material from the ,google ,print        
project47          ,,sir ,,william      
,,herschel  ,,his ,,life ,,and ,,works  
,illustration3 ,sir ,william ,herschel  
,,sir ,,william ,,herschel   ,,his      
,,life ,,and ,,works  ,,by  ,,edward ,s4
 ,,holden  ,,united ,,states ,,naval    
,,observatory1 ,,washington             
,illustration3 ,coelis ,exploratis      
,,new ,,york ,,charles ,,scribner',s    
,,sons #gdc ,,and #gde ,,broadway #ahha 
,,copyright1 #ahhj1 ,,by ,,charles      
,,scribner',s ,,sons4    ,,press ,,of   
,j4 ,j4 ,,little  ,,co41  ,,nos4 #aj    
,,to #bj ,,astor ,,place1 ,,new ,,york4 
,please see the end of the text for     
,,transcriber',s ,,notes     ,,preface4 
,in the following account of the life   
and works of ,sir ,,william ,,herschel1 
,i have been obliged to depend strictly 
upon data already in print--the ,memoir 
of his sister1 his own scientific       
writings and the memoirs and diaries of 
his cotemporaries4 ,the review of his   
published works will1 ,i trust1 be of   

use4 ,it is based upon a careful study  
of all his papers in the ,philosophical 
,transactions and elsewhere4  ,a life of
 ,,herschel which shall be satisfactory 
in every particular can only be written 
after a full examination of the         
materials which are preserved at the    
family seat in ,england2 but as two     
generations have passed since his death1
 and as no biography yet exists which   
approaches to completeness1 no apology  
seems to me to be needed for a          
conscientious attempt to make the best  
use of the scanty material which we do  
possess4  ,this study will1 ,i trust1   
serve to exhibit so much of his life as 
belongs to the whole public4 ,his       
private life belongs to his family1     
until the time is come to let the world 
know more of the greatest of practical  
astronomers and of the inner life of one
 of its most profound philosophers1--of 
a great and ardent mind1 whose          
achievements are and will remain the    
glory of ,england4     ,,contents4      

,,page ,,chapter ,i4  ,,early ,,years2  
#agch-aggb1                             
#a   ,,chapter ,,ii4  ,,life ,,in       
,,bath2 #aggb-aghb1                     
#cc   ,,chapter ,,iii4  ,,life ,,at     
,,datchet1 ,,clay ,,hall1 ,,and         
,,slough2 #aghb-ahbb1  #fh   ,,chapter  
,,iv4  ,,review ,,of ,,the ,,scientific 
,,labors ,,of ,,herschel1       #aah    
,,bibliography1                         
#bae   ,,index ,,of ,,names1            
#bce     ,,life ,,and ,,works  ,,of     
,,william ,,herschel4     ,,chapter ,i4 
,,early ,,years2 #agch-aggb4   ,of the  
great modern philosophers1 that one of  
whom least is known1 is ,,william       
,,herschel4 ,we may appropriate the     
words which escaped him when the barren 
region of the sky near the body of      
,scorpio was passing slowly through the 
field of his great reflector1 during one
 of his sweeps1 to express our own sense
 of absence of light and knowledge3     
,hier ist wahrhaftig ein ,loch im       
,himmel4  ,,herschel prepared1 about the

 year #ahah1 a biographical memorandum1 
which his sister ,,carolina placed among
 his papers4  ,this has never been made 
public4 ,the only thoroughly authentic  
sources of information in possession of 
the world1 are a letter written by      
,,herschel himself1 in answer to a      
pressing request for a sketch of his    
life1 and the ,memoir and               
,correspondence of ,,caroline ,,herschel
 7,london1 #ahgf71 a precious memorial  
not only of his life1 but of one which  
otherwise would have remained almost    
unknown1 and one1 too1 which the world  
could ill afford to lose4 ,the latter1  
which has been ably edited by ,mrs4     
,,mary ,,cornwallis ,,herschel1#a is the
 only source of knowledge in regard to  
the early years of the great astronomer1
 and together with the all too scanty   
materials to be gained from a diligent  
search through the biography of the     
time1 affords the data for those        
personal details of his life1 habits1   
and character1 which seem to complete   

the distinct1 though partial conception 
of him which the student of his         
philosophical writings acquires4  ,the  
letter referred to was published in the 
,gttingen ,magazine of ,science and     
,literature1 ,,iii41 #d1 shortly after  
the name of ,,herschel had become       
familiar to every ear through his       
discovery of ,uranus1 but while the     
circumstances of the discovery1 and the 
condition of the amateur who made it1   
were still entirely unknown4  ,the      
editor 7,,lichtenberg7 says3      ,herr 
,,herschel was good enough to send me1  
some time since1 through     ,herr      
,,magellan1 copies of his ,dissertations
 on ,double ,stars1 on the     ,parallax
 of the ,fixed ,stars1 and on a new     
,micrometer4 ,in the letter     which   
conveyed to him my thanks for his gift1 
,i requested him to     note down a few 
facts in regard to his life1 for        
publication in this     magazine1 since 
various accounts1 more or less          
incorrect1 had     appeared in several  

journals4 ,in answer1 ,i received a very
 obliging     letter from him and what  
follows is that portion of it relating  
to     my request1 which was sent me    
with full permission to make it         
public4                                 
,,datchet1 ,,near ,,windsor1            
,nov4 #ae1 #aghc4      ,i was born in   
,hanover1 ,november1 #agch4 ,my father1 
who was a     musician1 destined me to  
the same profession1 hence ,i was       
instructed betimes in his art4 ,that ,i 
might acquire a perfect     knowledge of
 the theory as well as of the practice  
of music1 ,i was     set at an early age
 to study mathematics in all its        
branches--algebra1 conic sections1      
infinitesimal analysis1 and the         
rest4      ,the insatiable desire for   
knowledge thus awakened resulted next in
     a course of languages2 ,i learned  
,french1 ,english1 and ,latin1 and      
steadfastly resolved henceforth to      
devote myself wholly to those           
sciences from the pursuit of which ,i   

alone looked for all my future          
happiness and enjoyment4 ,i have never  
been either necessitated or     disposed
 to alter this resolve4 ,my father1     
whose means were limited1     and who   
consequently could not be as liberal to 
his children as he     would have       
desired1 was compelled to dispose of    
them in one way or     another at an    
early age2 consequently in my fifteenth 
year ,i     enlisted in military        
service1 only remaining in the army1    
however1     until ,i reached my        
nineteenth year1 when ,i resigned and   
went over to     ,england4      ,my     
familiarity with the organ1 which ,i had
 carefully mastered     previously1 soon
 procured for me the position of        
organist in     ,yorkshire1 which ,i    
finally exchanged for a similar         
situation at ,bath     in #agff1 and    
while here the peculiar circumstances of
 my post1 as     agreeable as it was    
lucrative1 made it possible for me to   
occupy     myself once more with my     

studies1 especially with mathematics4   
,when1     in the course of time1 ,i    
took up astronomy1 ,i determined to     
accept     nothing on faith1 but to see 
with my own eyes everything which       
others had seen before me4 ,having      
already some knowledge of the           
science of optics1 ,i resolved to       
manufacture my own telescopes1 and      
after many continuous1 determined       
trials1 ,i finally succeeded in         
completing a so-called ,newtonian       
instrument1 seven feet in length4       
,from this ,i advanced to one of ten    
feet1 and at last to one of     twenty1 
for ,i had fully made up my mind to     
carry on the improvement     of my      
telescopes as far as it could possibly  
be done4 ,when ,i had     carefully and 
thoroughly perfected the great          
instrument in all its     parts1 ,i made
 systematic use of it in my observations
 of the     heavens1 first forming a    
determination never to pass by any1 the 
smallest1 portion of them without due   

investigation4 ,this habit1             
persisted in1 led to the discovery of   
the new planet 7,georgium     ,sidus74  
,this was by no means the result of     
chance1 but a simple     consequence of 
the position of the planet on that      
particular     evening1 since it        
occupied precisely that spot in the     
heavens which     came in the order of  
the minute observations that ,i had     
previously     mapped out for myself4   
,had ,i not seen it just when ,i did1 ,i
 must     inevitably have come upon it  
soon after1 since my telescope was so   
perfect that ,i was able to distinguish 
it from a fixed star in the     first   
minute of observation4      ,now to     
bring this sketch to a close4 ,as the   
king had expressed a     desire to see  
my telescope1 ,i took it by his command 
to ,greenwich1     where it was compared
 with the instruments of my excellent   
friend1     ,dr4 ,,maskelyne1 not only  
by himself1 but by other experts1 who   
pronounced it as their opinion that my  

instrument was superior to     all the  
rest4 ,thereupon the king ordered that  
the instrument be     brought to        
,windsor1 and since it there met with   
marked approval1 his     majesty        
graciously awarded me a yearly pension1 
that ,i might be     enabled to         
relinquish my profession of music1 and  
devote my whole     time to astronomy   
and the improvement of the telescope4   
,gratitude1     as well as other        
considerations specified by me in a     
paper presented     to the ,royal       
,society1 of which ,i am a member1 has  
induced me to call     the new planet   
,georgium ,sidus4          ',georgium   
,sidus4--jam nunc assuesce              
vocari4'--7,virgil47      ,and ,i hope  
it will retain the name4  ,we know but  
little of the family of ,,herschel4 ,the
 name is undoubtedly ,jewish1 and is    
found in ,poland1 ,germany1 and         
,england4 ,we learn that the ancestors  
of the present branch left ,moravia     
about the beginning of the ,x,v,i,ith   

century1 on account of their change of  
religion to ,protestantism4 ,they became
 possessors of land in ,saxony4 ,,hans  
,,herschel1 the great-grandfather of    
,,william1 was a brewer in ,pirna 7a    
small town near ,dresden74 ,of the two  
sons of ,,hans1 one1 ,,abraham 7born in 
#afea1 died #agah71 was employed in the 
royal gardens at ,dresden1 and seems to 
have been a man of taste and skill in   
his calling4 ,of his eldest son1        
,,eusebius1 there appears to be little  
trace in the records of the family4 ,the
 second son1 ,,benjamin1 died in        
infancy2 the third1 ,,isaac1 was born in
 #agjg 7,jan4 #ad71 and was thus an     
orphan at eleven years of age4 ,,isaac  
was the father of the great astronomer4 
,he appears to have early had a         
passionate fondness for music1 and this1
 added to a distaste for his father's   
calling1 determined his career4 ,he was 
taught music by an oboe-player in the   
royal band1 and he also learned the     
violin4 ,at the age of twenty-one he    

studied music for a year under the      
,cappelmeister ,,pabrich1 at ,potsdam1  
and in ,august1 #agca1 he became oboist 
in the band of the ,guards1 at ,hanover4
 ,in ,august1 #agcb1 he married ,,anna  
,,ilse ,,moritzen4 ,she appears to have 
been a careful and busy wife and mother1
 possessed of no special faculties which
 would lead us to attribute to her care 
any great part of the abilities of her  
son4 ,she could not herself write the   
letters which she sent to her husband   
during his absences with his regiment4  
,it was her firm belief that the        
separations and some of the sorrows of  
the family came from too much learning2 
and while she could not hinder the      
education of the sons of the family1 she
 prevented their sisters from learning  
,french and dancing4 ,it is but just to 
say that the useful accomplishments of  
cooking1 sewing1 and the care of a      
household1 were thoroughly taught by her
 to her two daughters4 ,the father1     
,,isaac1 appears to have been of a      

different mould1 and to him1 no doubt1  
the chief intellectual characteristics  
of the family are due4 ,his position    
obliged him to be often absent from     
,hanover1 with his regiment1 but his    
hand appears to have been always        
present1 smoothing over difficulties1   
and encouraging his sons to such        
learning and improvement as was to be   
had4  ,his health was seriously injured 
by the exposures of the campaigns1 and  
he was left1 after the ,seven ,years'   
,war1 with a broken constitution4       
,after his final return home1 in #agfj1 
his daughter gives this record of him-- 
,copying music employed every vacant    
moment1 even sometimes     throughout   
half the night4 4 4 4 ,with my brother  
,,dietrich--now a     little engaging   
creature of between four and five years 
old--he was     very much pleased1 and  
on the first evening of his arrival at  
home     before he went to rest1 the    
,adempken 7a little violin7 was taken   
from the shelf and newly strung1 and the

 daily lessons immediately              
commenced4 4 4 4 ,i do not recollect    
that he ever desired any other          
society than what he had opportunities  
of enjoying in many of the     parties  
where he was introduced by his          
profession1 though far from     being of
 a morose disposition2 he would         
frequently encourage my     mother in   
keeping up a social intercourse among a 
few acquaintances1     whilst his       
afternoon hours generally were taken up 
in giving lessons     to some scholars  
at home1 who gladly saved him the       
troublesome     exertion of walking4 4 4
 4 ,he also found great pleasure in     
seeing     ,,dietrich',s improvement1   
who1 young as he was1 and of the most   
lively     temper imaginable1 was always
 ready to receive his lessons1 leaving  
his little companions with the greatest 
cheerfulness to go to his     father1   
who was so pleased with his performances
 that he made him     play a solo on the
 ,adempken in ,,rake',s concert1 being  

placed on a     table before a crowded  
company1 for which he was very much     
applauded     and caressed1 particularly
 by an ,english lady1 who put a gold    
coin     in his little pocket4      ,it 
was not long before my father had as    
many scholars as he could     find time 
to attend4 ,and when they assembled at  
my father's to make     little concerts1
 ,i was frequently called to join the   
second violin     in an overture1 for my
 father found pleasure in giving me     
sometimes     a lesson before the       
instruments were laid by1 after         
practising with     ,,dietrich1 for ,i  
never was missing at those hours1       
sitting in a     corner with my knitting
 and listening all the while4  ,here1 as
 in all her writing1 ,,carolina is      
simple1 true1 direct to awkwardness1 and
 unconsciously pathetic even in joy4    
,the family of ,,isaac and ,,anna       
,,herschel consisted of ten children4   
,six of these lived to adult age4 ,they 
were3      #a4 ,,sophia ,,elizabeth2    

born #agcc1 married ,,griesbach1 a      
musician in the        ,guard1 by whom  
she had children4 ,five of her sons were
 afterwards        musicians at the     
court1 in ,england1 where they obtained 
places        through the influence of  
,,william4      #b4 ,,henry ,,anton     
,,jacob2 born #agcd1 ,november #bj4     
#d4 ,,frederic ,,william 7the           
astronomer7 born #agch1 ,november #ae4  
#f4 ,,john ,,alexander2 born #agde1     
,november #ac4      #h4 ,,carolina      
,,lucretia2 born #agej1 ,march #af4     
#aj4 ,,dietrich2 born #agee1 ,september 
#ac4  ,of this family group1 the        
important figures to us are ,,william1  
,,alexander1 and ,,carolina4  ,,jacob   
was organist at the ,garrison ,church of
 ,hanover in #agec1 a member of the     
,guards' band in #agee1 and first violin
 in the ,hanover ,court ,orchestra in   
#agei4 ,afterwards he joined his brother
 ,,william in ,bath1 but again returned 
to ,hanover4 ,in #agga he published in  
,amsterdam his ,opus ,i41 a set of six  

quartettes1 and later1 in ,london1 he   
published two symphonies and six trios4 
,he appears to have been a clever       
musician1 and his letters to his younger
 brother ,,william are full of          
discussion on points of musical         
composition1 etc4 ,he died in #agib4    
,,dietrich1 the youngest brother1 shared
 in the musical abilities of his family1
 and when only fifteen years old was so 
far advanced as to be able to supply his
 brother ,,jacob',s place in the ,court 
,orchestra1 and to give his lessons to  
private pupils4 ,there is no one of the 
family1 except the eldest daughter1 whom
 we do not know to have possessed marked
 ability in music1 and this taste       
descended truly for four generations4   
,in the letters of ,chevalier           
,,bunsen1#b he describes meeting1 in    
#ahdg1 the eldest granddaughter of      
,,william ,,herschel1 who1 he says1 is a
 musical genius4  ,three members of the 
family1 ,,william1 ,,alexander1 and     
,,carolina1 formed a group which was    

inseparable for many years1 and while   
the progress of the lives of ,,alexander
 and ,,carolina was determined by the   
energy and efforts of ,,william1 these  
two lent him an aid without which his   
career would have been strangely        
different4 ,it is necessary to          
understand a little better the early    
life of all three4  ,the sons of the    
,,herschel family all attended the      
garrison school in ,hanover until they  
were about fourteen years old4 ,they    
were taught the ordinary rudiments of   
knowledge--to read1 to write1 to        
cipher--and a knowledge of ,french and  
,english was added4 ,,william especially
 distinguished himself in his studies1  
learning ,french very rapidly1 and      
studying ,latin and arithmetic with his 
master out of hours4 ,the household life
 seems to have been active1 harmonious1 
and intelligent1 especially during the  
presence of the father1 who took a great
 delight in the rapid progress of all   
his sons in music1 and who encouraged   

them with his companionship in their    
studies and in their reading on all     
intellectual subjects4  ,from the       
,memoir of ,,carolina1 on which we must 
depend for our knowledge of this early  
life1 we take the following paragraph3  
,my brothers were often introduced as   
solo performers and assistants     in   
the orchestra of the court1 and ,i      
remember that ,i was frequently         
prevented from going to sleep by the    
lively criticism on music on     coming 
from a concert1 or by conversations on  
philosophical subjects1     which lasted
 frequently till morning1 in which my   
father was a     lively partaker and    
assistant of my brother ,,william1 by   
contriving     self-made instruments4 4 
4 4 ,often ,i would keep myself awake   
that     ,i might listen to their       
animating remarks1 for it made me so    
happy     to see them so happy4 ,but    
generally their conversation would      
branch out on philosophical subjects1   
when my brother ,,william and my        

father often argued with such warmth    
that my mother's interference     became
 necessary1 when the names ,,leibnitz1  
,,newton1 and ,,euler     sounded rather
 too loud for the repose of her little  
ones1 who     ought to be in school by  
seven in the morning4 ,but it seems that
     on the brothers retiring to their  
own room1 where they shared     the same
 bed1 my brother ,,william had still a  
great deal to say2 and     frequently it
 happened that when he stopped for an   
assent or reply1     he found his hearer
 was gone to sleep1 and ,i suppose it   
was not till     then that he bethought 
himself to do the same4      ,the       
recollection of these happy scenes      
confirms me in the belief1     that had 
my brother ,,william not then been      
interrupted in his     philosophical    
pursuits1 we should have had much       
earlier proofs of     his inventive     
genius4 ,my father was a great admirer  
of astronomy1     and had some knowledge
 of that science2 for ,i remember his   

taking     me1 on a clear frosty night1 
into the street1 to make me acquainted  
with several of the most beautiful      
constellations1 after we had been       
gazing at a comet which was then        
visible4 ,and ,i well remember with     
what delight he used to assist my       
brother ,,william in his various        
contrivances in the pursuit of his      
philosophical studies1 among     which  
was a neatly turned #d-;inch globe1 upon
 which the equator and     ecliptic were
 engraved by my brother4  ,the          
mechanical genius was not confined to   
,,william1 for we read that ,,alexander 
used often to sit by us and amuse us and
 himself by making all sorts of things  
out of pasteboard1 or contriving how to 
make a twelve-hour cuckoo clock go a    
week4 ,this ability of ,,alexander',s   
was turned later to the best account    
when he became his brother ,,william',s 
right hand in the manufacture of        
reflectors1 eye-pieces1 and stands in   
,england4 ,his abilities were great1 and

 a purpose which might otherwise have   
been lacking was supplied through the   
younger brother's ardor in all that he  
undertook4  ,his musical talent was     
remarkable2 he played divinely on the   
violoncello4 ,he returned to ,hanover in
 #ahaf1 where he lived in comfortable   
independence1 through the never-failing 
generosity of his brother1 until his    
death in #ahba4 ,a notice of him in a   
,bristol paper says3 ,died1 ,march #ae1 
#ahba1 at ,hanover1 ,,alexander         
,,herschel1 ,esqr41 well known to the   
public of ,bath and ,bristol as a       
performer and elegant musician2 and who 
for forty-seven years was the admiration
 of the frequenters of concerts and     
theatres of both those cities as        
principal violoncello4 ,to the          
extraordinary merits of ,mr4 ,,herschel 
was united considerable acquirement in  
the superior branches of mechanics and  
philosophy1 and his affinity to his     
brother1 ,sir ,,william ,,herschel1 was 
not less in science than in blood4  ,we 

shall learn more of the sister1         
,,carolina1 as time goes on4 ,now in    
these early years she was a silent and  
persistent child1 growing up with a     
feeling that she was uncared for and    
neglected1 and lavishing all her        
childish affection1 as she did all that 
of her womanly life1 on her brother     
,,william4 ,throughout her long life1 my
 brother was ,,william1 my nephew his   
son4  ,the brothers ,,jacob and         
,,william were1 with their father1      
members of the band of the ,guards in   
#agee1 when the regiment was ordered to 
,england1 and they were absent from     
,hanover a year4  ,,william 7then       
seventeen years old7 went as oboist1 and
 out of his scanty pay brought back to  
,hanover1 in #agef1 only one memento of 
his stay--a copy of ,,locke ,on the     
,human ,understanding4  ,he appears to  
have served with the ,guard during part 
of the campaign of #ageg4 ,his health   
was then delicate1 and his parents      
determined to remove him from the       

service--a step attended by no small    
difficulties4#c  ,this removal was      
hurriedly and safely effected1 so       
hurriedly that the copy of ,,locke was  
not put in the parcels sent after him to
 ,hamburg by his mother2 she1 dear      
woman1 knew no other wants than good    
linen and clothing4  ,thus1 at last1 the
 young ,,william ,,herschel1 the son of 
an oboe-player in the ,king's ,guard1 is
 launched in life for himself1 in the   
year #ageg1 at the age of nineteen4     
,all his equipment is the good linen and
 clothing1 a knowledge of ,french1      
,latin1 and ,english1 some skill in     
playing the violin1 the organ1 and the  
oboe1 and an uncommon precipitancy in   
doing what there is to be done4  ,a     
slender outfit truly2 but we are not to 
overlook what he said of himself on     
another occasion4 ,i have1 nevertheless1
 several resources in view1 and do not  
despair of succeeding pretty well in the
 end4  ,from #ageg to #agfj--three      
years--we know nothing of his life4 ,we 

can imagine what it was4 ,his previous  
visit to ,england had given him a good  
knowledge of the language1 and perhaps a
 few uninfluential acquaintances4 ,on   
his return he would naturally seek these
 out1 and1 by means of his music1 he    
could gain a livelihood4 ,we first hear 
of him as charged with the organization 
of the music of a corps of the militia  
of ,durham1 under the auspices of the   
,,earl ,,of ,,darlington4 ,la manire    
dont il remplit cette mission1 le fit   
connatre avantageusement4#d ,the nature 
of the service of these militia corps1  
which were then forming all over        
,england1 is well described in the      
,autobiography of ,,gibbon4 ,every      
county-gentleman felt constrained to    
serve his country1 and the regimental   
mess-rooms were filled with men of rank 
and fashion4  ,in #agfj we hear of him  
again4 ,he has attracted the notice of  
those about him4      ,about the year   
#agfj1 as ,,miller#e was dining at      
,pontefract with     the officers of the

 ,durham militia1 one of them1 knowing  
his love of     music1 told him they had
 a young ,german in their band as a     
performer     on the hautboy1 who had   
only been a few months in ,england1 and 
yet     spoke ,english almost as well as
 a native1 and who was also an          
excellent performer on the violin2 the  
officer added that if ,,miller     would
 come into another room1 this ,german   
should entertain him with     a solo4   
,the invitation was gladly accepted1 and
 ,,miller heard a solo     of           
,,giardini',s executed in a manner that 
surprised him4 ,he afterwards     took  
an opportunity of having some private   
conversation with the     young         
musician1 and asked him whether he had  
engaged himself for any     long period 
to the ,durham militia4 ,the answer was1
 ',only from month     to month4'       
',leave them1 then1' said the organist1 
'and come and live     with me4 ,i am a 
single man1 and think we shall be happy 
together2     and1 doubtless1 your merit

 will soon entitle you to a more        
eligible     situation4' ,the offer was 
accepted as frankly as it was made1 and 
the reader may imagine with what        
satisfaction ,dr4 ,,miller     must have
 remembered this act of generous feeling
 when he hears     that this young      
,german was ,,herschel1 the ,astronomer4
 ',my humble     mansion1' says         
,,miller1 'consisted1 at that time1 but 
of two rooms4     ,however1 poor as ,i  
was1 my cottage contained a library of  
well-chosen books2 and it must appear   
singular that a foreigner who     had   
been so short a time in ,england should 
understand even the     peculiarities of
 the language so well as to fix upon    
,,swift for his     favorite author4'   
,he took an early opportunity of        
introducing his new friend at     ,mr4  
,,cropley',s concerts2 the first violin 
was resigned to him2 'and     never1'   
says the organist1 'had ,i heard the    
concertos of ,,corelli1     ,,geminiani1
 and ,,avison1 or the overtures of      

,,handel performed more     chastely1 or
 more according to the original         
intention of the     composers1 than by 
,mr4 ,,herschel4 ,i soon lost my        
companion2 his fame     was presently   
spread abroad2 he had the offer of      
pupils1 and was     solicited to lead   
the public concerts both at ,wakefield  
and ,halifax4     ,a new organ for the  
parish church of ,halifax was built     
about this     time1 and ,,herschel was 
one of the seven candidates for the     
organist's place4 ,they drew lots how   
they were to perform in     succession4 
,,herschel drew the third1 the second   
fell to ,dr4     ,,wainwright of        
,manchester1 whose finger was so rapid  
that old     ,,snetzler1 the            
organ-builder1 ran about the church     
exclaiming3     ',te tevel6 te tevel6 he
 run over te keys like one cat2 he will 
not give my piphes room for to shpeak4' 
',during ,mr4 ,,wainwright',s           
performance1' says ,,miller1 ',i was    
standing in the middle aisle with       

,,herschel4 ',what chance have you1'    
said ,i1 'to follow this man8' ,he      
replied1 ',i don't know2 ,i am sure     
fingers will not do4' ,on which he      
ascended the organ loft1 and produced   
from the organ so uncommon a            
fulness1 such a volume of slow1 solemn  
harmony1 that ,i could by no     means  
account for the effect4 ,after this     
short ex tempore     effusion1 he       
finished with the ,old ,hundredth       
psalm-tune1 which he     played better  
than his opponent4      ',ay1 ay1' cried
 old ,,snetzler1 'tish is very goot1    
very goot     indeet2 ,i vil luf tish   
man1 for he gives my piphes room for to 
shpeak4' ,having afterwards asked ,mr4  
,,herschel by what means1 in the        
beginning of his performance1 he        
produced so uncommon an effect1 he      
replied1 ',i told you fingers would not 
do6' and producing two pieces     of    
lead from his waistcoat pocket1 'one of 
these1' said he1     ',i placed on the  
lowest key of the organ1 and the other  

upon the     octave above2 thus by      
accommodating the harmony1 ,i produced  
the     effect of four hands1 instead of
 two4'#f  ,the dates in this extract are
 not so well defined as might be wished4
 ,,herschel had certainly been more than
 a few months in ,england at the time of
 his meeting with ,dr4 ,,miller1 which  
was probably about #agfj4 ,the          
appointment as organist at ,halifax was 
in #agfe1 and the pupils and public     
concerts must have filled up the        
intervening five years4 ,during a part  
of this time he lived in ,leeds1 with   
the family of ,mr4 ,,bulman1 whom he    
afterwards provided with a place as     
clerk to the ,octagon ,chapel1 in his   
usual generous manner4  ,all during his 
life he was placing some of the less    
fortunate and energetic members of his  
family4  ,we cannot be too grateful to  
,dr4 ,,miller1 who1 seeing his          
opportunity1 used it4 ,their frank      
friendship does honor to both4          
,,herschel',s organ-playing1 which no   

doubt had been begun when his brother   
was the organist of the garrison chapel 
at ,hanover1 must have been perfected at
 this time1 and it was through his      
organ-playing that he was able to leave 
the needy life in ,yorkshire4  ,he was  
sure to have emerged sooner or later1   
but every year spared to him as a       
struggling musician was a year saved to 
,astronomy4  ,during all this period1 a 
constant correspondence was maintained  
between the family at ,hanover and the  
absent son4  ,many of ,,william',s      
letters were written in ,english1 and   
addressed to his brother ,,jacob1 and   
treated of such subjects as the ,theory 
of ,music1 in which he was already far  
advanced4  ,his little sister was still 
faithful to the memory of her dearest   
brother1 and his father1 whose health   
was steadily declining1 became painfully
 eager for his return4 ,in #agfd 7,april
 #b71 he returned to ,hanover on a very 
brief visit4 ,he was attached to        
,england1 he was prospering there1 and  

he had no inclination towards returning 
to a life in ,hanover4 ,his sister says3
      ,of the joys and pleasures which  
all felt at this long-wished-for        
meeting with my--let me say my          
dearest--brother1 but a small           
portion could fall to my share2 for with
 my constant attendance at     church   
and school1 besides the time ,i was     
employed in doing the     drudgery of   
the scullery1 it was but seldom ,i could
 make one in the     group when the     
family were assembled together4      ,in
 the first week1 some of the orchestra  
were invited to a concert1     at which 
some of my brother ,,william',s         
compositions1 overtures1 etc41     and  
some of my eldest brother ,,jacob',s    
were performed1 to the great     delight
 of my dear father1 who hoped and       
expected that they would     be turned  
to some profit by publishing them1 but  
there was no     printer who bid high   
enough4      ,sunday1 the #hth1 was     
the--to me--eventful day of my          

confirmation1     and ,i left home not a
 little proud and encouraged by my dear 
brother     ,,william',s approbation of 
my appearance in my new gown4  ,the     
engagement of ,,herschel at ,halifax did
 not long continue4 ,in #agff he        
obtained an advantageous engagement as  
oboist at ,bath1 and soon after the     
position of organist at the ,octagon    
,chapel was offered to him and accepted4
 ,this was a great and important change4
  ,bath was then1 as now1 one of the    
most beautiful cities in ,england1 and  
the resort of the fashion and rank of   
the kingdom1 who came to take the       
waters4 ,it is beautifully situated on  
both sides of the ,avon1 and has many   
fine walks and public buildings4 ,the   
aspect of the city is markedly cheerful 
and brilliant1 owing to the nature of   
the white stone of which the principal  
houses are built1 and to the exquisite  
amphitheatre of hills in which they lie4
  ,the society was then gay and polite1 
and ,,herschel was at once thrown into a

 far more intelligent atmosphere than   
that he had just left in ,yorkshire4 ,it
 was easy to get new books1 to see new  
faces1 to hear new things4 ,the         
,assembly ,rooms 7built in #agga7 were  
noted for their size and elegance2 the  
theatre was the best out of ,london4    
,his position as organist of the        
fashionable chapel placed him in the    
current4 ,his charming and engaging     
manners made him friends4 ,his talents  
brought him admirers and pupils1 and    
pupils brought him money4#g  ,he began  
in #agff a life of unceasing activity1  
which continued4 ,in #agfh he published 
in ,london a symphony 7in ,c7 for two   
violins1 viola1 bass1 two oboes1 and two
 horns1 and in the same year two        
military concertos for two oboes1 two   
horns1 two trumpets1 and two bassoons4#h
 ,he wrote pieces for the harp1 glees1  
catches1 and other songs for the voice4 
,one of these1 the ,echo ,catch1 was    
published and had even considerable     
vogue4      ,a competent musical critic 

writes to me of this work3 ,the         
counterpoint is clear and flowing1 and  
is managed with considerable     taste  
and effect4 ,it would be difficult to   
explain the great     cleverness shown  
in the construction of the ,catch       
without diagrams     to illustrate the  
movements of the parts4 ,it is certainly
 an     ingenious bit of musical        
writing4  ,when he left ,bath 7in       
#aghb71 many of these musical writings  
were lost1 in his great haste to take up
 his new profession4 ,one1 specially1   
his sister remembers to have written out
 for the printer1 but he could not find 
a moment to send it off1 nor answer the 
printer's letters4 ,this was a four-part
 song1 ,in thee ,i bear so dear a part4 
,he wrote very many anthems1 chants1 and
 psalm-tunes for the excellent cathedral
 choir of the ,octagon ,chapel4         
,unfortunately1 most of this music is   
now not to be found4  ,a notice of      
,,herschel',s life which appeared in the
 ,european ,magazine for #aghe1         

,january1 gives a very lively picture of
 his life at this time1 and it is       
especially valuable as showing how he   
appeared to his cotemporaries4          
,although ,mr4 ,,herschel loved music to
 an excess1 and made a     considerable 
progress in it1 he yet determined with a
 sort of     enthusiasm to devote every 
moment he could spare from business to  
the pursuit of knowledge1 which he      
regarded as the sovereign good1     and 
in which he resolved to place all his   
views of future happiness     in life44 
4 4      ,his situation at the ,octagon 
,chapel proved a very profitable one1   
as he soon fell into all the public     
business of the concerts1 the           
,rooms1 the ,theatre1 and the oratorios1
 besides many scholars and     private  
concerts4 ,this great run of business1  
instead of lessening     his propensity 
to study1 increased it1 so that many    
times1 after a     fatiguing day of     
fourteen or sixteen hours spent in his  
vocation1 he     would retire at night  

with the greatest avidity to unbend the 
mind1 if it may be so called1 with a few
 propositions in     ,,maclaurin',s     
,fluxions1 or other books of that sort4 
,it was in these years that he mastered 
,italian and made some progress in      
,greek4      ,we may hazard a natural   
conjecture respecting the course of     
,,herschel',s early studies4 ,music     
conducted him to mathematics1 or1     in
 other words1 impelled him to study     
,,smith',s ,harmonics4 ,now this        
,,robert ,,smith was the author of ,a   
,complete ,system of ,optics1     a     
masterly work1 which1 notwithstanding   
the rapid growth of that     branch of  
the science1 is not yet wholly          
superseded4 ,it seems to us     not     
unlikely that ,,herschel1 studying the  
,harmonics1 conceived a     reverence   
for the author1 who was at that time    
still living1 so that     from the      
,philosophy of ,music he passed to the  
,optics1 a work on     which ,,smith',s 
great reputation chiefly rested2 and    

thus undesignedly     prepared himself  
for the career on which he was shortly  
about to     enter with so much glory4#i
  ,there is no doubt that this          
conjecture is a true one4 ,the ,optics  
of ,dr4 ,,smith is one of the very few  
books quoted by ,,herschel throughout   
his writings1 and there is every        
evidence of his complete familiarity    
with its conclusions and methods2 and   
this familiarity is of the kind which a 
student acquires with his early         
text-books4 ,one other work he quotes in
 the same way1 ,,lalande',s ,astronomy1 
and this too must have been deeply      
studied4  ,during the years #agfe-aggb1 
while ,,herschel was following his      
profession and his studies at ,bath1 the
 family life at ,hanover went on in much
 the same way4  ,in #agfe his father    
,,isaac had a stroke of paralysis1 which
 ended his violin-playing forever1 and  
forced him to depend entirely upon      
pupils and copying of music for a       
livelihood4 ,he died on ,march #bb1     

#agfg1 leaving behind him a good name1  
and living in the affectionate          
remembrance of his children and of all  
who knew him4  ,,carolina had now lost  
her best friend1 and transferred to her 
brother ,,william the affection she had 
before divided between him and her      
father4      ,my father wished to give  
me something like a polished education1 
but my mother was particularly          
determined that it should be a rough1   
but at the same time a useful one2 and  
nothing farther she thought     was     
necessary but to send me two or three   
months to a sempstress to     be taught 
to make household linen4 4 4 4 ,my      
mother would not consent     to my being
 taught ,french1 and my brother         
,dietrich was even denied a             
dancing-master1 because she would not   
permit my learning along with     him1  
though the entrance had been paid for us
 both2 so all my father     could do for
 me was to indulge me 7and please       
himself7 sometimes     with a short     

lesson on the violin1 when my mother was
 either in     good humor or out of the 
way4 ,though ,i have often felt myself  
exceedingly at a loss for the want of   
those few accomplishments of     which  
,i was thus1 by an erroneous though     
well-meant opinion of my     mother1    
deprived1 ,i could not help thinking but
 that she had cause     for wishing me  
not to know more than was necessary for 
being useful     in the family2 for it  
was her certain belief that my brother  
,,william     would have returned to his
 country1 and my eldest brother not have
     looked so high1 if they had had a  
little less learning4            99     
99       99       99       99      ,but 
sometimes ,i found it scarcely possible 
to get through with the     work        
required1 and felt very unhappy that no 
time at all was left     for improving  
myself in music or fancy work1 in which 
,i had an     opportunity of receiving  
some instruction from an ingenious young
     woman whose parents lived in the   

same house with us4 ,but the time       
wanted for spending a few hours together
 could only be obtained by     our      
meeting at daybreak1 because by the time
 of the family's rising     at seven1 ,i
 was obliged to be at my daily business4
 ,though ,i had     neither time nor    
means for producing anything immediately
 either for     show or use1 ,i was     
content with keeping samples of all     
possible     patterns in needlework1    
beads1 bugles1 horse-hair1 etc41 for ,i 
could     not help feeling troubled     
sometimes about my future destiny2 yet  
,i     could not bear the idea of being 
turned into an ,abigail or              
housemaid1 and thought that with the    
above and such like     acquirements1   
with a little notion of music1 ,i might 
obtain a place     as governess in some 
family where the want of a knowledge of 
,french     would be no objection4  ,a  
change was soon to come in her life too2
 her brother ,,william wrote to propose 
that she should join him at ,bath--     

4 4 4 to make the trial1 if1 by his     
instruction1 ,i might not become     a  
useful singer for his winter concerts   
and oratorios2 he advised my     brother
 ,,jacob to give me some lessons by way 
of beginning2 but that     if1 after a  
trial of two years1 we should not find  
it answer our     expectation1 he would 
bring me back again4 ,this at first     
seemed to     be agreeable to all       
parties1 but by the time ,i had set my  
heart upon     this change in my        
situation1 ,,jacob began to turn the    
whole scheme     into ridicule1 and1 of 
course1 he never heard the sound of my  
voice     except in speaking1 and yet ,i
 was left in the harassing uncertainty  
whether ,i was to go or not4 ,i resolved
 at last to prepare1 as far as     lay  
in my power1 for both cases1 by taking1 
in the first place1     every           
opportunity1 when all were from home1 to
 imitate1 with a gag     between my     
teeth1 the solo parts of concertos1     
shake and all1 such     as ,i had heard 

them play on the violin2 in consequence 
,i had gained     a tolerable execution 
before ,i knew how to sing4 ,i next     
began to     knit ruffles1 which were   
intended for my brother ,,william1 in   
case ,i     remained at home--else they 
were to be ,,jacob',s4 ,for my mother   
and     brother ,d4 ,i knitted as many  
cotton stockings as would last two      
years at least4  ,in ,august1 #aggb1 her
 brother arrived at ,hanover1 to take   
her back to ,england with him4 ,the     
journey to ,london was made between     
,august #afth and #bfth1 and soon after 
they went together to ,,herschel',s     
house1 ,no4 #g ,new ,king's ,street1    
,bath4  ,,footnotes3  #a ,wife of ,major
 ,,john ,,herschel1 of the ,royal       
,engineers1 grandson of ,sir ,,william4 
#b ,page #abg4  #c ,memoir of ,,carolina
 ,,herschel1 p4 #aj4 ,sir ,,george      
,,airy1 ,astronomer ,royal1 relates in  
the ,academy that this removal was a    
desertion1 as he was told by the ,duke  
of ,sussex that on the first visit of   

,,herschel to the king1 after the       
discovery of the ,georgium ,sidus1 the  
pardon of ,,herschel was handed to him  
by the king himself1 written out in due 
form4  #d ,f,,tis2 ,biographie          
universelle des musiciens1 tome ,v4     
7#ahci7 p4 #ada4  #e ,dr4 ,,miller1 a   
noted organist1 and afterwards historian
 of ,doncaster4  #f ,the ,doctor2 by    
,,robert ,,southey1 edition of #ahdh1 p4
 #adj4  #g ,he frequently gave          
thirty-five and thirty-eight lessons a  
week to pupils at this time4  #h        
,according to ,f,,tis4 ,a search for    
these in ,london has led me to the      
belief that ,f,,tis1 who is usually very
 accurate1 is here mistaken1 and that   
these writings are by ,,jacob           
,,herschel4  #i ,foreign ,quarterly     
,review1 volume #ca4                    
,,chapter ,,ii4                         
,,life ,,in ,,bath2 #aggb-aghb4   ,it   
was to a busy life in ,bath that        
,,herschel took his sister ,,carolina1  
then twenty-two years old4 ,she was a   

perfectly untried girl1 of very small   
accomplishments and outwardly with but  
little to attract4 ,the basis of her    
character was the possibility of an     
unchanging devotion to one object2 for  
the best years of her life this object  
was the happiness and success of her    
brother ,,william1 whom she profoundly  
loved4 ,her love was headstrong and full
 of a kind of obstinate pride1 which    
refused to see anything but the view she
 had adopted4 ,as long as her life      
continued to be with her dearest        
brother1 all was well with her4 ,she had
 a noble aim1 and her heart was more    
than full4 ,later on1 this very         
singleness of character brought her     
other years of wretchedness4 ,it is     
necessary to understand the almost      
spaniel-like allegiance she gave1 in    
order to comprehend the value which her 
services were to ,,herschel4 ,she       
supplied him with an aid which was      
utterly loyal1 entire1 and devoted4 ,her
 obedience was unquestioning1 her       

reverence amounted almost to adoration4 
,in their relation1 he gave everything  
in the way of incentive and initiative1 
and she returned her entire effort      
loyally4  ,at first her business was to 
gain a knowledge of the language1 and to
 perfect herself in singing1 so that she
 might become a soloist in the concerts 
and oratorios which he was constantly   
giving4  ,in the beginning it was not   
easy4      4 4 4 ,as the season for the 
arrival of visitors to the baths does   
not begin till ,october1 my brother had 
leisure to try my capacity for          
becoming a useful singer for his        
concerts and oratorios1 and being       
very well satisfied with my voice1 ,i   
had two or three lessons every     day1 
and the hours which were not spent at   
the harpsichord1 were     employed in   
putting me in the way of managing the   
family4 4 4 4     ,on the second        
morning1 on meeting my brother at       
breakfast1 he began     immediately to  
give me a lesson in ,english and        

arithmetic1 and     showed me the way of
 booking and keeping accounts of cash   
received     and laid out4 4 4 4 ,by way
 of relaxation we talked of astronomy   
and     the bright constellations with  
which ,i had made acquaintance during   
the fine nights we spent on the         
postwagen travelling through ,holland4  
,my brother ,,alexander1 who had been   
some time in ,england1 boarded     and  
lodged with his elder brother1 and1 with
 myself1 occupied the     attic4 ,the   
first floor1 which was furnished in the 
newest and most     handsome style1 my  
brother kept for himself4 ,the front    
room1     containing the harpsichord1   
was always in order to receive his      
musical friends and scholars at little  
private concerts or     rehearsals4 4 4 
4 ,sundays ,i received a sum for the    
weekly expenses1     of which my        
housekeeping book 7written in ,english7 
showed the amount     laid out1 and my  
purse the remaining cash4 ,one of the   
principal     things required was to    

market1 and about six weeks after coming
 to     ,england ,i was sent alone among
 fishwomen1 butchers1 basket-women1     
etc41 and ,i brought home whatever in my
 fright ,i could pick up4 4 4 4     ,my 
brother ,,alex41 who was now returned   
from his summer engagement1     used to 
watch me at a distance1 unknown to me1  
till he saw me safe     on my way home4 
,but all attempts to introduce any order
 in our     little household proved     
vain1 owing to the servant my brother   
then     had4 ,and what still further   
increased my difficulty was1 that my    
brother's time was entirely taken up    
with business1 so that ,i only     saw  
him at meals4 ,breakfast was at seven   
o'clock or before--much too     early   
for me1 who would rather have remained  
up all night than be     obliged to rise
 at so early an hour4 4 4 4      ,the   
three winter months passed on very      
heavily4 ,i had to struggle     against 
heimwehe 7home sickness7 and low        
spirits1 and to answer my     sister's  

melancholy letters on the death of her  
husband1 by which     she became a widow
 with six children4 ,i knew too little  
,english to     derive any consolation  
from the society of those who were about
 me1     so that1 dinner-time excepted1 
,i was entirely left to myself4  ,so the
 winter passed4      ,the time when ,i  
could hope to receive a little more of  
my brother's     instruction and        
attention was now drawing near2 for     
after ,easter1     ,bath becomes very   
empty1 only a few of his scholars1 whose
 families     were resident in the      
neighborhood1 remaining4 ,but ,i was    
greatly     disappointed2 for1 in       
consequence of the harassing and        
fatiguing     life he had led during the
 winter months1 he used to retire to bed
     with a basin of milk or glass of   
water1 and ,,smith',s ,harmonics and    
,optics1 ,,ferguson',s ,astronomy1 etc41
 and so went to sleep buried     under  
his favorite authors2 and his first     
thoughts on rising were     how to      

obtain instruments for viewing those    
objects himself of which     he had been
 reading4 ,there being in one of the    
shops a     two-and-a-half-foot         
,gregorian telescope to be let1 it was  
for some     time taken in requisition1 
and served not only for viewing the     
heavens1 but for making experiments on  
its construction4 4 4 4 ,it soon        
appeared that my brother was not        
contented with knowing what former      
observers had seen1 for he began to     
contrive a telescope eighteen or        
twenty feet long 7,i believe after      
,,huyghens' description74 4 4 4 ,i was  
much hindered in my musical practice by 
my help being continually     wanted in 
the execution of the various            
contrivances1 and ,i had to     amuse   
myself with making the tube of          
pasteboard for the glasses1     which   
were to arrive from ,london1 for at that
 time no optician had     settled at    
,bath4 ,but when all was finished1 no   
one besides my     brother could get a  

glimpse of ,jupiter or ,saturn1 for the 
great     length of the tube would not  
allow it to be kept in a straight line4 
,this difficulty1 however1 was soon     
removed by substituting tin     tubes4 4
 4 4 ,my brother wrote to inquire the   
price of a reflecting     mirror for 7,i
 believe7 a five or six foot telescope4 
,the answer was1     there were none of 
so large a size1 but a person offered to
 make one     at a price much above what
 my brother thought proper to give4 4 4 
4     ,about this time he bought of a   
,quaker1 resident at ,bath1 who had     
formerly made attempts at polishing     
mirrors1 all his rubbish of             
patterns1 tools1 hones1 polishers1      
unfinished mirrors1 etc41 but all       
for small ,gregorians1 and none above   
two or three inches diameter4      ,but 
nothing serious could be attempted1 for 
want of time1 till the     beginning of 
,june1 when some of my brother's        
scholars were leaving     ,bath2 and    
then1 to my sorrow1 ,i saw almost every 

room turned into a     workshop4 ,a     
cabinet-maker making a tube and stands  
of all     descriptions in a handsomely 
furnished drawing-room2 ,,alex4 putting 
up a huge turning machine 7which he had 
brought in the autumn from     ,bristol1
 where he used to spend the summer7 in a
 bedroom1 for     turning patterns1     
grinding glasses1 and turning           
eye-pieces1 etc4 ,at     the same time  
music durst not lie entirely dormant    
during the     summer1 and my brother   
had frequent rehearsals at home1 where  
,miss     ,,farinelli1 an ,italian      
singer1 was met by several of the       
principal     performers he had engaged 
for the winter concerts4  ,finally1 in  
#aggd1 he had made himself a ,gregorian 
telescope1#aj and had begun to view the 
heavens4 ,he was then thirty-six years  
old4  ,the writer in the ,european      
,magazine describes this period3        
,all this time he continued his         
astronomical observations1 and          
nothing now seemed wanting to complete  

his felicity1 but sufficient     leisure
 to enjoy his telescopes1 to which he   
was so much attached1     that at the   
theatre he used frequently to run from  
the harpsichord     to look at the      
stars1 during the time between the acts4
  ,in an extract from his ,journal ,no4 
#a1 now at the rooms of the ,royal      
,society1 may be seen a copy of his     
first observation of the ,nebula of     
,orion1 on ,march #d1 #aggd4 ,this was  
made with his five-and-a-half-foot      
,gregorian reflector4  ,it was at this  
time 7#agge71 between the acts of the   
theatre1 that he made his first review  
of the heavens1 with a ,newtonian       
telescope1 of an aperture of four and a 
half inches and a magnifying power of   
#bbb times4 ,this telescope was one of  
the first made by himself4 ,the review  
consisted of the examination of every   
star in the sky of the first1 second1   
third1 and fourth magnitudes1 and of all
 planets visible4 ,there are no records 
of these observations now extant1 and   

they are noteworthy only as a           
preparation for more serious work4  ,he 
was carrying out his resolve to see     
everything for himself4 ,his assiduity  
may be judged of by the fact that       
between #aggd and #agha ,,herschel had  
observed a single object--the ,nebula of
 ,orion--no less than fourteen times4   
,the success of his first telescopes    
incited him to new efforts4 ,his house  
became a complete atelier1 where        
everything that could tend to excellence
 in this manufacture was tried and      
re-tried a hundred different ways4 ,when
 a difficulty arose1 experiments were   
begun which continued till it was       
conquered4 ,when a success was gained1  
it was prosecuted to the utmost4  ,in   
#agge the first seven-foot reflector was
 made1 in #aggg a ten-foot was finished1
 in #aggh a very good ten-foot took its 
place4 ,it must not be thought that the 
telescopes mentioned were the only ones 
completed4 ,on the contrary1 they were  
but the best ones selected out of many4 

,in #aggd a new house had been engaged1 
which had more room for workshops1 and  
whose roof gave space for observing4    
,the grass-plat near it was soon        
utilized to hold the stand of a         
twenty-foot telescope1 which he had even
 then projected4 ,his projects were     
unending1 no success was final2 his mind
 was at the height of activity2 his     
whole effort was thrown into every      
undertaking4  ,the mirrors for all these
 telescopes were made by hand4 ,every   
portion of the grinding down to rough   
dimensions1 the shaping to something    
near the correct form1 the polishing    
till the accurately exact curves were   
obtained1 all this must be done by hand4
 ,the machines for the purpose were not 
invented until #aghh4aa  ,,alexander and
 ,,william worked together at this1 but 
most of the work was done by the latter4
 ,the sister's part was to attend in the
 workshop and lend a hand wherever and  
whenever it was needed4      4 4 4 ,my  
time was taken up with copying music and

 practising1 besides     attendance on  
my brother when polishing1 since by way 
of keeping him     alive ,i was         
constantly obliged to feed him by       
putting the victuals by     bits into   
his mouth4 ,this was once the case when1
 in order to finish     a seven-foot    
mirror1 he had not taken his hands from 
it for sixteen     hours together4 ,in  
general he was never unemployed at      
meals1 but was     always at those times
 contriving or making drawings of       
whatever     came in his mind4          
,generally ,i was obliged to read to him
 whilst     he was at the turning-lathe1
 or polishing mirrors1 ,don ,quixote1   
,arabian ,nights' ,entertainment1 the   
novels of ,,sterne1 ,,fielding1         
etc42 serving tea and supper without    
interrupting the work with     which he 
was engaged1 4 4 4 and sometimes lending
 a hand4 ,i became1     in time1 as     
useful a member of the workshop as a boy
 might be to     his master in the first
 year of his apprenticeship4 4 4 4 ,but 

as     ,i was to take a part the next   
year in the oratorios1 ,i had1 for a    
whole twelvemonth1 two lessons per week 
from ,miss ,,fleming1 the     celebrated
 dancing-mistress1 to drill me for a    
gentlewoman 7,god     knows how she     
succeeded74 ,so we lived on without     
interruption4     ,my brother ,,alex4   
was absent from ,bath for some months   
every summer1     but when at home he   
took much pleasure in executing some    
turning or     clockmaker's work for his
 brother4  ,news from ,hanover put a    
sudden stop1 for a time1 to all these   
labors4 ,the mother wrote1 in the utmost
 distress1 to say that ,,dietrich had   
disappeared from his home1 it was       
supposed with the intention of going to 
,india with a young idler not older than
 himself4 ,his brother immediately left 
the lathe at which he was turning an    
eye-piece in cocoa-nut1 and started for 
,holland1 whence he proceeded to        
,hanover1 failing to meet his brother1  
as he expected4 ,meanwhile the sister   

received a letter to say that ,,dietrich
 was laid up very ill at an inn in      
,wapping4 ,,alexander posted to town1   
removed him to a lodging1 and1 after a  
fortnight's nursing1 brought him to     
,bath1 where1 on his brother            
,,william',s return1 he found him being 
well cared for by his sister4  ,about   
this time another change was made to the
 house #ai ,new ,king ,street1 which was
 the last move in ,bath4 ,it was here   
that the ,georgium ,sidus was           
discovered4  ,the music still went on4  
,the oratorios of the ,messiah1 ,judas  
,maccabeus1 and ,samson were to be      
performed under ,,herschel',s direction1
 with an orchestra of nearly one hundred
 pieces4 ,the scores and vocal parts of 
these ,,carolina copied with her own    
hands1 and the soprani were instructed  
by her1 she being the leading soloist4  
,along with the music went the          
astronomy4 ,not only were new telescopes
 made1 but they were made for immediate 
use4  ,the variable star ,mira ,ceti was

 observed1 and a long series of lunar   
observations begun4      ,in #aggi1     
#aghj1 and #agha ,i measured the heights
 of about one hundred     mountains of  
the moon1 by three different methods4   
,some of these observations are given in
 ,philosophical     ,transactions1 vol4 
,,lxx41 but most remain uncalculated in 
my journal     till some proper         
opportunity4#ab  ,while ,,herschel was  
measuring these lunar mountains1 in     
,december1 #aggi1 he made by chance an  
acquaintance of much value to him4 ,dr4 
,,william ,,watson1 a ,fellow of the    
,royal ,society1 distinguished for his  
researches in electricity1 happened to  
see him at his telescope1 and this led  
to a visit and an invitation to         
,,herschel to join the ,philosophical   
,society of ,bath1 then forming4 ,this  
he gladly did1 and it was of use to him 
in many ways4  ,he there formed         
acquaintance with men of his own way of 
thinking1 and he himself became known4  
,better than all1 he learned to measure 

himself with other men1 and by his early
 papers read to the ,society1 he gained 
skill in putting his thoughts before his
 hearers4 ,this skill he never lost1 and
 the merely literary art of his memoirs 
would make his papers remarkable without
 their other merits4 ,he is always      
clear1 and in his early papers          
especially1 he appeals to his particular
 audience--the ,royal ,society--in a way
 which shows that he is conscious of all
 its weaknesses as well as of its       
dignity4 ,later1 his tone slightly      
changed4 ,he became less anxious to win 
his audience1 for he had become an      
authority4 ,this knowledge lent a quiet 
strength to his style1 but never induced
 the slightest arrogance of spirit or   
manner4  ,the ,bath ,philosophical      
,society has left no printed            
proceedings4 ,,herschel was one of its  
earliest members1 and many papers were  
communicated to it by his hand4 ,these  
appear to have been of a very           
miscellaneous nature4 ,some of them at  

least would be of the highest interest  
to us now4  ,in the ,philosophical      
,transactions for #aghi1 p4 #bbj1       
,,herschel tells us that he communicated
 to that ,society certain mathematical  
papers relating to central forces other 
than the force of gravity1 which are or 
may be concerned in the construction of 
the sidereal heavens4 ,this early idea  
was still entertained by ,,herschel in  
#aghi1 and the mathematical papers      
referred to must be contained in the    
,minutes of the ,society1 which on its  
dissolution were torn from the          
,minute-book and returned to the        
writers4  ,the earliest published       
writing of ,,herschel is the answer to  
the prize question in the ,ladies'      
,diary for #aggi1 proposed by the       
celebrated ,,landen1 namely3      ,the  
length1 tension1 and weight of a musical
 string being given1     it is required 
to find how many vibrations it will make
 in a given     time1 when a small given
 weight is fastened to its middle and   

vibrates with it4  ,in the              
,philosophical ,transactions of the     
,royal ,society for #aghj1 are two      
papers of his4 ,the title of the first  
is1 ,astronomical ,observations on the  
,periodical ,star in ,collo ,ceti1 by   
,mr4 ,,william ,,herschel1 of ,bath4    
,this was communicated to the ,society  
by ,dr4 ,,william ,,watson1 ,jr41 and   
was read ,may #aa1 #aghj1 at the same   
time as the other paper on the mountains
 of the moon4 ,it is to be noted that   
,,herschel was at this time plain ,mr4  
,,william ,,herschel1 of ,bath4 ,it was 
only in #aghf that he became ,dr4       
,,herschel1 through the ,oxford degree  
of ,,ll4,d4  ,neither of these two      
papers is specially remarkable on its   
purely astronomical side4 ,the problems 
examined were such as lay open before   
all1 and the treatment of them was such 
as would naturally be suggested4  ,the  
second of these two contained1 however1 
a short description of his ,newtonian   
telescope1 and he speaks of it with a   

just pride3 ,i believe that for         
distinctness of vision this instrument  
is perhaps equal to any that was ever   
made4 ,he was1 at least1 certain of     
having obtained excellence in the making
 of his instruments4  ,in his next      
paper1 however1 read ,january #aa1      
#agha1 a subject is approached which    
shows a different kind of thought4 ,it  
is the first obvious proof of the truth 
of the statement which he made long     
afterwards 7#ahaa71 when he said3 ,a    
knowledge of the construction of the    
heavens has always been the ultimate    
object of my observations4  ,the title  
of this paper was ,astronomical         
,observations on the ,rotation of the   
,planets round their ,axes1 made with a 
view to determine whether the ,earth's  
diurnal motion is perfectly equable4    
,here the question is a difficult and a 
remote one1 and the method adopted for  
its solution is perfectly suitable in   
principle4 ,it marks a step onward from 
mere observations to philosophizing upon

 their results4 ,in practical astronomy1
 too1 we note an advance4 ,not only are 
his results given1 but also careful     
estimates of the errors to be feared in 
them1 and a discussion of the sources of
 such errors4 ,the same volume of the   
,philosophical ,transactions which      
contains this paper1 also contains      
another1 ,account of a ,comet1 read     
,april #bf1 #agha4 ,this comet was the  
major planet ,uranus1 or1 as ,,herschel 
named it1 ,georgium ,sidus4 ,he had     
found it on the night of ,tuesday1      
,march #ac1 #agha4 ,in examining the    
small stars in the neighborhood of ,h   
,geminorum1 ,i perceived one that       
appeared visibly larger than the rest2  
being struck with its uncommon          
appearance1 ,i compared it to ,h        
,geminorum and the small star in the    
quartile between ,auriga and ,gemini1   
and finding it so much larger than      
either of them1 ,i suspected it to be a 
comet4 ,the comet was observed over all 
,europe4 ,its orbit was computed by     

various astronomers1 and its distance   
from the sun was found to be nineteen   
times that of our earth4 ,this was no   
comet1 but a new major planet4 ,the     
discovery of the amateur astronomer of  
,bath was the most striking since the   
invention of the telescope4 ,it had     
absolutely no parallel1 for every other 
major planet had been known from time   
immemorial4#ac  ,the effect of the      
discoveries of ,,galileo was felt almost
 more in the moral than in the          
scientific world4 ,the mystic number of 
the planets was broken up by the        
introduction of four satellites to      
,jupiter4 ,that ,venus emulated the     
phases of our moon1 overthrew           
superstition and seated the ,copernican 
theory firmly4 ,the discovery of an     
innumerable multitude of fixed stars in 
the ,milky ,way confounded the received 
ideas4 ,this was the great mission of   
the telescope in ,,galileo',s hands4    
,the epoch of mere astronomical         
discovery began with the detection of   

the large satellite of ,saturn by       
,,huyghens1 in #afee4 ,even then        
superstition was not dead4 ,,huyghens   
did not search for more moons1 because  
by that discovery he had raised the     
number of known satellites to six1#ad   
and because these1 with the six planets1
 made the perfect number twelve4  ,from 
#afga to #afhd ,,cassini discovered four
 more moons revolving about ,saturn4    
,since #afhd no new body had been added 
to the solar system4 ,it was thought    
complete for nearly a century4  ,in     
,england1 the remarkable discoveries of 
,,bradley 7#agbg-fb7 had been in the    
field of practical astronomy1 and his   
example had set the key-note for further
 researches4 ,france was just about     
beginning the brilliant period of her   
discoveries in mathematical astronomy1  
and had no observatory devoted to       
investigations like ,,herschel',s1 with 
the possible exception of ,,darquier',s 
and ,,flaugergues'4 ,the observatories  
of ,,schroeter and ,,von ,,hahn1 in     

,germany1 were not yet active4 ,the     
field which ,,herschel was created to   
fill was vacant1 the whole world over4  
,it was especially so in ,england4 ,the 
,royal ,observatory at ,greenwich1 under
 ,,maskelyne1 a skilful observer1 whose 
work was mostly confined to meridian    
observations1 was no rival to a private 
observatory like ,,herschel',s4 ,the    
private observatories themselves were   
but small affairs2 those of the king1 at
 ,kew1 of ,dr4 ,,wilson1 at ,glasgow1 of
 ,mr4 ,,aubert1 at ,loampit ,hill1 of   
the ,count ,,von ,,bruhl1 in ,london1   
being perhaps the most important4 ,the  
whole field was open4 ,what was perhaps 
more remarkable1 there was in ,england1 
during ,,herschel',s lifetime1 no       
astronomer1 public or private1 whose    
talents1 even as an observer1 lay in the
 same direction4  ,it hardly need be    
said that as a philosopher in his       
science1 he had then no rival1 as he has
 had none since4 ,his only associates   
even1 were ,,michell and ,,wilson4#ae   

,without depreciating the abilities of  
the astronomers of ,england1 his        
cotemporaries1 we may fairly say that   
,,herschel stood a great man among a    
group of small ones4  ,let us endeavor  
to appreciate the change effected in the
 state of astronomy not only in ,england
 but in the whole world1 simply by the  
discovery of ,uranus4 ,suppose1 for     
example1 that the last planet in our    
system had been ,saturn4 ,no doubt      
,,herschel would have gone on4 ,in spite
 of one and another difficulty1 he would
 have made his ten-foot1 his twenty-foot
 telescopes4 ,his forty-foot would never
 have been built1 and the two satellites
 which he found with it might not have  
been discovered4 ,certainly ,mimas would
 not have been4 ,his researches on the  
construction of the heavens would have  
been made2 those were in his brain1 and 
must have been ultimated4 ,the mass of  
observations of ,saturn1 of ,jupiter1 of
 ,mars1 of ,venus1 would have been made 
and published4 ,the researches on the   

sun1 on the invisible rays of heat1 on  
comets and nebul--all these might have  
been made1 printed1 and read4  ,but     
these would have gone into the          
,philosophical ,transactions as the work
 of an amateur astronomer1 ,mr4         
,,herschel1 of ,bath4 ,they would have  
been praised1 and they would have been  
doubted4 ,it would have taken a whole   
generation to have appreciated them4    
,they would have been severely tried1   
entirely on their merits1 and finally   
they would have stood where they stand  
to-day--unrivalled4 ,but through what   
increased labors these successes would  
have been gained6 ,it is not merely that
 the patronage of the king1 the         
subsidies for the forty-foot telescope  
7#d1jjj71 the comparative ease of       
,,herschel',s life would have been      
lacking4 ,it is more than this4 ,it     
would have been necessary for him to    
have created the audience to which he   
appealed1 and to have conquered the most
 persistent of enemies--indifference4   

,certainly1 if ,,herschel',s mind had   
been other than it was1 the discovery of
 ,uranus1 which brought him honors from 
every scientific society in the world1  
and which gave him authority1 might have
 had a hurtful effect4 ,but1 as he was1 
there was nothing which could have aided
 his career more than this startling    
discovery4 ,it was needed for him4 ,it  
completed the solar system far more by  
affording a free play to a profoundly   
philosophical mind1 than by occupying   
the vacant spaces beyond ,saturn4  ,his 
opportunities would have been profoundly
 modified1 though his personal worth    
would have been the same4      ,the     
,star that from the zenith darts its    
beams1     ,visible though it be to half
 the earth1     ,though half a sphere be
 conscious of its brightness1     ,is   
yet of no diviner origin1     ,no purer 
essence1 than the ,one that burns       
,like an untended watchfire1 on the     
ridge     ,of some dark mountain2 or    
than those that seem     ,humbly to     

hang1 like twinkling winter lamps1      
,among the branches of the leafless     
trees4  ,to show how completely unknown 
the private astronomer of ,bath was at  
this time1 ,i transcribe a sentence from
 ,,bode',s account of the discovery of  
,uranus4      ,in the ,gazette          
,littraire of ,june1 #agha1 this worthy 
man is     called ,,mersthel2 in        
,,julius' ,journal ,encyclopdique1      
,,hertschel2     in a letter from ,mr4  
,,maskelyne to ,m4 ,,messier1 ,,herthel2
 in another     letter of ,,maskelyne',s
 to ,herr ,,mayer1 at ,mannheim1        
,,herrschell2 ,m4     ,,darquier calls  
him ,,hermstel4 ,what may his name be8  
,he must have been     born a           
,german4#af  ,this obscurity did not    
long continue4 ,the news spread quickly 
from fashionable ,bath to ,london4 ,on  
the #fth of ,december1 #agha1 ,,herschel
 was elected a ,fellow of the ,royal    
,society1 to which he was formally      
admitted ,may #cj1 #aghb4 ,he was       
forty-three years old4  ,he also        

received the ,copley medal in #agha for 
his discovery of a new and singular     
star4#ag      4 4 4 ,he was now         
frequently interrupted by visitors who  
were     introduced by some of his      
resident scholars1 among whom ,i        
remember     ,sir ,,harry ,,engelfield1 
,dr4 ,,blagden1 and ,dr4 ,,maskelyne4   
,with the     latter he was engaged in a
 long conversation1 which to me sounded 
like quarrelling1 and the first words my
 brother said after he was     gone     
were3 ',that is a devil of a fellow4'4 4
 4      ,i suppose their names were     
often not known1 or were forgotten2 for 
it was not till the year #aghb or #aghc 
that a memorandum of the names     of   
visitors was thought of44 4 4 ,my       
brother now applied himself to          
perfect his mirrors1 erecting in his    
garden a stand for his     twenty-foot  
telescope2 many trials were necessary   
before the     required motions for such
 an unwieldy machine could be contrived4
     ,many attempts were made by way of 

experiment before an intended           
thirty-foot telescope could be          
completed1 for which1 between whiles    
7not interrupting the observations with 
seven1 ten1 and twenty-foot1     and    
writing papers for both the ,royal and  
,bath ,philosophical     ,societies71   
gauges1 shapes1 weight1 etc41 of the    
mirror were     calculated1 and trials  
of the composition of the metal were    
made4 ,in     short1 ,i saw nothing else
 and heard nothing else talked of but   
these     things when my brothers were  
together4 ,,alex4 was always very alert1
     assisting when anything new was    
going forward1 but he wanted            
perseverance1 and never liked to confine
 himself at home for many     hours     
together4 ,and so it happened that my   
brother ,,william was     obliged to    
make trial of my abilities in copying   
for him catalogues1     tables1 etc41   
and sometimes whole papers which were   
lent him for his     perusal4 ,among    
them was one by ,mr4 ,,michell and a    

catalogue of     ,,christian ,,mayer1 in
 ,latin1 which kept me employed when my 
brother     was at the telescope at     
night4 ,when ,i found that a hand was   
sometimes wanted when any particular    
measures were to be made with     the   
lamp micrometer1 etc41 or a fire to be  
kept up1 or a dish of     coffee        
necessary during a long night's         
watching1 ,i undertook with     pleasure
 what others might have thought a       
hardship4 4 4 4 ,since the     discovery
 of the ,georgium ,sidus ,march #ac1    
#agha1 ,i believe few     men of        
learning or consequence left ,bath      
before they had seen and     conversed  
with its discoverer1 and thought        
themselves fortunate in     finding him 
at home on their repeated visits4 ,sir  
,,william ,,watson was     almost an    
intimate1 for hardly a day passed but he
 had something to     communicate from  
the letters which he received from ,sir 
,,joseph     ,,banks1 and other members 
of the ,royal ,society1 from which it   

appeared that my brother was expected in
 town to receive the gold     medal4    
,the end of ,november was the most      
precarious season for     absenting     
himself4 ,but ,sir ,,william ,,watson   
went with him1 and it was     arranged  
so that they set out with the diligence 
at night1 and by     that means his     
absence did not last above three or four
 days1 when     my brother returned     
alone1 ,sir ,,william remaining with his
 father4      ,now a very busy winter   
was commencing2 for my brother had      
engaged     himself to conduct the      
oratorios conjointly with ,,ronzini1 and
 had     made himself answerable for the
 payment of the engaged performers1     
for his credit ever stood high in the   
opinion of every one he had to     deal 
with4 7,he lost considerably by this    
arrangement47 ,but1 though     at times 
much harassed with business1 the mirror 
for the thirty-foot     reflector was   
never out of his mind1 and if a minute  
could but be     spared in going from   

one scholar to another1 or giving one   
the slip1     he called at home to see  
how the men went on with the furnace1   
which     was built in a room below1    
even with the garden4      ,the mirror  
was to be cast in a mould of loam1 of   
which an immense     quantity was to be 
pounded in a mortar and sifted through a
 fine     sieve4 ,it was an endless     
piece of work1 and served me for many an
     hour's exercise2 and ,,alex4       
frequently took his turn at it1 for we  
were all eager to do something towards  
the great undertaking4 ,even     ,sir   
,,william ,,watson would sometimes take 
the pestle from me when he     found me 
in the work-room1 where he expected to  
find his friend1 in     whose concerns  
he took so much interest that he felt   
much     disappointed at not being      
allowed to pay for the metal4 ,but ,i do
 not     think my brother ever accepted 
pecuniary assistance from any one of    
his friends1 and on this occasion he    
declined the offer by saying it     was 

paid for already4      ,among the ,bath 
visitors were many philosophical        
gentlemen who used     to frequent the  
leves at ,st4 ,james's1 when in town4   
,colonel ,,walsh1     in particular1    
informed my brother that from a         
conversation he had     had with ,his   
,majesty1 it appeared that in the spring
 he was to come     with his seven-foot 
telescope to the king4 ,similar reports 
he     received from many others1 but   
they made no great impression nor       
caused any interruption in his          
occupation or study1 and as soon as     
the season for the concerts was over1   
and the mould1 etc41 in     readiness1 a
 day was set apart for casting1 and the 
metal was in the     furnace4           
,unfortunately it began to leak at the  
moment when ready for     pouring1 and  
both my brothers and the caster1 with   
his men1 were     obliged to run out at 
opposite doors1 for the stone flooring  
7which     ought to have been taken up7 
flew about in all directions as high as 

the ceiling4 ,before the second casting 
was attempted1 everything     which     
could insure success had been attended  
to1 and a very perfect     metal was    
found in the mould4      ,but a total   
stop and derangement now took place1 and
 nearly six or     seven months elapsed 
before my brother could return to the   
undisturbed enjoyment of his instruments
 and observations4 ,for one     morning 
in ,passion ,week1 as ,sir ,,william    
,,watson was with my brother1           
talking about the pending journey to    
town1 my eldest nephew arrived     to   
pay us a visit1 and brought the         
confirmation that his uncle was         
expected with his instrument in town4 4 
4 4 ,we had not one night in     the    
week1 except ,friday1 but what was set  
apart for an oratorio either     at     
,bath or ,bristol4 ,soon after ,easter1 
a new organ being erected in     ,st4   
,james's ,church1 it was opened with two
 performances of the     ',messiah2'    
this again took up some of my brother's 

time44 4 4  ,in ,may of #aghb ,,herschel
 went to ,london4      ,but when almost 
double the time had elapsed which my    
brother could     safely be absent from 
his scholars1 ,,alex41 as well as       
myself1 were     much at a loss how to  
answer their inquiries1 for1 from the   
letters     we received1 we could learn 
nothing but that he had been introduced 
to the king and queen1 and had          
permission to come to the concerts at   
,buckingham ,house1 where the king      
conversed with him about     astronomy4 
,it was during his absence at this time 
that the three following letters were   
written and received3      ,,dear       
,,lina3--      ,i have had an audience  
of ,his ,majesty this morning1 and met  
with a     very gracious reception4 ,i  
presented him with the drawing of the   
solar system1 and had the honor of      
explaining it to him and the     queen4 
,my telescope is in three weeks' time to
 go to ,richmond1 and     meanwhile to  
be put up at ,greenwich1 where ,i shall 

accordingly carry     it to-day4 ,so you
 see1 ,,lina1 that you must not think of
 seeing me in     less than a month4 ,i 
shall write to ,miss ,,lee myself2 and  
other     scholars who inquire for me1  
you may tell that ,i cannot wait on them
     till ,his ,majesty shall be pleased
 to give me leave to return1 or         
rather to dismiss me1 for till then ,i  
must attend4 ,i will also write     to  
,mr4 ,,palmer to acquaint him with it4  
,i am in a great hurry1 therefore can   
write no more at present4     ,tell     
,,alexander that everything looks very  
likely as if ,i were to stay     here4  
,the king inquired after him1 and after 
my great speculum4 ,he     also gave me 
leave to come to hear the ,,griesbachs  
play at the     private concert which he
 has every evening4 ,my having seen the 
king     need not be kept a secret1 but 
about my staying here it will be best   
not to say anything1 but only that ,i   
must remain here till ,his     ,majesty 
has observed the planets with my        

telescope4      ,yesterday ,i dined with
 ,colonel ,,walsh1 who inquired after   
you4 ,there     were ,mr4 ,,aubert and  
,dr4 ,,maskelyne4 ,dr4 ,,maskelyne in   
public declared     his obligations to  
me for having introduced to them the    
high powers1     for ,mr4 ,,aubert has  
so much succeeded with them that he says
 he looks     down upon #bjj1 #cjj1 or  
#djj with contempt1 and immediately     
begins     with #hjj4 ,he has used      
#b1ejj very completely1 and seen my fine
 double     stars with them4 ,all my    
papers are printing1 with the postscript
 and     all1 and are allowed to be very
 valuable4 ,you see1 ,,lina1 ,i tell you
     all these things4 ,you know vanity 
is not my foible1 therefore ,i need     
not fear your censure4 ,farewell4       
,i am1 your affectionate brother1       
,,wm4 ,,herschel4       ,saturday       
,morning1           probably ,may #be1  
#aghb4                      ,,to ,,miss 
,,herschel4                             
,monday ,evening1 ,june #c1 #aghb4      

,,dear ,,lina3--      ,i pass my time   
between ,greenwich and ,london agreeably
 enough1     but am rather at a loss for
 work that ,i like4 ,company is not     
always     pleasing1 and ,i would much  
rather be polishing a speculum4 ,last   
,friday ,i was at the king's concert to 
hear ,,george play4 ,the king     spoke 
to me as soon as he saw me1 and kept me 
in conversation for     half an hour4   
,he asked ,,george to play a            
solo-concerto on purpose     that ,i    
might hear him2 and ,,george plays      
extremely well1 is very much            
improved1 and the king likes him very   
much4 ,these two last nights ,i     have
 been star-gazing at ,greenwich with    
,dr4 ,,maskelyne and ,mr4     ,,aubert4 
,we have compared our telescopes        
together1 and mine was found     very   
superior to any of the ,royal           
,observatory4 ,double stars which       
they could not see with their           
instruments ,i had the pleasure to show 
them very plainly1 and my mechanism is  

so much approved of that     ,dr4       
,,maskelyne has already ordered a model 
to be taken from mine1     and a stand  
to be made by it to his reflector4 ,he  
is1 however1 now     so much out of love
 with his instrument that he begins to  
doubt     whether it deserves a new     
stand4      ,i am introduced to the best
 company4 ,to-morrow ,i dine at ,lord   
,,palmerston',s1 next day with ,sir     
,,joseph ,,banks1 etc41 etc4 ,among     
opticians and astronomers nothing now is
 talked of but what they     call my    
great discoveries4 ,alas6 this shows how
 far they are     behind1 when such     
trifles as ,i have seen and done are    
called     great4 ,let me but get at it 
again6 ,i will make such telescopes1    
and see such things--that is1 ,i will   
endeavor to do so4                      
,,to ,,miss ,,herschel4                 
,july #c1 #aghb4      ,,dear            
,,carolina3--      ,i have been so much 
employed that you will not wonder at my 
not     writing sooner4 ,the letter you 

sent me last ,monday came very safe to  
me4 ,as ,dr4 ,,watson has been so good  
as to acquaint you and ,,alexander      
with my situation1 ,i was still more    
easy in my silence to you4 ,last        
night the ,king1 the ,queen1 the ,prince
 of ,wales1 the ,princess ,royal1       
,princess ,,sophia1 ,princess ,,augusta1
 etc41 ,duke of ,,montague1 ,dr4        
,,heberden1 ,m4 ,,de ,,luc1 etc41 etc41 
saw my telescope1 and it was a very     
fine evening4 ,my instrument gave       
general satisfaction4 ,the king has     
very good eyes1 and enjoys observations 
with telescopes exceedingly4      ,this 
evening1 as the king and queen are gone 
to ,kew1 the princesses     were        
desirous of seeing my telescope1 but    
wanted to know if it was     possible to
 see without going out on the grass1 and
 were much     pleased when they heard  
that my telescope could be carried into 
any     place they liked best to have   
it4 ,about eight o'clock it was moved   
into the queen's apartments1 and we     

waited some time in hopes of     seeing 
,jupiter or ,saturn4 ,meanwhile ,i      
showed the princesses1 and     several  
other ladies who were present1 the      
speculum1 the     micrometers1 the      
movements of the telescopes1 and other  
things that     seemed to excite their  
curiosity4 ,when the evening appeared to
 be     totally unpromising1 ,i proposed
 an artificial ,saturn as an object1    
since we could not have the real one4 ,i
 had beforehand prepared this     little
 piece1 as ,i guessed by the appearance 
of the weather in the     afternoon we  
should have no stars to look at4 ,this  
being accepted     with great pleasure1 
,i had the lamps lighted up which       
illuminated     the picture of a ,saturn
 7cut out in pasteboard7 at the bottom  
of     the garden wall4 ,the effect was 
fine1 and so natural that the best      
astronomer might have been deceived4    
,their royal highnesses and     other   
ladies seemed to be much pleased with   
the artifice4      ,i remained in the   

queen's apartment with the ladies till  
about half     after ten2 when in       
conversation with them ,i found them    
extremely     well instructed in every  
subject that was introduced1 and they   
seemed to be most amiable characters4   
,to-morrow evening they hope to     have
 better luck1 and nothing will give me  
greater happiness than to     be able to
 show them some of those beautiful      
objects with which the     heavens are  
so gloriously ornamented4  ,,carolina',s
 diary goes on3      ,sir ,,william     
,,watson returned to ,bath after a      
fort-night or three     weeks' stay4    
,from him we heard that my brother was  
invited to     ,greenwich with the      
telescope1 where he was met by a        
numerous party     of astronomical and  
learned gentlemen1 and trials of his    
instrument     were made4 ,in these     
letters he complained of being obliged  
to lead     an idle life1 having nothing
 to do but to pass between ,london and  
,greenwich4 ,sir ,,william received many

 letters1 which he was so kind     as to
 communicate to us4 ,by these1 and from 
those to ,,alexander or to     me1 we   
learned that the king wished to see the 
telescope at ,windsor4     ,at last a   
letter1 dated ,july #b1 arrived from    
,,therese1 and from this     and several
 succeeding ones we gathered that the   
king would not     suffer my brother to 
return to his profession again1 and by  
his     writing several times for a     
supply of money we could only suppose   
that he himself was in uncertainty about
 the time of his return4      ,in the   
last week of ,july my brother came home1
 and immediately     prepared for       
removing to ,datchet1 where he had taken
 a house with a     garden and          
grass-plat annexed1 quite suitable for  
the purpose of an     observing-place4  
,sir ,,william ,,watson spent nearly the
 whole time at     our house1 and he was
 not the only friend who truly grieved  
at my     brother's going from ,bath2 or
 feared his having perhaps agreed to no 

very advantageous offers2 their fears   
were1 in fact1 not without     reason4 4
 4 4 ,the prospect of entering again on 
the toils of teaching1     etc41 which  
awaited my brother at home 7the months  
of leisure being     now almost gone    
by71 appeared to him an intolerable     
waste of time1     and by way of        
alternative he chose to be royal        
astronomer1 with a     salary of #bjj a 
year4 ,sir ,,william ,,watson was the   
only one to whom     the sum was        
mentioned1 and he exclaimed1 ',never    
bought monarch honor     so cheap6' ,to 
every other inquirer1 my brother's      
answer was that the     king had        
provided for him4  ,on the #ast of      
,august1 #aghb1 the family removed to   
,datchet4 ,the last musical duty was    
performed on ,whit-,sunday1 #aghb1 in   
,st4 ,margaret's ,chapel1 ,bath1 when   
the anthem for the day was of           
,,herschel',s own composition4  ,the end
 of the introductory epoch of his life  
is reached4 ,henceforth he lived in his 

observatory1 and from his forty-fourth  
year onwards he only left it for short  
periods to go to ,london to submit his  
classic memoirs to the ,royal ,society4 
,even for these occasions he chose      
periods of moonlight1 when no           
observations could be made4  ,he was a  
private man no longer4 ,henceforth he   
belongs to the whole world4             
,,footnotes3  #aj ,probably on the model
 of one of ,,short',s ,gregorian        
telescopes1 which were then the best    
instruments of the kind4  #aa ,for a    
description of the main points of       
,,herschel',s processes of making       
reflectors1 which will illustrate his   
strong mechanical talents1 see          
,encyclopdia ,britannica1 eighth        
edition1 article ,telescope4  #ab ,these
 have never been published1 nor is it   
likely at this day1 when our measuring  
instruments are so greatly improved1    
that they would be of any material value
 to science1 although of interest as    
giving the proofs of ,,herschel',s      

assiduity and skill4 ,he was always more
 than the maker of telescopes1 for he   
was never content until they were       
applied to the problems of astronomy4   
#ac ,,arago has implied that if         
,,herschel had directed his telescope to
 ,uranus only eleven days earlier than  
he did1 this discovery would have       
escaped him1 since at that time 7,march 
#b1 #agha7 the planet was at its        
station1 and had no motion relative to  
the star4 ,this is an entire            
misconception1 since the new planet was 
detected by its physical appearance1 and
 not by its motion4 ,does any one       
suppose that a new and singular star    
like this would have been once viewed   
and then forgotten8  #ad ,four of       
,jupiter1 one of the earth1 and one of  
,saturn4  #ae ,,john ,,michell had been 
a member of the ,royal ,society since   
#agfj3 he died in #agic4 ,he was a      
philosophical thinker1 as is shown by   
his memoirs on the distances of the     
stars1 and by his invention of the      

method for determining the earth's      
density4 ,it is not certain that he was 
personally known to ,,herschel1 although
 his writings were familiar to the      
latter4  ,,alexander ,,wilson was       
,professor of ,astronomy at ,glasgow1   
and is chiefly known to us by his theory
 of the nature of the solar spots1 which
 was adopted and enlarged by ,,herschel4
 ,he died in #aghf2 but the families of 
,,wilson and ,,herschel remained close  
friends4  #af ,berliner ,jahrbuch1      
#aghd1 p4 #baa4 ,in the ,connaissance   
des ,tems for #aghd he is called        
,,horochelle4  #ag ,at the presentation 
,sir ,,joseph ,,banks1 the ,president of
 the ,royal ,society1 said3 ,in the name
 of the ,royal ,society ,i present to   
you this gold medal1 the reward which   
they have assigned to your successful   
labors1 and ,i exhort you to continue   
diligently to cultivate those fields of 
science which have produced to you a    
harvest of so much honor4 ,your         
attention to the improvement of         

telescopes has already amply repaid the 
labor which you have bestowed upon them2
 but the treasures of the heavens are   
well known to be inexhaustible4 ,who can
 say but your new star1 which exceeds   
,saturn in its distance from the sun1   
may exceed him as much in magnificence  
of attendance8 ,who knows what new      
rings1 new satellites1 or what other    
nameless and numberless phenomena remain
 behind1 waiting to reward future       
industry and improvement8               
,,chapter ,,iii4              ,,life    
,,at ,,datchet1 ,,clay ,,hall1 ,,and    
,,slough2 #aghb-ahbb4   ,the new house  
at ,datchet1 which was occupied from    
#aghb till #aghe1 was a source of       
despair to ,,carolina ,,herschel1 who   
looked upon its desolate and isolated   
condition with a housekeeper's eyes4    
,this was nothing to her brother1 who   
gayly consented to live upon eggs and   
bacon1 now that he was free at last to  
mind the heavens4 ,the ruinous state of 
the place had no terrors in his eyes1   

for was there not a laundry which would 
serve as a library1 a large stable which
 was just the place for the grinding of 
mirrors1 and a grass-plat for the small 
twenty-foot reflector8  ,here they set  
to work at astronomy2 the brother with  
the twenty-foot1 the sister aiding him1 
and at odd times sweeping for comets4   
,in the course of her life she          
discovered no less than eight1 and five 
of these were first seen by her4        
99       99       99       99       99  
,in #aghg ,,herschel wrote his paper ,on
 three ,volcanoes in the ,moon1 which he
 had observed in ,april of that year4   
,in this he mentions previous           
observations of the same sort4 ,i do not
 remember that the following account of 
these has ever been put on record in    
,english4 ,baron ,,von ,,zach writes    
from ,london to ,,bode3#ah              
,probably you have heard also of the    
volcanoes in the moon1 which            
,,herschel has observed4 4 4 4 ,i will  
give you an account of it as ,i         

heard it from his own lips4 ,dr4 ,,lind1
 a worthy physician in ,windsor1     who
 has made himself known through his two 
journeys in ,china1 and     who is a    
friend of our ,,herschel',s1 was with   
his wife one evening on     a visit to  
,,herschel in ,datchet #aghc1 ,may #d4  
,on this evening there     was to be an 
occultation of a star at the moon's dark
 limb4 ,this was     observed by        
,,herschel and ,doctor ,,lind4 ,mrs4    
,,lind wished also to see     what was  
occurring1 and placed herself at a      
telescope and watched     attentively4  
,scarcely had the star disappeared      
before ,mrs4 ,,lind thought she saw     
it again1 and exclaimed that the star   
had gone in front of1 and not     behind
 the moon4 ,this provoked a short       
astronomical lecture on the             
question1 but still she would not credit
 it1 because she saw     differently4   
,finally ,,herschel stepped to the      
telescope1 and in fact     he saw a     
bright point on the dark disc of the    

moon1 which he     followed attentively4
 ,it gradually became fainter and       
finally     vanished44 4 4  ,the life at
 ,datchet was not free from its         
annoyances4      ,much of my brother's  
time was taken up in going1 when the    
evenings     were clear1 to the queen's 
lodge1 to show the king1 etc41 objects  
through the seven-foot4 ,but when the   
days began to shorten1 this was         
found impossible1 for the telescope was 
often 7at no small expense     and risk 
of damage7 obliged to be transported in 
the dark back to     ,datchet1 for the  
purpose of spending the rest of the     
night with     observations on double   
stars for a second catalogue4 ,my       
brother was1     besides1 obliged to be 
absent for a week or ten days1 for the  
purpose of bringing home the metal of   
the cracked thirty-foot     mirror1 and 
the remaining materials from his        
work-room4 ,before the     furnace was  
taken down at ,bath1 a second           
twenty-foot mirror1 twelve     inches   

diameter1 was cast1 which happened to be
 very fortunate1 for     on the #ast of 
,january1 #aghc1 a very fine one cracked
 by frost in the     tube4      4 4 4   
,in my brother's absence from home ,i   
was1 of course1 left alone     to amuse 
myself with my own thoughts1 which were 
anything but     cheerful4 ,i found ,i  
was to be trained for an assistant      
astronomer1     and1 by way of          
encouragement1 a telescope adapted for  
'sweeping1'     consisting of a tube    
with two glasses1 such as are commonly  
used in     a 'finder1' was given me4 ,i
 was 'to sweep for comets1' and ,i see1 
by     my journal1 that ,i began ,august
 #bb;d1 #aghb1 to write down and        
describe all remarkable appearances ,i  
saw in my 'sweeps1' which were          
horizontal4 ,but it was not till the    
last two months of the same year        
that ,i felt the least encouragement to 
spend the star-light nights     on a    
grass-plot covered with dew or          
hoar-frost1 without a human     being   

near enough to be within call4 ,i knew  
too little of the real     heavens to be
 able to point out every object so as to
 find it again1     without losing much 
time by consulting the ,atlas4 ,but all 
these     troubles were removed when ,i 
knew my brother to be at no great       
distance making observations1 with his  
various instruments1 on     double      
stars1 planets1 etc41 and when ,i could 
have his assistance     immediately if  
,i found a nebula or cluster of stars1  
of which ,i     intended to give a      
catalogue2 but1 at the end of #aghc1 ,i 
had only     marked fourteen1 when my   
sweeping was interrupted by being       
employed     to write down my brother's 
observations with the large twenty-foot4
     ,i had1 however1 the comfort to see
 that my brother was satisfied     with 
my endeavors to assist him when he      
wanted another person either     to run 
to the clocks1 write down a memorandum1 
fetch and carry     instruments1 or     
measure the ground with poles1 etc41    

etc41 of which     something of the kind
 every moment would occur4 ,for the     
assiduity     with which the            
measurements on the diameter of the     
,georgium ,sidus1     and observations  
of other planets1 double stars1 etc41   
etc41 were     made1 was incredible1 as 
may be seen by the various papers that  
were     given to the ,royal ,society in
 #aghc1 which papers were written in the
     daytime1 or when cloudy nights     
interfered4 ,besides this1 the          
twelve-inch speculum was perfected      
before the spring1 and many hours       
were spent at the turning-bench1 as not 
a night clear enough for     observing  
ever passed but that some improvements  
were planned for     perfecting the     
mounting and motions of the various     
instruments then     in use1 or some    
trials were made of new constructed     
eye-pieces1     which were mostly       
executed by my brother's own hands4     
,wishing to     save his time1 he began 
to have some work of that kind done by a

     watchmaker who had retired from    
business and lived on ,datchet          
,common2 but the work was so bad1 and   
the charges so unreasonable1     that he
 could not be employed4 ,it was not till
 some time afterwards1     in his       
frequent visits to the meetings of the  
,royal ,society 7made in     moonlight  
nights71 that he had an opportunity of  
looking about for     mathematical      
workmen1 opticians1 and founders4 ,but  
the work seldom     answered            
expectation1 and it was kept1 to be     
executed with     improvements by       
,,alexander during the few months he    
spent with us4      ,the summer months  
passed in the most active preparation   
for getting     the large twenty-foot   
ready against the next winter4 ,the     
carpenters     and smiths of ,datchet   
were in daily requisition1 and1 as soon 
as     patterns for tools and mirrors   
were ready1 my brother went to town     
to have them cast1 and1 during the three
 or four months ,,alexander     could be

 absent from ,bath1 the mirrors and     
optical parts were nearly     completed4
      ,but that the nights after a day  
of toil were not given to rest1 may     
be seen by the observations on ,mars1 of
 which a paper1 dated     ,december #a1 
#aghc1 was given to the ,royal ,society4
 ,some trouble1     also1 was often     
thrown away1 during those nights1 in the
 attempt to     teach me to remeasure   
double stars with the same micrometers  
with     which former measures had been 
taken1 and the small twenty-foot was    
given me for that purpose4 4 4 4 ,i had 
also to ascertain their places     by a 
transit instrument lent for that purpose
 by ,mr4 ,,dalrymple2 but1     after    
many fruitless attempts1 it was seen    
that the instrument was1     perhaps1 as
 much in fault as my observations4  ,in 
#aghc ,,herschel says3      ,i have now 
finished my third review of the heavens4
 ,the first was     made with a         
,newtonian telescope something less than
 seven feet focal     length1 a power of

 #bbb1 and an aperture of four and a    
half inches4     ,it extended only to   
stars of the first1 second1 third1 and  
fourth     magnitudes4 ,my second review
 was made with an instrument much       
superior to the other1 of #he4b inches  
focus1 #f4b inches aperture1     and    
power #bbg4 ,it extended to all the     
stars of ,,harris',s maps and     the   
telescopic ones near them1 as far as the
 eighth magnitude4 ,the     ,catalogue  
of ,double ,stars and the discovery of  
the ,georgium ,sidus1     were the      
results of that review4 ,the third was  
with the same     instrument and        
aperture1 but with a power of #dfj4     
,this review     extended to all the    
stars of ,,flamsteed',s ,catalogue1     
together with     every small star about
 them1 to the amount of a great many    
thousands     of stars4 ,i have1 many a 
night1 in the course of eleven or twelve
     hours of observation1 carefully and
 singly examined not less than     #djj 
celestial objects1 besides taking       

measures1 and sometimes     viewing a   
particular star for half an hour        
together4  ,the fourth review began with
 the twenty-foot1 in #aghd4      ,my    
brother began his series of sweeps when 
the instrument was yet     in a very    
unfinished state1 and my feelings were  
not very     comfortable when every     
moment ,i was alarmed by a crack or     
fall1     knowing him to be elevated    
fifteen feet or more on a temporary     
cross-beam1 instead of a safe gallery4  
,the ladders had not even     their     
braces at the bottom2 and one night1 in 
a very high wind1 he     had hardly     
touched the ground before the whole     
apparatus came down4     ,some laboring 
men were called up to help in           
extricating the mirror1     which was1  
fortunately1 uninjured1 but much work   
was cut out for     carpenters next day4
 ,i could give a pretty long list of    
accidents     which were near proving   
fatal to my brother as well as myself4  
,to     make observations with such     

large machinery1 where all around is in 
darkness1 is not unattended with danger1
 especially when personal     safety is 
the last thing with which the mind is   
occupied2 even poor     ,,piazzi did not
 go home without getting broken shins by
 falling over     the rack-bar4      ,in
 the long days of the summer months many
 ten and seven foot     mirrors were    
finished2 there was nothing but grinding
 and polishing     to be seen4 ,for     
ten-foot1 several had been cast with    
ribbed backs1     by way of experiment1 
to reduce the weight in large mirrors4  
,in my     leisure hours ,i ground      
seven-foot and plain mirrors from rough 
to     fining down1 and was indulged    
with polishing and the last             
finishing of a very beautiful mirror for
 ,sir ,,william ,,watson4      ,an      
account of the discoveries made with the
 twenty-foot and the     improvements of
 the mechanical parts of the instrument 
during the     winter of #aghe is given 
with the catalogue of the first #a1jjj  

new     nebul4 ,by which account it must
 plainly appear that the expenses of    
these improvements1 and those which were
 yet to be made in the     apparatus of 
the twenty-foot 7which1 in fact1 proved 
to be a model     of a larger           
instrument71 could not be supplied out  
of a salary of     #bjj a year1         
especially as my brother's finances had 
been too much     reduced during the six
 months before he received his first    
quarterly payment of fifty pounds 7which
 was ,michaelmas1 #aghb74               
,travelling from ,bath to ,london1      
,greenwich1 ,windsor1 backwards and     
forwards1 transporting the telescope1   
etc41 breaking up his     establishment 
at ,bath and forming a new one near the 
court1 all     this1 even leaving such  
personal conveniences as he had for many
     years been used to1 out of the     
question1 could not be obtained for a   
trifle2 a good large piece of ground was
 required for the use of the            
instruments1 and a habitation in which  

he could receive and offer a     bed to 
an astronomical friend1 was necessary   
after a night's     observation4        
,it seemed to be supposed that enough   
had been done when my brother     was   
enabled to leave his profession that he 
might have time to make     and sell    
telescopes4 ,the king ordered four      
ten-foot himself1 and     many          
seven-foot besides had been bespoke1 and
 much time had already     been expended
 on polishing the mirrors for the same4 
,but all this     was only retarding the
 work of a thirty or forty foot         
instrument1     which it was my         
brother's chief object to obtain as soon
 as     possible2 for he was then on the
 wrong side of forty-five1 and felt     
how great an injustice he would be doing
 to himself and to the cause     of     
astronomy by giving up his time to      
making telescopes for other             
observers4      ,sir ,,william ,,watson1
 who often in the lifetime of his father
 came to     make some stay with us at  

,datchet1 saw my brother's difficulties1
     and expressed great                
dissatisfaction4 ,on his return to ,bath
 he met1     among the visitors there1  
several belonging to the court1 to whom 
he     gave his opinion concerning his  
friend and his situation very           
freely4 ,in consequence of this1 my     
brother had soon after1 through     ,sir
 ,j4 ,,banks1 the promise that #b1jjj   
would be granted for enabling     him to
 make himself an instrument4            
,immediately every preparation for      
beginning the great work     commenced4 
,a very ingenious smith 7,,campion71 who
 was seeking     employment1 was secured
 by my brother1 and a temporary forge   
erected     in an upstairs room4  ,the  
sale of these telescopes of             
,,herschel',s must have produced a large
 sum1 for he had made before #agie more 
than two hundred seven-feet1 one hundred
 and fifty ten-feet1 and eighty         
twenty-feet mirrors4 ,for many of the   
telescopes sent abroad no stands were   

constructed4 ,the mirrors and eye-pieces
 alone were furnished1 and a drawing of 
the stand sent with them by which the   
mirrors could be mounted4  ,in #aghe the
 cost of a seven-foot telescope1 six and
 four-tenths inches aperture1 stand1    
eye-pieces1 etc41 complete1 was two     
hundred guineas1 a ten-foot was six     
hundred guineas1 and a twenty-foot about
 #b1ejj to #c1jjj guineas4 ,he had made 
four ten-foot telescopes like this for  
the king4 ,in #aghg ,,schroeter got the 
mirrors and eye-pieces only for a       
four-and-three-quarter-inch reflector   
for five guineas2 those for his         
seven-foot telescope were twenty-three  
guineas4 ,later a seven-foot telescope1 
complete1 was sold for one hundred      
guineas1 and the twenty-five-foot       
reflector1 made for the ,madrid         
observatory1 cost them #ge1jjj francs   
#ae1jjj4ai ,it was ordered in #agif1 but
 not delivered for several years1 the   
,spanish government being short of      
money4 ,for a ten and a seven foot      

telescope1 the ,prince of ,canino paid  
#b1caj4  ,,von ,,magellan writes to     
,,bode concerning a visit to            
,,herschel3#bj      ,i spent the night  
of the #fth of ,january at              
,,herschel',s1 in ,datchet1     near    
,windsor1 and had the good luck to hit  
on a fine evening4 ,he has     his      
twenty-foot ,newtonian telescope in the 
open air and mounted in     his garden  
very simply and conveniently4 ,it is    
moved by an     assistant1 who stands   
below it4 4 4 4 ,near the instrument is 
a clock     regulated to sidereal time4 
4 4 4 ,in the room near it sits         
,,herschel',s     sister1 and she has   
,,flamsteed',s ,atlas open before her4  
,as he gives     her the word1 she      
writes down the declination and right   
ascension     and the other             
circumstances of the observation4 ,in   
this way     ,,herschel examines the    
whole sky without omitting the least    
part4 ,he     commonly observes with a  
magnifying power of one hundred and     

fifty1     and is sure that after four  
or five years he will have passed in    
review every object above our horizon4  
,he showed me the book in     which his 
observations up to this time are        
written1 and ,i am     astonished at the
 great number of them4 ,each sweep      
covers #b #ae' in     declination1 and  
he lets each star pass at least three   
times through     the field of his      
telescope1 so that it is impossible that
 anything     can escape him4 ,he has   
already found about #ijj double stars   
and     almost as many nebul4 ,i went to
 bed about one o'clock1 and up to       
that time1 he had found that night four 
or five new nebul4 ,the     thermometer 
in the garden stood at #ac ,fahrenheit2 
but1 in spite of     this1 ,,herschel   
observes the whole night through1 except
 that he     stops every three or four  
hours and goes in the room for a few    
moments4 ,for some years ,,herschel has 
observed the heavens every hour     when
 the weather is clear1 and this always  

in the open air1 because     he says    
that the telescope only performs well   
when it is at the same     temperature  
as the air4 ,he protects himself against
 the weather by     putting on more     
clothing4 ,he has an excellent          
constitution1 and     thinks about      
nothing else in the world but the       
celestial bodies4 ,he     has promised  
me in the most cordial way1 entirely in 
the service of     astronomy1 and       
without thinking of his own interest1 to
 see to the     telescopes ,i have      
ordered for ,european observatories1 and
 he will     himself attend to the      
preparation of the mirrors4  ,it was at 
this time1 #aghc1 ,may #h1 that         
,,herschel married4 ,his wife was the   
daughter of ,mr4 ,,james ,,baldwin1 a   
merchant of the city of ,london1 and the
 widow of ,,john ,,pitt1 ,esq4 ,she is  
described as a lady of singular         
amiability and gentleness of character4 
,she was entirely interested in his     
scientific pursuits1 and the jointure   

which she brought removed all further   
anxiety about money affairs4 ,they had  
but one child1 ,,john ,,frederick       
,,william1 born ,march #g1 #agib4ba     
99       99       99       99       99  
,the house at ,datchet became more and  
more unfit for the needs of the family1 
and in ,june1 #aghe1 a move was made to 
,clay ,hall1 in ,old ,windsor4 ,the     
residence here was but short1 and       
finally a last change was made to       
,slough on ,april1 #c;d1 #aghf4  ,the   
ardor of the work during these years can
 be judged of by a single sentence from 
,,carolina ,,herschel',s diary3         
,the last night at ,clay ,hall was spent
 in sweeping till daylight1     and by  
the next evening the telescope stood    
ready for observation at     ,slough4   
,from #aghf until his death1 ,,herschel 
remained at ,slough2 his life1 truly    
speaking1 was in his observatory4  ,it  
is indeed true1 as ,,arago has said in  
his eloquent tribute to him3 ,on peut   
dire hardiment du jardin et de la petite

 maison de ,slough1 que c'est le lieu du
 monde o il a t fait le plus de         
dcouvertes4 ,le nom de ce village ne    
prira pas2 les sciences le transmettront
 religieusement  nos derniers neveux4   
,,herschel',s first contribution to the 
,philosophical ,transactions was printed
 in the volume for #aghj1 his last in   
that for #ahah4 ,of these thirty-nine   
volumes1 there are only two 7#ahac and  
#ahag7 which contain no paper from his  
hand1 and many volumes contain more than
 one1 as he published no less than      
sixty-eight memoirs in this place4  ,and
 yet it must not be thought that his was
 an austere and grave existence4 ,music1
 which he loved to enthusiasm1 was still
 a delight to him4 ,all the more that   
his devotion was free4 ,the glimpses    
which we get of his life with his       
friends show him always cheerful1       
ardent1 and devoted4 ,even in his later 
years1 he had not lost a boyish         
earnestness to explain2 his simplicity  
and the charm of his manner struck every

 one4  ,,herschel1 you know1 and        
everybody knows1 is one of the most     
pleasing and well-bred natural          
characters of the present age1 says ,dr4
 ,,burney1 who had opportunity to know4 
,the portrait which is given in the     
frontispiece must have been painted     
about this time 7#aghh71 and the eager1 
ardent face shows his inner life far    
better than any words can do4  ,even in 
his scientific writings1 which          
everything conspired to render grave and
 sober1 the almost poetic nature of his 
mind shows forth4 ,in one of his        
7unpublished7 note-books1 now in the    
,royal ,society's library1 ,i found this
 entry3      #fdjth ,sweep--,november   
#bh1 #aghf4--,the nebula of ,orion1     
which ,i saw     by the front view1 was 
so glaring and beautiful that ,i could  
not     think of taking any place of its
 extent4  ,he was quite alone under the 
perfectly silent sky when this was      
written1 and he was at his post simply  
to make this and other such             

observations4 ,but the sky was beautiful
 to him1 and his faithful sister1       
,,carolina1 sitting below1 has preserved
 for us the words as they dropped from  
his lips4  ,on the #aath of ,january1   
#aghg1 ,,herschel discovered two        
satellites to ,uranus4  ,after he had   
well assured himself of their existence1
 but before he communicated his         
discovery to the world1 he made this    
crucial test4 ,he prepared a sketch of  
,uranus attended by his two satellites1 
as it would appear on the night of      
,february #aj1 #aghg1 and when the night
 came1 the heavens displayed the        
original of my drawings1 by showing in  
the situation ,i had delineated them the
 ,georgian planet attended by two       
satellites4 ,i confess that this scene  
appeared to me with additional beauty1  
as the little secondary planets seemed  
to give a dignity to the primary one    
which raises it into a more conspicuous 
situation among the great bodies of the 
solar system44 4 4  ,in a memoir of     

#aghi1 he has a few sentences which show
 the living way in which the heavens    
appeared to him3      ,this method of   
viewing the heavens seems to throw them 
into a new     kind of light4      ,they
 are now seen to resemble a luxuriant   
garden1 which contains     the greatest 
variety of productions in different     
flourishing beds2     and one advantage 
we may at least reap from it is1 that we
 can1 as     it were1 extend the range  
of our experience to an immense         
duration4     ,for is it not almost the 
same thing whether we live successively 
to     witness the germination1         
blooming1 foliage1 fecundity1 fading1   
withering1 and corruption of a plant1 or
 whether a vast number of     specimens 
selected from every stage through which 
the plant passes     in the course of   
its existence be brought at once to our 
view8  ,the thought here is no less     
finely expressed than it is profound4   
,the simile is perfect1 if we have the  
power to separate among the vast variety

 each state of being from every other1  
and if the very luxuriance of           
illustration in the heavens does not    
bewilder and overpower the mind4 ,it was
 precisely this discriminating power    
that ,,herschel possessed in perfection4
  ,there is a kind of humor in the way  
he records a change of opinion3      ,i 
formerly supposed the surface of        
,saturn's ring to be rough1     owing to
 luminous points like mountains seen on 
it1 till one of     these was kind      
enough to venture off the edge of the   
ring and appear     as a satellite4  ,in
 #aghb he replies with a certain        
concealed sharpness to the idea that he 
used magnifying powers which were too   
high4 ,there is a tone almost of        
impatience1 as if he were conscious he  
was replying to a criticism based on    
ignorance3      ,we are told that we    
gain nothing by magnifying too much4 ,i 
grant     it2 but shall never believe ,i
 magnify too much till by experience ,i 
find that ,i can see better with a lower

 power4 7#aghb47  ,by #aghf1 when he    
returns to this subject1 in answer to a 
formal request to explain his use of    
high magnifiers1 he is quite over any   
irritation1 and treats the subject      
almost with playfulness3      ,soon     
after my first essay of using high      
powers with the ,newtonian              
telescope1 ,i began to doubt whether an 
opinion which has been     entertained  
by several eminent authors1 'that vision
 will grow     indistinct when the optic
 pencils are less than the fiftieth part
 of     an inch1' would hold good in all
 cases4 ,i perceived that according     
to this criterion ,i was not entitled to
 see distinctly with a power     of much
 more than about #cbj in a seven-foot   
telescope of an aperture     of six and 
four-tenths inches1 whereas in many     
experiments ,i found     myself very    
well pleased with magnifiers which far  
exceeded such     narrow limits4 ,this  
induced me1 as it were1 by way of       
apology to     myself for seeing well   

where ,i ought to have seen less        
distinctly1     to make a few           
experiments4  ,it is needless to say    
that these experiments proved that from 
the point of view taken by ,,herschel1  
he was quite right1 and that his high   
powers had numerous valuable            
applications4 ,he goes on to say3       
,had it not been for a late conversation
 with some of my highly     esteemed and
 learned friends1 ,i might probably have
 left the papers     on which these     
experiments were recorded1 among the    
rest of those     that are laid aside1  
when they have afforded me the          
information ,i     want4  ,the last     
sentence seems to be a kind of notice to
 his learned friends that there is yet  
more unsaid4 ,as a warning to those to  
whose criticisms he had replied1 he     
gives them this picture of the kind of  
assiduity which will be required1 if    
some of his observations on double stars
 are to be repeated3      ,it is in vain
 to look for these stars if every       

circumstance is not     favorable4 ,the 
observer as well as the instrument must 
have been     long enough out in the    
open air to acquire the same            
temperature4 ,in     very cold weather  
an hour at least will be required4      
7#aghb47  ,we may gain some further     
insight into his character from the     
following chance extracts from his      
writings3      ,i have all along had    
truth and reality in view as the sole   
object     of my endeavors4 7#aghb47    
,not being satisfied when ,i thought it 
possible to obtain more     accurate    
measures1 ,i employed a more delicate   
apparatus4 7#aghc47      ,to this end ,i
 have already begun a series of         
observations upon     several zones of  
double stars1 and should the result of  
them be     against these conjectures1  
,i shall be the first to point out their
     fallacy4 7#aghc47      ,there is a 
great probability of succeeding still   
farther in this     laborious but       
delightful research1 so as to be able at

 last to say     not only how much the  
annual parallax is not1 but how much it 
really is4 7#aghb47  ,the nature of his 
philosophizing1 and the limits which he 
set to himself1 may be more clearly seen
 in further extracts3      ,by taking   
more time before printing these         
observations ,i should     undoubtedly  
be enabled to speak more confidently of 
the interior     construction of the    
heavens1 and of its various nebulous and
     sidereal strata4 ,as an apology for
 this prematurity it may be said        
that1 the end of all discoveries being  
communication1 we can never     be too  
ready in giving facts and observations1 
whatever we may be in     reasoning upon
 them4 7#aghe47      ,in an             
investigation of this delicate nature we
 ought to avoid two     opposite        
extremes4 ,if we indulge a fanciful     
imagination1 and build     worlds of our
 own1 we must not wonder at our going   
wide from the     path of truth and     
nature4 ,on the other hand1 if we add   

observation     to observation without  
attempting to draw not only certain     
conclusions but also conjectural views  
from them1 we offend against     the    
very end for which only observations    
ought to be made4 ,i will     endeavor  
to keep a proper medium1 but if ,i      
should deviate from that1     ,i could  
wish not to fall into the latter error4 
7#aghe47      ,as observations carefully
 made should always take the lead of    
theories1 ,i shall not be concerned if  
what ,i have to say contradicts     what
 has been said in my last paper on this 
subject4 7#agij47  ,no course of        
reasoning could be more simple1 more    
exact1 more profound1 and more beautiful
 than this which follows3      ,as it   
has been shown that the spherical figure
 of a cluster is     owing to the action
 of central powers1 it follows that     
those     clusters which1 cteris        
paribus1 are the most complete in this  
figure1 must have been the longest      
exposed to the action of these          

causes4 ,thus the maturity of a sidereal
 system may be judged from     the      
disposition of the component parts4     
,hence planetary nebul may be looked on 
as very aged4 ,though we     cannot see 
any individual nebula pass through all  
its stages of     life1 we can select   
particular ones in each peculiar stage4 
7#aghi47  ,there is something almost    
grandiose and majestic in his statement 
of the ultimate destiny of the ,galaxy3 
,to him the fates were known            
,of orbs dim hovering on the skirts of  
space4      --,since the stars of the   
,milky ,way are permanently exposed to  
the     action of a power whereby they  
are irresistibly drawn into groups1     
we may be certain that from mere        
clustering stars they will be           
gradually compressed1 through successive
 stages of accumulation1     till they  
come up to what may be called the       
ripening period of the     globular     
form1 and total insulation2 from which  
it is evident that     the ,milky ,way  

must be finally broken up and cease to  
be a stratum of     scattered stars4    
,the state into which the incessant     
action of the clustering power     has  
brought it at present1 is a kind of     
chronometer that may be used     to     
measure the time of its past and future 
existence2 and although     we do not   
know the rate of going of this          
mysterious chronometer1 it     is       
nevertheless certain that since the     
breaking up of the ,milky ,way          
affords a proof that it cannot last     
forever1 it equally bears     witness   
that its past duration cannot be        
admitted to be infinite4     7#ahad47   
,,herschel',s relations with his        
cotemporaries were usually of the most  
pleasant character1 though seldom       
intimate4 ,this peace was broken but by 
one unpleasant occurrence4 ,in the      
,philosophical ,transactions for #agib1 
,,schroeter had communicated a series of
 observations made with one of          
,,herschel',s own telescopes on the     

atmospheres of ,venus1 the ,moon1 etc4  
,it was not only an account of phenomena
 which had been seen2 it was accompanied
 by measures1 and the computations based
 on these led to heights and dimensions 
for mountains on ,venus which were1 to  
say the least1 extravagant4 ,the        
adjective will not seem too strong when 
we say that the very existence of the   
mountains themselves is to-day more than
 doubtful4  ,the appearances seen by    
,,schroeter were described by him in    
perfectly good faith1 and similar ones  
have been since recorded4 ,his reasoning
 upon them was defective1 and the       
measures which he made were practically 
valueless4 ,this paper1 printed in the  
,transactions of the ,royal ,society1 to
 which ,,schroeter had not before       
contributed1 appears to have irritated  
,,herschel4  ,no doubt there were not   
wanting members of his own society who  
hinted that on the ,continent1 too1     
there were to be found great observers1 
and that here1 at least1 ,,herschel had 

been anticipated even in his own field4 
,i have always thought that the memoir  
of ,,herschel which appeared in the next
 volume of the ,transactions 7#agic71   
,observations on the ,planet ,venus1 was
 a rejoinder intended far more for the  
detractors at home than for the         
astronomer abroad4 ,the review is       
conceived in a severe spirit4 ,the first
 idea seems to be to crush an opposition
 which he feels4 ,the truth is          
established1 but its establishment is   
hardly the first object4  ,it seems as  
if ,,herschel had almost allowed himself
 to be forced into a position of        
arrogance1 which his whole life shows   
was entirely foreign to his nature4 ,all
 through the review he does not once    
mention ,,schroeter',s name4 ,he says3  
,a series of observations on ,venus1    
begun by me in ,april1 #aggg1     has   
been continued down to the present time4
 4 4 4 ,the result of my                
observations would have been            
communicated long ago if ,i had not     

flattered myself with the hope of some  
better success concerning the           
diurnal motion of ,venus1 which has     
still eluded my constant     attention  
as far as concerns its period and       
direction4 4 4 4 ,even at     this      
present time ,i should hesitate to give 
the following extracts     if it did not
 seem incumbent on me to examine by what
 accident ,i     came to overlook       
mountains in this planet of such        
enormous height as     to exceed four1  
five1 or even six times the             
perpendicular height of     ,chimborao1 
the highest of our mountains4 4 4 4 ,the
 same paper contains     other          
particulars concerning ,venus and       
,saturn4 ,all of which     being things 
of which ,i have never taken any notice1
 it will not be     amiss to show1 by   
what follows1 that neither want of      
attention1 nor     a deficiency of      
instruments1 would occasion my not      
perceiving these     mountains of more  
than twenty-three miles in height1 this 

jagged     border of ,venus1 and these  
flat1 spherical forms on ,saturn4  ,the 
reply of ,,schroeter 7#agie7 is         
temperate and just4 ,it does him honor1 
and he generously gives full justice to 
his critic4  ,it would hardly be worth  
while to mention this slight incident if
 it were not that during these years    
there certainly existed a feeling that  
,,herschel undervalued the labors of his
 cotemporaries4  ,this impression was   
fostered no doubt by his general habit  
of not quoting previous authorities in  
the fields which he was working4  ,a    
careful reading of his papers will1 ,i  
think1 show that his definite           
indebtedness to his cotemporaries was   
vanishingly small4 ,the work of         
,,michell and ,,wilson he alludes to    
again and again1 and always with        
appreciation4 ,certainly he seems to    
show a vein of annoyance that the papers
 of ,,christian ,,mayer1 ,de novis in   
coelo sidereo phnomenis 7#aggi71 and    
,beobachtungen von ,fixsterntrabanten   

7#aggh71 should have been quoted to     
prove that the method proposed by       
,,herschel in #aghb for ascertaining the
 parallax of the fixed stars by means of
 observations of those which were       
double1 was not entirely original with  
himself4  ,there is direct proof that it
 was so1#bb and if this was not         
forthcoming it would be unnecessary1 as 
he has amply shown in his ,catalogue of 
,double ,stars4 ,one is reminded of his 
remarks on the use of the high          
magnifying powers by the impatience of  
his comments4  ,his proposal to call the
 newly discovered minor planets         
asteroids 7#ahjb7 was received as a sign
 that he wished to discriminate between 
the discoveries of ,,piazzi and ,,olbers
 and his own discovery of ,,uranus4#bc  
,he takes pains to quietly put this on  
one side in one of his papers1 showing  
that he was cognizant of the existence  
of such a feeling4  ,i am tempted to    
resurrect from a deserved obscurity a   
notice of ,,herschel',s ,observations on

 the ,two ,lately ,discovered ,celestial
 ,bodies 7,philosophical ,transactions1 
#ahjb71 printed in the first volume of  
the ,edinburgh ,review1 simply to show  
the kind of envy to which even he1 the  
glory of ,england1 was subject4  ,the   
reviewer sets forth the principal       
results of ,,herschel',s observations1  
and1 after quoting his definition of the
 new term asteroid1 goes on to say3     
,if a new name must be found1 why not   
call them by some appellation     which 
shall1 in some degree1 be descriptive   
of1 or at least     consistent with1    
their properties8 ,why not1 for         
instance1 call them     ,concentric     
,comets1 or ,planetary ,comets1 or      
,cometary ,planets8     or1 if a single 
term must be found1 why may we not coin 
such a     phrase as ,planetoid or      
,cometoid8  ,then follows a general     
arraignment of ,,herschel',s methods of 
expression and thought1 as distinguished
 from his powers of mere observation4   
,this distinction1 it may be said1      

exists only in the reviewer's mind2     
there was no such distinction in fact4  
,if ever a series of observations was   
directed by profound and reasonable     
thought1 it was ,,herschel',s own4      
,dr4 ,,herschel',s passion for coining  
words and idioms has often     struck us
 as a weakness wholly unworthy of him4  
,the invention of a     name is but a   
poor achievement for him who has        
discovered whole     worlds4 ,why1 for  
instance1 do we hear him talking of the 
space-penetrating power of his          
instrument--a compound epithet and      
metaphor which he ought to have left to 
the poets1 who1 in some     future age1 
shall acquire glory by celebrating his  
name4 ,the other     papers of ,dr4     
,,herschel1 in the late volumes of the  
,transactions1     do not deserve such  
particular attention4 ,his catalogue of 
#ejj new     nebul1 though extremely    
valuable to the practical astronomer1   
leads     to no general conclusions of  
importance1 and abounds with the        

defects which are peculiar to the       
,doctor's writings--a great             
prolixity and tediousness of            
narration--loose and often              
unphilosophical reflections1 which give 
no very favorable idea of     his       
scientific powers1 however great his    
merit may be as an     observer--above  
all1 that idle fondness for inventing   
names without     any manner of         
occasion1 to which we have already      
alluded1 and a use     of novel and     
affected idioms4         99       99    
99       99       99      ,to the       
speculations of the ,doctor on the      
nature of the ,sun1 we have     many    
similar objections2 but they are all    
eclipsed by the grand     absurdity     
which he has there committed1 in his    
hasty and erroneous     theory          
concerning the influence of the solar   
spots on the price of     grain4 ,since 
the publication of ,gulliver's voyage to
 ,laputa1 nothing     so ridiculous has 
ever been offered to the world4 ,we     

heartily wish     the ,doctor had       
suppressed it2 or1 if determined to     
publish it1 that     he had detailed it 
in language less confident and flippant4
  ,one is almost ashamed to give space  
and currency to a forgotten attack1 but 
it yields a kind of perspective2 and it 
is instructive and perhaps useful to    
view ,,herschel',s labors from all      
sides1 even from wrong and envious ones4
  ,the study of the original papers1    
together with a knowledge of the        
circumstances in which they were        
written1 will abundantly show that      
,,herschel',s ideas sprung from a       
profound meditation of the nature of    
things in themselves4 ,what the origin  
of trains of thought prosecuted for     
years may have been we cannot say1 nor  
could he himself have expressed it4 ,a  
new path in science was to be found out1
 and he found it4 ,it was not in his    
closet1 surrounded by authorities1 but  
under the open sky1 that he meditated   
the construction of the heavens4 ,as he 

says1 ,my situation permitted me not to 
consult large libraries2 nor1 indeed1   
was it very material2 for as ,i intended
 to view the heavens myself1 ,nature1   
that great volume1 appeared to me to    
contain the best catalogue4  ,his       
remarkable memoirs on the invisible and 
other rays of the solar spectrum were   
received with doubt1 and with open      
denial by many of the scientific bodies 
of ,europe4 ,the reviews and notices of 
his work in this direction were often   
quite beyond the bounds of a proper     
scientific criticism2 but ,,herschel    
maintained a dignified silence4 ,the    
discoveries were true1 the proofs were  
open to all1 and no response was needed 
from him4 ,he may have been sorely      
tempted to reply1 but ,i am apt to      
believe that the rumors that reached him
 from abroad and at home did not then   
affect him as they might have done      
earlier4 ,he was at his grand           
climacteric1 he had passed his          
sixty-third year1 his temper was less   

hasty than it had been in his youth1 and
 his nerves had not yet received the    
severe strain from whose effects he     
suffered during the last years of his   
life4         99       99       99      
99       99  ,we have some glimpses of  
his personal life in the reminiscences  
of him in the ,diary and ,letters of    
,madame ,d',,arblay1 who knew him well3 
#aghf4--;,in the evening ,mr4 ,,herschel
 came to tea4 ,i had once seen     that 
very extraordinary man at ,mrs4 ,,de    
,,luc',s1 but was happy to see     him  
again1 for he has not more fame to      
awaken curiosity than sense     and     
modesty to gratify it4 ,he is perfectly 
unassuming1 yet openly     happy1 and   
happy in the success of those studies   
which would render     a mind less      
excellently formed presumptuous and     
arrogant4      ,the king has not a      
happier subject than this man1 who owes 
it     wholly to ,his ,majesty that he  
is not wretched2 for such was his       
eagerness to quit all other pursuits to 

follow astronomy solely1     that he was
 in danger of ruin1 when his talents and
 great and     uncommon genius attracted
 the king's patronage4 ,he has now not  
only     his pension1 which gives him   
the felicity of devoting all his time   
to his darling study1 but he is indulged
 in license from the king to     make a 
telescope according to his new ideas and
 discoveries1 that is     to have no    
cost spared in its construction1 and is 
wholly to be paid     for by ,his       
,majesty4      ,this seems to have made 
him happier even than the pension1 as it
     enables him to put in execution all
 his wonderful projects1 from     which 
his expectations of future discoveries  
are so sanguine as to     make his      
present existence a state of almost     
perfect enjoyment4     ,mr4 ,,locke     
himself would be quite charmed with him4
      ,he seems a man without a wish    
that has its object in the              
terrestrial globe4 ,at night ,mr4       
,,herschel1 by the king's command1      

came to exhibit to ,his ,majesty and the
 royal family the new comet     lately  
discovered by his sister1 ,miss         
,,herschel2 and while ,i was     playing
 at piquet with ,mrs4 ,,schwellenburg1  
the ,princess ,,augusta came     into   
the room and asked her if she chose to  
go into the garden and     look at it4  
,she declined the offer1 and the        
princess then made it to     me4 ,i was 
glad to accept it for all sorts of      
reasons4 ,we found him     at his       
telescope4 ,the comet was very small1   
and had nothing grand or     striking in
 its appearance2 but it is the first    
lady's comet1 and ,i     was very       
desirous to see it4 ,mr4 ,,herschel then
 showed me some of his     new          
discovered universes1 with all the good 
humor with which he     would have taken
 the same trouble for a brother or a    
sister     astronomer2 there is no      
possibility of admiring his genius more 
than     his gentleness4      #aghf1    
,december #cjth4--,this morning my dear 

father carried me to     ,dr4           
,,herschel4 ,that great and very        
extraordinary man received us     almost
 with open arms4 ,he is very fond of my 
father1 who is one of     the council of
 the ,royal ,society this year1 as well 
as himself4 4 4 4     ,at this time of  
day there was nothing to see but his    
instruments2     those1 however1 are    
curiosities sufficient4 4 4 4 ,i wished 
very much     to have seen his sister1 4
 4 4 but she had been up all night1 and 
was then in bed4      #aghg1            
,september4--,dr4 ,,herschel is a       
delightful man2 so     unassuming with  
his great knowledge1 so willing to      
dispense it to     the ignorant1 and so 
cheerful and easy in his general        
manners1 that1     were he no genius1 it
 would be impossible not to remark him  
as a     pleasing and sensible man4     
#aghh1 ,october #c;d4--,we returned to  
,windsor at noon1 and ,mrs4 ,,de        
,,luc sent me a most pressing invitation
 to tea and to hear a little     music4 

,two young ladies were to perform at her
 house in a little     concert4 ,dr4    
,,herschel was there1 and accompanied   
them very sweetly     on the violin2 his
 new-married wife was with him1 and his 
sister4     ,his wife seems             
good-natured2 she was rich1 too6 and    
astronomers are     as able as other men
 to discern that gold can glitter as    
well as     stars4                      
,,dr4 ,,burney ,,to ,,madame            
,d',,arblay4                            
,,chelsea ,,college1                    
,september #bh1 #agih4      99   99   99
   99   99      ,i drove through ,slough
 in order to ask at ,dr4 ,,herschel',s  
door when     my visit would be least   
inconvenient to him--that night or next 
morning4 ,the good soul was at dinner1  
but came to the door himself1     to    
press me to alight immediately and      
partake of his family repast2     and   
this he did so heartily that ,i could   
not resist4              99       99    
99       99       99       99       99  

,i expected 7not knowing that ,,herschel
 was married7 only to have     found    
,miss ,,herschel2 but there was a very  
old lady1 the mother1 ,i     believe1 of
 ,mrs4 ,,herschel1 who was at the head  
of the table herself1     and a ,scots  
lady 7a ,miss ,,wilson1 daughter of ,dr4
 ,,wilson1 of ,glasgow1     an eminent  
astronomer71 ,miss ,,herschel1 and a    
little boy4 ,they     rejoiced at the   
accident which had brought me there1 and
 hoped ,i     would send my carriage    
away and take a bed with them4 ,they    
were     sorry they had no stables for  
my horses4      ,we soon grew           
acquainted--,i mean the ladies and      
,i--and before dinner     was over we   
seemed old friends just met after a long
 absence4 ,mrs4     ,,herschel is       
sensible1 good-humored1 unpretending1   
and well bred2     ,miss ,,herschel all 
shyness and virgin modesty2 the ,scots  
lady     sensible and harmless2 and the 
little boy entertaining1 promising1     
and comical4 ,,herschel1 you know1 and  

everybody knows1 is one of the     most 
pleasing and well-bred natural          
characters of the present age1     as   
well as the greatest astronomer4        
,your health was drunk after dinner 7put
 that into your pocket71 and     after  
much social conversation and a few      
hearty laughs1 the ladies     proposed  
to take a walk1 in order1 ,i believe1 to
 leave ,,herschel and     me together4  
,we walked and talked round his great   
telescopes till it     grew damp and    
dusk1 then retreated into his study to  
philosophize4         99       99       
99       99       99      ,he made a    
discovery to me1 which1 had ,i known it 
sooner1 would have     overset me1 and  
prevented my reading any part of my     
work4#bd ,he     said that he had almost
 always had an aversion to poetry1 which
 he     regarded as the arrangement of  
fine words1 without any useful          
meaning or adherence to truth2 but that 
when truth and science were     united  
to these fine words1 he liked poetry    

very well4                              
#agih1 ,december #aj4                   
,,dr4 ,,burney ,,to ,,madame            
,d',,arblay4      ,,herschel has been in
 town for short spurts1 and back again  
two or     three times1 leaving ,mrs4   
,,herschel behind 7in town7 to transact 
law     business4 ,i had him here two   
whole days4      ,the reading of the    
manuscript of the ,poetical ,history of 
,astronomy     was continued1 and       
,,herschel was so humble as to confess  
that ,i     knew more of the history of 
astronomy than he did1 and had surprised
     him with the mass of information ,i
 had got together4      ,he thanked me  
for the entertainment and instruction ,i
 had given     him4 ',can anything be   
grander8' and all this before he knows a
 word     of what ,i have said of       
himself--all his discoveries1 as you may
     remember1 being kept back for the  
twelfth and last book4                  
,,dr4 ,,burney ,,to ,,madame            
,d',,arblay4                            

,,slough1 ,monday morning4 ,july #bb1   
#agii1                                  
in bed at ,dr4 ,,herschel',s1 half-past 
five1 where ,i can neither sleep nor lie
                                  idle4 
,my ,dear ,fanny3--,i believe ,i told   
you on ,friday that ,i was going to     
finish the perusal of my astronomical   
verses to the great astronomer     on   
,saturday4         99       99       99 
99       99      ,after tea ,dr4        
,,herschel proposed that we two should  
retire into a     quiet room in order to
 resume the perusal of my work1 in which
 no     progress has been made since    
last ,december4 ,the evening was        
finished very cheerfully2 and we went to
 our bowers not much out of     humor   
with each other or the world4 4 4 4     
,after dinner we all agreed     to go to
 the terrace at ,windsor--,mr41 ,mrs41  
and ,miss ,h41 with     their nice      
little boy1 and three young ladies4     
,here ,i met with     almost everybody  
,i wished and expected to see previous  

to the     king's arrival4         99   
99       99       99       99      ,but 
now here comes ,will1 and ,i must get   
up1 and make myself up to     go down to
 the perusal of my last book1 entitled  
,herschel4 ,so     good-morrow4         
,,chelsea1 ,tuesday4      ,not a moment 
could ,i get to write till now4 4 4 4 ,i
 must tell you     that ,,herschel      
proposed to me to go with him to the    
king's concert at     night1 he having  
permission to go when he chooses1 his   
five nephews     7,,griesbachs7 making a
 principal part of the band4 ',and1'    
says he1     ',i know you will be       
welcome4'  ,an intimacy was gradually   
established between ,,herschel and ,dr4 
,,burney4 ,they saw each other often at 
the meetings of the ,royal ,society1 and
 ,,herschel frequently stayed at the    
doctor's house4 ,on the first evening   
,,herschel spent at ,chelsea1 when ,i   
called for my ,,argand lamp1 ,,herschel1
 who had not seen one of those lamps1   
was surprised at the great effusion of  

light1 and immediately calculated the   
difference between that and a single    
candle1 and found it sixteen to one4#be 
,in #agic we find ,,herschel as a       
witness for his friend ,,james ,,watt1  
in the celebrated case of ,,watt vs4    
,,bull1 which was tried in the ,court of
 ,common ,pleas4 ,and from ,,muirhead',s
 ,life of ,,watt1 it appears that       
,,herschel visited ,,watt at ,heathfield
 in #ahaj4  ,a delightful picture of the
 old age of ,,herschel is given by the  
poet ,,campbell1#bf whose nature was    
fitted to perceive the beauties of a    
grand and simple character like         
,,herschel',s3                          
,,brighton1 ,september #ae1 #ahac4      
4 4 4 ,i wish you had been with me the  
day before yesterday1 when you     would
 have joined me1 ,i am sure1 deeply in  
admiring a great1 simple1     good old  
man--,dr4 ,,herschel4 ,do not think me  
vain1 or at least put up     with my    
vanity1 in saying that ,i almost flatter
 myself ,i have made     him my friend4 

,i have got an invitation1 and a        
pressing one1 to go     to his house2   
and the lady who introduced me to him1  
says he spoke     of me as if he would  
really be happy to see me4 4 4 4 ,i     
spent all     ,sunday with him and his  
family4 ,his son is a prodigy in        
sciences1     and fond of poetry1 but   
very unassuming4 4 4 4 ,now1 for the old
     astronomer himself4 ,his           
simplicity1 his kindness1 his anecdotes1
 his     readiness to explain--and make 
perfectly conspicuous too--his own      
sublime conceptions of the universe are 
indescribably charming4 ,he     is      
seventy-six1 but fresh and stout2 and   
there he sat1 nearest the     door1 at  
his friend's house1 alternately smiling 
at a joke1 or     contentedly sitting   
without share or notice in the          
conversation4     ,any train of         
conversation he follows implicitly2     
anything you ask he     labors with a   
sort of boyish earnestness to explain4  
,i was anxious to get from him as many  

particulars as ,i could about     his   
interview with ,,buonaparte4#bg ,the    
latter1 it was reported1 had            
astonished him by his astronomical      
knowledge4      ',no1' he said1 'the    
,first ,consul did surprise me by his   
quickness     and versatility on all    
subjects2 but in science he seemed to   
know     little more than any           
well-educated gentleman1 and of         
astronomy much     less for instance    
than our own king4 ,his general air1' he
 said1 'was     something like affecting
 to know more than he did know4' ,he was
     high1 and tried to be great with   
,,herschel1 ,i suppose1 without         
success2 and ',i remarked1' said the    
astronomer1 'his hypocrisy in           
concluding the conversation on astronomy
 by observing how all these     glorious
 views gave proofs of an ,almighty      
,wisdom4' ,i asked him if he     thought
 the system of ,,laplace to be quite    
certain1 with regard to     the total   
security of the planetary system from   

the effects of     gravitation losing   
its present balance8 ,he said1 ,no2 he  
thought by     no means that the        
universe was secured from the chance of 
sudden     losses of parts4      ,he was
 convinced that there had existed a     
planet between ,mars     and ,jupiter1  
in our own system1 of which the little  
asteroids1 or     planetkins1 lately    
discovered1 are indubitably fragments2  
and     ',remember1' said he1 'that     
though they have discovered only four of
     those parts1 there will be         
thousands--perhaps thirty thousand      
more--yet discovered4' ,this planet he  
believed to have been lost by           
explosion4      ,with great kindness and
 patience he referred me1 in the course 
of     my attempts to talk with him1 to 
a theorem in ,,newton',s ',principles   
of ,natural ,philosophy' in which the   
time that the light takes to     travel 
from the sun is proved with a simplicity
 which requires but a     few steps in  
reasoning4 ,in talking of some          

inconceivably distant     bodies1 he    
introduced the mention of this plain    
theorem1 to remind     me that the      
progress of light could be measured in  
the one case as     well as the other4  
,then1 speaking of himself1 he said1    
with a     modesty of manner which quite
 overcame me1 when taken together with  
the greatness of the assertion3 ',i have
 looked further into space     than ever
 human being did before me4 ,i have     
observed stars1 of     which the light1 
it can be proved1 must take two millions
 of years     to reach this earth4'     
,i really and unfeignedly felt at this  
moment as if ,i had been     conversing 
with a supernatural intelligence4 ',nay1
 more1' said he1     'if those distant  
bodies had ceased to exist two millions 
of years     ago1 we should still see   
them1 as the light would travel after   
the     body was gone4 4 4 4' ,these    
were ,,herschel',s words2 and if you had
     heard him speak them1 you would not
 think he was apt to tell more     than 

the truth4      ,after leaving          
,,herschel ,i felt elevated and         
overcome2 and have in     writing to you
 made only this memorandum of some of   
the most     interesting moments of my  
life4  ,,campbell',s conscientious      
biographer appears to have felt that the
 value of this charming account of his  
interview with ,,herschel was in its    
report of astronomical facts and        
opinions1 and he adds a foot-note to    
explain that ,,herschel',s opinion never
 amounted to more than hypothesis having
 some degree of probability4 ,sir ,,john
 ,,herschel remembers his father saying1
 ',if that hypothesis were true1 and if 
the planet destroyed were as large as   
the earth1 there must have been at least
 thirty-thousand such fragments1' but   
always as an hypothesis--he was never   
heard to declare any degree of          
conviction that it was so4  ,for us1 the
 value of this sympathetic account of a 
day in ,,herschel',s life is in its     
conception of the simplicity1 the       

modesty1 the boyish earnestness1 the    
elevation of thought and speech of the  
old philosopher2 and in the impression  
made on the feelings1 not the mind1 of  
the poet1 then thirty-five years old4   
,in a letter to ,,alison1 ,,campbell    
reverts with great pleasure to the day  
spent with ,,herschel3                  
,,sydenham1 ,december #ab1 #ahac4  ,,my 
,,dearest ,,alison3--         99        
99       99       99       99      ,i   
spent three weeks with my family at     
,brighton1 in charming     weather1 and 
was much pleased with1 as well as       
benefited by1 the     place4 ,there ,i  
met a man with whom you will stare at   
the idea of my     being congenial1 or  
having the vanity to think myself       
so--the great     ,,herschel4 ,he is a  
simple1 great being4 4 4 4 ,i once in my
 life     looked at ,,newton',s         
,principia1 and attended an astronomical
 class     at ,glasgow2 wonderful it    
seemed to myself1 that the great man    
condescended to understand my questions2

 to become apparently     earnest in    
communicating to me as much information 
as my limited     capacity and          
preparation for such knowledge would    
admit4 ,he invited     me to see him at 
his own abode1 and so kindly that ,i    
could not     believe that it was mere  
good breeding2 but a sincere wish to see
 me     again4 ,i had a full day with   
him2 he described to me his whole       
interview with ,,buonaparte2 said it was
 not true1 as reported1 that            
,,buonaparte understood astronomical    
subjects deeply1 but affected     more  
than he knew4      ,in speaking of his  
great and chief telescope1 he said with 
an air1     not of the least pride1 but 
with a greatness and simplicity of      
expression that struck me with wonder1  
',i have looked further into     space  
than ever human being did before me4 ,i 
have observed stars1 of     which the   
light takes two millions of years to    
travel to this     globe4' ,i mean to   
pay him a reverential visit at ,slough1 

as soon as     my book is out1 this     
winter4         99       99       99    
99       99  ,in #ahjg ,,carolina       
,,herschel has this entry in her diary3 
,october #d4--,my brother came from     
,brighton4 ,the same night two          
parties from the ,castle came to see the
 comet1 and during the whole     month  
my brother had not an evening to        
himself4 ,as he was then in     the     
midst of polishing the forty-foot       
mirror1 rest became absolutely          
necessary after a day spent in that most
 laborious work2 and it has     ever    
been my opinion that on the #adth of    
,october his nerves received     a shock
 of which he never got the better       
afterwards4  ,in the spring of #ahjh he 
was quite seriously ill2 but in ,may the
 observing went on again4 ,in #ahji and 
#ahaj his principal investigations were 
upon physical subjects 7,,newton',s     
rings71 and in #ahaa the only long      
series of observations was upon the     
comet of that year4 ,after #ahaa the    

state of ,,herschel',s health required  
that his observations should be much    
less frequent4 ,much of the time after  
#ahaa he was absent1 and his work at    
home consisted largely in arranging the 
results of his previous labors1 and in  
computations connected with them4 ,all  
through the years #ahad to #ahbb1       
,,herschel',s health was very feeble4   
,the severe winter of #ahac-ad had told 
materially upon him4 ,in #ahad1 however1
 he undertook to repolish the forty-foot
 mirror1 but was obliged to give it     
over4  ,he now found it necessary to    
make frequent little excursions for     
change of air and scene4 ,his faithful  
sister remained at home1 bringing order 
into the masses of manuscript1 and      
copying the papers for the ,royal       
,society4  ,she was sick at heart1      
fearing that each time she saw her      
brother it would be the last4 ,in #ahah 
she says3      ,feb4 #aa1 ,i went to my 
brother and remained with him till the  
#bc;d4     ,we spent our time1 though   

not in idleness1 in sorrow and sadness4 
,he is not only unwell1 but low in      
spirits4  ,in #ahah 7,december #af71    
,,herschel went to ,london to have his  
portrait painted by ,,artaud4 ,while he 
was in ,london his will was made4#bh    
,in #ahai there is a glimmer of the     
old-time light4 ,in a note ,,herschel   
says3      ,,lina3--,there is a great   
comet4 ,i want you to assist me4 ,come  
to     dine and spend the day here4 ,if 
you can come soon after one o'clock1    
we shall have time to prepare maps and  
telescopes4 ,i saw its     situation    
last night4 ,it has a long tail4        
,july #d1 #ahai4  ,this note has been   
carefully kept by his sister1 and on it 
she has written3 ,i keep this as a      
relic4 ,every line now traced by the    
hand of my dear brother becomes a       
treasure to me4  ,so the next three     
years passed away4 ,sir ,,william#bi was
 daily more and more feeble4 ,he spent  
his time in putting his works in order1 
but could devote only a few moments each

 day to this4 ,his sister says3         
,aug4 #aath1 #abth1 #acth1 and #adth    
#ahbb1 ,i went as usual to     spend    
some hours of the forenoon with my      
brother4      ,aug4 #aeth4--,i hastened 
to the spot where ,i was wont to find   
him1     with the newspaper which ,i was
 to read to him4 ,but instead ,i found  
,mrs4 ,,monson1 ,miss ,,baldwin1 and    
,mr4 ,,bulman1 from ,leeds1 the grandson
     of my brother's earliest           
acquaintance in this country4 ,i was    
informed my brother had been obliged to 
return to his room1 whither     ,i flew 
immediately4 ,lady ,h4 and the          
housekeeper were with him1              
administering everything which could be 
thought of for supporting     him4 ,i   
found him much irritated at not being   
able to grant ,mr4     ,,bulman',s      
request for some token of remembrance   
for his father4 ,as     soon as he saw  
me1 ,i was sent to the library to fetch 
one of his     last papers and a plate  
of the forty-foot telescope4 ,but for   

the     universe ,i could not have      
looked twice at what ,i had snatched    
from     the shelf1 and when he faintly 
asked if the breaking up of the ,milky  
,way was in it1 ,i said ',yes1' and he  
looked content4 ,i cannot help          
remembering this circumstance2 it was   
the last time ,i was sent to     the    
library on such an occasion4 ,that the  
anxious care for his     papers and     
workrooms never ended but with his life1
 was proved by     his frequent         
whispered inquiries if they were locked 
and the key     safe1 of which ,i took  
care to assure him that they were1 and  
the key     in ,lady ,,herschel',s      
hands4      ,after half an hour's vain  
attempt to support himself1 my brother  
was obliged to consent to be put to bed1
 leaving no hope ever to see     him    
rise again4  ,on the #beth of ,august1  
#ahbb1 ,,herschel died peacefully at the
 age of eighty-four years4  ,his remains
 lie in the little church at ,upton1    
near ,windsor1 where a memorial tablet  

has been erected by his son4 ,the       
epitaph is as follows3#cj               
,h4 ,s4 ,e4                  ,,gulielmus
 ,,herschel ,eques ,guelphicus          
,hanovi natus ,angliam elegit patriam   
,astronomis tatis su prstantissimis     
,merito annumeratus                     
,ut leviora sileantur inventa           
,planetam ille extra ,saturni orbitam   
,primus detexit                   ,novis
 artis adjumentis innixus               
,qu ipse excogitavit et perfecit        
,coelorum perrupit claustra             
,et remotiora penetrans et explorans    
spatia                     ,incognitos  
astrorum ignes             ,astronomorum
 oculis et intellectui subjecit         
,qua sedulitate qua solertia            
,corporum et phantasmatum               
,extra systematis nostri fines lucentium
                        ,naturam        
indagaverit                 ,quidquid   
paulo audacius conjecit                 
,ingenita temperans verecundia          
,ultro testantur hodie quales           

,vera esse qu docuit pleraque           
,siquidem certiora futuris ingeniis     
subsidia                      ,debitura 
est astronomia                          
,agnoscent forte posteri                
,vitam utilem innocuam amabilem         
,non minus felici laborum exitu quam    
virtutibus                      ,ornatam
 et vere eximiam                ,morte  
suis et bonis omnibus deflenda          
,nec tamen immatura clausit             
,die ,,xxv ,augusti ,a4 ,d4             
,,ci,c,i,c,,cccxxii                     
tatis vero su ,,lxxxiv4  ,,footnotes3   
#ah ,,bode',s ,jahrbuch1 #aghh1 p4 #add4
  #ai ,,zach',s ,monatlich              
,correspondenz1 #ahjb1 p4 #ef4  #bj     
,,bode',s ,jahrbuch1 #aghh1 p4 #afa4    
#ba ,through ,sir ,,john ,,herschel     
there is preserved to us an incident of 
his early boyhood1 which shows the      
nature of the training his young mind   
received in the household at ,slough4   
,walking with his father1 he asked him  
,what was the oldest of all things8 ,the

 father replied1 after the ,socratic    
manner1 ,and what do you suppose is the 
oldest of all things8 ,the boy was not  
successful in his answers1 whereon the  
old astronomer took up a small stone    
from the garden walk3 ,there1 my child1 
there is the oldest of all the things   
that ,i certainly know4 ,on another     
occasion the father asked his son1 ,what
 sort of things do you think are most   
alike8 ,the boy replied1 ,the leaves of 
the same tree are most like each other4 
,gather1 then1 a handful of leaves from 
that tree1 rejoined the philosopher1 and
 choose two which are alike4--,monthly  
,notices ,royal ,astronomical ,society1 
vol4 xxxii41 page #abc4  #bb ,memoir of 
,,caroline ,,herschel1 p4 #db4  #bc ,of 
late years these expectations have been 
more than accomplished by the discovery 
of no fewer than four planetary bodies1 
almost all in the same place2 but so    
small that ,dr4 ,,herschel refuses to   
honor them with the name of planets1 and
 chooses to call them asteroids1 though 

for what reason it is not easy to       
determine1 unless it be to deprive the  
discoverers of these bodies of any      
pretence for rating themselves as high  
in the list of astronomical discoverers 
as himself4--,history of the ,royal     
,society1 by ,,thomas ,,thomson1 p4     
#ceh4 ,this work was published in #ahab1
 and therefore during the lifetime of   
,,herschel4  #bd ,poetical ,history of  
,astronomy3 this work was nearly        
completed1 but was never published4 ,the
 whole of it was read to ,,herschel1 in 
order that ,,burney might have the      
benefit of his criticism on its         
technical terms4  #be ,memoirs of ,dr4  
,,burney1 vol4 iii41 p4 #bfd4  #bf ,life
 and ,letters of ,,thomas ,,campbell1   
edited by ,,william ,,beattie1 vol4 ii41
 p4 #bcd4  #bg ,this interview must have
 taken place in #ahjb1 during           
,,herschel',s journey to ,paris4 ,we    
have no other record of it4  #bh ,the   
will of ,,herschel was dated ,december  
#agth1 #ahah4  ,the personal effects    

were sworn under #f1jjj4 ,the copyhold  
and other lands and tenements at        
,upton-cum-,chalvey1 in the ,county of  
,bucks1 and at ,slough1 he decrees to   
his son1 with #be1jjj in the #c per     
cent4 ,reduced ,annuities4 #b1jjj are   
given to his brother ,,johann           
,,dietrich1 and annuities of #ajj each  
to his brother ,,johann ,,alexander and 
to his sister ,,carolina2 #bj each to   
his nephews and nieces1 and the residue 
7with the exception of astronomical     
instruments1 telescopes1 observations1  
etc41 which he declares to have given1  
on account of his advanced age1 to his  
son for the purpose of continuing his   
studies7 is left solely to ,lady        
,,herschel4--,gentleman's ,magazine1    
vol4 xcii41 #ahbb1 p4 #fej4  ,it is not 
necessary to say here how nobly ,sir    
,,john ,,herschel redeemed the trust    
confided in him4 ,all the world knows of
 his ,survey of the ,southern ,heavens1 
in which he completed the review of the 
sky which had been begun and completed  

for the northern heavens by the same    
instruments in his father's hands4 ,a   
glance at the ,bibliography at the end  
of this book will show the titles of    
several papers by ,sir ,,john1 written  
with the sole object of rendering his   
father's labors more complete4  #bi ,he 
was created a knight of the ,royal      
,hanoverian ,guelphic ,order in #ahaf1  
and was the first ,president of the     
,royal ,astronomical ,society in #ahba1 
his son being its first ,foreign        
,secretary4  #cj ,,bode',s ,jahrbuch1   
#ahbc1 p4 #bbb4                         
,,chapter ,,iv4            ,,review ,,of
 ,,the ,,scientific ,,labors ,,of       
,,william ,,herschel4   ,in this chapter
 ,i shall endeavor to give such         
explanations as will enable the general 
reader to follow the course of discovery
 in each branch of astronomy and        
physics1 regularly through the period of
 ,,herschel',s life1 and up to the state
 in which he left it4  ,a more detailed 
and precise account1 which should appeal

 directly to the professional           
astronomer1 will not be needed1 since   
,,arago has already fulfilled this want 
in his ,analyse de la vie et des travaux
 de ,sir ,,william ,,herschel1 published
 in #ahdb4 ,the few misconceptions there
 contained will be easily corrected by  
those to whom alone they are of         
consequence4 ,the latter class of       
readers may also consult the abstracts  
of ,,herschel',s memoirs1 which have    
been given in ,a ,subject-index and a   
,synopsis of the ,scientific ,writings  
of ,sir ,,william ,,herschel1 prepared  
by ,dr4 ,,hastings and myself1 and      
published by the ,smithsonian           
,institution4  ,an accurate sketch of   
the state of astronomy in ,england and  
on the ,continent1 in the years         
#aghj-ahbj1 need not be given4 ,it will 
be enough if we remember that of the    
chief observatories of ,europe1 public  
and private1 no one was actively devoted
 to such labors as were undertaken by   
,,herschel at the very beginning of his 

career4  ,his observations on variable  
stars1 indeed1 were in the same line as 
those of ,,pigott2 ,,flaugergues and    
,,darquier1 in ,france1 had perhaps     
preceded him in minute scrutiny of the  
sun's surface1 etc42 but1 even in that  
department of observation1 he at once   
put an immense distance between himself 
and others by the rapid and             
extraordinary advances in the size and  
in the excellence of his telescopes4    
,before his time the principal aids to  
observation were the ,gregorian and     
,newtonian telescopes of ,,short1 and   
the small achromatics of ,,dollond4#ca  
,we have seen1 in what goes before1 how 
his patient zeal had succeeded in       
improving upon these4 ,there was no     
delay1 and no rest4 ,steadily the art of
 making reflectors was urged forward1   
until he had finally in his hands the   
forty-foot telescope4  ,it must be      
admitted that this was the limit to     
which the manufacture of powerful       
telescopes could be pushed in his       

generation4 ,the optical and mechanical 
difficulties which prevented a farther  
advance required time for their         
solution2 and1 indeed1 some of these    
difficulties are scarcely solved at this
 day4 ,it may fairly be said that no    
reflector larger than three feet in     
aperture has yet realized our           
expectations4              ,the         
,improvement of ,telescopes and ,optical
 ,apparatus4  ,it will be of interest to
 give in this place some connected      
account of the large forty-foot         
reflector1 of four feet aperture1 made  
by ,,herschel4 ,its history extends from
 #aghe to #ahaa4 ,its manufacture was   
considered by his cotemporaries as his  
greatest triumph4 ,as a machine1 it was 
extremely ingenious in all its parts1 as
 may be seen from the elaborate         
description and plates of it published  
in the ,philosophical ,transactions for 
#agie4 ,one of its mirrors certainly had
 good definition1 for1 by means of it1  
the two small satellites of ,saturn     

7,mimas and ,enceladus7 were discovered1
 and these discoveries alone would make 
it famous4 ,perhaps more was expected of
 it by the public in general than it    
absolutely performed4 ,its merits were  
after a while decried1 and ,,herschel   
even felt obliged to state why he did   
not always employ it in his             
observations4 ,his reasons were         
perfectly valid1 and such as any one may
 understand4 ,the time required to get  
so large a machine into working order   
was a serious tax2 it required more     
assistants than his twenty-foot         
telescope1 and he says1 ,i have made it 
a rule never to employ a larger         
telescope when a smaller will answer the
 purpose4  ,it still remains as a       
remarkable feat of engineering and an   
example of great optical and mechanical 
skill4 ,it led the way to the large     
reflectors of ,lord ,,rosse1 some sixty 
years later1 and several of the         
forty-foot telescopes of the present day
 even have done less useful work4 ,its  

great feat1 however1 was to have added  
two satellites to the solar system4     
,from the published accounts of it the  
following is taken3      ,when ,i       
resided at ,bath ,i had long been       
acquainted with the theory     of optics
 and mechanics1 and wanted only that    
experience so     necessary in the      
practical part of these sciences4 ,this 
,i acquired     by degrees at that      
place1 where in my leisure hours1 by way
 of     amusement1 ,i made several      
two-foot1 five-foot1 seven-foot1        
ten-foot1     and twenty-foot ,newtonian
 telescopes1 beside others1 of the      
,gregorian form1 of eight1 twelve1 and  
eighteen inches1 and two1     three1    
five1 and ten feet focal length4 ,in    
this way ,i made not less     than two  
hundred seven-foot1 one hundred and     
fifty ten-foot1 and     about eighty    
twenty-foot mirrors1 not to mention the 
,gregorian     telescopes4#cb      ,the 
number of stands ,i invented for these  
telescopes it would not     be easy to  

assign4 4 4 4 ,in #agha ,i began to     
construct a thirty-foot     arial       
reflector1 and having made a stand for  
it1 ,i cast the mirror     thirty-six   
inches in diameter4 ,this was cracked in
 cooling4 ,i cast     it a second time1 
and the furnace ,i had built in my house
 broke4  ,soon after1 the ,georgian     
planet was discovered1 and this         
interrupted the work for a time4        
,in the year #aghc ,i finished a very   
good twenty-foot reflector with     a   
large aperture1 and mounted it upon the 
plan of my present     telescope4 ,after
 two years' observation with it1 the    
great advantage     of such apertures   
appeared so clearly to me that ,i       
recurred to my     former intention of  
increasing them still further2 and being
 now     sufficiently provided with     
experience in the work which ,i wished  
to     undertake1 the ,president of the 
,royal ,society1 who is always ready    
to promote useful undertakings1 had the 
goodness to lay my design     before the

 king4 ,his ,majesty was graciously     
pleased to approve of     it1 and with  
his usual liberality to support it with 
his royal     bounty4      ,in          
consequence of this arrangement ,i began
 to construct the     forty-foot        
telescope about the latter end of       
#aghe4cc ,the woodwork     of the stand 
and machines for giving the required    
motions to the     instrument were      
immediately put in hand4 ,in the whole  
of the     apparatus none but common    
workmen were employed1 for ,i made      
drawings     of every part of it1 by    
which it was easy to execute the work1  
as ,i     constantly inspected and      
directed every person's labor2 though   
sometimes there were not less than forty
 different workmen employed     at the  
same time4 ,while the stand of the      
telescope was preparing1 ,i     also    
began the construction of the great     
mirror1 of which ,i     inspected the   
casting1 grinding1 and polishing1 and   
the work was in     this manner carried 

on with no other interruption than that 
occasioned by the removal of all the    
apparatus and materials from     where  
,i then lived1 to my present situation  
at ,slough4      ,here1 soon after my   
arrival1 ,i began to lay the foundation 
upon     which by degrees the whole     
structure was raised as it now stands1  
and the speculum being highly polished  
and put into the tube1 ,i had     the   
first view through it on ,february #ai1 
#aghg4 ,i do not1 however1     date the 
completing of the instrument till much  
later4 ,for the first     speculum1 by a
 mismanagement of the person who cast   
it1 came out     thinner on the centre  
of the back than was intended1 and on   
account     of its weakness would not   
permit a good figure to be given to it4 
,a second mirror was cast ,january #bf1 
#aghh1 but it cracked in     cooling4   
,february #af we recast it1 and it      
proved to be of a proper     degree of  
strength4 ,october #bd it was brought to
 a pretty good     figure and polish1   

and ,i observed the planet ,saturn with 
it4 ,but     not being satisfied1 ,i    
continued to work upon it till ,august  
#bg1     #aghi1 when it was tried upon  
the fixed stars1 and ,i found it to give
     a pretty sharp image4 ,large stars 
were a little affected with             
scattered light1 owing to many remaining
 scratches on the mirror4     ,august   
the #bhth1 #aghi1 having brought the    
telescope to the parallel     of        
,saturn1 ,i discovered a sixth satellite
 of that planet1 and     also saw the   
spots upon ,saturn better than ,i had   
ever seen them     before1 so that ,i   
may date the finishing of the forty-foot
 telescope     from that time4  ,another
 satellite of ,saturn was discovered    
with the forty-foot on the #agth of     
,september 7#aghi74 ,it was used for    
various observations so late as #ahaa4  
,on ,january #ai1 of that year1         
,,herschel observed the nebula of ,orion
 with it4 ,this was one of his last     
observations4  ,the final disposition of

 the telescope is told in the following 
extract from a letter of ,sir ,,john    
,,herschel',s to ,mr4 ,,weld1 ,secretary
 of the ,royal ,society3                
,,collingwood1 ,march #ac1 #ahdg4      4
 4 4 ,in reply to your queries1         
respecting the forty-foot     reflecting
 telescope constructed by my father1 ,i 
have to state that     ,king ,,george   
,,iii4 munificently defrayed the entire 
cost of that     instrument 7including1 
of course1 all preparatory cost in the  
nature     of construction of tools1 and
 of the apparatus for casting1 grinding1
     and figuring the reflectors1 of    
which two were constructed71 at a       
total cost of #d1jjj4 ,the woodwork of  
the telescope being so far     decayed  
as to be dangerous1 in the year #ahci ,i
 pulled it down1 and     piers were     
erected on which the tube was placed1   
that being of     iron and so well      
preserved1 that1 although not more than 
one-twentieth of an inch thick1 when in 
the horizontal position it     sustained

 within it all my family1 and continues 
to sustain inclosed     within it1 to   
this day1 not only the heavier of the   
two reflectors1     but also all the    
more important portions of the          
machinery4 4 4 4     ,the mirror and the
 rest of the polishing apparatus are on 
the     premises4 ,the iron grinding    
tools and polishers are placed          
underneath the tube1 let into the       
ground1 and level with the surface      
of the gravelled area in which it       
stands44 4 4  ,the closing of the tube  
was done with appropriate ceremony on   
,new-,year's-,day1 #ahdj1 when1 after a 
procession through it by the family at  
,slough1 a poem1 written by ,sir ,,john1
 was read1 the machinery put into its   
present position1 and the tube sealed4  
,the memoir on the forty-foot telescope 
shows throughout that ,,herschel',s     
prime object was not the making of the  
telescope itself1 but that his mind was 
constantly directed towards the uses to 
which it was to be put--towards the     

questions which he wished it to answer4 
,again and again1 in his various papers1
 he returns to the question of the limit
 of vision4 ,as ,,bessel has said3      
,the naked eye has its limit of vision  
in the stars of the sixth     magnitude4
 ,the light of fainter stars than these 
does not affect the     retina enough   
for them to be seen4 ,a very small      
telescope penetrates     to smaller1    
and1 in general1 without doubt1 to more 
distant stars4     ,a more powerful one 
penetrates deeper into space1 and as its
 power is     increased1 so the         
boundaries of the visible universe are  
widened1     and the number of stars    
increased to millions and millions4     
,whoever     has followed the history of
 the series of ,,herschel',s telescopes 
will     have observed this4 ,but       
,,herschel was not content with the bare
 fact1     but strove ever to know how  
far a telescope of a certain            
construction and size could penetrate1  
compared with the naked and             

unassisted eye4 ,these investigations   
were never for the discovery of     new 
facts concerning the working of his     
instruments2 it was for the             
knowledge of the distribution of the    
fixed stars in space itself     that he 
strove4 4 4 4 ,,herschel',s instruments 
were designed to aid     vision to the  
last extent4 ,they were only secondarily
 for the taking     of measures4 ,his   
efforts were not for a knowledge of the 
motions1     but of the constitution and
 construction of the heavenly           
bodies4  ,besides the stands for his    
telescopes1 which were both ingenious   
and convenient1 ,,herschel devised many 
forms of apparatus for facilitating the 
art of observation4 ,his micrometers for
 measuring position angles1 his lamp    
micrometer1 the method of limiting      
apertures1 and the methods he used for  
viewing the sun may be mentioned among  
these4  ,points in practical astronomy  
are considered all through the years of 
observation4 ,a reference to his        

original papers will show how numerous1 
how varied1 and how valuable these are4 
,i cannot forbear quoting here the      
account of a precaution observed during 
his examination of the belts on ,saturn 
7#agid74  ,it is the most striking      
example of how fully ,,herschel realized
 that the eye of the observer is a      
material part of the optical apparatus  
of astronomy4 ,simple as this principle 
may appear1 it was an absolute novelty  
in his day4  ,in making these           
observations1 he says3      ,i took care
 to bend my head so as to receive the   
picture of the     belt in the same     
direction as ,i did formerly4 ,this was 
a precaution     that occurred to me1 as
 there was a possibility that the       
vertical     diameter of the retina     
might be more or less sensitive than the
     horizontal one4  ,astronomers will 
recognize in this the first suggestion  
of the processes which have led to      
important results in the hands of ,dr4  
,,otto ,,struve and others in the       

comparison of the measures of double    
stars by different observers1 each of   
whom has a personal habit of            
observation1 which1 if not corrected1   
may affect his results in the way which 
,,herschel was striving to avoid4       
,researches on the ,relative ,brightness
 of the                      ,stars3    
,variable ,stars4  ,no research of      
,,herschel',s was more laborious than   
the elaborate classification of the     
stars according to their comparative    
brightness1 which he executed during the
 years #agif to #agii4 ,it was directly 
in the line of his main work--to find   
out the construction of the heavens4    
,his first paper had been upon the      
variable star ,mira ,ceti4 ,here was a  
sun1 shining by its native brightness1  
which waxed and waned like the moon     
itself4 ,this star is periodic4 ,it is  
for a long period invisible to the      
unassisted eye4 ,then it can just be    
seen1 and increases in brightness for a 
little over a month1 and attains a      

maximum brilliancy4 ,from this it       
decreases for nearly three months1 and  
after becoming invisible1 remains so for
 five or six months4 ,its whole period  
is about #ccc days4 ,are all other stars
 constant in brightness8 ,the example of
 ,mira ,ceti and of other known         
variables makes this at least doubtful4 
,but the sun itself may vary for all    
that we know4 ,it is a simple star like 
the rest4  ,this question of variability
 in general is an important one1 then4  
,it can only be tested by making        
accurate catalogues of the relative     
brilliance of stars at various times1   
and by comparing these4 ,no such general
 catalogue existed before ,,herschel',s 
time1 and led by the discrepancies in   
isolated cases1 which he found between  
his own estimates and those of his      
predecessors1 he made from observation a
 series of four catalogues1 in which    
were set down the order of sequence of  
the stars of each constellation4  ,the  
method adopted by ,,herschel was        

perfectly simple in principle1 though   
most laborious in practice4 ,suppose any
 number of stars1 ,a1 ,b1 ,c1 ,d1 ,e1 4 
4 4 etc41 near enough to each other to  
be well compared4 ,the process consists 
simply in writing down the names of the 
stars1 ,a1 ,b1 ,c1 etc41 in the order of
 their relative brightness4 ,thus if for
 a group of eight stars we have found at
 one epoch ,a1 ,b1 ,c1 ,d1 ,e1 ,f1 ,g1  
,h1 and if at another time the order was
 ,a1 ,b1 ,c1 ,d1 ,f1 ,e1 ,g1 ,h1        
symptoms of variability are pointed out4
 ,repeated observations1 where the same 
star is found in different sequences1   
will decide the question4 ,thus1 for the
 stars visible to the naked eye1 we know
 exactly the state of the sky in        
,,herschel',s day1 now nearly a century 
ago4 ,any material change cannot escape 
us4 ,these catalogues have been         
singularly overlooked by the observers  
of our generation who have followed this
 branch of observation1 and it was not  
till #ahgf that they received proper    

attention and a suitable reduction 7at  
the hands of ,mr4 ,c4 ,s4 ,,pierce74    
,we owe to ,,herschel the first         
trustworthy account of the stars visible
 to the naked eye1 and since the date of
 his labors 7about #ahjj7 we have       
similar views published by ,,argelander 
7#ahci71 ,,heis 7#ahdh71 ,,argelander   
and ,,sch,,nfeld 7#aheg71 ,,gould 7#ahfj
 and #ahgb71 and ,,houzeau 7#ahge74     
,thus his labors have been well followed
 up4  ,in the prosecution of this work  
,,herschel found stars whose light was  
progressively diminishing1 others which 
regularly increased1 one star whose     
light periodically varies 7alpha        
,herculis71 and at least one star 7#ee  
,herculis7 which has utterly            
disappeared4 ,on ,october #aj1 #agha1   
and ,april #aa1 #aghb1 he observed this 
latter star1 but in ,may1 #agia1 it had 
totally vanished4 ,there was no trace   
remaining4  ,the discovery of the       
variability of alpha ,herculis was a    
more important one than would at first  

sight appear4 ,up to that time the only 
variable stars known were seven in      
number4 ,their periods were four hundred
 and ninety-four1 four hundred and four1
 three hundred and thirty-four1 seven1  
six1 five1 and three days4 ,these       
periods seemed to fall into two groups1 
one of from three hundred to five       
hundred days1 the other comparatively   
much shorter1 of three to seven days4   
alpha ,herculis came to occupy the      
middle place between these groups1 its  
period being about sixty days4  ,the    
cause of these strange and regular      
variations of brightness was supposed by
 ,,herschel to be the rotation of the   
star bodily on an axis1 by which        
revolution different parts of its       
surface1 of different brilliancy1 were  
successively and periodically presented 
to us4 ,this explanation it might have  
been difficult to receive1 when the     
periods of the known variables were so  
markedly various in length4 ,his own    
discovery came to bridge over the       

interval1 and quite confirmed him in his
 belief4 ,he returned to the subject of 
the revolution of stars about their axes
 again and again1 and connected it with 
the revolution of satellites4  ,he found
 that the satellites of ,jupiter and one
 of ,saturn's periodically changed in   
brightness1 and by quite simple means   
showed that their periods of rotation   
were at least approximately the same as 
their periods of revolution about their 
primaries4 ,in this case1 as in every   
other1 he considered a discovery in each
 and every one of its possible bearings4
 ,there are no instances where he has   
singularly overlooked the consequences  
of his observations4                    
,researches on ,double ,stars4  ,the    
double stars were the subject of        
,,herschel',s earliest and of his latest
 papers4 ,in #aghb he published his     
,catalogue of ,double ,stars1 and his   
last published memoir 7#ahbb7 was on the
 same subject4  ,the question of        
determining the parallax of stars first 

brought ,,herschel to the discovery of  
double stars4 ,if two stars1 ,a and ,b1 
appear very close together1 and if1 in  
reality1 the star ,b is very many times 
more distant from the earth than ,a1    
although seen along the same line of    
sight1 then the revolution of the earth 
in its orbit will produce changes in the
 relative situation of ,a and ,b1 and1  
in fact1 ,b will describe a small orbit 
about ,a1 due to this revolution4 ,this 
idea had been proposed by ,,galileo1 and
 measures on this plan had been made by 
,,long1 with negative results4 ,but     
,,herschel1 in reviewing their work1    
declares that the stars chosen by ,,long
 were not suitable to the purpose4 ,it  
is necessary1 among other things1 to the
 success of this method1 that it should 
be certain that the star ,b is really   
very much more distant than the star ,a4
 ,the only general test of the distance 
of stars is their brilliancy1 and       
,,herschel decided to use only stars for
 this research which had two components 

very greatly different in brightness4 ,a
 must be very bright 7and presumably    
near to us71 and ,b must be very close  
to ,a1 and very faint 7and thus1        
presumably1 very distant74  ,it was in  
the search for such pairs of stars that 
the ,catalogue of ,double ,stars 7#aghb7
 was formed4 ,,herschel',s first idea of
 a double star made such pairs as he    
found1 to consist of two stars          
accidentally near to each other4 ,a was 
near to us1 and appeared projected in a 
certain place on the celestial sphere4  
,b was many times more distant1 but1 by 
chance1 was seen along the same line1   
and made with ,a an optical double4 ,if 
the two stars were at the same distance 
from the earth1 if they made part of the
 same physical system1 if one revolved  
around the other1 then this method of   
gaining a knowledge of their distance   
failed4 ,even in his first memoir on the
 subject1 a surmise that this latter    
state might occur in some cases1 was    
expressed by ,,herschel4 ,the notes on  

some of the pairs declare that a motion 
of one of them was suspected4 ,but this 
motion might be truly orbital--of one   
star about the other as a centre--or it 
might simply be that one star was moving
 by its own proper motion1 and leaving  
the other behind4 ,it was best to wait  
and see4 ,the first ,catalogue of       
,double ,stars contained two hundred and
 three instances of such associations4  
,these were observed from time to time1 
and new pairs discovered4 ,the paper of 
,,michell1 ,an ,inquiry into the        
probable ,parallax and ,magnitude of the
 ,fixed ,stars1 from the ,quantity of   
,light which they ,afford1 and the      
,particular ,circumstances of their     
,situation 7#agfg71 was read and        
pondered4 ,by #ahjb ,,herschel had      
become certain that there existed in the
 heavens real pairs of stars1 both at   
the same distance from the earth1 which 
were physically connected with each     
other4 ,the arguments of ,,michell have 
been applied by ,,bessel to the case of 

one of ,,herschel',s double stars1 in   
much the same order in which the        
argument ran in ,,herschel',s own mind1 
as follows3  ,the star ,castor 7alpha   
,geminorum7 is a double star1 where ,a  
is of the second1 and ,b of the fourth1 
magnitude4 ,to the naked eye these two  
appear as one star4 ,with a telescope   
this is seen to be two stars1 some #e   
apart4 ,in the whole sky there are not  
above fifty such stars as the brighter  
of the two1 and about four hundred of   
the brilliancy of ,b4 ,these fifty and  
four hundred stars are scattered over   
the vault of heaven1 almost at random4  
,no law has yet been traced by which we 
can say that here or here there shall be
 a bright star like ,a1 or a fainter one
 like ,b4 ,in general the distribution  
appears to be fortuitous4 ,how then can 
we account for one of the four hundred  
stars like ,b placed so close to one of 
the fifty like ,a8  ,the chances are    
over four hundred thousand to one that  
the association in position is not      

accidental4 ,this argument becomes      
overwhelming when the same association  
is found in many other cases4 ,there    
were two hundred and three doubles in   
the ,catalogue of #aghb alone1 and many 
thousands are now known4  ,by a process 
like this1 ,,herschel reached his grand 
discovery of true binary systems1 where 
one sun revolves about another4 ,for he 
saw that if the two stars are near      
together in space1 they could not stand 
still in face of each other1 but that   
they must revolve in true orbits4 ,here 
was the discovery which came to take the
 place of the detection of the          
parallaxes of the fixed stars4  ,he had 
failed in one research1 but he was led  
to grand conclusions4 ,was the force    
that these distant pairs of suns obeyed1
 the force of gravitation8 ,this he     
could not settle1 but his successors    
have done so4 ,it was not till about    
#ahbg that ,,savary1 of the ,paris      
,observatory1 showed that one of        
,,herschel',s doubles was subjected to  

the law of gravitation1 and thus        
extended the power of this law from our 
system to the universe at large4        
,,herschel himself lived to see some of 
his double stars perform half a         
revolution4  ,of ,,herschel',s          
discoveries1 ,,arago thinks this has le 
plus d'avenir4 ,it may well be so4 ,the 
laws which govern our solar system have 
been extended1 through his researches1  
to regions of unknown distance4 ,the    
binary stars will afford the largest    
field for research into the laws which  
govern them1 and together with the      
clusters and groups1 they will give a   
firm basis by which to study the        
distribution of stars in general1 since 
here we have the great advantage of     
knowing1 if not the real distance of the
 two stars from the earth1 at least that
 this distance is alike for both4       
,researches on ,planets and ,satellites4
  ,after ,,herschel',s first publication
 on the mountains of the ,moon 7#aghj71 
our satellite appears to have occupied  

him but little4 ,the observation of     
volcanoes 7#aghg7 and of a lunar eclipse
 are his only published ones4 ,the      
planets ,mercury1 ,venus1 ,mars1 and    
,jupiter1 although they were often      
studied1 were not the subjects of his   
more important memoirs4 ,the planet     
,saturn1 on the contrary1 seems never to
 have been lost sight of from the time  
of his first view of it in #aggb4  ,the 
field of discovery always appears to be 
completely occupied until the advent of 
a great man1 who1 even by his way of    
putting old and familiar facts1 shows   
the paths along which discoveries must  
come1 if at all4 ,this faculty comes    
from profound reflection on the nature  
of the subject itself1 from a sort of   
transmuting power which changes the     
words of the books into the things of   
reality4 ,,herschel',s paper on ,saturn1
 in #agij1 is an admirable example of   
this4  ,,herschel',s observations on    
,saturn began in #aggb4 ,from #agij to  
#ahjh he published six memoirs on the   

figure1 the ring1 and the satellites of 
this planet4 ,the spheroidal shape of   
the ball was first discovered by him1   
and we owe much of our certain knowledge
 of the constitution of the rings to his
 work4 ,the sixth and seventh           
satellites1 ,mimas and ,enceladus1 were 
discovered by him in #aghi4 ,the periods
 of rotation of the ball and of the ring
 were also fixed4 ,in his conclusions as
 to the real figure of the rings1 there 
is a degree of scientific caution which 
is truly remarkable1 and which to-day   
seems almost excessive4  ,in his paper  
of #agib1 ,,herschel shows that the most
 distant satellite of                   
,saturn--,japetus--turns once on its    
axis in each revolution about its       
primary1 just as our moon does4 ,he says
 of this3      ,i cannot help reflecting
 with some pleasure on the discovery of 
an     analogy which shows that a       
certain uniform plan is carried on among
     the secondary planets of our solar 
system2 and we may conjecture     that  

probably most of the satellites are     
governed by the same law2     especially
 if it be founded on such a construction
 of their figure     as makes them more 
ponderous towards their primary planets4
  ,i believe the last suggestion to have
 been the first statement of the        
possible arrangement of matter in       
satellites1 which was afterwards so     
forcibly maintained by ,,hansen in his  
theory of the moon4 ,,hansen',s         
researches show the consequences of such
 an arrangement1 although they do not   
prove its existence4  ,it should be     
recorded that the explanation which is  
to-day received of the belts and bands  
upon ,jupiter1 is1 ,i believe1 first    
found in ,,herschel',s memoir on ,venus 
7#agic74 ,his memoir of #agig1 on the   
changeable brightness of the satellites 
of ,jupiter1 has already been referred  
to4 ,the times of the rotation of the   
satellites on their axes was first      
determined by ,,herschel from these     
observations1 which also contain        

accounts of the curious1 and as yet     
unexplained1 phenomena attending their  
appearances on the disc of the planet4  
,,herschel discovered in ,january1      
#aghg1 the two brighter satellites of   
,uranus1 now called ,oberon and         
,titania4 ,they are among the faintest  
objects in the solar system4 ,a later   
discussion of all his observations led  
him to the belief that there were four  
more1 and he gives his observations and 
computations in full4 ,he says that of  
the existence of additional satellites  
he has no doubt4 ,of these four1 three  
were exterior to the most distant       
satellite ,oberon1 the other was        
interior to ,titania4  ,it was not until
 #ahcd that even ,oberon and ,titania   
were again observed 7by ,sir ,,john     
,,herschel7 with a telescope of twenty  
feet1 similar to that which had         
discovered them1 and not until #ahdg was
 the true state of this system known1   
when ,mr4 ,,lassell discovered ,ariel   
and ,umbriel1 two satellites interior to

 ,titania1 neither of which was         
,,herschel',s interior satellite4 ,in   
#ahdh and later years ,mr4 ,,lassell1 by
 the aid of telescopes constructed by   
himself1 fully settled the fact that    
only four satellites of this planet     
existed4 ,in #ahgd ,i examined the      
observations of ,,herschel on his       
supposed interior satellite1 thinking   
that it might be possible that among the
 very few glimpses of it which he       
recorded1 some might have belonged to   
,ariel and some to ,umbriel1 and that by
 combining rare and almost accidental   
observations of two satellites which    
really existed1 he had come to announce 
the existence of an interior satellite  
which had no existence in fact4 ,such ,i
 believe to be the case4 ,in #ahja1     
,april #ag1 ,,herschel describes an     
interior satellite in the position angle
 #ahi1 distant #ah from the planet4 ,at 
that instant ,umbriel1 one of ,mr4      
,,lassell',s satellites1 was in the     
position #aia1 and distant #ba from     

,uranus1 in the most favorable position 
for seeing it4 ,the observation of      
#agid1 ,march #bg1 may belong to ,ariel4
 ,at the best the investigation is of   
passing interest only1 and has nothing  
to do with the question of the discovery
 of the satellites4 ,,herschel          
discovered the two brighter ones1 and it
 was only sixty years later that they   
were properly re-observed by ,mr4       
,,lassell1 who has the great honor of   
having added as many more1 and who first
 settled the vexed question of          
satellites exterior to ,oberon1 and this
 with a reflecting telescope made by    
himself1 which is unequalled by any     
other of its dimensions4                
,researches on the ,nature of the ,sun4 
,in the introduction to his paper on the
 ,nature and ,construction of the ,sun  
and ,fixed ,stars 7#agie71 ,,herschel   
recounts what was known of the nature of
 the sun at that time4 ,,newton had     
shown that it was the centre of the     
system2 ,,galileo and his successors had

 determined its rotation1 the place of  
its equator1 its real diameter1         
magnitude1 density1 distance1 and the   
force of gravity on its surface4 ,he    
says3      ,i should not wonder if1     
considering all this1 we were induced to
     think that nothing remained to be  
added2 and yet we are still very        
ignorant in regard to the internal      
construction of the sun4 ,the     spots 
have been supposed to be solid bodies1  
the smoke of     volcanoes1 the scum    
floating on an ocean of fluid matter1   
clouds1     opaque masses1 and to be    
many other things4 ,the sun itself has  
been called a globe of fire1 though1    
perhaps1 metaphorically4 ,it     is time
 now to profit by the observations we   
are in possession of4     ,i have       
availed myself of the labors of         
preceding astronomers1 but     have been
 induced thereto by my own actual       
observation of the solar     phenomena4 
,,herschel then refers to the theories  
advanced by his friend1 ,prof4 ,,wilson1

 of ,glasgow1 in #aggd4 ,,wilson        
maintained that the spots were          
depressions below the sun's atmosphere1 
vast hollows as it were1 at the bases of
 which the true surface of the sun could
 be seen4  ,the essence of his theory   
was the existence of two different kinds
 of matter in the sun3 one solid and    
non-luminous--the nucleus--the other    
gaseous and incandescent--the           
atmosphere4 ,vacant places in the       
atmosphere1 however caused1 would show  
the black surface of the solid mass     
below4 ,these were the spots4 ,no       
explanation could be given of the facul1
 bright streaks1 which appear on the    
sun's surface from time to time2 but his
 theory accounted for the existence of  
the black nuclei of the spots1 and for  
the existence of the penumbr about      
these4 ,the penumbra of a spot was      
formed by the thinner parts of the      
atmosphere about the vacancy which      
surrounded the nucleus4  ,this theory of
 ,,wilson',s was adopted by ,,herschel  

as a basis for his own1 and he brought  
numerous observations to confirm it1 in 
the modified shape which he gave to it4 
,according to ,,herschel1 the sun       
consisted of three essentially different
 parts4 ,first1 there was a solid       
nucleus1 non-luminous1 cool1 and even   
capable of being inhabited4 ,second1    
above this was an atmosphere proper2    
and1 lastly1 outside of this was a layer
 in which floated the clouds1 or bodies 
which gave to the solar surface its     
intense brilliancy3      ,according to  
my theory1 a dark spot in the sun is a  
place in its     atmosphere which       
happens to be free from luminous        
decompositions     above it4  ,the two  
atmospheric layers1 which will be of    
varying thickness about a spot1 will    
account for all the shades of darkness  
seen in the penumbra4 ,ascending        
currents from the solar surface will    
elevate certain regions1 and may        
increase the solar activity near by1 and
 will thus give rise to facul1 which    

,,herschel shows to be elevated above   
the general surface4 ,it will not be    
necessary to give a further account of  
this theory4 ,the data in the possession
 of the modern theorist is a            
thousand-fold that to be derived from   
,,herschel',s observations1 and1 while  
the subject of the internal construction
 of the sun is to-day unsettled1 we know
 that many important1 even fundamental1 
portions of his theory are untenable4 ,a
 remark of his should be recorded1      
however1 as it has played a great part  
in such theories3      ,that the        
emission of light must waste the sun1 is
 not a difficulty     that can be       
opposed to our hypothesis4 ,many of the 
operations of     ,nature are carried on
 in her great laboratory which we cannot
     comprehend4 ,perhaps the many      
telescopic comets may restore to the    
sun what is lost by the emission of     
light4  ,arguments in favor of the      
habitability of both sun and moon are   
contained in this paper2 but they rest  

more on a metaphysical than a scientific
 basis1 and are to-day justly forgotten4
                ,researches on the      
,motion of the ,sun and of              
the ,solar ,system in ,space4  ,in #aghb
 ,,herschel writes1 in regard to some of
 his discoveries of double stars3       
,these may serve another very important 
end4 ,i will just mention it1     though
 it is foreign to my present purpose4   
,several stars of the     first         
magnitude have been observed or         
suspected to have a proper     motion2  
hence we may surmise that our sun1 with 
all its planets and     comets1 may also
 have a motion towards some particular  
point of the     heavens4 4 4 4 ,if this
 surmise should have any foundation1 it 
will show     itself in a series of some
 years in a kind of systematical        
parallax1     or change1 due to the     
motion of the whole solar system4  ,in  
#aghc he published his paper ,on the    
,proper ,motion of the ,solar ,system1  
which contained the proofs of his       

surmises of a year before4 ,that certain
 of the stars had in fact a proper      
motion had been well established by the 
astronomers of the eighteenth century4  
,after all allowances had been made for 
the effects of precession and other     
displacements of a star's position which
 were produced by motions of the earth1 
it was found that there were still small
 outstanding differences which must be  
due to the motion of the star           
itself--its proper motion4 ,the quantity
 of this motion was not well known for  
any star when ,,herschel',s researches  
began4 ,before they were concluded1     
however1 ,,maskelyne had deduced the    
proper motions of thirty-six stars--the 
fundamental stars1 so called--which     
included in their number ,sirius1       
,procyon1 ,arcturus1 and generally the  
brightest stars4  ,it is  priori evident
 that stars1 in general1 must have      
proper motions1 when once we admit the  
universality of gravitation4 ,that any  
fixed star should be entirely at rest   

would require that the attractions on   
all sides of it should be exactly       
balanced4 ,any change in the position of
 this star would break up this balance1 
and thus1 in general1 it follows that   
stars must be in motion1 since all of   
them cannot occupy such a critical      
position as has to be assumed4 ,if but  
one fixed star is in motion1 this       
affects all the rest1 and we cannot     
doubt but that every star1 our sun      
included1 is in motion by an amount     
which varies from small to great4 ,if   
the sun alone had a motion1 and the     
other stars were at rest1 the           
consequence of this would be that all   
the fixed stars would appear to be      
retreating en masse from that point in  
the sky towards which we were moving4   
,those nearest us would move more       
rapidly1 those more distant less so4    
,and in the same way1 the stars from    
which the solar system was receding     
would seem to be approaching each other4
 ,if the stars1 instead of being quite  

at rest1 as just supposed1 had motions  
proper to themselves1 then we should    
have a double complexity4 ,they would   
still appear to an observer in the solar
 system to have motions1 and part of    
these motions would be truly proper to  
the stars1 and part would be due to the 
advance of the sun itself in space4     
,observations can show us only the      
resultant of these two motions4 ,it is  
for reasoning to separate this resultant
 into its two components4 ,at first the 
question is to determine whether the    
results of observation indicate any     
solar motion at all4 ,if there is none1 
the proper motions of stars will be     
directed along all possible lines4 ,if  
the sun does truly move1 then there will
 be a general agreement in the resultant
 motions of the stars near the ends of  
the line along which it moves1 while    
those at the sides1 so to speak1 will   
show comparatively less systematic      
effect4 ,it is as if one were riding in 
the rear of a railway train and watching

 the rails over which it has just       
passed4 ,as we recede from any point1   
the rails at that point seem to come    
nearer and nearer together4  ,if we were
 passing through a forest1 we should see
 the trunks of the trees from which we  
were going apparently come nearer and   
nearer together1 while those on the     
sides of us would remain at their       
constant distance1 and those in front   
would grow further and further apart4   
,these phenomena1 which occur in a case 
where we are sensible of our own motion1
 serve to show how we may deduce a      
motion1 otherwise unknown1 from the     
appearances which are presented by the  
stars in space4  ,in this way1 acting   
upon suggestions which had been thrown  
out previously to his own time by       
,,lambert1 ,,mayer1 and ,,bradley1      
,,herschel demonstrated that the sun1   
together with all its system1 was moving
 through space in an unknown and        
majestic orbit of its own4 ,the centre  
round which this motion is directed     

cannot yet be assigned4 ,we can only    
know the point in the heavens towards   
which our course is directed--the apex  
of solar motion4  ,by a study of the    
proper motions assigned by ,,maskelyne  
to the brighter stars1 ,,herschel was   
able to define the position of the solar
 apex with an astonishing degree of     
accuracy4 ,his calculations have been   
several times repeated with the         
advantage of modern analytical methods1 
and of the hundred-fold material now at 
our disposition1 but nothing essential  
has been added to his results of #ahje1 
which were based upon such scanty data2 
and his paper of #aghb contains the     
announcement of the discovery itself4   
,his second paper on the ,direction and 
,velocity of the solar system 7#ahje7 is
 the best example that can possibly be  
given of his marvellous skill in        
reaching the heart of a matter1 and it  
may be the one in which his             
philosophical powers appear in their    
highest exercise4 ,for sustained        

reflection and high philosophic thought 
it is to be ranked with the researches  
of ,,newton in the ,principia4          
,researches on the ,construction of the 
,heavens4  ,,herschel',s papers on the  
,construction of the ,heavens1 as he    
named it1 extended over his whole       
scientific life4 ,by this he specially  
means the method according to which the 
stars1 the clusters1 the nebul1 are     
spread through the regions of space1 the
 causes that have led to this           
distribution1 and the laws to which it  
is subjected4  ,no single astronomical  
fact is unimportant in the light which  
it may throw on the scheme of the whole1
 and each fact is to be considered in   
this light4 ,as an instance3 his        
discovery of the variable star alpha    
,herculis1 which has a period of sixty  
days1 was valuable in itself as adding  
one more to the number of those strange 
suns whose light is now brighter1 now   
fainter1 in a regular and periodic      
order4 ,but the chief value of the      

discovery was that now we had an        
instance of a periodic star which went  
through all its phases in sixty days1   
and connected1 as it were1 the stars of 
short periods 7three to seven days7 with
 those of very long ones 7three hundred 
to five hundred days71 which two groups 
had1 until then1 been the only ones     
known4 ,in the same way all his         
researches on the parallaxes of stars   
were not alone for the discovery of the 
distance of any one or two single stars1
 but to gain a unit of celestial        
measure1 by means of which the depths of
 space might be sounded4  ,astronomy in 
,,herschel',s day considered the bodies 
of the solar system as separated from   
each other by distances1 and as filling 
a cubical space4 ,the ideas of near and 
far1 of up and down1 were preserved1 in 
regard to them1 by common astronomical  
terms4 ,but the vast number of stars    
seemed to be thought of1 as they appear 
in fact to exist1 lying on the surface  
of a hollow sphere4 ,the immediate      

followers of ,,bradley used these fixed 
stars as points of reference by which   
the motions within the solar system     
could be determined1 or1 like ,,lacaille
 and ,,lalande1 gathered those immense  
catalogues of their positions which are 
so indispensable to the science4        
,,michell and ,,herschel alone1 in      
,england1 occupied their thoughts with  
the nature and construction of the      
heavens--the one in his study1 the other
 through observation4#cd ,they were     
concerned with all three of the         
dimensions of space4  ,in his memoir of 
#aghd1 ,,herschel says3      ,hitherto  
the sidereal heavens have1 not          
inadequately for the     purpose        
designed1 been represented by the       
concave surface of a     sphere1 in the 
centre of which the eye of an observer  
might be     supposed to be placed4     
,it is true the various magnitudes of   
the fixed stars even then     plainly   
suggested to us1 and would have better  
suited1 the idea of     an expanded     

firmament of three dimensions2 but the  
observations upon     which ,i am now   
going to enter still farther illustrate 
and enforce     the necessity of        
considering the heavens in this point of
 view4 ,in     future1 therefore1 we    
shall look upon those regions into which
 we     may now penetrate by means of   
such large telescopes1 as a naturalist  
regards a rich extent of ground or chain
 of mountains containing     strata     
variously inclined and directed1 as well
 as consisting of     very different    
materials4 ,the surface of a globe or   
map1 therefore1     will but ill        
delineate the interior parts of the     
heavens4  ,,herschel',s method of study 
was founded on a mode of observation    
which he called star-gauging4 ,it       
consisted in pointing a powerful        
telescope toward various parts of the   
heavens1 and ascertaining by actual     
count how thick the stars were in each  
region4 ,his twenty-foot reflector was  
provided with such an eye-piece that1 in

 looking into it1 he saw a portion of   
the heavens about #ae' in diameter4 ,a  
circle of this size on the celestial    
sphere has about one quarter the        
apparent surface of the sun1 or of the  
full moon4 ,on pointing the telescope in
 any direction1 a greater or less number
 of stars were visible4 ,these were     
counted1 and the direction in which the 
telescope pointed was noted4 ,gauges of 
this kind were made in all parts of the 
sky1 and the results were tabulated in  
the order of right ascension4  ,the     
following is an extract from the gauges1
 and gives the average number of stars  
in each field at the points noted in    
right ascension and north polar         
distance3                               
----------------------------------------
------------------                   ,n4
 ,p4 ,d4                    ,n4 ,p4 ,d4 
,r4 ,a4      #gh to #hj4      ,r4 ,a4   
#ib to #id4                 ,no4 of     
,stars4              ,no4 of ,stars4    
----------------------------------------

--------------       ,h4  ,m4           
,h4  ,m4          #aa   #f         #c4a 
#ae  #aj         #i4d       #ab  #ca    
#c4d         #ae  #bb        #aj4f      
#ab  #dd         #d4f         #ae  #dg  
#aj4f       #ab  #di         #c4i       
#af   #h        #ab4a       #ac   #e    
#c4h         #af  #be        #ac4f      
#ad  #cj         #c4f         #af  #cg  
#ah4f                                   
----------------------------------------
------------------  ,in this small      
table1 it is plain that a different law 
of clustering or of distribution obtains
 in the two regions4 ,such differences  
are still more marked1 if we compare the
 extreme cases found by ,,herschel1 as  
,r4 ,a4  #ai;h #dam1 ,n4 ,p4 ,d4  #gd   
#cc'1 number of stars per field  #ehh2  
and ,r4 ,a4  #af;h #ajm1 ,n4 ,p4 ,d4    
#aac #d'1 number of stars  #a4a4  ,the  
number of stars in certain portions is  
very great4 ,for example1 in the ,milky 
,way1 near ,orion1 six fields of view   
promiscuously taken gave #aaj1 #fj1 #gj1

 #ij1 #gj1 and #gd stars each1 or a mean
 of #gi stars per field4 ,the most      
vacant space in this neighborhood gave  
#fj stars4 ,so that as ,,herschel',s    
sweeps were two degrees wide in         
declination1 in one hour 7#ae7 there    
would pass through the field of his     
telescope #dj1jjj or more stars4 ,in    
some of the sweeps this number was as   
great as #aaf1jjj stars in a quarter of 
an hour4  ,when ,,herschel first applied
 his telescope to the ,milky ,way1 he   
believed that it completely resolved the
 whole whitish appearance into small    
stars4 ,this conclusion he subsequently 
modified4 ,he says3      ,it is very    
probable that the great stratum called  
the ,milky ,way is     that in which the
 sun is placed1 though perhaps not in   
the very     centre of its thickness4   
,we gather this from the appearance of  
the ,galaxy1 which seems to             
encompass the whole heavens1 as it      
certainly must do if the sun is         
within it4 ,for1 suppose a number of    

stars arranged between two     parallel 
planes1 indefinitely extended every way1
 but at a given     considerable        
distance from each other2 and calling   
this a sidereal     stratum1 an eye     
placed somewhere within it will see all 
the stars in     the direction of the   
planes of the stratum projected into a  
great     circle1 which will appear     
lucid on account of the accumulation of 
the stars1 while the rest of the        
heavens1 at the sides1 will only        
seem to be scattered over with          
constellations1 more or less crowded    
according to the distance of the planes1
 or number of stars     contained in the
 thickness or sides of the stratum4     
,if the eye were placed somewhere       
without the stratum1 at no very         
great distance1 the appearance of the   
stars within it would assume     the    
form of one of the smaller circles of   
the sphere1 which would be     more or  
less contracted according to the        
distance of the eye2 and1     if this   

distance were exceedingly increased1 the
 whole stratum might     at last be     
drawn together into a lucid spot of any 
shape1 according     to the length1     
breadth1 and height of the stratum4     
,suppose that a smaller stratum should  
branch out from the former in     a     
certain direction1 and that it also is  
contained between two     parallel      
planes1 so that the eye is contained    
within the great     stratum somewhere  
before the separation1 and not far from 
the place     where the strata are still
 united4 ,then this second stratum will 
not     be projected into a bright      
circle like the former1 but it will be  
seen as a lucid branch proceeding from  
the first1 and returning     into it    
again at a distance less than a         
semicircle4 ,if the bounding            
surfaces are not parallel planes1 but   
irregularly curved surfaces1            
analogous appearances must result4  ,the
 ,milky ,way1 as we see it1 presents the
 aspect which has been just accounted   

for1 in its general appearance of a     
girdle around the heavens and in its    
bifurcation at a certain point1 and     
,,herschel',s explanation of this       
appearance1 as just given1 has never    
been seriously questioned4 ,one doubtful
 point remains3 are the stars scattered 
all through space8 or are they near its 
bounding planes1 or clustered in any way
 within this space so as to produce the 
same result to the eye as if uniformly  
distributed8  ,,herschel assumed that   
they were nearly equably arranged all   
through the space in question4 ,he only 
examined one other arrangement1 viz41   
that of a ring of stars surrounding the 
sun1 and he pronounced against such an  
arrangement1 for the reason that there  
is absolutely nothing in the size or    
brilliancy of the sun to cause us to    
suppose it to be the centre of such a   
gigantic system4 ,no reason1 except its 
importance to us personally1 can be     
alleged for such a supposition4 ,every  
star will have its own appearance of a  

,galaxy or ,milky ,way1 which will vary 
according to the situation of the star4 
,such an explanation will account for   
the general appearances of the ,milky   
,way and of the rest of the sky1        
supposing the stars equally or nearly   
equally distributed in space4 ,on this  
supposition1 the system must be deeper  
where the stars appear most numerous4   
,,herschel endeavored1 in his early     
memoirs1 to explain this inequality of  
distribution on the fundamental         
assumption that the stars were nearly   
equably distributed in space4 ,if they  
were so distributed1 then the number of 
stars visible in any gauge would show   
the thickness of the stellar system in  
the direction in which the telescope was
 pointed4 ,at each pointing1 the field  
of view of the instrument includes all  
the visible stars situated within a     
cone1 having its vortex at the          
observer's eye1 and its base at the very
 limits of the system1 the angle of the 
cone 7at the eye7 being #ae'4 ,then the 

cubes of the perpendiculars let fall    
from the eye1 on the plane of the bases 
of the various visual cones1 are        
proportional to the solid contents of   
the cones themselves1 or1 as the stars  
are supposed equally scattered within   
all the cones1 the cube roots of the    
numbers of stars in each of the fields  
express the relative lengths of the     
perpendiculars4 ,a section of the       
sidereal system along any great circle  
can be constructed from the data        
furnished by the gauges in the following
 way3  ,the solar system is within the  
mass of stars4 ,from this point lines   
are drawn along the different directions
 in which the gauging telescope was     
pointed4 ,on these lines are laid off   
lengths proportional to the cube roots  
of the number of stars in each gauge4   
,the irregular line joining the terminal
 points will be approximately the       
bounding curve of the stellar system in 
the great circle chosen4 ,within this   
line the space is nearly uniformly      

filled with stars4 ,without it is empty 
space4 ,a similar section can be        
constructed in any other great circle1  
and a combination of all such would give
 a representation of the shape of our   
stellar system4 ,the more numerous and  
careful the observations1 the more      
elaborate the representation1 and the   
#hfc gauges of ,,herschel are sufficient
 to mark out with great precision the   
main features of the ,milky ,way1 and   
even to indicate some of its chief      
irregularities4  ,on the fundamental    
assumption of ,,herschel 7equable       
distribution71 no other conclusion can  
be drawn from his statistics but the one
 laid down by him4  ,this assumption he 
subsequently modified in some degree1   
and was led to regard his gauges as     
indicating not so much the depth of the 
system in any direction1 as the         
clustering power or tendency of the     
stars in those special regions4 ,it is  
clear that if in any given part of the  
sky1 where1 on the average1 there are   

ten stars 7say7 to a field1 we should   
find a certain small portion having #ajj
 or more to a field1 then1 on           
,,herschel',s first hypothesis1         
rigorously interpreted1 it would be     
necessary to suppose a spike-shaped     
protuberance directed from the earth1 in
 order to explain the increased number  
of stars4 ,if many such places could be 
found1 then the probability is great    
that this explanation is wrong4 ,we     
should more rationally suppose some real
 inequality of star distribution here4  
,it is1 in fact1 in just such details   
that the method of ,,herschel breaks    
down1 and a careful examination of his  
system leads to the belief that it must 
be greatly modified to cover all the    
known facts1 while it undoubtedly has1  
in the main1 a strong basis4  ,the stars
 are certainly not uniformly            
distributed1 and any general theory of  
the sidereal system must take into      
account the varied tendency to          
aggregation in various parts of the sky4

  ,in #ahag1 ,,herschel published an    
important memoir on the same subject1 in
 which his first method was largely     
modified1 though not abandoned4 ,its    
fundamental principle was stated by him 
as follows3      ,it is evident that we 
cannot mean to affirm that the stars of 
the     fifth1 sixth1 and seventh       
magnitudes are really smaller than those
     of the first1 second1 or third1 and
 that we must ascribe the cause     of  
the difference in the apparent          
magnitudes of the stars to a            
difference in their relative distances  
from us4 ,on account of the     great   
number of stars in each class1 we must  
also allow that the     stars of each   
succeeding magnitude1 beginning with the
 first1 are1     one with another1      
further from us than those of the       
magnitude     immediately preceding4    
,the relative magnitudes give only      
relative     distances1 and can afford  
no information as to the real distances 
at     which the stars are placed4      

,a standard of reference for the        
arrangement of the stars may be had     
by comparing their distribution to a    
certain properly modified     equality  
of scattering4 ,the equality which ,i   
propose does not     require that the   
stars should be at equal distances from 
each other1     nor is it necessary that
 all those of the same nominal magnitude
     should be equally distant from us4 
,it consisted in allotting a certain    
equal portion of space to every star1 so
 that1 on the whole1 each equal portion 
of space within the stellar system      
contains an equal number of stars4 ,the 
space about each star can be considered 
spherical4 ,suppose such a sphere to    
surround our own sun4 ,its radius will  
not differ greatly from the distance of 
the nearest fixed star1 and this is     
taken as the unit of distance4  ,suppose
 a series of larger spheres1 all drawn  
around our sun as a centre1 and having  
the radii #c1 #e1 #g1 #i1 etc4 ,the     
contents of the spheres being as the    

cubes of their diameters1 the first     
sphere will have #c  #c  #c  #bg times  
the volume of the unit sphere1 and will 
therefore be large enough to contain #bg
 stars2 the second will have #abe times 
the volume1 and will therefore contain  
#abe stars1 and so on with the          
successive spheres4 ,for instance1 the  
sphere of radius #g has room for #cdc   
stars1 but of this space #abe parts     
belong to the spheres inside of it2     
there is1 therefore1 room for #bah stars
 between the spheres of radii #e and #g4
  ,,herschel designates the several     
distances of these layers of stars as   
orders2 the stars between spheres #a and
 #c are of the first order of distance1 
those between #c and #e of the second   
order1 and so on4 ,comparing the room   
for stars between the several spheres   
with the number of stars of the several 
magnitudes which actually exists in the 
sky1 he found the result to be as       
follows3                                
----------------------------------------

----------------     ,order of          
,number of                  ,number of  
,distance4  ,stars there    ,magnitude4 
,stars of that                is ,room  
for4                ,magnitude4         
----------------------------------------
----------------     #a44444444         
#bf            #a            #ag        
#b44444444       #ih            #b      
#eg     #c44444444      #bah            
#c           #bjf     #d44444444        
#chf            #d           #ded       
#e44444444      #fjb            #e      
#a1afa     #f44444444      #hff         
#f         #f1ajc     #g44444444        
#a1agh            #g         #f1adf     
#h44444444    #a1ech                    
----------------------------------------
-----------------  ,the result of this  
comparison is1 that if the order of     
magnitudes could indicate the distance  
of the stars1 it would denote at first a
 gradual and afterward a very abrupt    
condensation of them1 at and beyond the 
region of the sixth-magnitude stars4    

,if we assume the brightness of any star
 to be inversely proportional to the    
square of its distance1 it leads to a   
scale of distance different from that   
adopted by ,,herschel1 so that a        
sixth-magnitude star on the common scale
 would be about of the eighth order of  
distance according to this scheme--that 
is1 we must remove a star of the first  
magnitude to eight times its actual     
distance to make it shine like a star of
 the sixth magnitude4  ,on the scheme   
here laid down1 ,,herschel subsequently 
assigned the order of distance of       
various objects1 mostly star-clusters1  
and his estimates of these distances are
 still quoted4 ,they rest on the        
fundamental hypothesis which has been   
explained1 and the error in the         
assumption of equal intrinsic brilliancy
 for all stars affects these estimates4 
,it is perhaps probable that the        
hypothesis of equal brilliancy for all  
stars is still more erroneous than the  
hypothesis of equal distribution1 and it

 may well be that there is a very large 
range indeed in the actual dimensions   
and in the intrinsic brilliancy of stars
 at the same order of distance from us1 
so that the tenth-magnitude stars1 for  
example1 may be scattered throughout the
 spheres which ,,herschel would assign  
to the seventh1 eighth1 ninth1 tenth1   
eleventh1 twelfth1 and thirteenth       
magnitudes4 ,however this may be1 the   
fact remains that it is from            
,,herschel',s groundwork that future    
investigators must build4 ,he found the 
whole subject in utter confusion4 ,by   
his observations1 data for the solution 
of some of the most general questions   
were accumulated1 and in his memoirs1   
which ,,struve well calls immortal1 he  
brought the scattered facts into order  
and gave the first bold outlines of a   
reasonable theory4 ,he is the founder of
 a new branch of astronomy4             
,researches for a ,scale of ,celestial  
,measures4                              
,distances of the ,stars4  ,if the stars

 are supposed all of the same absolute  
brightness1 their brightness to the eye 
will depend only upon their distance    
from us4 ,if we call the brightness of  
one of the fixed stars at the distance  
of ,sirius1 which may be used as the    
unity of distance1 #a1 then if it is    
moved to the distance #b1 its apparent  
brightness will be one-fourth2 if to the
 distance #c1 one-ninth2 if to the      
distance #d1 one-sixteenth1 and so on1  
the apparent brightness diminishing as  
the square of the distance increases4   
,the distance may be taken as an order  
of magnitude4 ,stars at the distances   
two1 three1 four1 etc41 ,,herschel      
called of the second1 third1 and fourth 
magnitudes4  ,by a series of            
experiments1 the details of which cannot
 be given here1 ,,herschel determined   
the space-penetrating power of each of  
his telescopes4 ,the twenty-foot would  
penetrate into space seventy-five times 
farther than the naked eye2 the         
twenty-five foot1 ninety-six times2 and 

the forty-foot1 one hundred and         
ninety-two times4 ,if the               
seventh-magnitude stars are those just  
visible to the naked eye1 and if we     
still suppose all stars to be of equal  
intrinsic brightness1 such              
seventh-magnitude stars would remain    
visible in the forty-foot1 even if      
removed to #a1cdd times the distance of 
,sirius 7#a1cdd  #g  #aib74 ,if1        
further1 we suppose that the visibility 
of a star is strictly proportional to   
the total intensity of the light from it
 which strikes the eye1 then a condensed
 cluster of #be1jjj stars of the        
#a1cddth magnitude could still be seen  
in the forty-foot at a distance where   
each star would have become #be1jjj     
times fainter1 that is1 at about #aeh   
times the distance of ,sirius 7#aeh     
#aeh  #bd1ifd74 ,the light from the     
nearest star requires some three years  
to reach the earth4 ,from a star #a1cdd 
times farther it would require about    
#d1jjj years1 and for such a cluster as 

we have imagined no less than #fjj1jjj  
years are needed4 ,that is1 the light by
 which we see such a group has not just 
now left it4 ,on the contrary1 it has   
been travelling through space for       
centuries and centuries since it first  
darted forth4 ,it is the ancient history
 of such groups that we are studying    
now1 and it was thus that ,,herschel    
declared that telescopes penetrated into
 time as well as into space4  ,other    
more exact researches on the relative   
light of stars were made by ,,herschel4 
,these were only one more attempt to    
obtain a scale of celestial distances1  
according to which some notion of the   
limits and of the interior dimensions of
 the universe could be gained4 ,two     
telescopes1 exactly equal in every      
respect1 were chosen and placed side by 
side4 ,pairs of stars which were exactly
 equal1 were selected by means of them4 
,by diminishing the aperture of one     
telescope directed to a bright star1 and
 keeping the other telescope unchanged  

and directed to a fainter star1 the two 
stars could be equalized in light1 and1 
from the relative size of the apertures1
 the relative light of this pair of     
stars could be accurately computed1 and 
so on for other pairs4 ,this was the    
first use of the method of limiting     
apertures4 ,his general results were    
that the stars of the first magnitude   
would still remain visible to the naked 
eye1 even if they were at a distance    
from us twelve times their actual       
distance4  ,this method received a still
 further development at his hands4 ,he  
did not leave it until he had gained all
 the information it was capable of      
giving4 ,he prepared a set of telescopes
 collecting #d1 #i1 #af1 etc4 7#b  #b1  
#c  #c1 #d  #d1 etc471 times as much    
light as the naked eye4 ,these were to  
extend the determinations of distance to
 the telescopic stars4 ,for example1 a  
certain portion of the heavens which he 
examined contained no star visible to   
the naked eye1 but many telescopic      

stars4 ,we cannot say that no one of    
these is as bright in itself as some of 
our first-magnitude stars4 ,the smallest
 telescope of the set showed a large    
number of stars2 these must1 then1 be   
twice as far from us1 on the average1 as
 the stars just visible to the naked    
eye4 ,but first-magnitude stars1 like   
,sirius1 ,procyon1 ,arcturus1 etc41     
become just visible to the eye if       
removed to twelve times their present   
distance4 ,hence the stars seen in this 
first telescope of the set were between 
twelve and twenty-four times as far from
 us as ,arcturus1 for example4  ,at     
least1 as ,,herschel says1 we are       
certain that if stars of the size and   
lustre of ,sirius1 ,arcturus1 etc41 were
 removed into the profundity of space ,i
 have mentioned1 they would then appear 
like the stars which ,i saw4 ,with the  
next telescope1 which collected nine    
times more light than the eye1 and      
brought into view objects three times   
more distant1 other and new stars       

appeared1 which were then 7#c  #ab7     
thirty-six times farther from us than   
,arcturus4 ,in the same way1 the        
seven-foot reflector showed stars #bjd  
times1 the ten-foot #cdd times1 the     
twenty-foot #ijj times farther from us  
than the average first-magnitude star4  
,as the light from such a star requires 
three years to reach us1 the light from 
the faintest stars seen by the          
twenty-foot would require #b1gjj years  
7#c  #ijj74  ,but ,,herschel was now    
7#ahag7 convinced that the twenty-foot  
telescope could not penetrate to the    
boundaries of the ,milky ,way2 the      
faintest stars of the ,galaxy must then 
be farther from us even than nine       
hundred times the distance of ,arcturus1
 and their light must be at least #c1jjj
 years old when it reaches us4  ,there  
is no escaping a certain part of the    
consequences established by ,,herschel4 
,it is indeed true that unless a        
particular star is of the same intrinsic
 brightness as our largest stars1 this  

reasoning does not apply to it2 in just 
so far as the average star is less      
bright than the average brightness of   
our largest stars1 will the numbers     
which ,,herschel obtained be diminished4
 ,but for every star of which his       
hypothesis is true1 we may assert that  
his conclusions are true1 and no one can
 deny1 with any show of reason1 that1 on
 the whole1 his suppositions must be    
valid4 ,on the whole1 the stars which we
 call faint are farther from us than the
 brighter ones2 and1 on the whole1 the  
brilliancy of our brightest and nearest 
stars is not very far from the          
brilliancy of the average star in space4
 ,we cannot yet define the word very by 
a numerical ratio4  ,the method struck  
out by ,,herschel was correct2 it is for
 his successors to look for the special 
cases and limitations1 to answer the    
question1 ,at a certain distance from   
us1 what are the variations which       
actually take place in the brilliancy   
and the sizes of stars8 ,the answer to  

this question is to be found in the     
study of the clusters of regular forms1 
where we know the stars to be all at the
 same distance from us4                 
,researches on ,light and ,heat1 ,etc4  
,frequently in the course of his        
astronomical work1 ,,herschel found     
himself confronted by questions of      
physics which could not be immediately  
answered in the state of the science at 
that time4 ,in his efforts to find a    
method for determining the dimensions of
 the stellar universe1 he was finally   
led1 as has been shown1 to regard the   
brightness of a star as1 in general1 the
 best attainable measure of its distance
 from us4 ,his work1 however1 was done  
with telescopes of various dimensions   
and powers1 and it was therefore        
necessary to find some law for comparing
 the different results among themselves 
as well as with those given by          
observations with an unassisted eye4    
,this necessity prompted an             
investigation1 published in #ahjj1 in   

which1 after drawing the distinction    
between absolute and intrinsic          
brightness1 ,,herschel gave an          
expression for the space-penetrating    
power of a telescope4 ,the reasoning at 
the base of this conception was as      
follows4  ,the ratio of the light       
entering the eye when directed toward a 
star1 to the whole light given out by   
the star1 would be as the area of the   
pupil of the eye to the area of the     
whole sphere having the star as a centre
 and our distance from the star as a    
radius4 ,if the eye is assisted by a    
telescope1 the ratio is quite different4
 ,in that case the ratio of the light   
which enters the eye to the whole light1
 would be as the area of the mirror or  
object-glass to the area of the whole   
sphere having the star as a centre and  
its distance as a radius4 ,thus the     
light received by the eye in the two    
cases would be as the area of the pupil 
is to the area of the object-glass4 ,for
 instance1 if the pupil has a diameter  

of two-fifths of an inch1 and the mirror
 a diameter of four inches1 then a      
hundred times as much light would enter 
the eye when assisted by the telescope  
as when unarmed1 since the area of the  
pupil is one-hundredth the area of the  
objective4  ,if a particular star is    
just visible to the naked eye1 it will  
be quite bright if viewed with this     
special telescope1 which makes it one   
hundred times more brilliant in         
appearance4 ,if we could move the star  
bodily away from us to a distance ten   
times its present distance1 we could    
thus reduce its brightness1 as seen with
 the telescope1 to what it was at first1
 as seen with the eye alone1 i4 e41 to  
bare visibility4 ,moving the star to ten
 times its present distance would       
increase the surface of the sphere which
 it illuminates a hundred-fold4 ,we     
cannot move any special star1 but we can
 examine stars of all brightnesses1 and 
thus 7presumably7 of all distances4     
,,herschel',s argument was1 then1 as    

follows3 ,since with such a telescope   
one can see a star ten times as far off 
as is possible to the naked eye1 this   
telescope has the power of penetrating  
into space ten times farther than the   
eye alone4 ,but this number ten1 also1  
expresses the ratio of the diameter of  
the objective to that of the pupil of   
the eye1 consequently the general law is
 that the space-penetrating power of a  
telescope is found by dividing the      
diameter of the mirror in inches by     
two-fifths4 ,the diameter of the pupil  
of the eye 7two-fifths of an inch7      
,,herschel determined by many measures4 
,this simple ratio would only hold good1
 however1 provided no more light were   
lost by the repeated reflections and    
refractions in the telescope than in the
 eye4 ,that light must be so lost was   
evident1 but no data existed for        
determining the loss4 ,,herschel was    
thus led to a long series of photometric
 experiments on the reflecting powers of
 the metals used in his mirrors1 and on 

the amount of light transmitted by      
lenses4 ,applying the corrections thus  
deduced experimentally1 he found that   
the space-penetrating power of his      
twenty-foot telescope1 with which he    
made his star-gauges1 was sixty-one     
times that of the unassisted eye1 while 
the space-penetrating power of his great
 forty-foot telescope was one hundred   
and ninety-two times that of the eye4   
,in support of his important conclusions
 ,,herschel had an almost unlimited     
amount of experimental data in the      
records of his observations1 of which he
 made effective use4  ,by far the most  
important of ,,herschel',s work in the  
domain of pure physics was published in 
the same year 7#ahjj71 and related to   
radiant heat4 ,the investigation of the 
space-penetrating powers of telescopes  
was undertaken for the sole purpose of  
aiding him in measuring the dimensions  
of the stellar universe1 and there was  
no temptation for him to pursue it      
beyond the limits of its immediate      

usefulness4 ,but here1 though the first 
hint leading to remarkable discoveries  
was a direct consequence of his         
astronomical work1 the novelty and      
interest of the phenomena observed      
induced him to follow the investigation 
very far beyond the mere solution of the
 practical question in which it         
originated4  ,having tried many         
varieties of shade-glasses between the  
eye-piece of his telescope and the eye1 
in order to reduce the inordinate degree
 of heat and light transmitted by the   
instrument when directed towards the    
sun1 he observed that certain           
combinations of colored glasses         
permitted very little light to pass1 but
 transmitted so much heat that they     
could not be used2 while1 on the other  
hand1 different combinations and        
differently colored glasses would stop  
nearly all the heat1 but allow an       
inconveniently great amount of light to 
pass4 ,at the same time he noticed1 in  
the various experiments1 that the images

 of the sun were of different colors4   
,this suggested the question as to      
whether there was not a different       
heating power proper to each color of   
the spectrum4 ,on comparing the readings
 of sensitive thermometers exposed in   
different portions of an intense solar  
spectrum1 he found that1 beginning with 
the violet end1 he came to the maximum  
of light long before that of heat1 which
 lay at the other extremity1 that is1   
near the red4 ,by several experiments it
 appeared that the maximum of           
illumination1 i4 e41 the yellow1 had    
little more than half the heat of the   
full red rays2 and from other           
experiments he concluded that even the  
full red fell short of the maximum of   
heat1 which1 perhaps1 lay even a little 
beyond the limits of the visible        
spectrum4      ,in this case1 he says1  
radiant heat will at least partly1 if   
not     chiefly1 consist1 if ,i may be  
permitted the expression1 of invisible  
light2 that is to say1 of rays coming   

from the sun1 that have such a          
momentum#ce as to be unfit for vision4  
,and admitting1 as is highly            
probable1 that the organs of sight are  
only adapted to receive     impressions 
from particles of a certain momentum1 it
 explains why     the maximum of        
illumination should be in the middle of 
the     refrangible rays2 as those which
 have greater or less momenta are       
likely to become equally unfit for the  
impression of sight4  ,in his second    
paper on this subject1 published in the 
same year1 ,,herschel describes the     
experiments which led to the conclusion 
given above4 ,this paper contains a     
remarkably interesting passage which    
admirably illustrates ,,herschel',s     
philosophic method4      ,to conclude1  
if we call light1 those rays which      
illuminate objects1     and radiant     
heat1 those which heat bodies1 it may be
 inquired     whether light be          
essentially different from radiant heat8
 ,in answer     to which ,i would       

suggest that we are not allowed1 by the 
rules of     philosophizing1 to admit   
two different causes to explain certain 
effects1 if they may be accounted for by
 one4 4 4 4 ,if this be a true          
account of the solar heat1 for the      
support of which ,i appeal to my        
experiments1 it remains only for us to  
admit that such of the rays     of the  
sun as have the refrangibility of those 
which are contained     in the prismatic
 spectrum1 by the construction of the   
organs of     sight1 are admitted under 
the appearance of light and colors1 and 
that the rest1 being stopped in the     
coats and humors of the eye1 act     on 
them1 as they are known to do on all the
 other parts of our body1     by        
occasioning a sensation of heat4  ,we   
now know that the reasoning and         
conclusion here given are entirely      
correct1 but they have for their basis  
only a philosophical conception1 and not
 a series of experiments designed       
especially to test their correctness4   

,such an experimental test of this      
important question was the motive for a 
third and last paper in this department 
of physics4 ,this paper was published in
 volume ninety of the ,philosophical    
,transactions1 and gave the results of  
two hundred and nineteen quantitative   
experiments4  ,here we are at a loss to 
know which to admire most--the          
marvellous skill evinced in acquiring   
such accurate data with such inadequate 
means1 and in varying and testing such a
 number of questions as were suggested  
in the course of the investigation--or  
the intellectual power shown in         
marshalling and reducing to a system    
such intricate and apparently           
self-contradictory phenomena4 ,it is    
true that this discussion led him to a  
different conclusion from that announced
 in the previous paper1 and1            
consequently1 to a false conclusion2 but
 almost the only escape from his course 
of reasoning lay in a principle which   
belongs to a later period of            

intellectual development than that of   
,,herschel',s own time4  ,,herschel made
 a careful determination of the         
quantitative distribution of light and  
of heat in the prismatic spectrum1 and  
discovered the surprising fact that not 
only where the light was at a maximum   
the heat was very inconsiderable1 but   
that where there was a maximum          
exhibition of heat1 there was not a     
trace of light4      ,this              
consideration1 he writes1 must alter the
 form of our     proposed inquiry2 for  
the question being thus at least partly 
decided1 since it is ascertained that we
 have rays of heat which     give no    
light1 it can only become a subject of  
inquiry whether some     of these       
heat-making rays may not have a power of
 rendering objects     visible1         
superadded to their now already         
established power of     heating bodies4
 ,this being the case1 it is evident    
that the onus     probandi ought to lie 
with those who are willing to establish 

such     an hypothesis1 for it does not 
appear that ,nature is in the habit of  
using one and the same mechanism with   
any two of our senses4 ,witness     the 
vibration of air that makes sound1 the  
effluvia that occasion     smells1 the  
particles that produce taste1 the       
resistance or     repulsive powers that 
affect the touch--all these are         
evidently     suited to their respective
 organs of sense4  ,it is difficult to  
see how the fallacy of this argument    
could have been detected by any one not 
familiar with the fundamental           
physiological law that the nature of a  
sensation is in no wise determined by   
the character of the agent producing it1
 but only by the character of the nerves
 acted upon2 but1 as already intimated1 
this law belongs to a later epoch than  
the one we are considering4 ,,herschel  
thus finally concluded that light and   
radiant heat were of essentially        
different natures1 and upon this        
supposition he explained all of the     

phenomena which his numerous experiments
 had shown him4 ,so complete and        
satisfactory did this work appear to the
 scientific world1 that for a long time 
the question was looked upon as closed1 
and not until thirty-five years later   
was there any dissent4 ,then the        
,italian physicist1 ,,melloni1 with     
instrumental means a thousand times more
 delicate than that of ,,herschel1 and  
with a far larger store of cognate      
phenomena1 collected during the         
generation which had elapsed1 to serve  
as a guide1 discovered the true law4    
,this1 as we have seen1 was at first    
adopted by ,,herschel on philosophical  
grounds1 and then rejected1 since he did
 not at that time possess the key which 
alone could have enabled him to properly
 interpret his experiments4  ,it is well
 to summarize the capital discoveries in
 this field made by ,,herschel1 more    
particularly because his claims as a    
discoverer seem to have been strangely  
overlooked by historians of the         

development of physical science4 ,he1   
before any other investigator1 showed   
that radiant heat is refracted according
 to the laws governing the refraction of
 light by transparent media2 that a     
portion of the radiation from the sun is
 incapable of exciting the sensation of 
vision1 and that this portion is the    
less refrangible2 that the different    
colors of the spectrum possess very     
unequal heating powers1 which are not   
proportional to their luminosity2 that  
substances differ very greatly in their 
power of transmitting radiant heat1 and 
that this power does not depend solely  
upon their color2 and that the property 
of diffusing heat is possessed to a     
varying degree by different bodies1     
independently of their color4 ,nor      
should we neglect to emphasize1 in this 
connection1 the importance of his       
measurements of the intensity of the    
heat and light in the different portions
 of the solar spectrum4 ,it is the more 
necessary to state ,,herschel',s claims 

clearly1 as his work has been neglected 
by those who should first have done him 
justice4 ,in his ,history of ,physics1  
,,poggendorff has no reference to       
,,herschel4 ,in the collected works of  
,,verdet1 long bibliographical notes are
 appended to each chapter1 with the     
intention of exhibiting the progress and
 order of discovery4 ,but all of        
,,herschel',s work is overlooked1 or    
indexed under the name of his son4 ,one 
little reference in the text alone shows
 that his very name was not unknown4    
,even in the great work of ,,helmholtz  
on physiological optics1 ,,herschel',s  
labors are not taken account of4  ,it is
 easy to account for this seemingly     
strange neglect4 ,,herschel is known to 
this generation only as an astronomer4  
,a study of his memoirs will show that  
his physical work alone should give him 
a very high rank indeed1 and ,i trust   
that the brief summaries1 which alone   
can be given here1 will have made this  
plain4         99       99       99     

99       99  ,we may conclude from the  
time expended1 the elaborate nature of  
the experiments involved1 and the       
character of the papers devoted to their
 consideration1 that the portion of     
,,herschel',s researches in physics     
which interested him to the greatest    
degree1 was the investigation of the    
optical phenomena known as ,,newton',s  
rings4 ,in #agib he obtained the two    
object-glasses of ,,huyghens1 which were
 in the possession of the ,royal        
,society1 for the purpose of repeating  
,,newton',s experiments1 and in #ahaj he
 read the last of his three papers on   
the subject4  ,sir ,,isaac ,,newton had 
given some of his most vigorous efforts 
to the study of the phenomena of        
interference of light1 which are        
exemplified in the colors of thin and of
 thick plates4 ,the colors of thin      
plates are most conveniently studied in 
the regular form which they present when
 produced by a thin plate of air1       
limited on one side by a plane polished 

surface1 and on the other by a spherical
 surface of long radius1 such as the    
exterior surface of a convex lens1 for  
example4 ,the colors are then arranged  
in concentric circles1 and1 though      
others had so produced them before      
,,newton1 these rings have1 ever since  
the publication of his remarkable work1 
been known by his name4  ,to explain the
 phenomena1 ,,newton was obliged to     
supplement his theory of the corpuscular
 nature of light1 by supposing that the 
inconceivably minute particles          
constituting light are not always       
equally susceptible of reflection1 but  
that they have periodically recurring   
fits of easy reflection and of easy     
transmission4 ,this conception1 though  
by no means unphilosophical1 seemed to  
,,herschel too artificial and improbable
 for ready acceptance1 and his effort   
was to supply a more probable           
explanation4  ,the developments of      
optical science have justified          
,,herschel in his objections1 but we    

cannot accord to him must any           
considerable part in making clear the   
true nature of the phenomenon4 ,indeed1 
it must be recognized that his position 
was distinctly less advanced than that  
of ,,newton4 ,that great philosopher    
announced the true law governing the    
relation between the color and the      
thickness of the film4 ,,herschel did   
not recognize such a relation4 ,,newton 
showed exactly how the phenomenon       
depended upon the obliquity at which it 
was viewed4 ,,herschel found no place in
 his theory for this evident variation4 
,in the series of experiments described 
in the first paper on this subject1     
,,herschel mistook the locus of a       
certain set of rings which he was       
observing4 ,this mistake1 though so     
slight as hardly to be detected without 
the guidance of the definite knowledge  
acquired in later times1 not only       
vitiated the conclusion from the        
experiments1 but gave an erroneous      
direction to the whole investigation4   

,to him these experiments proved that   
,,newton',s conception of a periodic    
phenomenon was untenable4 ,thus cut     
loose from all hypothesis1 his fertility
 in ideas and ingenuity in              
experimentation are as striking as ever4
 ,he tried the effect of having a       
polished metal as one of the surfaces   
limiting the thin plate of air4         
,observing the so-called blue bow of    
,,newton at the limit of total          
reflection in a prism1 he was led to the
 discovery of its complement1 the red   
bow by refraction4 ,here he thought he  
had found the solution of his problem1  
and attributed the rings to the         
reflection of the light which passed    
through in the red bow4 ,though         
mistaken1 he had presented to the world 
of science two experiments which have   
since played very prominent parts in the
 undulatory theory of light1 namely1 the
 rings formed upon polished metal1 and  
the bands produced by a thin plate near 
the critical angle4  ,as in his later   

researches upon the nature of radiant   
heat1 he was wrong in his conclusions1  
and perhaps with less excuse4 ,his      
experiments were skilfully devised and  
most ingenious4 ,his philosophizing was 
distinctly faulty4 ,we can see not only 
that he was wrong1 but exactly where he 
began to go wrong4 ,yet these papers are
 full of interest to the physicist1 and 
by no means deserve the neglect into    
which they have fallen4                 
,researches on the ,dimensions of the   
,stars4  ,,herschel examined a number of
 bright stars1 using extremely high     
magnifying powers1 in order to determine
 whether the stars have sensible        
dimensions4 ,in a good telescope stars  
present round and pretty uniformly      
illuminated disks4 ,if these disks      
really represent the angular diameter of
 the stars1 they should admit of        
magnifying1 like other objects2 but1    
instead of this1 ,,herschel found that  
they appeared smaller as the telescopic 
power was increased4 ,he accordingly    

called the disk of light seen in the    
telescope a spurious disk4 ,this        
singular phenomenon gave its discoverer 
a ready criterion for determining       
whether a small bright body has an      
appreciable size1 or only impresses the 
sense of sight by virtue of its         
intrinsic brightness4 ,if the first were
 the case1 the apparent size would      
increase with increased magnifying      
power1 while1 if the angular dimensions 
were inappreciable1 the apparent size   
would1 on the contrary1 diminish with   
additional magnifying4 ,an occasion for 
using this criterion came in the first  
years of this century1 with the         
discovery of three small planets having 
orbits lying between those of ,mars and 
,jupiter4 ,,herschel gave the name      
,asteroids to these bodies4 ,as the     
appropriateness of this term had been   
violently assailed1 the discovery of    
,juno1 in #ahjd1 the third one of the   
group1 led to a careful experimental    
study of the defining power of the      

telescope used1 and of the laws         
governing the phenomena of spurious     
disks4  ,with a telescope of about nine 
inches in aperture1 ,,herschel found    
that if ,juno subtended an angle greater
 than a quarter of a second of arc1 a   
certain indication of the fact would    
have shown itself in the course of the  
experiments4 ,this conclusion was a     
justification of the name ,asteroid1    
since the appearance of the new planet  
was strictly stellar4 ,on other grounds1
 a better name might have been selected4
  ,in the paper giving the results of   
the experiments1 the phenomena of the   
spurious disks are very completely      
described2 but they did not attract the 
attention which they deserved1 and they 
only became an object of especial       
interest to students of physics when    
they were again studied by the famous   
,german optician ,,fraunhofer1 a        
generation later4  ,incidentally the    
experiments are of interest1 as yielding
 us a measure of the excellence of      

,,herschel',s telescopes1 and a measure 
which is quite independent of the       
keenness of his vision4 ,from them we   
may be sure that the efficiency of the  
nine-inch mirror used was not sensibly  
less than that of the highest           
theoretically attainable excellence4 ,in
 this connection1 too1 we may refer to  
the ,philosophical ,transactions for    
#agij1 pp4 #dfh and #dge1 where         
,,herschel gives observations of both   
,enceladus and ,mimas seen in contact   
with the ball of ,saturn4 ,i have never 
seen so good definition1 telescopic and 
atmospheric1 as he must have had on     
these occasions4                        
,researches on the ,spectra of the      
,fixed ,stars4  ,the spectroscope was   
applied by ,,secchi to the study of the 
spectra of the fixed stars visible to   
the naked eye in the years #ahfc to     
#ahff4 ,he examined the nature of the   
spectrum of each of the larger stars1   
and found that these stars could be     
arranged in three general classes or    

types4 ,his results have been verified  
and extended by other astronomers1 and  
his classification has been generally   
accepted4 ,according to ,,secchi1 the   
lucid stars may be separated into three 
groups1 distinguished by marked         
differences in their spectra4           
,,secchi',s ,type ,i4 contains stars    
whose spectra are like those of ,sirius1
 ,procyon1 and alpha ,lyr2 his ,type    
,,ii4 stars like ,arcturus and          
,aldebaran2 his ,type ,,iii4 stars like 
alpha ,orionis4  ,,herschel also made   
some trials in this direction4 ,in the  
,philosophical ,transactions for #ahad  
7p4 #bfd71 he says3      ,by some       
experiments on the light of a few of the
 stars of the first     magnitude1 made 
in #agih1 by a prism applied to the     
eye-glasses of my     reflectors1       
adjustable to any angle and to any      
direction1 ,i had the     following     
analyses3      ,the light of ,sirius    
consists of red1 orange1 yellow1 green1 
blue1     purple1 and violet4 alpha     

,orionis contains the same colors1      
but the red is more intense1 and the    
orange and yellow are less     copious  
in proportion than they are in ,sirius4 
,procyon contains     all the colors1   
but proportionately more blue and purple
 than     ,sirius4 ,arcturus contains   
more red and orange1 and less yellow    
in proportion than ,sirius4 ,aldebaran  
contains much orange and     very little
 yellow4 alpha ,lyr contains much       
yellow1 green1     blue1 and purple4    
,here the essential peculiarities of the
 spectrum of each of the stars          
investigated by ,,herschel is pointed   
out1 and if we were to use his          
observations alone to classify these    
stars into types1 we should put ,sirius 
and ,procyon into one type of stars     
which have all the colors in their      
spectra2 ,arcturus and ,aldebaran would 
represent another group of stars1 with a
 deficiency of yellow and an excess of  
orange and red in the spectrum2 and     
alpha ,orionis would stand as a type of 

those stars with an excess of red and a 
deficiency of orange4 alpha ,lyr would  
represent a sub-group of the first      
class4  ,,herschel',s immediate object  
was not classification1 and his         
observations are only recorded in a     
passing way4 ,but the fact remains that 
he clearly distinguished the essential  
differences of the spectra of these     
stars1 and that he made these           
observations in support of his statement
 that the fixed stars1 like the planets1
 also shine with differently colored    
light4 ,that of ,arcturus and           
,aldebaran1 for instance1 is as         
different from the light of ,sirius and 
,capella as that of ,mars and ,saturn is
 from the light of ,venus and ,jupiter4 
,of course1 no special discovery can be 
claimed for him on these few instances4 
,we can see1 however1 a good example of 
the manner in which he examined a       
subject from every side1 and used the   
most remote evidence exactly in its     
proper place and time4                  

,researches on the ,variable ,emission  
of ,light                   and ,heat   
from the ,sun4  ,it is certainly a      
remarkable fact that ,,herschel was the 
first observer to recognize the real    
importance of the aperture or diameter  
of a telescope4 ,before his time it was 
generally assumed that this element only
 conditioned the amount of light        
transmitted to the eye1 or1 in other    
words1 merely determined the brightness 
of the image4 ,hence the conclusion that
 if an object is sufficiently bright1   
the telescope may be made as small as   
desired without loss of power4 ,thus1 in
 observing the sun1 astronomers before  
,,herschel had been accustomed to reduce
 the aperture of their telescopes1 in   
order to moderate the heat and light    
transmitted4 ,,scheiner1 it is true1    
nearly two centuries before the time we 
are considering1 had invented a method  
for observing the sun without danger1   
still employing the full aperture4 ,this
 was by projecting the image of the sun 

on a white screen beyond the eye-piece1 
the telescope being slightly lengthened4
 ,for special purposes this ingenious   
method has even been found useful in    
modern times1 though for sharpness of   
definition it bears much the same       
relation to the more usual manner of    
observing1 that a photographic picture  
does to direct vision4  ,although       
,,herschel saw the advantages of using  
the whole aperture of a telescope in    
such observations1 the practical        
difficulties in the way were very great4
 ,we have noted his attempts to find    
screens which would effectively cut off 
a large portion of the heat and light   
without impairing vision1 and have      
considered1 somewhat in detail1 the     
remarkable discoveries in radiant heat  
to which these attempts led him4 ,his   
efforts were not unsuccessful4 ,a green 
glass smoked1 and a glass cell          
containing a solution of black writing  
ink in water--were found to work        
admirably4  ,thus provided with more    

powerful instrumental means than had    
ever been applied to the purpose1       
,,herschel turned his attention to the  
sun4 ,in a very short time he exhausted 
nearly all there was to be discovered1  
so that since the publication of his    
last paper on this subject1 in #ahja1   
until the present time1 there has been  
but a single telescopic phenomenon1     
connected with the physical appearance  
of the sun1 which was unknown to        
,,herschel4 ,that phenomenon is the     
frequent occurrence of a darker central 
shade or kernel in large spots1         
discovered by ,,dawes about #aheh4      
,,herschel1 though observing a hundred  
and ninety years after the earliest     
discovery of sun spots1 seems to have   
been the first to suspect their periodic
 character4 ,to establish this as a     
fact1 and to measure the period1 was    
left for our own times and for the      
indefatigable observer ,,schwabe4 ,the  
probable importance of such a period in 
its relation to terrestrial meteorology 

was not only clearly pointed out by     
,,herschel1 but he even attempted to    
demonstrate1 from such data as were     
obtainable1 the character of this       
influence4  ,perhaps no one thing which 
this great philosopher has done better  
exhibits the catholic character of his  
mind than this research4 ,when the      
possible connection of solar and        
terrestrial phenomena occurred to him as
 a question to be tested1 there were no 
available meteorological records1 and he
 could find but four or five short      
series of observations1 widely separated
 in time4 ,to an ordinary thinker the   
task would have seemed hopeless until   
more data had been collected4 ,but      
,,herschel',s fertile mind1 though it   
could not recall lost opportunities for 
solar observations1 did find a          
substitute for meteorological records in
 the statistics of the prices of grain  
during the various epochs4 ,it is clear 
that the price of wheat must have       
depended upon the supply1 and the       

supply1 in turn1 largely upon the       
character of the season4 ,the method1 as
 ingenious as it is1 failed in          
,,herschel',s hands on account of the   
paucity of solar statistics2 but it has 
since proved of value1 and has taken its
 place as a recognized method of        
research4                               
,researches on ,nebul and ,clusters4    
,when ,,herschel first began to observe 
the nebul in #aggd1 there were very few 
of these objects known4 ,the nebul of   
,orion and ,andromeda had been known in 
,europe only a little over a hundred    
years4  ,in #aghd ,,messier published a 
list of sixty-eight such objects which  
he had found in his searches for comets1
 and twenty-eight nebul had been found  
by ,,lacaille in his observations at the
 ,cape of ,good ,hope4 ,in the mere     
discovery of these objects ,,herschel   
quickly surpassed all others4 ,in #aghf 
he published a catalogue of one thousand
 new nebul1 in #aghi a catalogue of a   
second thousand1 and in #ahjb one of    

five hundred4 ,in all he discovered and 
described two thousand five hundred and 
eight new nebul and clusters4 ,this     
branch of astronomy may almost be said  
to be proper to the ,,herschels1 father 
and son4 ,sir ,,john ,,herschel         
re-observed all his father's nebul in   
the northern hemisphere1 and added many 
new ones1 and in his astronomical       
expedition to the ,cape of ,good ,hope  
he recorded almost an equal number in   
the southern sky4  ,of the six thousand 
two hundred nebul now known the         
,,herschels discovered at least         
eight-tenths4 ,the mere discovery of    
twenty-five hundred nebul would have    
been a brilliant addition to our        
knowledge of celestial statistics4      
,,herschel did more than merely point   
out the existence and position of these 
new bodies4 ,each observation was       
accompanied by a careful and minute     
description of the object viewed1 and   
with sketches and diagrams which gave   
the position of the small stars in it   

and near it4#cf  ,as the nebul and      
clusters were discovered they were      
placed in classes1 each class covering  
those nebul which resembled each other  
in their general features4 ,even at the 
telescope ,,herschel',s object was not  
discovery merely1 but to know the inner 
constitution of the heavens4 ,his       
classes were arranged with this end1 and
 they are to-day adopted4 ,they were3   
,,class ,i4 ,bright nebul 7#bhh in all74
        ,,ii4 ,faint nebul 7#iji in     
all74       ,,iii4 ,very faint nebul    
7#ihd in all74        ,,iv4 ,planetary  
nebul1 stars with burs1 with milky      
chevelure1               with short     
rays1 remarkable shapes1 etc4 7#gi in   
all74         ,v4 ,very large nebul 7#eb
 in all74        ,,vi4 ,very compressed 
and rich clusters of stars 7#db in all74
       ,,vii4 ,pretty much compressed   
clusters 7#fg in all74      ,,viii4     
,coarsely scattered clusters of stars   
7#hh in all74  ,the lists of these      
classes were the storehouses of rich    

material from which ,,herschel drew the 
examples by which his later opinions on 
the physical conditions of nebulous     
matter were enforced4  ,as the nebul    
were discovered and classified they were
 placed upon a star-map in their proper 
positions 7#aghf71 and1 as the          
discoveries went on1 the real laws of   
the distribution of the nebul and of the
 clusters over the surface of the sky   
showed themselves more and more plainly4
 ,it was by this means that ,,herschel  
was led to the announcement of the law  
that the spaces richest in nebul are    
distant from the ,milky ,way1 etc4 ,by  
no other means could he have detected   
this1 and ,i believe this to have been  
the first example of the use of the     
graphical method1 now become common in  
treating large masses of statistics4    
,it is still in his capacity of an      
observer--an acute and wise one--that   
,,herschel is considered4 ,but this was 
the least of his gifts4 ,this vast mass 
of material was not left in this state3 

it served him for a stepping-stone to   
larger views of the nature and extent of
 the nebulous matter itself4  ,his views
 on the nature of nebul underwent       
successive changes4 ,at first he        
supposed all nebul to be but            
aggregations of stars4 ,the logic was   
simple4 ,to the naked eye there are many
 groups of stars which appear nebulous4 
,praesepe is1 perhaps1 the best example4
 ,the slightest telescopic power applied
 to such groups alters the nebulous     
appearance1 and shows that it comes from
 the combined and confused light of     
discrete stars4 ,other groups which     
remain nebulous in a seven-foot         
telescope1 become stellar in a ten-foot4
 ,the nebulosity of the ten-foot can be 
resolved into stars by the twenty-foot1 
and so on4 ,the nebul which remained    
still unresolved1 it was reasonable to  
conclude1 would yield to higher power1  
and generally a nebula was but a group  
of stars removed to a great distance4   
,an increase of telescopic power was    

alone necessary to demonstrate this4#cg 
,nebul can be selected so that an       
insensible gradation shall take         
place from a coarse cluster like the    
,pleiades down to a milky     nebulosity
 like that in ,orion1 every intermediate
 step being     represented4 ,this tends
 to confirm the hypothesis that all are 
composed of stars more or less remote4  
,so1 at first1 ,,herschel believed that 
his twenty-foot telescope was of power  
sufficient to fathom the ,milky ,way1   
that is1 to see through it and beyond   
it1 and to reduce all its nebulosities  
to true groups of stars4  ,in #agia he  
published a memoir on ,nebulous ,stars1 
in which his views were completely      
changed4 ,he had found a nebulous star1 
the sixty-ninth of his ,class ,,iv41 to 
which his reasons would not apply4 ,in  
the centre of it was a bright star2     
around the star was a halo gradually    
diminishing in brightness from the star 
outward1 and perfectly circular4 ,it was
 clear the two parts1 star and nebula1  

were connected1 and thus at the same    
distance from us4  ,there were two      
possible solutions only4 ,either the    
whole mass was1 first1 composed of      
stars1 in which case the nucleus would  
be enormously larger than the other     
stars of its stellar magnitude elsewhere
 in the sky1 or the stars which made up 
the halo indefinitely small2 or1 second1
 the central nucleus was indeed a star1 
but a star surrounded with a shining    
fluid1 of a nature totally unknown to   
us4  ,the long strata of nebul1 which he
 had before described under the name of 
telescopic ,milky ,ways1 might well be  
accounted for by masses of this fluid   
lying beyond the regions of the         
seventh-magnitude stars4 ,this fluid    
might exist independently of stars4 ,if 
it is self-luminous1 it seems more fit  
to produce a star by its condensation1  
than to depend upon the star for its own
 existence4 ,such were a few of the     
theorems to which his discovery of this 
nebula led him4 ,the hypothesis of an   

elastic shining fluid existing in space1
 sometimes in connection with stars1    
sometimes distinct from them1 was       
adopted and never abandoned4 ,how well  
the spectroscope has confirmed this idea
 it is not necessary to say4 ,we know   
the shining fluid does exist1 and in    
late years we have seen the reverse of  
the process imagined by ,,herschel4 ,a  
star has actually1 under our eyes1      
become a planetary nebula1 and the cycle
 of which he gave the first terms is    
complete4  ,in five separate memoirs    
7#ahjb1 #ahaa1 #ahad1 #ahag1 and #ahah7 
,,herschel elaborated his views of the  
sidereal system4 ,the whole extent of   
his views must be gained from the       
extended memoirs themselves4 ,here only 
the merest outline can be given4  ,in   
#ahjb there is a marshaling of the      
various objects beyond our solar system4
 ,the stars themselves may be insulated1
 or may belong to binary or multiple    
systems1 to clusters and groups1 or to  
grand groups like the ,milky ,way4      

,nebul may have any of the forms which  
have been described2 and1 in #ahaa1 he  
gives examples of immense spaces in the 
sky covered with diffused and very faint
 nebulosity4 ,its abundance exceeds all 
imagination4#ch ,these masses of nebular
 matter are the seats of attracting     
forces1 and these forces must produce   
condensation4 ,when a nebula has more   
than one preponderating seat of         
attracting matter1 it may in time be    
divided1 and the double nebul have had  
such an origin4 ,when nebul appear to us
 as round masses1 they are in reality   
globular in form1 and this form is at   
once the effect and the proof of a      
gravitating cause4  ,the central        
brightness of nebul points out the seat 
of the attraction2 and the completeness 
of the approximation to a spherical form
 points out the length of time that the 
gravitating forces have been at work4   
,those nebul 7and clusters7 which are   
most perfect in the globular form1 have 
been longest exposed to central forces4 

,the planetary nebul are the oldest in  
our system4 ,they must have a rotatory  
motion on their axes4  ,by progressive  
condensation planetary nebul may be     
successively converted into bright      
stellar nebul1 or into nebulous stars1  
and these again1 by the effects of the  
same cause1 into insulated or double    
stars4 ,this chain of theorems1 laid    
down in the memoir of #ahaa1 is enforced
 in #ahad with examples which show how  
the nebulous appearance may grow into   
the sidereal4 ,,herschel selects from   
the hundreds of instances in his        
note-books1 nebul in every stage of     
progress1 and traces the effect of      
condensation and of clustering power    
through all its course1 even to the     
final breaking up of the ,milky ,way    
itself4  ,the memoirs of #ahag and #ahah
 add little to the general view of the  
physical constitution of the heavens4   
,they are attempts to gain a scale of   
celestial measures by which we may judge
 of the distances of the stars and      

clusters in which these changes are     
going on4  ,there is little to change in
 ,,herschel',s statement of the general 
construction of the heavens4 ,it is the 
groundwork upon which we have still to  
build4 ,every astronomical discovery and
 every physical fact well observed is   
material for the elaboration of its     
details or for the correction of some of
 its minor points4 ,as a scientific     
conception it is perhaps the grandest   
that has ever entered into the human    
mind4 ,as a study of the height to which
 the efforts of one man may go1 it is   
almost without a parallel4 ,the         
philosopher who will add to it to-day1  
will have his facts and his methods     
ready to his hands4 ,,herschel presents 
the almost unique example of an eager   
observer marshaling the multitude of    
single instances1 which he himself has  
laboriously gathered1 into a compact and
 philosophic whole4 ,in spite of minor  
errors and defects1 his ideas of the    
nature of the sidereal universe have    

prevailed1 and are to-day the           
unacknowledged basis of our every       
thought upon it4 ,some of its most      
secret processes have been worked out by
 him1 and the paths which he pointed out
 are those along which our advances must
 be made4  ,in concluding this condensed
 account of ,,herschel',s scientific    
labors1 it behoves us to remember that  
there was nothing due to accident in his
 long life4 ,he was born with the       
faculties which fitted him for the      
gigantic labors which he undertook1 and 
he had the firm basis of energy and     
principle which kept him steadily to his
 work4  ,as a practical astronomer he   
remains without an equal4 ,in profound  
philosophy he has few superiors4 ,by a  
kindly chance he can be claimed as the  
citizen of no one country4 ,in very     
truth his is one of the few names which 
belong to the whole world4  ,,footnotes3
  #ca ,,james ,,short1 ,f4,r4,s4        
7#agaj-agfh71 and ,,john ,,dollond1     
,f4,r4,s4 7#agjf-agfa71 were the most   

celebrated makers of telescopes of their
 day4 ,the six-foot ,newtonian          
reflectors of ,,short 7aperture #i4d    
inches71 and the forty-six-inch         
achromatics of ,,dollond 7aperture #c4f 
inches71 were highly esteemed4 ,the     
,royal ,observatory of ,greenwich       
possessed1 in #agfe1 one of each class4 
,in a comparative trial of ,,short',s   
telescope1 at ,greenwich1 and one of    
,,herschel',s first telescopes1 the     
latter was adjudged greatly superior4   
#cb ,at least one of these telescopes   
had the principal mirror made of glass  
instead of metal4--,philosophical       
,transactions1 #ahjc4  #cc ,the         
following extract from ,,fourier',s loge
 of ,,herschel is of interest in this   
connection4 ,the sum first appropriated 
by the king was #b1jjj4 ,this was       
afterwards raised to #d1jjj1 and a sum  
of #bjj yearly was given for            
maintenance4  ,l'histoire doit conserver
  jamais la rponse de ce prince  un     
tranger clbre ,,lalande8 qui le         

remerciait des sommes considrables      
accordes pour les progrs de             
l'astronomie4 ',je fais les dpenses de  
la guerre1' dit le roi1 'parcequ'elles  
sont ncessaires2 quant  celles des      
sciences1 il m'est agrable des les      
ordonner2 leur objet ne cote point des  
larmes1 et honore l'humanit4'           
,,lalande',s own account is a little    
different4 ,he says the king exclaimed3 
,ne vaut-il pas mieux employer son      
argent  cela qu' faire tuer des hommes8 
#cd ,the memoirs on the parallaxes of   
stars1 written by various astronomers   
from #agej to #ahjj1 were mainly        
directed to the improvement of the      
methods1 or to the discovery of the     
parallax of some particular star4 ,for  
example1 ,,lacaille',s observations of  
,sirius1 at the ,cape of ,good ,hope1   
had resulted in a parallax of #i for    
that star--a quantity over forty times  
too large4  #ce ,,herschel accepted1 as 
did all his cotemporaries1 the          
,newtonian or corpuscular theory of     

light4  #cf ,thus the position of small 
stars critically situated in the centre1
 or on the edges of the nebul was always
 noted4 ,many of the descriptions are   
given in the published papers1 but the  
publication of the diagrams would be an 
immense help to this branch of          
astronomy4 ,d',,arrest in his reduction 
of ,,herschel',s nebula observations    
7#ahef7 writes3 ,gewiss wre es vom      
hchsten ,interesse fr die ,entwickelung1
 welche hoffentlich auch dieser ,zweig  
der beobachtenden ,astronomie zuknftig  
erhalten wird1 wenn die                 
,,herschel',schen ,beobachtungen in der 
,ausfhrlichkeit in welcher sie1         
verschiedenen ,andeutungen zufolge1     
handschriftlich vorhanden sind1         
verffentlicht wrden4 ,es schliesst sich 
dieser ,wunsch in ,betreff der          
,nebelflecken lebhaft an den an1        
welcher1 schon vor einem ,jahrzehnt nach
 ,verffentlichung der #djj noch         
unedirten star-gauges von gewichtigerer 
,seite her geussert wurde4 ,in this all 

must agree who have a knowledge of the  
direction in which we must look for     
advances in the difficult and important 
questions of the distance1 the motions1 
and the changes of the nebul4 ,almost   
the only aid to be looked for from the  
older observations must come from such  
diagrams1 and we may safely say that the
 publication of this priceless material1
 just as it stands1 would carry our     
exact data back from #ahcc to #aghf1 or 
no less than forty-seven years4  #cg    
,long after ,,herschel had abandoned    
this idea1 it continued current among   
astronomers4 ,the successes of ,lord    
,,rosse',s telescope perpetuated to the 
middle of the nineteenth century an     
erroneous view which ,,herschel had     
given up in #agia4  #ch ,these have     
never been re-observed4 ,they should be 
sought for with a powerful refractor1   
taking special precautions against the  
illumination of the field of view from  
neighboring bright stars4 ,,herschel',s 
reflectors were specially open to       

illusions produced in this way4 ,his    
observations probably will remain       
untested until some large telescope is  
used in the way he adopted1 i4 e41 in   
sweeping4                               
,,bibliography4   ,i4--,,list ,,of ,,the
 ,,published ,,writings ,,of ,,william  
,,herschel ,,on ,,astronomical          
,,subjects4                         ,in 
chronological order4  ,n4,b4--,in       
general1 translations and abstracts of  
those which appeared in periodicals are 
not noticed here4 ,i have made          
exceptions in the more important cases4 
,solution of a prize question4 ,see this
 book1 page #df4                        
,ladies' ,diary1 #aggi4   ,astronomical 
observations on the periodical star in  
,collo ,ceti4                           
,phil4 ,trans41 #aghj1 p4 #cch4         
,astronomical observations relating to  
the mountains of the moon4              
,phil4 ,trans41 #aghj1 p4 #ejg4         
,astronomical observations on the       
rotation of the planets round their     

axes1 made with a view to determine     
whether the earth's diurnal motion is   
perfectly equable4                      
,phil4 ,trans41 #agha1 p4 #aae4         
,account of a comet4 ,dated #acth       
,march1 #agha4 ,this was ,uranus4       
,phil4 ,trans41 #agha1 p4 #dib4   ,on   
the parallax of the fixed stars4        
,phil4 ,trans41 #aghb1 p4 #hb4          
,catalogue of double stars4             
,phil4 ,trans41 #aghb1 p4 #aab3         
translation in                          
,bode's ,jahrbuch1 #aghf1 p4 #ahg4      
,description of a lamp micrometer and   
the method of using it4                 
,phil4 ,trans41 #aghb1 p4 #afc4   ,a    
paper to obviate some doubts concerning 
the great magnifying powers used4       
,phil4 ,trans41 #aghb1 p4 #agc4   ,a    
letter from ,,william ,,herschel1 ,esq41
 ,f4,r4,s41 to ,sir ,,joseph ,,banks1   
,bart41 ,p4,r4,s4                       
,phil4 ,trans41 #aghc1 p4 #a4   ,aus    
einem ,schreiben des ,hrn4 ,,herschel an
 mich ,,bode1 datirt ,london1 den #acten

 ,august1 #aghc4 ,this is a letter      
forwarding ,,herschel',s memoir on the  
,parallax of the ,fixed ,stars1 etc4    
,bode's ,jahrbuch1 #aghf1 p4 #beh4   ,on
 the diameter and magnitude of the      
,georgium ,sidus1 with a description of 
the dark and lucid disk and periphery   
micrometers4                            
,phil4 ,trans41 #aghc1 p4 #d4   ,on the 
proper motion of the sun and solar      
system1 with an account of several      
changes that have happened among the    
fixed stars since the time of ,mr4      
,,flamsteed4                            
,phil4 ,trans41 #aghc1 p4 #bdg4         
,bode's ,jahrbuch1 #aghg1 p4 #aid1 p4   
#bbd4   ,astronomische ,nachrichten und 
,entdeckungen1 aus einem franzsischen   
,schreiben desselben an mich ,,bode1    
datirt ,datchet1 nahe bey ,windsor1 den 
#ah4 ,mai1 #aghd4  ,this letter is on   
the subject of the use of high          
magnifying powers1 and gives a rsum of  
his recent papers4                      
,bode's ,jahrbuch1 #aghg1 p4 #baa4   ,on

 the remarkable appearances at the polar
 regions of the planet ,mars1 the       
inclination of its axis1 the position of
 its poles and its spheroidical figure2 
with a few hints relating to its real   
diameter and atmosphere4                
,phil4 ,trans41 #aghd1 p4 #bcc4         
,account of some observations tending to
 investigate the construction of the    
heavens4                                
,phil4 ,trans41 #aghd1 p4 #dcg4         
,bode's ,jahrbuch1 #aghh1 p4 #bdf1 has a
 summary of this paper by ,baron ,,von  
,,zach4 ,see1 also1 ,bode's ,jahrbuch1  
#agid1 p4 #bac4   ,catalogue of double  
stars4                                  
,phil4 ,trans41 #aghe1 p4 #dj4   ,on the
 construction of the heavens4           
,phil4 ,trans41 #aghe1 p4 #bac4         
,bode's ,jahrbuch1 #aghh1 p4 #bch4      
,see1 also1 same1 #aghg1 p4 #bac1 and   
#agid1 p4 #bac4   ,aus einem ,schreiben 
des ,hrn4 ,,herschel an mich ,,bode1    
datirt ,clay ,hall1 nahe bey ,windsor1  
den #bj4 ,jul41 #aghe4 ,this is a letter

 forwarding two memoirs1 and giving the 
prices of telescopes                    
,bode's ,jahrbuch1 #aghh1 p4 #bed4      
,catalogue of one thousand new nebul and
 clusters of stars4                     
,phil4 ,trans41 #aghf1 p4 #deg4         
,bode's ,jahrbuch1 #agia1 p4 #aeg1      
and same1 #agid1 p4 #bac4               
,investigation of the cause of that     
indistinctness of vision which has been 
ascribed to the smallness of the optic  
pencil4                                 
,phil4 ,trans41 #aghf1 p4 #ejj4         
,remarks on the new comet #aghf1 ,,ii44 
,phil4 ,trans41 #aghg1 p4 #d4   ,letter 
from ,,herschel to ,,bode on the        
discovery of two satellites to ,uranus1 
dated ,slough1 #aghg1 ,feb4 #aa4        
,bode's ,jahrbuch1 #agij1 p4 #bec4   ,an
 account of the discovery of two        
satellites revolving round the ,georgian
 planet4                                
,phil4 ,trans41 #aghg1 p4 #abe4         
,bode's ,jahrbuch1 #agia1 p4 #bee4   ,an
 account of three volcanoes in the moon4

                               ,phil4   
,trans41 #aghg1 p4 #bbi4                
,bode's ,jahrbuch1 #agia1 p4 #bee4      
,note on ,m4 ,m,,chain',s comet4 #aghg1 
,i4 ,added to preceding paper4          
,phil4 ,trans41 #aghg1 p4 #bcb4   ,on   
the ,georgian planet and its satellites4
                               ,phil4   
,trans41 #aghh1 p4 #cfd4                
,bode's ,jahrbuch1 #agic1 p4 #ajd4      
,observations on a comet #aghh1 ,,ii44  
,phil4 ,trans41 #aghi1 p4 #aea4         
,catalogue of a second thousand of new  
nebul and clusters of stars1 with a few 
introductory remarks on the construction
 of the heavens4                        
,phil4 ,trans41 #aghi1 p4 #bab4         
,bode's ,jahrbuch1 #agic1 p4 #ajd4      
,also1 same1 #agid1 p4 #aej4   ,account 
of the discovery of a sixth and seventh 
satellite of the planet ,saturn1 with   
remarks on the construction of its ring1
 its atmosphere1 its rotation on an     
axis1 and its spheroidical figure4      
,phil4 ,trans41 #agij1 p4 #a4           

,bode's ,jahrbuch1 #agic1 p4 #bci2      
same1 #agif1 p4 #hh2 #agig1 p4 #bdi4    
,on the satellites of the planet        
,saturn1 and the rotation of its ring on
 an axis4                               
,phil4 ,trans41 #agij1 p4 #dbg4   ,on   
nebulous stars properly so called4      
,phil4 ,trans41 #agia1 p4 #ga4          
,bode's ,jahrbuch1 #ahja1 p4 #abh4   ,on
 the ring of ,saturn and the rotation of
 the fifth satellite upon its axis4     
,phil4 ,trans41 #agib1 p4 #a4           
,bode's ,jahrbuch1 #agif1 p4 #hh4       
,miscellaneous observations4  ,account  
of a comet1 p4 #bc #agib1 ,i44  ,on the 
periodical appearance of omicron ,ceti1 
p4 #bd4  ,on the disappearance of the   
#eeth ,herculis1 p4 #bf4  ,remarkable   
phenomenon in an eclipse of the moon1 p4
 #bg4                                   
,phil4 ,trans41 #agib1 p4 #bc4          
,observations on the planet ,venus4     
,phil4 ,trans41 #agic1 p4 #bja4         
,observations of a quintuple belt on the
 planet ,saturn4                        

,phil4 ,trans41 #agid1 p4 #bh4          
,bode's ,jahrbuch1 #agih1 p4 #ij4       
,account of some particulars observed   
during the late eclipse of the sun4     
#agic1 ,september #eth4                 
,phil4 ,trans41 #agid1 p4 #ci4   ,on the
 rotation of the planet ,saturn upon its
 axis4                                  
,phil4 ,trans41 #agid1 p4 #dh4          
,bode's ,jahrbuch1 #agih1 p4 #gd4   ,on 
the nature and construction of the sun  
and fixed stars4                        
,phil4 ,trans41 #agie1 p4 #df4          
,bode's ,jahrbuch1 ,,ii4 ,suppl4 ,band1 
p4 #fe4   ,description of a forty-foot  
reflecting telescope4                   
,phil4 ,trans41 #agie1 p4 #cdg4         
,bode's ,jahrbuch1 ,,iii4 ,suppl4 ,band1
 p4 #bch4   ,additional observations on 
the comet4 #agif1 ,i4                   
,phil4 ,trans41 #agif1 p4 #aca4   ,on   
the method of observing the changes that
 happen to the fixed stars2 with some   
remarks on the stability of the light of
 our sun4 ,to which is added a catalogue

 of comparative brightness for          
ascertaining the permanency of the      
lustre of stars4                        
,phil4 ,trans41 #agif1 p4 #aff4         
,bode's ,jahrbuch1 #ahji1 p4 #bja4   ,on
 the periodical star alpha ,herculis2   
with remarks tending to establish the   
rotatory motion of the stars on their   
axes2 to which is added a second        
catalogue of the comparative brightness 
of the stars4                           
,phil4 ,trans41 #agif1 p4 #deb4         
,bode's ,jahrbuch1 #ahji1 p4 #bja4   ,a 
third catalogue of the comparative      
brightness of the stars1 with an        
introductory account of an index to ,mr4
 ,,flamsteed',s observations of the     
fixed stars1 contained in the second    
volume of the ,historia ,coelestis4 ,to 
which are added several useful results  
derived from that index4                
,phil4 ,trans41 #agig1 p4 #bic4         
,bode's ,jahrbuch1 #ahaj1 p4 #adc4      
,observations of the changeable         
brightness of the satellites of         

,jupiter1 and of the variation in their 
apparent magnitudes1 with a             
determination of the time of their      
rotatory motions on their axes4 ,to     
which is added a measure of the diameter
 of the second satellite1 and an        
estimate of the comparative size of all 
the four4                               
,phil4 ,trans41 #agig1 p4 #ccb4         
,bode's ,jahrbuch1 #ahja1 p4 #ajc4   ,on
 the discovery of four additional       
satellites of the ,georgium ,sidus4 ,the
 retrograde motion of its old satellites
 announced1 and the cause of their      
disappearance at certain distances from 
the planet explained4                   
,phil4 ,trans41 #agih1 p4 #dg4          
,bode's ,jahrbuch1 #ahja1 p4 #bca4   ,a 
fourth catalogue of the comparative     
brightness of the stars4                
,phil4 ,trans41 #agii1 p4 #aba4         
,bode's ,jahrbuch1 #ahaj1 p4 #adc4   ,on
 the power of penetrating into space by 
telescopes1 with a comparative          
determination of the extent of that     

power in natural vision1 and in         
telescopes of various sizes and         
constructions1 illustrated by select    
observations4                           
,phil4 ,trans41 #ahjj1 pp4 #di-he4      
,bode's ,jahrbuch1 #ahjd1 p4 #bca4      
,investigation of the powers of the     
prismatic colors to heat and illuminate 
objects1 with remarks that prove the    
different refrangibility of radiant     
heat4 ,to which is added an inquiry into
 the method of viewing the sun          
advantageously with telescopes of large 
apertures and high magnifying powers4   
,phil4 ,trans41 #ahjj1 pp4 #bee-bhc4    
,bode's ,jahrbuch1 #ahjd1 p4 #hi4       
,experiments on the refrangibility of   
the invisible rays of the sun4          
,phil4 ,trans41 #ahjj1 pp4 #bhd-bib4    
,bode's ,jahrbuch1 #ahjd1 p4 #hi4       
,experiments on the solar and on the    
terrestrial rays that occasion heat1    
with a comparative view of the laws by  
which light and heat1 or rather the rays
 that occasion them1 are subject1 in    

order to determine whether they are the 
same or different4                      
,phil4 ,trans41 #ahjj1 pp4 #bic-cbf1    
#dcg-ech4                               
,gilbert ,annal41 ,x4 7#ahjb71 pp4      
#fh-gh2                                 
same1 ,,xii4 7#ahjc71 pp4 #eba-edf4     
,observations tending to investigate the
 nature of the sun1 in order to find the
 causes or symptoms of its variable     
emission of light and heat1 with remarks
 on the use that may possibly be drawn  
from solar observations4                
,phil4 ,trans41 #ahja1 pp4 #bfe-cah4    
,bode's ,jahrbuch1 #ahje1 p4 #bah1 and  
#ahjf1 p4 #aac4   ,ueber den #g         
,nebelfleck der #asten classe des       
,herschel'schen ,verzeichniss1 und ueber
 ,ceres und ,pallas1 vom ,herrn ,doctor 
,,herschel1 aus zwey ,briefen desselben4
                               ,bode's  
,jahrbuch1 #ahje1 p4 #baa4   ,additional
 observations tending to investigate the
 symptoms of the variable emission of   
the light and heat of the sun1 with     

trials to set aside darkening glasses by
 transmitting the solar rays through    
liquids1 and a few remarks to remove    
objections that might be made against   
some of the arguments contained in the  
former paper4                           
,phil4 ,trans41 #ahja1 pp4 #ced-cfb4    
,observations on the two lately         
discovered celestial bodies ,ceres and  
,pallas4                   ,phil4       
,trans41 #ahjb1 pp4 #bac-bcb4           
,nicholson ,journal1 ,,iv4 7#ahjh71 pp4 
#abj-acj1 #adb-adh4   ,catalogue of five
 hundred new nebul1 nebulous stars1     
planetary nebul1 and clusters of stars1 
with remarks on the construction of the 
heavens4                                
,phil4 ,trans41 #ahjb1 pp4 #dgg-ebh4    
,bode's ,jahrbuch1 #ahjg1 p4 #aac4      
,observations of the transit of ,mercury
 over the sun's disk1 to which is added 
an investigation of the causes which    
often prevent the proper action of      
mirrors4                                
,phil4 ,trans41 #ahjc1 pp4 #bad-bcb4    

,account of the changes which have      
happened during the last twenty-five    
years in the relative situation of      
double stars1 with an investigation of  
the cause to which they are owing4      
,phil4 ,trans41 #ahjc1 pp4 #cci-chb4    
,bode's ,jahrbuch1 #ahjh1 pp4 #aed-agh4 
,continuation of the account of the     
changes that have happened in the       
relative situation of double stars4     
,phil4 ,trans41 #ahjd1 pp4 #cec-chd4    
,bode's ,jahrbuch1 #ahjh1 p4 #bbf4      
,aus einem ,schreiben des ,herrn ,doctor
 ,,herschel1 datirt ,slough1 bey        
,windsor1 den #ca4 ,may1 #ahjd4         
,relates to his theory of the relation  
between the solar radiation and the     
price of wheat4                         
,bode's ,jahrbuch1 #ahjh1 p4 #bbf4      
,experiments for ascertaining how far   
telescopes will enable us to determine  
very small angles1 and to distinguish   
the real from the spurious diameters of 
celestial and terrestrial objects1 with 
an application of the results of those  

experiments to a series of observations 
on the nature and magnitude of ,mr4     
,,harding',s lately discovered star     
,juno 7#ahjd714                         
,phil4 ,trans41 #ahje1 pp4 #ca-gj4   ,on
 the direction and velocity of the      
motion of the sun and solar system4     
,phil4 ,trans41 #ahje1 pp4 #bcc-bef4    
,bode's ,jahrbuch1 ,,iv4 ,suppl4 ,band1 
p4 #fg4   ,observations on the singular 
figure of the planet ,saturn4           
,phil4 ,trans41 #ahje1 pp4 #bgb-bhj4    
,bode's ,jahrbuch1 #ahji1 p4 #aig4   ,on
 the quantity and velocity of solar     
motion4                                 
,phil4 ,trans41 #ahjf1 pp4 #bje-bcg4    
,bode's ,jahrbuch1 #ahaa1 p4 #bbd4      
,observations and remarks on the figure1
 climate1 and atmosphere of ,saturn and 
its ring4                               
,phil4 ,trans41 #ahjf1 pp4 #dee-dfg4    
,gilbert ,annal41 ,,xxxiv4 7#ahaj71 pp4 
#hb-aje4                                
,bode's ,jahrbuch1 #ahaj1 p4 #bbh4      
,experiments for investigating the cause

 of the colored concentric rings        
discovered by ,sir ,i4 ,,newton between 
two object-glasses laid one upon        
another4                    ,phil4      
,trans41 #ahjg1 pp4 #ahj-bcc4           
,annal4 de ,chimie1 ,,lxx41 #ahji1 pp4  
#aed-aha1 #bic-cba2                     
same1 ,,lxxi41 #ahji1 pp4 #e-dj4        
,observations on the nature of the new  
celestial body ,vesta discovered by ,dr4
 ,,olbers1 and of the comet which was   
expected to appear last ,january in its 
return from the sun4 #ahjf1 ,,ii4       
,phil4 ,trans41 #ahjg1 pp4 #bfj-bff4    
,observations of a comet #ahjg1 ,i4 made
 with a view to investigate its         
magnitude and the nature of its         
illumination1 to which is added an      
account of a new irregularity lately    
perceived in the apparent figure of the 
planet ,saturn4                         
,phil4 ,trans41 #ahjh1 pp4 #ade-afc4    
,gilbert ,annal41 ,,xxxvi4 7#ahaj71 pp4 
#chi-cic4                         ,zach1
 ,monat4 ,corresp41 ,,xx4 7#ahji71 pp4  

#eab-ead4   ,continuation of experiments
 for investigating the cause of colored 
concentric rings and other appearances  
of a similar nature4                    
,phil4 ,trans41 #ahji1 pp4 #bei-cjb4    
,supplement to the first and second part
 of the paper of experiments for        
investigating the cause of colored      
concentric rings between object-glasses1
 and other appearances of a similar     
nature4                                 
,phil4 ,trans41 #ahaj1 pp4 #adi-agg4    
,gilbert ,annal41 ,,xlvi41 #ahad1 pp4   
#bb-gi4   ,astronomical observations    
relating to the construction of the     
heavens1 arranged for the purpose of a  
critical examination1 the result of     
which appears to throw some new light   
upon the organization of the celestial  
bodies4                                 
,phil4 ,trans41 #ahaa1 pp4 #bfi-ccf4    
,journ4 de ,phys41 ,,lxxv41 #ahab1 pp4  
#aba-afg4   ,observations of a comet1   
with remarks on the construction of its 
different parts #ahaa1 ,i44             

,phil4 ,trans41 #ahab1 pp4 #aae-adc4    
,journ4 de ,phys41 ,,lxxvii41 #ahac1 pp4
 #abe-ace4            ,zach1 ,monat4    
,corresp41 ,,xxviii41 #ahac1 pp4        
#dee-dfi1 #eeh-efh4            ,bode's  
,jahrbuch1 #ahaf1 p4 #ahe4              
,observations of a second comet1 with   
remarks on its construction #ahaa1      
,,ii44                            ,phil4
 ,trans41 #ahab1 pp4 #bbi-bcg4          
,nicholson ,journ41 ,,xxxv41 #ahac1 pp4 
#aic-aii4                               
,bode's ,jahrbuch1 #ahaf1 p4 #bjc4      
,astronomical observations relating to  
the sidereal part of the heavens1 and   
its connection with the nebulous part1  
arranged for the purpose of a critical  
examination4                            
,phil4 ,trans41 #ahad4 pp4 #bdh-bhd4    
,bode's ,jahrbuch1 #ahah1 pp4 #ig-aah4  
,a series of observations of the        
satellites of the ,georgian planet1     
including a passage through the node of 
their orbits1 with an introductory      
account of the telescopic apparatus that

 has been used on this occasion1 and a  
final exposition of some calculated     
particulars deduced from the            
observations4                           
,phil4 ,trans41 #ahae1 pp4 #bic-cfb4    
,bode's ,jahrbuch1 #ahai1 p4 #bcb-bdb4  
,astronomical observations and          
experiments tending to investigate the  
local arrangement of the celestial      
bodies in space1 and to determine the   
extent and condition of the ,milky ,way4
                               ,phil4   
,trans41 #ahag1 pp4 #cjb-cca4           
,bode's ,jahrbuch1 #ahba1 p4 #adi4      
,astronomical observations and          
experiments selected for the purpose of 
ascertaining the relative distances of  
clusters of stars1 and of investigating 
how far the power of our telescopes may 
be expected to reach into space1 when   
directed to ambiguous celestial objects4
                               ,phil4   
,trans41 #ahah1 pp4 #dbi-dgj4   ,on the 
places of one hundred and forty-five new
 double stars 7#ahba74                  

,mem4 ,roy4 ,ast4 ,soc41 #a1 #ahbb1 pp4 
#aff-aha4    ,,ii4--,,list ,,of ,,works 
,,relating ,,to ,,the ,,life ,,and      
,,writings ,,of ,,william ,,herschel4   
,arranged alphabetically by authors4    
,n4,b4--,in general1 the notices of his 
life to be found in ,encyclopdias of    
,biography1 etc41 are not included here4
   ,,arago 7,f47     ,analyse de la vie 
et des travaux de ,sir ,,william        
,,herschel from ,annuaire du ,bureau des
 ,longitudes1 #ahdb4 ,paris1 #ahdc4     
#ahmo4         ,see also the ,annuaire  
for #ahcd1 for an account of            
,,herschel',s         work on double    
stars4   ,,arago 7,f47     ,biographies 
of ,distinguished ,scientific ,men4     
,translated by ,admiral       ,w4 ,h4   
,,smyth1 ,rev4 ,b4 ,,powell1 and        
,,robert ,,grant1 ,esq4 ,,herschel4     
,first series1 p4 #beh4 ,boston1 #ahei4 
#hvo4   ,,arago 7,f47     ,,herschel4   
,translated from the ,french4           
,smithsonian ,report4 #ahgj4 p4 #aig4   
#hvo4   ,,auwers 7,a47     ,,william    

,,herschel',s ,verzeichnisse von        
,nebelflecken und ,sternhaufen          
bearbeitet von ,a4 ,,auwers4            
,from the ,knigsberg ,observations4     
#ahfb4 ,folio4   ,,bessel 7,f4 ,w47     
,sir ,,william ,,herschel4 ,from the    
,knigsberger ,allgemeine ,zeitung1 #a1  
#ahdc1 ,no4 #cg1 et seq41 reprinted in  
his ,abhandlungen1 vol iii41       p4   
#dfh4 ,leipzig1 #ahgf4 #dto4            
,d',,arrest 7,h4 ,l47     ,verzeichniss 
von ,sir ,,william ,,herschel',s        
,nebelflecken erster und       vierter  
,classe1 aus den ,beobachtungen         
berechnet und auf #ahej       reducirt4 
,abhandlungen der ,math4 ,phys4 ,classe 
der ,k4 ,schs ,gesells4 d4              
,wissenschaften1 ,band iii4 #aheg1 p4   
#cei4   ,,dunkin 7,e47     ,obituary    
,notices of ,astronomers1 p4 #hf4 ,sir  
,,william ,,herschel1       ,k4,c4,h41  
,f4,r4,s41 #agch-ahbb4         ,london1 
#ahgi4 #abmo4   ,f,,tis 7,f4 ,j47       
,biographie universelle des ,musiciens  
,article ,,herschel4         ,paris1    

#ahce-cg4 #hvo4   ,,forbes 7,j4 ,d47    
,sir ,,william ,,herschel being  #b of  
,dissertation vi44         ,encyclopdia 
,britannica1 eighth edition4            
,vol4 i41,dissertations1 p4 #hch4       
,,fourier 7,j47     loge historique de  
,sir ,,william ,,herschel1 prononc dans 
la sance       publique de l',acadmie   
royale des sciences le #g ,juin1 #ahbd4 
,historie de l',acadmie ,royale des     
,sciences de l',institut de ,france1    
tome vi41 anne #ahbc1 p4 lxi4           
,,harding 7,c4 ,l47     ,des ,herrn ,dr4
 ,,herschel',s ,untersuchungen ber die  
,natur der       ,sonnenstrahlen1 aus   
dem englischen bersetzt4 ,erstes ,heft4 
,translations from ,phil4 ,trans41      
#ahjj4 ,celle1 #ahja4 #afmo4            
,,hastings 7,c4 ,s47     ,see ,,holden  
and ,,hastings4   ,,herschel            
7,carolina47     ,an ,account of a new  
,comet4 #aghf1 ,,ii4         ,phil4     
,trans41 #aghg1 vol4 ,,lxxvii41 p4 #a4  
,,herschel 7,carolina47     ,an ,account
 of the ,discovery of a ,comet4 #agic1  

,i4         ,phil4 ,trans41 #agid1 vol4 
,,lxxxiv41 p4 #a4   ,,herschel          
7,carolina47     ,account of the        
,discovery of a ,comet4 #agie1 ,,ii4    
,phil4 ,trans41 #agif1 vol4 ,,lxxxvi41  
p4 #aca4   ,,herschel 7,carolina47      
,catalogue of ,stars taken from         
,,flamsteed',s observations contained in
       the second volume of his         
,historia ,coelestis1 and not inserted  
in the ,british ,catalogue2 to which is 
added a collection of errata       which
 should be noticed in the same volume2  
with remarks by ,w4       ,,herschel4   
,london1 #agih4 ,folio4   ,,herschel    
7,carolina47     ,verzeichniss von #gd  
,sternen ,,flamsteeds von denen keine   
beobachtungen       in der ,hist4 ,coel4
 ,brit4 vorkommen4         ,bode's      
,jahrbuch1 #ahjf1 p4 #bee   ,,herschel  
7,carolina47     ,notice of her ,life4  
,monthly ,notices ,roy4 ,ast4 ,soc41    
vol4 #h1 p4 #fd2 also1 ,memoirs         
,roy4 ,ast4 ,soc41 vol4 #ag1 p4 #abj4   
,,herschel 7,carolina47     ,memoir and 

,correspondence of ,,caroline           
,,herschel4 ,by ,mrs4 ,,john            
,,herschel4 ,with portraits4 ,london1   
#ahgf4 #abmo4   ,,herschel 7,j4 ,f4 ,w47
     ,article ,telescope1 in            
,encyclopdia ,britannica1 eighth        
edition4       ,this article            
7illustrated7 gives most of the         
important features of       ,sir        
,,william ,,herschel',s manner of       
grinding and polishing specula4         
,,herschel 7,j4 ,f4 ,w47     ,catalogue 
of ,nebul and ,clusters of ,stars4      
,general and systematic       reduction 
of all ,sir ,w4 ,,herschel',s           
observations brought into               
connection with all other similar ones4 
,phil4 ,trans41 #ahfd4 ,page #a4 #dto4  
,,herschel 7,j4 ,f4 ,w47     ,a         
,synopsis of all ,sir ,,william         
,,herschel',s ,micrometrical            
,measurements1       etc41 of ,double   
,stars1 together with a ,catalogue of   
those ,stars 4 4 4       for #ahhj4     
,mem4 ,roy4 ,ast4 ,soc41 vol4 #ce1 p4   

#ba4 ,lond41 #ahfg4 #dto4  ,,herschel   
7,j4 ,f4 ,w47     ,additional           
,identifications of ,double ,stars in   
the ,synoptic       ,catalogues of ,sir 
,,william ,,herschel',s ,micrometrical  
,measurements1       etc4               
,monthly ,notices ,roy4 ,ast4 ,soc41    
vol4 #bh1 p4 #aea4 ,london1 #ahfh4      
#hvo4   ,,herschel 7,mrs4 ,john47       
,memoir and ,correspondence of          
,,caroline ,,herschel4 ,with portraits4 
,london1 #ahgf4 #abmo4   ,,herschel     
7,w47     ,solution of a prize question4
 ,see this book1 page #df4              
,ladies' ,diary1 #aggi4   ,,herschel    
7,w47     ,the favorite ,eccho ,catch 4 
4 4 and the preceding ,glee by ,s4      
,,leach4       ,to which is added the 4 
4 4 ,catch ,sung by ,three ,old ,women 4
 4 4       in the ,pantomime called ,the
 ,genius of ,nonsense by ,h4            
,,harington4         ,london1 #aghj7874 
,obl4 folio4 ,a ,,ms4 copy of this was  
kindly         furnished me by ,dr4 ,r4 
,,garnett1 of the ,british ,museum4     

,,herschel 7,w47     ,gttingen ,magazin 
der ,wissenschaften und ,literatur      
7#aghc71 vol4       iii41 p4 #d4        
,,lichtenberg and ,,forster1 ,editors4  
,letter from ,,herschel1 giving a brief 
account of his life4 ,see         this  
book1 page #c4   ,,herschel 7,w47       
,i4 ,manuscripts in possession of the   
,royal ,society4         #a4 ,a series  
of register sheets in which are entered 
up all the           observations of    
each nebula1 copied verbatim from the   
sweeps4 #b4 ,a similar set of register  
sheets for ,,messier',s nebul4          
#c4 ,a general index of the #b1ejh nebul
 of ,w4 ,,herschel2 given the           
class and number1 to find the general   
number4 #d4 ,an index list2             
given the general number1 to find the   
class and number4           #e4 ,a more 
complete list like #d4 #f4 ,a manuscript
 catalogue of           all the nebul   
and clusters1 reduced to #a1hjj1 and    
arranged           in zones of #a in    
polar distance2 by ,miss ,,carolina     

,,herschel4           #g4 ,the original 
sweeps with the #bj-;foot reflector at  
,slough1           in three small #dto  
and four folio vols4 of ,,ms4   ,,ii4   
,manuscripts in possession of the ,royal
 ,astronomical ,society4          ,this 
library contains the whole series of    
autograph observations           of each
 double star observed by ,,herschel1    
brought together on           separate  
sheets by ,sir ,,william ,,herschel and 
,miss ,,carolina           ,,herschel4  
,,herschel 7,w47     ,some ,account of  
the ,life and ,writings of ,,william    
,,herschel1 ,esq4       ,with a         
,portrait4         ,the ,european       
,magazine and ,london ,review for       
,january1 #aghe4 #hvo4   ,,herschel     
7,w47         ,edinburgh ,review1 vol4  
i41 p1 #dbf4             ,a review of   
,,herschel',s memoir1 ,observations on  
the two             lately discovered   
bodies1 from ,phil4 ,trans41 #ahjb4 ,see
             this book1 page #if4       
,,herschel 7,w47         ,sir ,,william 

,,herschel1 from a ,london paper4       
,this is a short obituary notice        
furnished by a gentleman well           
acquainted with ,sir ,,william and his  
family1 and its accuracy may            
be relied on4          ,niles'          
,register1 vol4 #bc1 p4 #aed4 ,nov4 #i1 
#ahbb4 #hvo4   ,,herschel 7,w47         
,obituary3 ,sir ,,william ,,herschel1   
,knt41 ,,ll4,d41 ,f4,r4,s4         ,the 
,gentleman's ,magazine and ,historical  
,chronicle1 vol4 xcii41           #ahbb1
 p4 #bgd4 #hvo4   ,,herschel 7,w47      
,annual ,register1 #ahbb1 p4 #bhi4 #hvo4
   ,,herschel 7,w47     ,w4             
,,herschel',s ,smmtliche ,schriften1    
,erster ,band4         ,ueber den ,bau  
des ,himmels4 ,mit #aj ,kupfertafeln4   
,edited by ,j4 ,w4 ,,pfaff4 ,a second   
edition was published in #ahej4         
,dresden and ,leipzig1 #ahbh4 #hvo4     
,,herschel 7,w47         ,new ,york     
,mirror1 vol4 vi41 #ahbi-cj1 p4 #chh4   
,,herschel 7,w47         ,living ,age1  
vol4 ii41 p4 #abe 7#ahdd74 #hvo4        

,reprinted from ,chambers' ,journal4    
,,herschel 7,w47         ,foreign       
,quarterly ,review1 vol4 #ca1 p4 #dch4  
#hvo4          ,review of ,,arago',s    
,analyse de la vie et des travaux de    
,sir ,,william           ,,herschel4    
,,herschel 7,w47     ,,arago',s ,life of
 ,,herschel4          ,eclectic ,museum1
 vol4 ii41 p4 #eef4 ,reprinted from the 
,foreign           ,quarterly ,review1  
vol4 #ca4   ,,holden 7,e4 ,s47     ,on  
the ,inner ,satellites of ,uranus4      
,reduction of ,sir ,,william            
,,herschel',s observations4             
,proceedings ,amer4 ,assn4 ,adv4        
,science1 ,august1 #ahgd1 p4 #di4       
#hvo4   ,,holden 7,e4 ,s47     ,index   
,catalogue of ,books and ,memoirs       
relative to nebul1 clusters1       etc4 
,smithsonian ,miscellaneous             
,collections1 ,no4 #caa1 pp4 #ai-ch4    
,abstracts of ,sir ,,william            
,,herschel',s memoirs 7on nebul7 in the 
,philosophical ,transactions4           
,washington1 #ahgg4 #hvo4   ,,holden    

7,e4 ,s47 and ,c4 ,s4 ,,hastings4     ,a
 ,subject-index and a ,synopsis of the  
scientific writings of ,sir             
,,william ,,herschel4 ,reprinted from   
the ,report of the ,smithsonian         
,institution 7#ahgi74                   
,washington1 #ahha4 #hvo4   ,,krafft    
7,j4 ,g4 ,f47     ,kurze ,nachricht von 
dem berhmten ,astronomen ,,herschel und 
einigen       seiner ,entdeckungen4     
,bayreuth1 #aghg4 #hvo4  ,,peirce 7,c4  
,s47     ,photometric ,researches4 ,a   
reduction of ,,herschel',s observations 
on       the comparative brightness of  
the stars4 ,annals ,harvard ,college    
,observatory1 vol4 ix4                  
,leipzig1 #ahgh4 #dto4   ,,sommer 7,g4  
,m47     ,,william ,,herschel 4 4 4     
ueber den ,bau des ,himmels2 drei       
abhandlungen       aus dem englischen   
uebersetzt1 nebst einem authentischen   
,auszug       aus ,,kants allgemeiner   
,naturgeschichte und ,theorie des       
,himmels4          ,koenigsberg1 #agia4 
#hvo4   ,,struve 7,w47     tudes        

d'astronomie stellaire4 ,sur la voie    
lacte et sur la distance       des      
toiles fixes4 ,p4 #bd et seq4 contains  
an elaborate review       of the        
construction of the heavens according to
 ,,herschel4 ,st4       ,petersburg1    
#ahdg4 #hvo4   ,,wolf 7,r47             
,,william ,,herschel4 ,zurich1 #ahfg4   
#hvo4   ,,zach 7,f4 von47     ,dr4      
,,william ,,herschel translated from    
,public ,characters and       printed in
 ,,zach',s ,monatlich ,correspondenz1   
#ahjb1 part i41 p4 #gj       et seq4    
,,iii4--,,list ,,of ,,the ,,published   
,,portraits ,,of ,,william ,,herschel4  
,artist1 ,,mme4 ,,dupiery4 ,engraver1   
,,th,,nert4 #hvo4 ,early portrait4 ,some
   copies in red4 ,profile4  ,artist1   
,f4 ,,rehburg4 ,engraver1 ,f4 ,w4       
,,bollinger4 #hvo4 ,late portrait4      
,artist1 ----8 ,engraver1 ,c4           
,,westermayr4 #hvo4 ,medallion4         
,artist1 ,c4 ,,brand4 ,engraver1 ----8  
#hvo4 ,lithograph4  ,artist1 ----8      
,engraver1 ,j4 ,,sewell4 #hvo4 ,profile1

 #aghe4  ,artist1 ----8 ,engraver1 ----8
 #hvo4 ,profile4  ,artist1 ,f4          
,,bonneville4 ,engraver1 ,f4            
,,bonneville4 #hvo4 ,profile4  ,artist1 
,j4 ,,russell1 ,r4,a4 ,engraver1 ,e4    
,,scriven4 #hvo4 ,engraved from a       
crayon in the possession of his son1 and
 published by the ,s4 ,d4 ,u4 ,k4   in  
the ,gallery of ,portraits1 vol4 #e4    
,artist1 ----8 ,engraver1 ----8 #hvo4   
,european ,magazine1 ,jan41 #aghe4      
,this is a bust in profile1 showing the 
left side of the face4  ,artist1 ----8  
,engraver1 ,,thomson4 #hvo4 ,published  
by ,caxton1 #ahbc4 ,this must have been 
engraved before #ahaf since the legend  
is ,,william ,,herschel1 ,,ll4,d41      
,f4,r4,s4  ,artist1 ,lady ,,gordon4     
,from the painting by ,,abbott in the   
,national ,portrait ,gallery4 ,engraver1
 ,,joseph ,,brown4 #hvo4 ,published in  
memoir of ,,caroline ,,herschel4 ,this  
is of the date #aghh1 or thereabouts4   
,see frontispiece4  ,artist1 ----8      
,engraver1 ,c4 ,m,,ller4 #dto4          

,medallion1 #aghe7874  ,artist1 ----8   
,engraver1 ,h4 ,,pinhas4 #dto4 ,legend  
in ,russian4  ,artist1 ,,baisch4        
,engraver1 ----8 #dto4 ,lithograph4     
,artist1 ,h4 ,,gr,,vedon4 ,engraver1    
----8 ,fol4 ,lithograph4  ,artist1 ----8
 ,engraver1 ,f4 ,m,,ller4 ,fol4         
,artist1 ,,abbott4 ,engraver1 ,,ryder4  
,fol4 #aghh4  ,artist1 ,j4 ,,boilly4    
,engraver1 ----8 ,fol4 #ahbb4           
,lithograph4  ,artist1 ----8 ,engraver1 
,j4 ,,godby4 ,fol4   ,r4 ,w4 ,s4        
,,lutwidge1 ,esq41 ,f4,r4,a4,s41 has an 
original seal with a head of ,sir       
,,william ,,herschel1 which is shown on 
the title-page of this work4 ,a cut of  
it has been courteously furnished me by 
,,john ,,browning1 ,esq41 ,f4,r4,a4,s41 
etc4  ,in #aghg a bust of ,,herschel was
 made by ,,lockie for ,sir ,,william    
,,watson4  ,a picture of ,,herschel was 
painted by ,mr4 ,,artaud about the      
beginning of #ahai4 ,a portrait of      
,,herschel by ,,abbott is in the        
,national ,portrait ,gallery1 ,london4  

,there are no doubt many other paintings
 in ,england1 though ,i can find notices
 of these only4 ,the ,royal ,society of 
,london has nearly a hundred portraits  
of its most distinguished members1 but  
owns none of ,sir ,,william ,,herschel4 
,,index ,,of ,,names4   ,n4,b4--,this   
index is intended to refer to the proper
 names occurring in the body of the work
 only1 and not to the ,bibliography4    
,airy 7,sir ,george71 #ag4    ,alison   
7,sir ,archibald71 #aaa4    ,arago      
7,franois71 #di1 #ha1 #aci4    ,artaud  
7,m471 #aad4    ,aubert 7,alexander71   
#eb1 #fb1 #fc4     ,baldwin 7,miss71    
#aae4    ,banks 7,sir ,joseph71 #ef1    
#eh1 #fd4    ,bessel 7,f4 ,w471 #abg1   
#acg4    ,blagden 7,dr471 #eg4          
,bonaparte 7,napoleon71 #ajh1 #aaa4     
,bradley 7,james71 #ea1 #aec4    ,bruhl 
7,count von71 #eb4    ,bulman 7,mr471   
#bb1 #aae1 #aaf4    ,bunsen             
7,chevalier71 #ab4    ,burney 7,dr471   
#hb1 #aja1 #ajb1 #ajd1 #aje1 #ajf4      
,campbell 7,thomas71 #ajg4    ,cassini  

7,j4 ,d471 #ea4    ,cropley 7,mr471 #bj4
     ,dalrymple 7,mr471 #gc4            
,d',arblay 7,madame71 #ajj et seq4      
,darlington 7,earl of71 #ah4            
,darquier1 #ea1 #aai4    ,d',arrest 7,h4
 ,l471 #bjd4    ,dawes 7,w4 ,r471 #bjj4 
,de ,luc 7,m471 #fd4    ,de ,luc        
7,mrs471 #ajj1 #ajb4    ,dollond 7,j471 
#abj4     ,engelfield 7,sir ,harry71    
#eg4     ,farinelli 7,miss71 #ch4       
,flaugergues 7,h471 #ea1 #aai4          
,fleming 7,miss71 #db4    ,fourier      
7,j471 #abd4    ,frauenhofer 7,j471     
#aie4     ,galileo1 #ej1 #ace4          
,george ,,iii41 #fd1 #gg1 #abd1 #abf4   
,griesbach 7,george71 #fc4              
,griesbachs 7the71 #fb1 #ajf4           
,hansen 7,p4 ,a471 #adb4    ,hastings   
7,c4 ,s471 #aai4    ,heberden 7,dr471   
#fd4    ,helmholtz 7,h471 #ahh4         
,herschel 7,abraham7 #afea-agah1 #f4    
,herschel 7,alexander7 #agde-ahba1 #aj1 
#ab1 #ad1 #ae1 #ce1 #ch1 #da1 #eg1 #fa1 
#fb1 #ff1 #gb1 #gc1 #aad4    ,herschel  
7,benjamin71 #g4    ,herschel           

7,carolina7 #agej-ahdh1 #b1 #aj1 #aa1   
#ab1 #af1 #bc1 #bi1 #cc1 #da1 #dc1      
#fh2     discovers five comets1 #fi1    
#gj1 #gh1 #hc1 #ajc1 #aje1 #aab1 #aac1  
#aad1 #aae4    ,herschel 7,carolina71   
her ,memoir quoted1 #b1 #i1 #ac1 #bc1   
#bi1 #ca1 #cd1 #cf1     #da1 #eg1 #fa1  
#fc1 #fd1 #fe1 #gj1 #gd4    ,herschel   
7,dietrich71 #i1 #aj1 #aa1 #bi1 #db1    
#aad4    ,herschel 7,eusebius71 #g4     
,herschel 7,hans7 circa #afjj1 #f4      
,herschel 7,isaac7 #agjg-agfg1 #g1 #h1  
#bi4    ,herschel 7,jacob7 #agcd-agib1  
#aj1 #aa1 #af1 #bc1 #cj4    ,herschel   
7,sir ,john ,frederick ,william7        
#agib-ahga1 #hj1 #ajc1 #aje1 #aad1      
#abf1 #abg1 #adc1 #bjc4    ,herschel    
7,lady71 #hj1 #ajb1 #ajc1 #aje1 #aad4   
,herschel 7,major ,john71 #b4           
,herschel 7,mrs4 ,mary ,cornwallis71 #b4
    ,herschel 7,sophia ,elizabeth71 b4  
#agcc1 married ,griesbach1 #aj4         
,herschel 7,william71 born #agch1       
,november #ae2 #aj4     oboist in the   
band of the ,guards 7#agee71 and goes to

 ,england for the       first time1     
returning in #agef1 #af4     deserts    
from the ,guards and goes to ,england   
7#ageg71 #ag4     organizes the band of 
the ,durham militia 7#agfj71 #ah4       
leaves the band and lives with ,dr4     
,miller1 #ai4     leads the public      
concerts at ,wakefield and ,halifax1    
#bj4     organist at ,halifax 7#agfe71  
#bb4     organist of the ,octagon       
,chapel at ,bath 7#agff71 #bd4     his  
musical writings1 #bf4     studies      
,smith's harmonies and optics1 #bh4     
visits ,hanover1 ,august1 #aggb1 #cb4   
hires a small telescope1 #cg4     makes 
his first telescope 7#aggd71 #ch4       
visits ,hanover 7#agge871 #db4     #ast 
review of the heavens1 #ci1 #gc4        
#b;d review of the heavens1 #gc4        
#c;d review of the heavens 7#aghc71 #gc4
     #dth review of the heavens 7#aghe71
 #gd4     manufacture of telescopes1    
#dj1 #ei1 #ge1 #gg1 #abj1 #aba1 #abb1   
#abc1 #abd1       #abe1 #abf1 #abg4     
moves to #ai ,new ,king ,st41 ,bath1    

#dc4     conducts oratorios of ,handel1 
#dc4     begins astronomical measures   
7#aggi71 #dd4     joins ,philosophical  
,society of ,bath1 #de4     first       
published scientific writing 7#aggi71   
#df4     first communication to the     
,royal ,society 7#aghj71 #dg4           
discovery of ,uranus 7#agha1 ,march     
#ac71 #di4     its effect on his career1
 #ec4     elected a member of the ,royal
 ,society 7#agha71 and receives the     
,copley medal1 #ef4     attempts a      
thirty-foot reflector1 #ei4     goes to 
,london1 #aghb 7,may1 ,june1 ,july71    
#fa4     appointed ,royal ,astronomer   
7#bjj71 #aghb1 #fg4     removes to      
,datchet1 #aghb1 ,august #a1 #fg4       
his assiduity1 #gb1 #gg1 #gi1 #ha4      
his mechanical genius1 #ad1 #da1 #aba4  
cost of his telescopes1 #gg4     marries
 ,mrs4 ,john ,pitt1 ne ,baldwin 7#aghc71
 #hj4     only child born 7#agib71 #hj4 
removes to ,slough 7#aghf71 #ha4        
,,ll4,d4 7,oxon471 #aghf1 #dg4     his  
account of the discovery of ,uranus     

7#agha1 ,march #ac71 #d4     discovers  
two satellites to ,uranus1 #aghg1 ,jan4 
#aa1 #hd4     discovers two satellites  
to ,saturn1 #aghi1 ,august-,september1  
#abe4     invents machines for making   
reflectors 7#aghh71 #da4     began      
forty-foot telescope1 #aghe1 finished   
it1 #aghi1 #aba4     biographical letter
 7#aghc71 #c4     list of published     
portraits of him1 #bcb4     value of his
 sister's assistance to him1 #cd4       
letters to ,carolina ,herschel1 #fa1    
#fc1 #fd1 #aad4     his personal        
character 7#aghf-ahjj71 #ajj et seq4    
his relations to his cotemporaries1 #he1
 #hf1 #hg1 #ia1 #id1 #ie1 #if1 #ig1     
#ih1 #ii4     list of writings relating 
to him and to his works1 #bbe4     his  
literary skill1 #de4     examples of his
 style1 #hc et seq4     failure of      
health1 #aab et seq4     created a      
,knight of the ,royal ,hanoverian       
,guelphic ,order 7#ahaf71 #aae4         
,herschel 7,sir ,william71 first        
president of the ,royal ,astronomical   

,society        7#ahba71 #aae4     his  
will1 #aad4     his death1 ,august      
#beth1 #ahbb1 #aaf4     his epitaph1    
#aag4     list of his scientific        
writings1 #bae4     review of his       
scientific labors1 #aah4     the        
improvement of telescopes and apparatus1
 #aba4     the relative brightness of   
the stars2 variable stars1 #acj4        
researches on double stars1 #acd4       
researches on planets and satellites1   
#adj4     researches on the nature of   
the sun1 #ade1 #ahf1 #aih4     the      
motion of the solar system in space1    
#adi4     researches on the construction
 of the heavens1 #aed4     scale of     
celestial measures2 distances of the    
stars1 #agj4     researches on light1   
heat1 etc41 #agf4     researches on the 
dimensions of the stars1 #aic4     on   
the spectra of the fixed stars1 #aie4   
on the variable emission of light and   
heat from the sun1 #aih4     researches 
on nebul and clusters1 #bjb4            
,huyghens 7,c471 #ej1 #ahi4     ,king   

,george ,,iii41 #fd1 #gg1 #abd1 #abf4   
,lacaille 7,n4 ,l471 #aef1 #bjb4        
,lalande 7,jerome71 #bh1 #abd1 #aef4    
,lambert 7,j4 ,h471 #aec4    ,lassell   
7,w471 #adc4    ,lee 7,miss71 #fa4      
,lichtenberg 7,herr71 #c4    ,lind 7,dr4
 and ,mrs471 #fi4    ,long 7,dr471 #ace4
     ,magellan 7,herr71 #c1 #gh4        
,maskelyne 7,nevil71 #e1 #ea1 #eg1 #fb1 
#fc1 #aej1 #aec4    ,mayer 7,christian71
 #id1 #aec4    ,melloni 7,m471 #ahf4    
,messier 7,c471 #bjb4    ,michell       
7,john71 #eb1 #id1 #acg1 #aef4          
,miller 7,dr471 #ai1 #bj1 #ba1 #bb4     
,monson 7,mrs471 #aae4    ,moritzen     
7,anna ,ilse71 m4 ,isaac ,herschel1 #g1 
#h4     ,napoleon ,i41 #ajh1 #aaa4      
,newton 7,sir ,isaac71 #ahi1 #aij1 #aia1
 #aib4     ,olbers 7,william71 #ie4     
,pabrich 7,cappelmeister71 #g4          
,palmerston 7,lord71 #fd4    ,piazzi    
7,joseph71 #ge1 #ie4    ,pierce         
7,charles ,s471 #acb4    ,pigott 7,j471 
#aai4    ,poggendorff 7,j4 ,g471 #ahh4  
,ronzoni 7,signor71 #ei4    ,rosse      

7,lord71 #abb1 #bjg4     ,savary 7,m471 
#aci4    ,secchi 7,angelo71 #aie1 #aif4 
,scheiner 7,c471 #aii4    ,schroeter    
7,j4 ,h471 #ea1 #gg1 #ia1 #ib1 #ic4     
,schwabe 7,h471 #bja4    ,short         
7,james71 #abj4    ,smith 7,dr4         
,robert71 #bh4    ,snetzler 7,herr71    
#bj1 #ba4    ,struve 7,otto von71 #abi4 
,thomson 7,thomas71 #ie4     ,verdet    
7,e471 #ahh4     ,wainwright 7,dr471    
#bj4    ,walsh 7,colonel71 #fb4         
,watson 7,sir ,william71 #dd1 #eh1 #fj1 
#fd1 #fe1 #ff1 #fg1 #ge1 #gf4    ,watt  
7,james71 #ajf4    ,weld 7,r471 #abf4   
,wilson 7,alexander71 #eb1 #id1 #adf4   
,zach 7,baron von71 #fi4     ,,the      
,,end4     ,,start ,,of ,,transcriber',s
 ,,notes3  ,i have used alpha to        
represent the greek letter used in the  
text4     page line  ,in the ,original  
text1 left as is4   #bbg    #c          
bersetzt   #bca   #bi   uebersetzt      
#ah   #bd   ,biographie universelle des 
musiciens   #bbf   #bd   ,biographie    
universelle des ,musiciens   #bca   #cc 

,koenigsberg1 #agia4 #hvo4   #bbf    #i 
,knigsberger ,allgemeine ,zeitung   #aie
    #d   ,fraunhofer   #bce index       
,frauenhofer 7,j471 #aie4   #bbf   #bi  
,vol4  7all other occurances are7 vol4  
#bch index  ,ronzoni 7,signor71 #ei4    
#eh   #bf   ,ronzini     ,original      
page line  ,original text               
,replaced with    #fe   #bc             
ornamented4                             
ornamented4   #aag   #ca   ,c for letter
 ,c reversed        ,,ci,c,i,c,,cccxxii 
#baf   #be   den #ah4 ,may              
den #ah4 ,mai   #bai   #bc   ,suppl4    
,band41 p4 #bch4            ,suppl4     
,band1 p4 #bch4   ,,end ,,of            
,,transcriber',s ,,notes3