'DE MORGAN, AUGUSTUS, was born in 1600 in the small East Indian islaud of Madura, situated ea the north-east coast of Java. His father was an officer iu the British army. He can trace his descent also from the mathematician James Dodeou, author of the • Auti-Logarithmic Canon.' Educated at Trinity College, Cambridge, Mr. De Morgan was Fourth Wrangler iu 1827, when he took the degree of B.A. Owing to an objection to the subscription test he did nut proceed to the M.A. degree. lie had entered at Lincoln's Inn and begun his studies with is view to the English bar, when the foundation of the University of London (1823) opened up to him a more congenial career. [What is now known as College, London,' bore at the time of its foundation the name of" The University of London," and retained this name till 1837. Then, on the proposal of the government to constitute a distinct degree-granting body under the designation of the " University of London," to which a number of colleges might be affiliated on the principle of the non-eubscriptiou of teats, the original institution agreed to give up the more general name and, as one of the affiliated colleges, to assume the name of "University College.") Appointed to the Professorship of Mathe matics in the new institution, Mr. Do Morgan retained it till 1631, when he resigned. On the death of his successor In 1638 however be returned to the poet, which ever since that time he has continued to fill to the great distinction of the college. Besides his profemorehip, Mr. De Morgan has had ample occupation as a consulting actuary, advising insurance offices, and as one of the secretaries and a member of the council of the 'loyal Astronomical Society. He is also a member of the Cambridge Philosophical Society. But to the world at largo Le is best known es the author of many mathematical and miscellaneous works. Of the chief of these, published in hie own name, the following is • lint :—' Elements of Arithmetic,' 1830; 'Elements of Algebra, preliminary to the Differential Calculus; 1835 ; ' The Connexion of Number and Magnitude : an Attempt to Explain the Fifth Book of Euclid,' 1830; ' Elements of Trigonometry and Trigonometric's] Analysis, preliminary to the Differential Caloulue,' 1S37; ' Emmy on Probabilities, and on their Application to Life Contingencies aud Insurance Offices,' 1838 ; ' First Notions of Logic, preparatory to the study of Oeoznetry,' 1839; ' The Globes, Celestial and Terrestrial,' 1845; ' Formal Login; or the Calculus of Inference necessary and probable,' 1847; 'Arithmetical Books, from the Inven tion of Printing to the Present Time; being brief notices of a largo number of weeks drawn up from actual inspection,' 1847 ; Trigono.
matey and Double Algebra,' 1849 ; ' The Book of Almanacs, with an Index of Reference by which the Almanac may be found for every year up to A.D. 2000; with Means of finding the Day of any New or Full Moon from ex. 2000 to A.D. 2000,' 1351. Besides these works Professor De Morgan is the author of the treaties:eon The Differential and Integral Calculus,' and 'Spherical Trigonometry,' published by the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge. He contributed largely to other publications of this Society, of the managing com mittee of which he was for some time a member. He was one of the meet extensive contributors to the original edition of the 'Penny Cyclopredia ; ' most of the mathematical and astronomical articles, as well as many of the articles of scientific biography were written by him. Among other periodicals to which he has contributed are, ' The Companion to the Almanac," The Transactions of the Cambridge Philosophical Society," The Philosophical Magazine,' the ' North British Review,' the ' Athenteum; &e., &c. Besides being a profound mathematician and astronomer, he, has a great affection for and au extensive and minute erudition in all kinds of literary history, biography, and antiquities. Ile is also versed in metaphysical and logical studies ; and his Formal Logic ' mentioned in the above list is one of the most remarkable of recent works in logical science. In connection with this work ie still remembered, as one of the most interesting of the learned controversies of the day, a controversy which took place in the year 1847 between Mr. De Morgan and Sir William Ilamilton of Edinburgh, relative to Mr. De filorgau's title to an independent discovery of a new principle in the theory of syllogism expounded by Sir William Hamilton. A pamphlet on he subject was published by Sir William ; to which Professor De Illorgau replied. In the recent agitation for a decimal coinage Professor De Morgan has taken an active part, throwing much light on the subject by numerous letters aud articles.