It was the privilege of the moderators to entertain the proctors and some of the leading resident mathematicians the night before the issue of the final list, and to communicate that list in confidence to their guests. This pleasant custom survived till 1884. I revived the practice in 1890 when acting as senior moderator, but it seems to have now ceased. In 1806 Sir Frederick Pollock was senior wrangler, and in 1869 in answer to an appeal from De Morgan for an account of the mathematical study of men at the beginning of the century he wrote a letter[58] which is sufficiently interesting to bear reproduction: I shall write in answer to your inquiry, _all_ about my books, my study, and my degree, and leave you to settle all about the proprieties which my letter may give rise to, as to egotism, modesty, &c. The only books I read the first year were Wood's _Algebra_ (as far as quadratic equations), Bonnycastle's ditto, and _Euclid_ (Simpson's). In the second year I read Wood (beyond quadratic equations), and Wood and Vince, for what they called the _branches_. In the third year I read the _Jesuit's_ Newton and Vince's _Fluxions_; these were all the _books_, but there were certain MSS. floating about which I copied--which belonged to Dealtry, second wrangler in Kempthorne's year. I have no doubt that I had read less and seen fewer books than any senior wrangler of about my time, or any period since; but what I knew I knew thoroughly, and it was completely at my fingers' ends. I consider that I was the last _geometrical_ and _fluxional_ senior wrangler; I was not up to the _differential_ calculus, and never acquired it. I went up to college with a knowledge of Euclid and algebra to quadratic equations, nothing more; and I never read any second year's lore during my first year, nor any third year's lore during my second; my _forte_ was, that what I _did_ know I _could produce at any moment with PERFECT accuracy_. I could repeat the first book of Euclid word by word and letter by letter. During my first year I was not a "_reading_" man (so called); I had no expectation of honours or a fellowship, and I attended all the lectures on all subjects--Harwood's anatomical, Wollaston's chemical, and Farish's mechanical lectures--but the examination at the end of the first year revealed to me my powers. I was not only in the first class, but it was generally understood I was _first_ in the first class; neither I nor anyone for me expected I should get in at all. Now, as I had taken no pains to prepare (taking, however, marvellous pains while the examination was going on), I knew better than anyone else the value of my _examination qualities_ (great rapidity and perfect accuracy); and I said to myself, "If you're not an ass, you'll be senior wrangler"; and _I took to "reading" accordingly_. A curious circumstance occurred when the Brackets came out in the Senate-house