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The Project Gutenberg EBook of Maria Mitchell: Life, Letters, and Journals
by Maria Mitchell

This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
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Title: Maria Mitchell: Life, Letters, and Journals
Author: Maria Mitchell
Release Date: November 21, 2003 [EBook #10202]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MARIA MITCHELL ***

Produced by Suzanne Shell, Sandra Brown and the Online Distributed
Proofreading Team.
[Illustration: Maria Mitchell]
MARIA MITCHELL
LIFE, LETTERS, AND JOURNALS
Compiled By
PHEBE MITCHELL KENDALL
Illustrated
1896
CONTENTS
CHAPTER I

The parents--Home life--Education, teachers, books--Astronomical
instruments--Solar eclipse of 1831--Teaching--Appointment as librarian
of Nantucket Atheneum--Friendships for young people--Extracts from
diary, 1855--Music--The piano--Society--Story-telling--Housework--Extract
from diary, 1854

CHAPTER II

"Sweeping" the heavens--Discovery of the comet, 1847--Frederick VI. and
the comet--Letters from G. P. Bond and Hon. Edward Everett--Admiral
Smyth--American Academy--American Association for the Advancement of
Science--Extract from diary, 1855--Dorothea Dix--Esther--Divers extracts
from diary, 1853, 1854--Comet of 1854--Computations for comet--Visit to
Cape Cod--Sandwich and Plymouth--Pilgrim Hall--Rev. James Freeman
Clarke--Accidents in observing

CHAPTER III
Wires in the transit instrument--Deacon Greele--Smithsonian
fund--"Doing"--Rachel in "Ph dre" and "Adrienne"--Emerson--The hard
\ufffd
winter
CHAPTER IV

Southern tour--Chicago--St. Louis--Scientific Academy of St. Louis--Dr.
Pope--Dr. Seyffarth--Mississippi river--Sand-bars--Cherry
blossoms--Eclipse of sun--Natchez--New Orleans--Slave market--Negro
church--The "peculiar institution"--Bible--Judge Smith--Travelling
without escort--Savannah--Rice plantations--Negro children--Miss
Murray--Charleston--Drive--Condition of slaves--Old buildings--Miss
Rutledge--Mr. Capers--Class meeting--Hospitality--Mrs. Holbrook--Miss
Pinckney--Manners--Portraits--Miss Pinckney's father--George
Washington--Augusta--Nashville--Mrs. Fogg--Mrs. Polk--Charles
Sumner--Mammoth cave--Chattanooga

CHAPTER V

First European tour--Liverpool--London--Rev. James Martineau--Mr. John
Taylor--Mr. Lassell--Liverpool observatory--The Hawthornes--Shop-keepers
and waiters--Greenwich observatory--Sir George Airy--Visits to
Greenwich--Herr Struv 's mission to England--Dinner party--General

\ufffd

Sabine--Westminster Abbey--Newton's monument--British museum--Four
great men--St. Paul's--Dr. Johnson--Opera--Aylesbury--Admiral Smyth's
family--Amateur astronomers--Hartwell house--Dr. Lee

CHAPTER VI

Cambridge--Dr. Whewell--Table conversation--Professor Challis--Professor
Adams--Customs--Professor Sedgwick--Caste--King's Chapel--Fellows--
Ambleside--Coniston waters--The lakes--Miss Southey--Collingwood--Letter
to her father--Herschels--London rout--Professor Stokes--Dr.
Arnott--Edinboro'--Observatory--Glasgow observatory--Professor
Nichol--Dungeon Ghyll--English language--English and Americans--Boys and
beggars

CHAPTER VII

Adams and Leverrier--The discovery of the planet Neptune--Extract from
papers--Professor Bond, of Cambridge, Mass.--Paris--Imperial
observatory--Mons. and Mme. Leverrier--Reception at Leverrier's--Rooms
in observatory--Rome--Impressions--Apartments in Rome and
Paris--Customs--Holy week--Vespers at St. Peter's--Women--Frederika
Bremer--Paul Akers--Harriet Hosmer--Collegio Romano--Father
Secchi--Galileo--Visit to the Roman observatory--Permission from
Cardinal Antonelli--Spectroscope

CHAPTER VIII

Mrs. Somerville--Berlin--Humboldt--Mrs. Mitchell's illness and
death--Removal to Lynn, Mass.--Telescope presented to Miss Mitchell by
Elizabeth Peabody and others--Letters from Admiral Smyth--Colors of
stars--Extract from letter to a friend--San Marino medal--Other extracts

CHAPTER IX

Life at Vassar College--Anxious mammas--Faculty meetings--President
Hill--Professor Peirce--Burlington, Ia., and solar eclipse--Classes at
Vassar--Professor Mitchell and her pupils--Extracts from diary--Aids
--Scholarships--Address to her students--Imagination in science--"I am
but a woman"--Maria Mitchell endowment fund--Emperor of
Brazil--President Raymond's death--Dome parties--Comet, 1881--The
apple-tree--"Honor girls"--Mr. Matthew Arnold

CHAPTER X

Second visit to Europe--Russia--Extracts from diary and
letters--Custom-house peculiarities--Russian railways--Domes--Russian
thermometers and calendars--The drosky and drivers--Observatory at
Pulkova--Herr Struv --Scientific position of Russia--Language--

\ufffd

Religion--Democracy of the Church--Government--A Russian
family--London, 1873--Frances Power Cobbe--Bookstores in London--Glasgow
College for Girls

CHAPTER XI
Papers--Science--Eclipse of 1878, Denver, Colorado--Colors of stars
of 00

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