by my Journal that I gave my first Euclid Lecture in the Lecture-room on Monday, January 28, 1856.  It consisted of twelve men, of whom nine attended.  This morning, I have given what is most probably my last:  the lecture is now reduced to nine, of whom all attended on Monday:  this morning being a Saint’s Day, the attendance was voluntary, and only two appeared—­E.H.  Morris, and G. Lavie.  I was Lecturer when the father of the latter took his degree, viz., in 1858.

    There is a sadness in coming to the end of anything in life. 
    Man’s instincts cling to the Life that will never end.

May 30, 1882.—­Called on Mrs. R—.  During a good part of the evening I read The Times, while the party played a round game of spelling words—­a thing I will never join in.  Rational conversation and good music are the only things which, to me, seem worth the meeting for, for grown-up people.

    June 1st.—­Went out with Charsley, and did four miles
    on one of his velocimans, very pleasantly.

The velociman was an early and somewhat cumbrous form of tricycle; Mr. Dodgson made many suggestions for its improvement.  He never attempted to ride a bicycle, however, but, in accordance with his own dictum, “In youth, try a bicycle, in age, buy a tricycle,” confined himself to the three-wheeled variety.

[Illustration:  XI Oxford types From a photograph by A.T.  Shrimpton]

Nov. 8th.—­Whitehead, of Trinity, told us a charming story in Common Room of a father and son.  They came up together:  the son got into a College—­the father had to go to New Inn Hall:  the son passed Responsions, while his father had to put off:  finally, the father failed in Mods and has gone down:  the son will probably take his degree, and may then be able to prepare his father for another try.

        Among the coloured cartoons in Shrimpton’s
        window at Oxford there used to be, when I was
        up, a picture which I think referred to this story.

Nov. 23rd.—­Spent two hours “invigilating” in the rooms of W.J.  Grant (who has broken his collar-bone, and is allowed to do his Greats papers in this way) while he dictated his answers to another undergraduate, Pakenham, who acted as scribe.

Nov. 24th.—­Dined with Fowler (now President of C.C.C.) in hall, to meet Ranken.  Both men are now mostly bald, with quite grey hair:  yet how short a time it seems since we were undergraduates together at Whitby! (in 1854).

Dec 8th.—­A Common Room Meeting.  Fresh powers were given to the Wine Committee, and then a new Curator elected.  I was proposed by Holland, and seconded by Harcourt, and accepted office with no light heart:  there will be much trouble and thought needed to work it satisfactorily, but it will take me