An auto-biographical memoir of Sir John Barrow, bart., late of the Admiralty, including reflections, observations and reminiscences, at home and abroad. From early life to advanced age / [Sir John Barrow].

  • John Barrow
Date:
1847
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: An auto-biographical memoir of Sir John Barrow, bart., late of the Admiralty, including reflections, observations and reminiscences, at home and abroad. From early life to advanced age / [Sir John Barrow]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    had an opportunity of acquiring the practical applica- tion of many of the theorems and problems to the common purposes of life. I may here mention one or two circumstances that occurred about the time and shortly after 1 left school, and which, trivial as they may appear, exerted a con- siderable influence on the future events of my life. Things of common occurrence are indeed frequently the precursors of important consequences, though not so regarded at the time. Just as I was about to leave the school, a gentleman, who had the manage- ment of Colonel Braddyll’s estates in Yorkshire, Mr, Cottam, well known in that county, called on the master of Town Bank to know if he could recommend two of the youths, best-informed in arithmetic and geo- metrical calculations, to assist him in taking an accu- rate and complete survey of the Colonel’s very extensive estate of Conished Priory, near Ulverstone. He im- mediately named Zaccheus Walker, his nephew, and myself. We were accordingly sent for, and received explanations of what would be required of us; but as neither of us felt qualified to go alone, we consented on the understanding that all should be done entirely under his assistance and supervision. We remained at the Priory, as well as I now can recollect, about two months, in which time we com- pleted the survey, to the satisfaction, as I was after- wards informed, of Colonel Braddyll; and, I may add, for my own part, to my incalculable benefit derived from witnessing the practised methods of conducting a survey of the various descriptions of surface—for it contained all—level, hilly, woodland, and water; and it was not the less useful to me, from the practical
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