College, and the President of the Royal Irish Academy. Three
candidates were put forward by their respective friends for the
vacant Presidency. One was Humphrey Lloyd, the son of the late
Provost, and the two others were Hamilton and Archbishop Whately.
Lloyd from the first urged strongly the claims of Hamilton, and
deprecated the putting forward of his own name. Hamilton in like
manner desired to withdraw in favour of Lloyd. The wish was strongly
felt by many of the Fellows of the College that Lloyd should be
elected, in consequence of his having a more intimate association
with collegiate life than Hamilton; while his scientific eminence was
world-wide. The election ultimately gave Hamilton a considerable
majority over Lloyd, behind whom the Archbishop followed at a
considerable distance. All concluded happily, for both Lloyd and the
Archbishop expressed, and no doubt felt, the pre-eminent claims of
Hamilton, and both of them cordially accepted the office of a
Vice-President, to which, according to the constitution of the
Academy, it is the privilege of the incoming President to nominate.

In another chapter I have mentioned as a memorable episode in
astronomical history, that Sir J. Herschel went for a prolonged
sojourn to the Cape of Good Hope, for the purpose of submitting the
southern skies to the same scrutiny with the great telescope that his
father had given to the northern skies. The occasion of Herschel's
return after the brilliant success of his enterprise, was celebrated
by a banquet. On June 15th, 1838, Hamilton was assigned the high
honour of proposing the health of Herschel. This banquet is
otherwise memorable in Hamilton's career as being one of the two
occasions in which he was in the company of his intimate friend De
Morgan.