entire,—although not even chips from his workshop, but rather sparks from the whetstone of his mind,—since what he thought worthy of detaining the attention of such listeners in those ripe years cannot fail to be of interest to many readers.

Does the progress of Physical Science tend to give any advantage to the opinion of Necessity (or Determinism) over that of the Contingency of Events and the Freedom of the Will?

11th February 1873

Æt 41.

The general character and tendency of human thought is a topic the interest of which is not confined to professional philosophers. Though every one of us must, each for himself, accept some sort of a philosophy, good or bad, and though the whole virtue of this philosophy depends on it being our own, yet none of us thinks it out entirely for himself.

One who has enriched the inheritance left by Newton and has consolidated the work of Faraday,—one who impelled the mind of Cambridge to a fresh course of real investigation,—has clearly earned his place in human memory.

But there was more in James Clerk Maxwell than is implied in any praise that can be awarded to the discoverer, or in the honour justly due to the educational reformer,—much, indeed, which his friends feel they can but partly estimate, and still less adequately describe.

We have, notwithstanding, undertaken this imperfect Memoir of him, in which the purpose of this First Part will be to trace the growth from childhood to maturity, and to record the untimely death, of a man of profound original genius, who was also one of the best men who have lived, and, to those who knew him, one of the most delightful and interesting of human beings.

If I can bring before the reader's mind, even in shadowy outline, the wise and gentle but curiously blended influences which formed the cradle of his young imagination, the channels through which ideas reached him from the past, the objects which most challenged his observation and provoked his invention, his first acquaintance with what permanently interested him in contemporary speculation and discovery, and the chief moments of his own intellectual progress in earlier years,—such record should have a right to live.