Atkinson's virtual self-preparation for Cambridge is described and discussed, noting the importance of respons-· ible patronage. His objective was university study, a Fellowship, and the Bar, leading to public life. Cambridge's social and academic scene is viewed in the light of Atkinson's 1825 account of his experience, attention being directed to its 'alternative society', and the major change in Mathematics associated with the Analytical Society, betweeen 1817 and 1821, in which year he was Senior Wrangler. Note is taken of criticism, also published in 1825, by Cowling, Senior Wrangler in 1824. Particular consideration is given to Atkinson's assessment of what an University ought to offer, and his claims as to Cambridge's failure; to his not getting a Fellowship, and consequent difficulties when reading for the Bar. His Letters to Huskisson, 1826, are interpreted as a vain bid for the attention of the shipping interest, whose patronage might further his entry to 'the arena of public life'. He expounded the likely effects of repeal of the Navigation Acts, particularly in the light of his recent visit to America. Called to the Bar in 1827, he devoted his life thereafter to the Law, as conveyancer and equity draftsman, but, especially, as author of legal books for practitioners. His earliest work, 1829, was intended to caution the Real Property Commission, set up under Benthamite influence. His last, 1853, surveyed and offered solutions to some problems of the Profession in mid-century, especially those deriving from the 1846 Act, reviving the County Courts, and of which, unlike most of the Bar, he had been a supporter. Here, He. drew again on what he had found in Canada and the United States during an extended visit in 1836.