| DUBLIN / TRINITY COLLEGE The Balls had lived in relative comfort in Dublin, but now Mrs Ball had the children to take care of and no income. She was eventually granted a civil list pension of £100 by Queen Victoria, on account of her husband’s good works, but this was not before a decision had to be made about Robert’s future. He wanted to go to Trinity college in Dublin, and eventually his mother, who had to find the fees, was persuaded to let him go. The condition was that he studied hard. He entered Trinity on 13th October 1857, he did work hard, and gained honours all the way through to graduation. Among his many accomplishments at Trinity were several Gold medal awards, a scholarship in 1860 and Fellowship prizeman honours in 1863, 64 and 65. It was at Trinity that he first studied dynamical mathematics, which was to lead to his treatise, “The Theory of Screws”, a subject he pursued throughout his life, and which early on brought him considerable fame among the mathematicians of the day. In 1859 he read the newly published Origin of Species and immediately became a convert to Darwinism. Ten years previously Robert’s father had been in correspondence with Darwin, on naturalist topics. He was also influenced by Ormsby Mitchel’s Orbs of Heaven which first taught him about the size of the universe and the difference between stars and planets. Later he read Brinkley’s Astronomy, Newton’s Principea and Laplace’s Mechanique Celeste. He also paid his first visit to an observatory, Armagh. At about this time he gave his first public lecture. It was a small affair and took place following a dinner party in the drawing room of 5 Merrion Place, Dublin. It was not a serious talk, more an impromptu discourse based on some humorous drawings, which had been prepared by the ladies in advance of the dinner party. What these drawings depicted is not recorded. 5 Merrion Place, by the way, was the residence of one William Stokes, greatest of Irelands great physicians, of stethoscope fame who regularly entertained influential Dubliners at dinner parties. It was once described as the resort of all the wit and learning that Ireland possessed. The house is now part of the campus of Dublin University, dept of Astrophysics. From his father he gained a love of botany, and he chose it as one of his degree subjects, but it was not just the Sciences that held his interest, He joined the Literary Society and attended readings by such notables as Dickens. Robert’s main preoccupation at this time was mathematics, and not surprisingly, some of its applications led to him delving into astronomical theories. He stayed on at Trinity after graduating, but failed to get a fellowship. Now this was a setback at first, but in 1865 he was offered a position which was to set the course of his future career. He was asked by the physicist Dr Johnstone Stoney, later a lifelong friend, if he would like to tutor the 3 younger sons of William Parsons, the 3rd Earl of Rosse, in preparation for their entrance to Trinity. He didn’t fancy teaching the classics to young boys, but the prospect of being in residence at the home of the world’s largest telescope was enticing to say the least. He said he would accept the position on condition that he could use the astronomical facilities at Birr in his spare time. Rosse, now an old man, and not in the best of health, had stopped observing and was more than happy to let Ball have the run of the place. So started his career as an astronomer, albeit on a part-time basis. |
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