An introductory lecture delivered to the opening of the mathematical classes in the university of London nov. 5th, 1828 (Q1000873)

This is a first printed transcript of an introductory lecture given by Augustus De Morgan at the opening of the mathematical classes at the London University (now University College London) in 1828. De Morgan had been appointed professor of mathematics at this university at the age of 21. In his speech, De Morgan stresses not only the importance of mathematics as the language of natural sciences, but especially the fact that mathematics is suitable as ``the medium of instruction in the art of reasoning''. He speaks about the symbolic language of mathematics and emphasizes the clarity of mathematical terms and proofs (as opposed to ambiguity in other sciences). He also tries to answer some objections frequently raised against the study of mathematics, such as the great difficulty of the subject, or the fact that mathematical problems might seem too scholarly and distant from practice. Finally, De Morgan outlines the structure of the mathematics courses to be held at the recently established university. The transcript of De Morgan's speech is accompanied by reprints of two pages from his manuscript. See also the comment by \textit{R. Anderson} [Math.~Intell., 28, No.~3, 16--18 (2006; Zbl 1162.01010)], which places De Morgan's speech in a historical context.