NO. 1.
APPENDIX.
119
vinced of the contrary (for I had the same materials they had to calculate from) I required a copy of the computations which was also refused me; nor could I ever obtain a sight[1] of them either officially or
- ↑ He and his son were not literally refused a sight of these computations (on which the payment of £20,000 depended) but it was allowed under circumstances so unavailing, and even ridiculous, that it is surprising any set of mathematicians, or men of business, could ever think of it. August 17th, 1762, Mr. Ibbetson, the Secretary, came to them in the outer room with some papers in his hand, and said to Mr. Harrison, [senior]—I am ordered by the Board to let you look at these papers; they are the computations and opinions of Mr. Howe, Mr. Roper, and Mr. Morris, and the Board desires that you will look at them.—John Harrison asked Mr. Ibbetson, if the Board meant be was to take and look them carefully over, or did they mean that they were then to look at them?—Mr. Ibbetson said, he was ordered to let them look at them, and to take them back again. To which Messrs. Harrison both replied—It was to little purpose to look at papers which seemed to be so long, and of so much consequence to them; therefore they both hoped that the Board would please either to give them more time to look them over, or oblige them with copies.—Mr. Ibbetson went back with the papers.' Were it not that to look at, or look over, and to examine, as regards arithmetical calculations, is synonymous with scientific men and those of business in every class, the strange scene above, in which the Father and Son were tantalized with the sight of papers of the greatest consequence to their interest, which yet it was denied them to understand, might disprove
Had Dr. Knox stumbled on this singular deficiency, he might have applied it to the degrading view he has given of those national establishments.
