“Before the beginning of 1828 Whewell and I had determined on repeating the Dolcoath experiments.  On Jan. 8th I have a letter from Davies Gilbert (then President of the Royal Society) congratulating me upon the Solar Theory, and alluding to our intended summer’s visit to Cornwall.  We had somehow applied to the Board of Longitude for pendulums, but Dr Young wished to delay them, having with Capt.  Basil Hall concocted a scheme for making Lieut.  Foster do all the work:  Whewell and I were indignant at this, and no more was said about it.  On Jan. 24th Dr Young, in giving notice of the Board of Longitude meeting, informs me that the clocks and pendulums are ready.

“I had made known that I was a candidate for the Plumian Professorship, and nobody thought it worth while to oppose me.  One person at least (Earnshaw) had intended to compete, but he called on me to make certain that I was a candidate, and immediately withdrew.  I went on in quality of Syndic for the care of the Observatory, ingrafting myself into it.  But meantime I told everybody that the salary (about L300) was not sufficient for me; and on Jan. 20th I drafted a manifesto or application to the University for an increase of salary.  The day of election to the Professorship was Feb. 6th.  As I was officially (as Lucasian Professor) an elector, I was present, and I explained to the electors that I could not undertake the responsibility of the Observatory without augmentation of income, and that I requested their express sanction to my application to the University for that purpose.  They agreed to this generally, and I was elected.  I went to London immediately to attend a meeting of the Board of Longitude and returned on Feb. 8th.  On Feb. 15th I began my Lectures (which, this year, included Mechanics, Optics, Pneumatics, and Hydrostatics) in the room below the University Library.  The number of names was 26.  The Lectures terminated on Mar. 22nd.

“On Feb. 25th I received from Mr Pond information on the emoluments at Greenwich Observatory.  I drew up a second manifesto, and on Feb. 26th I wrote and signed a formal copy for the Plumian electors.  On Feb. 27th I met them at Caius Lodge (the Master, Dr Davy, being Vice-Chancellor).  I read my Paper, which was approved, and their sanction was given in the form of a request to the Vice-Chancellor to permit the paper to be printed and circulated.  My paper, with this request at the head, was immediately printed, and a copy was sent to every resident M.A. (more than 200 went out in one day).  The statement and composition of the paper were generally approved, but the University had never before been taken by storm in such a manner, and there was some commotion about it.  I believe that very few persons would have taken the same step.  Mr Sheepshanks wrote to me on Mar. 7th, intimating that it was desperate.  I had no doubt of success.  Whewell told me that some people accused me of bad faith, in omitting allusion to the L100 a year