_SOMERVILLE, Mrs. MAnv, a lady famed for her mastery of mathematics and physi cal science, was the daughter of admiral sir William Fairfax. She was b. at Jedburgh on Dec. 26. 1780, and brolight up at Burntisland; amid somewhat narrow family circum stances. Her mother taught her to read; but besides this, she had no education till she was nine years old. At ten, she went for a year to a school at Musselburgh; and on her return, took more delight in reading whatever came in her way than in sewing, to the great discomfort of Her relatives. After she was thirteen, she twice had, doting a sojourn in Edinburgh, an opportunity of attending classes, studying music, drawing:, and a little Latin, and of mixing with Edinburgh society. It is somewhat singular that it was in an algebraic sum in a magazine of fashions that Mrs. Somerville first made her acquaint ance with the subject that most engrossed her attention later in life. In 1804 she mar ried Mr. Greig; a commissioner in the Russian navy, and removed to London. Although }Ir. Greig did not prevent her from continuing her studies, he himself had no interest in science, and had the usual prejudices against learned women. It was not till her return north as a widow, after three years of married life, that She was free to buy the books she wanted, and to study the subject that most interested her. She was now 33 years
old, with two children. In 1812 she married her cousin. Dr. William Somerville, who entered warmly into all her ideas. Her husband and she removed to London in 1816, where Mrs. Somerville went much into society, and became known as possessed of sci entific interests and gifts. In 1823 Mrs. Somerville was invited by lord Brougham to try to popularize, for the English public, Laplace's great work, the Mecanique Celeste. This she was persuaded to undertake, and published it as the Celestial Mechanism of the Heavens, in 1830. The work was received with the greatest admiration. Mrs. Somer ville was awarded a royal pension iu 1855_ The Connection of the Physical Sciences was published in 1835, and has passed through nine editions. Her next work was Physical Geography (1848), of which there have been six English editions. Molecular and Micro scopic Science appeared in 1866. Mrs. Somerville, who for many years resided in Italy, died at Naples, Nov. 29, 1872, having maintained till the end the perfect use of her fac ulties. An autobiography, edited and supplemented by a daughter of Mrs. Somerville, was published in 1873.