HOW I OBTAINED MY M.A., F.R.A.S.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXV, Issue 3752, 28 July 1869, Page 6

HOW I OBTAINED MY M.A., F.R.A.S.

To the Editor of th» Daily Southern Cross. Sic, — I noticed accidentally among your correspondence yesterday a letter from " Stella, requesting me to make known the circumstances under which I gained my M.A., F.B.A.S. I may here state that I was always much opposed to coming before the public, and for this reason I have never revealed those honours to the public through tho eolumna of the press. However, as it is the wish of your correspondent to havo this mad© known, I will thus far gratify the same. Having been always studiously inclined, when at the age of 17 I determined to undertake a series of studies for College examination, which were prosecuted chiefly through the hours of night. The long hours of physical labour I had to bear, together with with those of my mental pursuits, were more than my constitution could bear, and consequently I became a victim to siokness. During this time I became acquainted with some students at Cambridge, and determined when sufficiently recovered to cast in my lot with theirs. This I did, and by pressing forward with even greater energy even than in the past, I received my M. A. at the age of 21. When I came to Auckland, as your correspondent observes, I was a working carpenter ; but as soon as my day's labours were over, I was found either at my desk or at my instrument, the height of my ambition being to attain to celebrity in the noblest of all sciences — astronomy. True, I was self-taught, and had to labour under many disadvantages for want of books and good instruments ; but after weighing all difficulties which then appeared before me, I came to the conclusion to gather all the information possible, by the means I possessed, of the " Southern heavens." This accomplished, I wrote the results in somewhat a lengthy paper to the Royal Astronomical Society, and received an answer thanking me for suoh information, with a request to continue the same. Still a working carpenter, I plodded on my way, and ia March, 1868, had the good fortune of discovering a new star in the constellation Hercules, whose right ascension was 17 hours 48 minutes 30 seconds; and declination 15 degrees 41 minutes 6 seconds Korth. The discovery of thia star, with other information respecting it, I sent to the Society, which information they confirmed by observing the new star as it was declining. Directly after this I was once mor« prostrated on it bed of sickness, and while lying tkere, in the following August, I received from that distinguished body my F.B.A.S. Although I have greatlr recovered from this second illness, it is to be feared that my health will never again be properly restored. Should, however, jot expectations be gradually {brighteaod, I have set out for myself another work for presentation to the same body, only on a much larger scale than any I have yet attempted,— a work, also, -which the eitizeas of Auckland will osly be too ready to receive. — Yours, &0., S. Lambbbt, M.A., RB.A.S, July 27, 1809,

' A Fin* Cxor.— Ab AnwriMß fwuaer iayi •— " We r»l«# towt lia^drtd btuhel* of pok»to«» f tb« acr» here, which wonli b« » big thing if wo didn't *lio r«lct iflitcfcf oaough to wb T «m nil wp,"