Two key influences on the Hamiltonian System

Among 19th century language teachers, James Hamilton, although trained as a merchant, indisputably stands out. He claimed, however, to have received lessons that enlightened him: two Jesuits, Thomas Betagh and James Mulcaile, and a General d’Angely. The article traces their identities, studying the pedagogical trends in the continental institutions the two first attended and trying to recognise the cultural environment of Hamburg in which the so-called general lived.