FOOTNOTES:

"A series of observations onVenus, begun by me in April, 1777, has been continued down to the present time. . . . 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 ofVenus, which has still eluded my constant attention as far as concerns its period and direction. . . . 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 four, five, or even six times the perpendicular height of Chimboraço, the highest of our mountains. . . . The same paper contains other particulars concerningVenusandSaturn. All of which being things of which I have never taken any notice, it will not be amiss to show, by what follows, that neither want of attention, nor a deficiency of instruments, would occasion my not perceiving these mountains of more than twenty-three miles in height, this jagged border ofVenus, and these flat, spherical forms onSaturn."

The reply ofSchroeter(1795) is temperate and just. It does him honor, and he generously gives full justice to his critic.

It would hardly be worth while to mention this slight incident if it were not that during these years there certainly existed a feelingthatHerschelundervalued the labors of his cotemporaries.

This impression was fostered no doubt by his general habit of not quoting previous authorities in the fields which he was working.

A careful reading of his papers will, I think, show that his definite indebtedness to hiscotemporarieswas vanishingly small. The work ofMichellandWilsonhe alludes to again and again, and always with appreciation. Certainly he seems to show a vein of annoyance that the papers ofChristian Mayer,De novis in cœlo sidereo phænomenis(1779), andBeobachtungen von Fixsterntrabanten(1778), should have been quoted to prove that the method proposed byHerschelin 1782 for ascertaining the parallax of the fixed stars by means of observations of those which were double, was not entirely original with himself.

There is direct proof that it was so,[22]and if this was not forthcoming it would be unnecessary,as he has amply shown in his Catalogue of Double Stars. One is reminded of his remarks on the use of the high magnifying powers by the impatience of his comments.

His proposal to call the newly discovered minor planetsasteroids(1802) was received as a sign that he wished to discriminate between the discoveries ofPiazziandOlbersand his own discovery ofUranus.[23]

He takes pains to quietly put this on one side in one of his papers, showing that he was cognizant of the existence of such a feeling.

I am tempted to resurrect from a deserved obscurity a notice ofHerschel'sObservations on the Two Lately Discovered Celestial Bodies[23](Philosophical Transactions, 1802), printed in the first volume of theEdinburgh Review, simply to show the kind of envy to which even he, the glory of England, was subject.

The reviewer sets forth the principal results ofHerschel'sobservations, and, after quoting his definition of the new term asteroid, goes on to say:

"If a new name must be found, why not call them by some appellation which shall, in some degree, be descriptive of, or at least consistent with, their properties? Why not, for instance, call themConcentric Comets, orPlanetary Comets, orCometary Planets? or, if a single term must be found, why may we not coin such a phrase asPlanetoidorCometoid?"

Then follows a general arraignment ofHerschel'smethods of expression and thought, as distinguished from his powers of mere observation. This distinction, it may be said, exists only in the reviewer's mind; there was no such distinction in fact. If ever a series of observations was directed by profound and reasonable thought, it wasHerschel'sown.

"Dr.Herschel'spassion for coining words and idioms has often struck us as a weakness wholly unworthy of him. The invention of a name is but a poor achievement for him who has discovered whole worlds. Why, for instance, do we hear him talking of thespace-penetrating powerof his instrument—a compound epithet and metaphor which he ought to have left to the poets, who, in some future age, shall acquire glory by celebrating his name. The other papers of Dr.Herschel, in the late volumes of theTransactions, do not deserve such particular attention. His catalogue of 500 new nebulæ, though extremely valuable to the practical astronomer, leads to no general conclusions of importance, and abounds with the defects which are peculiar to the Doctor's writings—a great prolixity and tediousness of narration—loose and often unphilosophical reflections, which give no very favorable idea of his scientific powers, however great his merit may be as an observer—above all, that idle fondness for inventing names without any manner of occasion, to which we have already alluded, and a use of novel and affected idioms.* * * * * * *"To the speculations of the Doctor on the nature of the Sun, we have many similar objections; but they are all eclipsed by the grand absurdity which he has there committed, in his hasty and erroneous theory concerning the influence of the solar spots on the price of grain. Since the publication of Gulliver's voyage to Laputa, nothing[Pg 98]so ridiculous has ever been offered to the world. We heartily wish the Doctor had suppressed it; or, if determined to publish it, that he had detailed it in language less confident and flippant."

* * * * * * *

"To the speculations of the Doctor on the nature of the Sun, we have many similar objections; but they are all eclipsed by the grand absurdity which he has there committed, in his hasty and erroneous theory concerning the influence of the solar spots on the price of grain. Since the publication of Gulliver's voyage to Laputa, nothing[Pg 98]so ridiculous has ever been offered to the world. We heartily wish the Doctor had suppressed it; or, if determined to publish it, that he had detailed it in language less confident and flippant."

One is almost ashamed to give space and currency to a forgotten attack, but it yields a kind of perspective; and it is instructive and perhaps useful to viewHerschel'slabors from all sides, even from wrong and envious ones.

The study of the original papers, together with a knowledge of the circumstances in which they were written, will abundantly show thatHerschel'sideas sprung from a profound meditation of the nature of things in themselves. What the origin of trains of thought prosecuted for years may have been we cannot say, nor could he himself have expressed it. A new path in science was to be found out, and he found it. It was not in his closet, surrounded by authorities, but under the open sky, that he meditated the construction of the heavens. As he says, "My situation permitted me not to consult large libraries; nor, indeed, was it very material; for as I intended to view the heavens myself,Nature, that great volume, appeared to me to contain the best catalogue."

His remarkable memoirs on the invisible and other rays of the solar spectrum were received with doubt, and with open denial by many of the scientific bodies of Europe. The reviews and notices of his work in this direction were often quite beyond the bounds of a proper scientific criticism; butHerschelmaintained a dignified silence. The discoveries were true, the proofs were open to all, and no response was needed from him. He may have been sorely tempted to reply, 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 earlier. He was at his grand climacteric, he had passed his sixty-third year, his temper was less hasty than it had been in his youth, and his nerves had not yet received the severe strain from whose effects he suffered during the last years of his life.

We have some glimpses of his personal life in the reminiscences of him in theDiary and Lettersof MadameD'Arblay, who knew him well:

"1786.—In the evening Mr.Herschelcame to tea. I had once seen that very extraordinary man at Mrs.de Luc's, but was happy to see him again, for he has not more fame to awaken curiosity than sense and modesty to gratify it. He is perfectly unassuming, yet openly happy, and happy in the success of those studies which would render a mind less excellently formed presumptuous and arrogant."The king has not a happier subject than this man, who owes it wholly to His Majesty that he is not wretched; for such was his eagerness to quit all other pursuits to follow astronomy solely, that he was in danger of ruin, when his talents and great and uncommon genius attracted the king's patronage. He has now not only his pension, which gives him the felicity of devoting all his time to his darling study, but he is indulged in license from the king to make a telescope according to his new ideas and discoveries, that is to have no cost spared in its construction, and is wholly to be paid for by His Majesty."This seems to have made him happier even than the pension, as it enables him to put in execution all his wonderful projects, from which his expectations of future discoveries are so sanguine as to make his present existence a state of almost perfect enjoyment. Mr.Lockehimself would be quite charmed with him.[Pg 101]"He seems a man without a wish that has its object in the terrestrial globe. At night Mr.Herschel, by the king's command, came to exhibit to His Majesty and the royal family the new comet lately discovered by his sister, MissHerschel; and while I was playing at piquet with Mrs.Schwellenburg, the PrincessAugustacame into the room and asked her if she chose to go into the garden and look at it. She declined the offer, and the princess then made it to me. I was glad to accept it for all sorts of reasons. We found him at his telescope. The comet was very small, and had nothing grand or striking in its appearance; but it is the first lady's comet, and I was very desirous to see it. Mr.Herschelthen showed me some of his new discovered universes, with all the good humor with which he would have taken the same trouble for a brother or a sister astronomer; there is no possibility of admiring his genius more than his gentleness.""1786, December 30th.—This morning my dear father carried me to Dr.Herschel. That great and very extraordinary man received us almost with open arms. He is very fond of my father, who is one of the council of the Royal Society this year, as well as himself. . . . At this time of day there was nothing to see but his instruments; those, however, are curiosities sufficient. . . . I wished very much to have seen his sister, . . . but she had been up all night, and was then in bed.""1787, September.—Dr.Herschelis a delightful man; so unassuming with his great knowledge, so willing to dispense it to the ignorant, and so cheerful and easy in his general manners, that, were he no genius, it would be impossible not to remark him as a pleasing and sensible man.""1788, October 3d.—We returned to Windsor at noon, and Mrs.de Lucsent me a most pressing invitation to tea and to hear a little music. Two young ladies were to perform at her house in a little concert. Dr.Herschelwas there, and accompanied them very sweetly on the violin; his new-married wife was with him, and his sister. His wife seems good-natured; she was rich, too! and astronomers are as able as other men to discern that gold can glitter as well as stars."

"The king has not a happier subject than this man, who owes it wholly to His Majesty that he is not wretched; for such was his eagerness to quit all other pursuits to follow astronomy solely, that he was in danger of ruin, when his talents and great and uncommon genius attracted the king's patronage. He has now not only his pension, which gives him the felicity of devoting all his time to his darling study, but he is indulged in license from the king to make a telescope according to his new ideas and discoveries, that is to have no cost spared in its construction, and is wholly to be paid for by His Majesty.

"This seems to have made him happier even than the pension, as it enables him to put in execution all his wonderful projects, from which his expectations of future discoveries are so sanguine as to make his present existence a state of almost perfect enjoyment. Mr.Lockehimself would be quite charmed with him.

[Pg 101]"He seems a man without a wish that has its object in the terrestrial globe. At night Mr.Herschel, by the king's command, came to exhibit to His Majesty and the royal family the new comet lately discovered by his sister, MissHerschel; and while I was playing at piquet with Mrs.Schwellenburg, the PrincessAugustacame into the room and asked her if she chose to go into the garden and look at it. She declined the offer, and the princess then made it to me. I was glad to accept it for all sorts of reasons. We found him at his telescope. The comet was very small, and had nothing grand or striking in its appearance; but it is the first lady's comet, and I was very desirous to see it. Mr.Herschelthen showed me some of his new discovered universes, with all the good humor with which he would have taken the same trouble for a brother or a sister astronomer; there is no possibility of admiring his genius more than his gentleness."

"1786, December 30th.—This morning my dear father carried me to Dr.Herschel. That great and very extraordinary man received us almost with open arms. He is very fond of my father, who is one of the council of the Royal Society this year, as well as himself. . . . At this time of day there was nothing to see but his instruments; those, however, are curiosities sufficient. . . . I wished very much to have seen his sister, . . . but she had been up all night, and was then in bed."

"1787, September.—Dr.Herschelis a delightful man; so unassuming with his great knowledge, so willing to dispense it to the ignorant, and so cheerful and easy in his general manners, that, were he no genius, it would be impossible not to remark him as a pleasing and sensible man."

"1788, October 3d.—We returned to Windsor at noon, and Mrs.de Lucsent me a most pressing invitation to tea and to hear a little music. Two young ladies were to perform at her house in a little concert. Dr.Herschelwas there, and accompanied them very sweetly on the violin; his new-married wife was with him, and his sister. His wife seems good-natured; she was rich, too! and astronomers are as able as other men to discern that gold can glitter as well as stars."

DR. BURNEY TO MADAME D'ARBLAY.

"Chelsea College,September28, 1798.

"* * * * *"I drove through Slough in order to ask at Dr.Herschel'sdoor when my visit would be least inconvenient to him—that night or next morning. The good soul was at dinner, but came to the door himself, to press me to alight immediately and partake of his family repast; and this he did so heartily that I could not resist.* * * * * * *[Pg 103]"I expected (not knowing thatHerschelwas married) only to have found MissHerschel; but there was a very old lady, the mother, I believe, of Mrs.Herschel, who was at the head of the table herself, and a Scots lady (a MissWilson, daughter of Dr.Wilson, of Glasgow, an eminent astronomer), MissHerschel, and a little boy. They rejoiced at the accident which had brought me there, and hoped I would send my carriage away and take a bed with them. They were sorry they had no stables for my horses."We soon grew acquainted—I mean the ladies and I—and before dinner was over we seemed old friends just met after a long absence. Mrs.Herschelis sensible, good-humored, unpretending, and well bred; MissHerschelall shyness and virgin modesty; the Scots lady sensible and harmless; and the little boy entertaining, promising, and comical.Herschel, you know, and everybody knows, is one of the most pleasing and well-bred natural characters of the present age, as well as the greatest astronomer."Your health was drunk after dinner (put that into your pocket), and after much social conversation and a few hearty laughs, the ladies proposed to take a walk, in order, I believe, to leaveHerscheland me together. We walked and talked round his great telescopes till it grew damp and dusk, then retreated into his study to philosophize.* * * * * * *"He made a discovery to me, which, had I known it sooner, would have[Pg 104]overset me, and prevented my reading any part of my work.[24]He said that he had almost always had an aversion to poetry, which he regarded as the arrangement of fine words, without any useful meaning or adherence to truth; but that when truth and science were united to these fine words, he liked poetry very well."

"* * * * *

"I drove through Slough in order to ask at Dr.Herschel'sdoor when my visit would be least inconvenient to him—that night or next morning. The good soul was at dinner, but came to the door himself, to press me to alight immediately and partake of his family repast; and this he did so heartily that I could not resist.

* * * * * * *

[Pg 103]"I expected (not knowing thatHerschelwas married) only to have found MissHerschel; but there was a very old lady, the mother, I believe, of Mrs.Herschel, who was at the head of the table herself, and a Scots lady (a MissWilson, daughter of Dr.Wilson, of Glasgow, an eminent astronomer), MissHerschel, and a little boy. They rejoiced at the accident which had brought me there, and hoped I would send my carriage away and take a bed with them. They were sorry they had no stables for my horses.

"We soon grew acquainted—I mean the ladies and I—and before dinner was over we seemed old friends just met after a long absence. Mrs.Herschelis sensible, good-humored, unpretending, and well bred; MissHerschelall shyness and virgin modesty; the Scots lady sensible and harmless; and the little boy entertaining, promising, and comical.Herschel, you know, and everybody knows, is one of the most pleasing and well-bred natural characters of the present age, as well as the greatest astronomer.

"Your health was drunk after dinner (put that into your pocket), and after much social conversation and a few hearty laughs, the ladies proposed to take a walk, in order, I believe, to leaveHerscheland me together. We walked and talked round his great telescopes till it grew damp and dusk, then retreated into his study to philosophize.

* * * * * * *

"He made a discovery to me, which, had I known it sooner, would have[Pg 104]overset me, and prevented my reading any part of my work.[24]He said that he had almost always had an aversion to poetry, which he regarded as the arrangement of fine words, without any useful meaning or adherence to truth; but that when truth and science were united to these fine words, he liked poetry very well."

1798, December 10.

DR. BURNEY TO MADAME D'ARBLAY.

"Herschelhas been in town for short spurts, and back again two or three times, leaving Mrs.Herschelbehind (in town) to transact law business. I had him here two whole days."The reading of the manuscript of thePoetical History of Astronomywas continued, "andHerschelwas so humble as to confess that I knew more of the history of astronomy than he did, and had surprised him with the mass of information I had got together."He thanked me for the entertainment and instruction I had given him. 'Can anything be grander?' and all this before he knows a word of what I have said of himself—all his discoveries, as you may[Pg 105]remember, being kept back for the twelfth and last book."

"Herschelhas been in town for short spurts, and back again two or three times, leaving Mrs.Herschelbehind (in town) to transact law business. I had him here two whole days."

The reading of the manuscript of thePoetical History of Astronomywas continued, "andHerschelwas so humble as to confess that I knew more of the history of astronomy than he did, and had surprised him with the mass of information I had got together.

"He thanked me for the entertainment and instruction I had given him. 'Can anything be grander?' and all this before he knows a word of what I have said of himself—all his discoveries, as you may[Pg 105]remember, being kept back for the twelfth and last book."

DR. BURNEY TO MADAME D'ARBLAY.

"Slough,Monday morning.July22, 1799,in bed at Dr.Herschel's, half-pastfive, where I can neither sleep nor lieidle.

"My Dear Fanny:—I believe I told you on Friday that I was going to finish the perusal of my astronomical verses to the great astronomer on Saturday.* * * * * * *"After tea Dr.Herschelproposed that we two should retire into a quiet room in order to resume the perusal of my work, in which no progress has been made since last December. The evening was finished very cheerfully; and we went to our bowers not much out of humor with each other or the world. . . . After dinner we all agreed to go to the terrace [at Windsor]—Mr., Mrs., and Miss H., with their nice little boy, and three young ladies. Here I met with almost everybody I wished and expected to see previous to the king's arrival.* * * * * * *"But now here comes Will, and I must get up, and make myself up to go down to the perusal of my last book, entitledHerschel. So good-morrow."

"My Dear Fanny:—I believe I told you on Friday that I was going to finish the perusal of my astronomical verses to the great astronomer on Saturday.

* * * * * * *

"After tea Dr.Herschelproposed that we two should retire into a quiet room in order to resume the perusal of my work, in which no progress has been made since last December. The evening was finished very cheerfully; and we went to our bowers not much out of humor with each other or the world. . . . After dinner we all agreed to go to the terrace [at Windsor]—Mr., Mrs., and Miss H., with their nice little boy, and three young ladies. Here I met with almost everybody I wished and expected to see previous to the king's arrival.

* * * * * * *

"But now here comes Will, and I must get up, and make myself up to go down to the perusal of my last book, entitledHerschel. So good-morrow."

"Chelsea,Tuesday.

"Not a moment could I get to write till now. . . . I must tell you that[Pg 106]Herschelproposed to me to go with him to the king's concert at night, he having permission to go when he chooses, his five nephews (Griesbachs) making a principal part of the band. 'And,' says he, 'I know you will be welcome.'"

An intimacy was gradually established betweenHerscheland Dr.Burney. They saw each other often at the meetings of the Royal Society, andHerschelfrequently stayed at the doctor's house. "On the first eveningHerschelspent at Chelsea, when I called for myArgandlamp,Herschel, who had not seen one of those lamps, was surprised at the great effusion of light, and immediately calculated the difference between that and a single candle, and found it sixteen to one."[25]

In 1793 we findHerschelas a witness for his friendJames Watt, in the celebrated case ofWattvs.Bull, which was tried in the Court of Common Pleas. And fromMuirhead'sLife ofWatt, it appears thatHerschelvisitedWattat Heathfield in 1810.

A delightful picture of the old age ofHerschelis given by the poetCampbell,[26]whose nature was fitted to perceive the beauties of a grand and simple character likeHerschel's:

"[Brighton],September15, 1813.

. . . "I wish you had been with me the day before yesterday, when you would have joined me, I am sure, deeply in admiring a great, simple, good old man—Dr.Herschel. Do not think me vain, or at least put up with my vanity, in saying that I almost flatter myself I have made him my friend. I have got an invitation, and a pressing one, to go to his house; and the lady who introduced me to him, says he spoke of me as if he would really be happy to see me. . . . I spent all Sunday with him and his family. His son is a prodigy in sciences, and fond of poetry, but very unassuming. . . . Now, for the old astronomer himself. His simplicity, his kindness, his anecdotes, his readiness to explain—and make perfectly conspicuous too—his own sublime conceptions of the universe are indescribably charming. He is seventy-six, but fresh and stout; and there he sat, nearest the door, at his friend's house, alternately smiling at a joke, or contentedly sitting without share or notice in the conversation. Any[Pg 108]train of conversation he follows implicitly; anything you ask he labors with a sort of boyish earnestness to explain."I was anxious to get from him as many particulars as I could about his interview withBuonaparte.[27]The latter, it was reported, had astonished him by his astronomical knowledge."'No,' he said, 'the First Consul did surprise me by his quickness and versatility on all subjects; but in science he seemed to know little more than any well-educated gentleman, and of astronomy much less for instance than our own king. His general air,' he said, 'was something like affecting to know more than he did know.' He was high, and tried to be great withHerschel, I suppose, without success; and 'I remarked,' said the astronomer, 'his hypocrisy in concluding the conversation on astronomy by observing how all these glorious views gave proofs of an Almighty Wisdom.' I asked him if he thought the system ofLaplaceto be quite certain, with regard to the total security of the planetary system from the effects of gravitation losing its present balance? He said, No; he thought by no means that the universe was secured from the chance of sudden losses of parts."He was convinced that there had existed a planet betweenMarsandJupiter, in our own system, of which the little asteroids, or planetkins, lately discovered, are indubitably fragments; and[Pg 109]'Remember,' said he, 'that though they have discovered only four of those parts, there will be thousands—perhaps thirty thousand more—yet discovered.' This planet he believed to have been lost by explosion."With great kindness and patience he referred me, in the course of my attempts to talk with him, to a theorem inNewton'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 reasoning. In talking of some inconceivably distant bodies, he introduced the mention of this plain theorem, to remind me that the progress of light could be measured in the one case as well as the other. Then, speaking of himself, he said, with a modesty of manner which quite overcame me, when taken together with the greatness of the assertion: 'I have lookedfurther into space than ever human being did before me. I have observed stars, of which the light, it can be proved, must take two millions of years to reach this earth.'"I really and unfeignedly felt at this moment as if I had been conversing with a supernatural intelligence. 'Nay, more,' said he, 'if those distant bodies had ceased to exist two millions of years ago, we should still see them, as the light would travel after the body was gone. . . .' These wereHerschel'swords; and if you had heard him speak them, you would not think he was apt to tell more than the truth."After leavingHerschelI felt elevated and overcome; and have in[Pg 110]writing to you made only this memorandum of some of the most interesting moments of my life."

"I was anxious to get from him as many particulars as I could about his interview withBuonaparte.[27]The latter, it was reported, had astonished him by his astronomical knowledge.

"'No,' he said, 'the First Consul did surprise me by his quickness and versatility on all subjects; but in science he seemed to know little more than any well-educated gentleman, and of astronomy much less for instance than our own king. His general air,' he said, 'was something like affecting to know more than he did know.' He was high, and tried to be great withHerschel, I suppose, without success; and 'I remarked,' said the astronomer, 'his hypocrisy in concluding the conversation on astronomy by observing how all these glorious views gave proofs of an Almighty Wisdom.' I asked him if he thought the system ofLaplaceto be quite certain, with regard to the total security of the planetary system from the effects of gravitation losing its present balance? He said, No; he thought by no means that the universe was secured from the chance of sudden losses of parts.

"He was convinced that there had existed a planet betweenMarsandJupiter, in our own system, of which the little asteroids, or planetkins, lately discovered, are indubitably fragments; and[Pg 109]'Remember,' said he, 'that though they have discovered only four of those parts, there will be thousands—perhaps thirty thousand more—yet discovered.' This planet he believed to have been lost by explosion.

"With great kindness and patience he referred me, in the course of my attempts to talk with him, to a theorem inNewton'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 reasoning. In talking of some inconceivably distant bodies, he introduced the mention of this plain theorem, to remind me that the progress of light could be measured in the one case as well as the other. Then, speaking of himself, he said, with a modesty of manner which quite overcame me, when taken together with the greatness of the assertion: 'I have lookedfurther into space than ever human being did before me. I have observed stars, of which the light, it can be proved, must take two millions of years to reach this earth.'

"I really and unfeignedly felt at this moment as if I had been conversing with a supernatural intelligence. 'Nay, more,' said he, 'if those distant bodies had ceased to exist two millions of years ago, we should still see them, as the light would travel after the body was gone. . . .' These wereHerschel'swords; and if you had heard him speak them, you would not think he was apt to tell more than the truth.

"After leavingHerschelI felt elevated and overcome; and have in[Pg 110]writing to you made only this memorandum of some of the most interesting moments of my life."

Campbell'sconscientious biographer appears to have felt that the value of this charming account of his interview withHerschelwas in its report of astronomical facts and opinions, and he adds a foot-note to explain that "Herschel'sopinion never amounted to more thanhypothesishaving some degree of probability. SirJohn Herschelremembers his father saying, 'If that hypothesis were true, andifthe planet destroyed were as large as the earth, there must have been at least thirty-thousand such fragments,' but always as an hypothesis—he was never heard to declare any degree of conviction that it was so."

For us, the value of this sympathetic account of a day inHerschel'slife is in its conception of the simplicity, the modesty, the "boyish earnestness," the elevation of thought and speech of the old philosopher; and in the impression made on the feelings, not the mind, of the poet, then thirty-five years old.

In a letter toAlison,Campbellreverts with great pleasure to the day spent withHerschel:

"Sydenham,December12, 1813.

"My Dearest Alison:—* * * * * * *"I spent three weeks with my family at Brighton, in charming weather, and was much pleased with, as well as benefited by, the place. There I met a man with whom you will stare at the idea of my being congenial, or having the vanity to think myself so—the greatHerschel. He is a simple, great being. . . . I once in my life looked atNewton'sPrincipia, and attended an astronomical class at Glasgow; wonderful it seemed to myself, that the great man condescended to understand my questions; to become apparently earnest in communicating to me as much information as my limited capacity and preparation for such knowledge would admit. He invited me to see him at his own abode, and so kindly that I could not believe that it was mere good breeding; but a sincere wish to see me again. I had a full day with him; he described to me his whole interview withBuonaparte; said it was not true, as reported, thatBuonaparteunderstood astronomical subjects deeply, but affected more than he knew."In speaking of his great and chief telescope, he said with an air,[Pg 112]not of the least pride, but with a greatness and simplicity of expression that struck me with wonder, 'I have looked further into space than ever human being did before me. I have observed stars, of which the light takestwo millionsof years to travel to this globe.' I mean to pay him a reverential visit at Slough, as soon as my book is out, this winter."* * * * * * *

"My Dearest Alison:—

* * * * * * *

"I spent three weeks with my family at Brighton, in charming weather, and was much pleased with, as well as benefited by, the place. There I met a man with whom you will stare at the idea of my being congenial, or having the vanity to think myself so—the greatHerschel. He is a simple, great being. . . . I once in my life looked atNewton'sPrincipia, and attended an astronomical class at Glasgow; wonderful it seemed to myself, that the great man condescended to understand my questions; to become apparently earnest in communicating to me as much information as my limited capacity and preparation for such knowledge would admit. He invited me to see him at his own abode, and so kindly that I could not believe that it was mere good breeding; but a sincere wish to see me again. I had a full day with him; he described to me his whole interview withBuonaparte; said it was not true, as reported, thatBuonaparteunderstood astronomical subjects deeply, but affected more than he knew.

"In speaking of his great and chief telescope, he said with an air,[Pg 112]not of the least pride, but with a greatness and simplicity of expression that struck me with wonder, 'I have looked further into space than ever human being did before me. I have observed stars, of which the light takestwo millionsof years to travel to this globe.' I mean to pay him a reverential visit at Slough, as soon as my book is out, this winter."

* * * * * * *

In 1807Carolina Herschelhas this entry in her diary:

"October4.—My brother came from Brighton. The same night two parties from the Castle came to see the comet, and during the whole month my brother had not an evening to himself. As he was then in the midst of polishing the forty-foot mirror, rest became absolutely necessary after a day spent in that most laborious work; and it has ever been my opinion that on the 14th of October his nerves received a shock of which he never got the better afterwards."

In the spring of 1808 he was quite seriously ill; but in May the observing went on again. In 1809 and 1810 his principal investigations were upon physical subjects (Newton'srings), and in 1811 the only long series of observations was upon the comet of that year. After 1811 the state ofHerschel'shealth required that his observations should be much less frequent. Much of the time after 1811 he was absent, and his work at home consisted largely in arranging the results of his previous labors, and in computations connected with them. All through the years 1814 to 1822,Herschel'shealth was very feeble. The severe winter of 1813-14 had told materially upon him. In 1814, however, he undertook to repolish the forty-foot mirror, but was obliged to give it over.

He now found it necessary to make frequent little excursions for change of air and scene. His faithful sister remained at home, bringing order into the masses of manuscript, and copying the papers for the Royal Society.

She was sick at heart, fearing that each time she saw her brother it would be the last. In 1818 she says:

"Feb. 11, I went to my brother and remained with him till the 23d. We spent our time, though not in idleness, in sorrow and sadness. He is not only unwell, but low in spirits."[Pg 114]

"Feb. 11, I went to my brother and remained with him till the 23d. We spent our time, though not in idleness, in sorrow and sadness. He is not only unwell, but low in spirits."

1818 (December 16),Herschelwent to London to have his portrait painted byArtaud. While he was in London his will was made.[28]

In 1819 there is a glimmer of the old-time light. In a noteHerschelsays:

"Lina:—There is a great comet. I want you to assist me. Come to dine and spend the day here. If you can come soon after one o'clock,[Pg 115]we shall have time to prepare maps and telescopes. I saw its situation last night. It has a long tail."July 4, 1819."

"July 4, 1819."

This note has been carefully kept by his sister, and on it she has written: "I keep this as a relic. Every linenowtraced by the hand of my dear brother becomes a treasure to me."

So the next three years passed away. SirWilliam[29]was daily more and more feeble. He spent his time in putting his works in order, but could devote only a few moments each day to this. His sister says:

"Aug. 11th,12th,13th, and14th[1822], I went as usual to spend some hours of the forenoon with my brother. "Aug. 15th.—I hastened to the spot where I was wont to find him, with the newspaper which I was to read to him. But instead I found Mrs.Monson, MissBaldwin, and Mr.Bulman, from Leeds, the grandson of my brother's earliest acquaintance in this country. I was informed my brother had been obliged to return to his room, whither I flew immediately. Lady H. and the housekeeper were with him,[Pg 116]administering everything which could be thought of for supporting him. I found him much irritated at not being able to grant Mr.Bulman'srequest for some token of remembrance for his father. As soon as he saw me, I was sent to the library to fetch one of his last papers and a plate of the forty-foot telescope. But for the universe I could not have looked twice at what I had snatched from the shelf, and when he faintly asked if the breaking up of the Milky Way was in it, I said 'Yes,' and he looked content. I cannot help remembering this circumstance; it was the last time I was sent to the library on such an occasion. That the anxious care for his papers and workrooms never ended but with his life, was proved by his frequent whispered inquiries if they were locked and the key safe, of which I took care to assure him that they were, and the key in LadyHerschel'shands."After half an hour's vain attempt to support himself, my brother was obliged to consent to be put to bed, leaving no hope ever to see him rise again."

"After half an hour's vain attempt to support himself, my brother was obliged to consent to be put to bed, leaving no hope ever to see him rise again."

On the 25th of August, 1822,Herscheldied peacefully at the age of eighty-four years.

His remains lie in the little church at Upton, near Windsor, where a memorial tablet has been erected by his son. The epitaph is as follows:[30]

H. S. E.Gulielmus HerschelEques GuelphicusHanoviæ natus Angliam elegit patriamAstronomis ætatis suæ præstantissimisMerito annumeratusUt leviora sileantur inventaPlanetam ille extra Saturni orbitamPrimus detexitNovis artis adjumentis innixusQuæ ipse excogitavit et perfecitCœlorum perrupit claustraEt remotiora penetrans et explorans spatiaIncognitos astrorum ignesAstronomorum oculis et intellectui subjecitQua sedulitate qua solertiaCorporum et phantasmatumExtra systematis nostri fines lucentiumNaturam indagaveritQuidquid paulo audacius conjecitIngenita temperans verecundiaUltro testantur hodie æqualesVera esse quæ docuit pleraqueSiquidem certiora futuris ingeniis subsidiaDebitura est astronomiaAgnoscent forte posteriVitam utilem innocuam amabilemNon minus felici laborum exitu quam virtutibusOrnatam et vere eximiamMorte suis et bonis omnibus deflendaNec tamen immatura clausitDie XXV Augusti A. D. CIƆIƆCCCXXIIÆtatis vero suæ LXXXIV.

FOOTNOTES:[18]Bode'sJahrbuch, 1788, p. 144.[19]Zach'sMonatlich Correspondenz, 1802, p. 56.[20]Bode'sJahrbuch, 1788, p. 161.[21]Through SirJohn Herschelthere is preserved to us an incident of his early boyhood, which shows the nature of the training his young mind received in the household at Slough.Walking with his father, he asked him "What was the oldest of all things?" The father replied, after the Socratic manner, "And what do you suppose is the oldest of all things?" The boy was not successful in his answers, whereon the old astronomer took up a small stone from the garden walk: "There, my child, there is the oldest of all the things that I certainly know." On another occasion the father asked his son, "What sort of things do you think are most alike?" The boy replied, "The leaves of the same tree are most like each other." "Gather, then, a handful of leaves from that tree," rejoined the philosopher, "and choose two which are alike."—Monthly Notices Royal Astronomical Society, vol. xxxii., page 123.[22]Memoir ofCaroline Herschel, p. 42.[23]"Of late years these expectations have been more than accomplished by the discovery of no fewer than four planetary bodies, almost all in the same place; but so small that Dr.Herschelrefuses to honor them with the name of planets, and chooses to call them asteroids, though for what reason it is not easy to determine, 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 himself."—History of the Royal Society, byThomas Thomson, p. 358. This work was published in 1812, and therefore during the lifetime ofHerschel.[24]Poetical History of Astronomy: this work was nearly completed, but was never published. The whole of it was read toHerschel, in order thatBurneymight have the benefit of his criticism on its technical terms.[25]Memoirs of Dr.Burney, vol. iii., p. 264.[26]Life and Letters ofThomas Campbell, edited byWilliam Beattie, vol. ii., p. 234.[27]This interview must have taken place in 1802, duringHerschel'sjourney to Paris. We have no other record of it.[28]The will ofHERSCHELwas dated December 17th, 1818."The personal effects were sworn under £6,000. The copyhold and other lands and tenements at Upton-cum-Chalvey, in the County of Bucks, and at Slough, he decrees to his son, with £25,000 in the 3 per cent. Reduced Annuities. £2,000 are given to his brotherJohann Dietrich, and annuities of £100 each to his brotherJohann Alexanderand to his sisterCarolina; £20 each to his nephews and nieces, and the residue (with the exception of astronomical instruments, telescopes, observations, etc., which he declares to have given, on account of his advanced age, to his son for the purpose of continuing his studies) is left solely to LadyHerschel."—Gentleman's Magazine, vol. xcii., 1822, p. 650.It is not necessary to say here how nobly SirJohn Herschelredeemed the trust confided in him. All the world knows of his Survey of the Southern Heavens, 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 hands. A glance at the Bibliography at the end of this book will show the titles of several papers by SirJohn, written with the sole object of rendering his father's labors more complete.[29]He was created a knight of the Royal Hanoverian Guelphic Order in 1816, and was the first President of the Royal Astronomical Society in 1821, his son being its first Foreign Secretary.[30]Bode'sJahrbuch, 1823, p. 222.

[18]Bode'sJahrbuch, 1788, p. 144.

[19]Zach'sMonatlich Correspondenz, 1802, p. 56.

[20]Bode'sJahrbuch, 1788, p. 161.

[21]Through SirJohn Herschelthere is preserved to us an incident of his early boyhood, which shows the nature of the training his young mind received in the household at Slough.Walking with his father, he asked him "What was the oldest of all things?" The father replied, after the Socratic manner, "And what do you suppose is the oldest of all things?" The boy was not successful in his answers, whereon the old astronomer took up a small stone from the garden walk: "There, my child, there is the oldest of all the things that I certainly know." On another occasion the father asked his son, "What sort of things do you think are most alike?" The boy replied, "The leaves of the same tree are most like each other." "Gather, then, a handful of leaves from that tree," rejoined the philosopher, "and choose two which are alike."—Monthly Notices Royal Astronomical Society, vol. xxxii., page 123.

[21]Through SirJohn Herschelthere is preserved to us an incident of his early boyhood, which shows the nature of the training his young mind received in the household at Slough.

Walking with his father, he asked him "What was the oldest of all things?" The father replied, after the Socratic manner, "And what do you suppose is the oldest of all things?" The boy was not successful in his answers, whereon the old astronomer took up a small stone from the garden walk: "There, my child, there is the oldest of all the things that I certainly know." On another occasion the father asked his son, "What sort of things do you think are most alike?" The boy replied, "The leaves of the same tree are most like each other." "Gather, then, a handful of leaves from that tree," rejoined the philosopher, "and choose two which are alike."—Monthly Notices Royal Astronomical Society, vol. xxxii., page 123.

[22]Memoir ofCaroline Herschel, p. 42.

[23]"Of late years these expectations have been more than accomplished by the discovery of no fewer than four planetary bodies, almost all in the same place; but so small that Dr.Herschelrefuses to honor them with the name of planets, and chooses to call them asteroids, though for what reason it is not easy to determine, 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 himself."—History of the Royal Society, byThomas Thomson, p. 358. This work was published in 1812, and therefore during the lifetime ofHerschel.

[24]Poetical History of Astronomy: this work was nearly completed, but was never published. The whole of it was read toHerschel, in order thatBurneymight have the benefit of his criticism on its technical terms.

[25]Memoirs of Dr.Burney, vol. iii., p. 264.

[26]Life and Letters ofThomas Campbell, edited byWilliam Beattie, vol. ii., p. 234.

[27]This interview must have taken place in 1802, duringHerschel'sjourney to Paris. We have no other record of it.

[28]The will ofHERSCHELwas dated December 17th, 1818."The personal effects were sworn under £6,000. The copyhold and other lands and tenements at Upton-cum-Chalvey, in the County of Bucks, and at Slough, he decrees to his son, with £25,000 in the 3 per cent. Reduced Annuities. £2,000 are given to his brotherJohann Dietrich, and annuities of £100 each to his brotherJohann Alexanderand to his sisterCarolina; £20 each to his nephews and nieces, and the residue (with the exception of astronomical instruments, telescopes, observations, etc., which he declares to have given, on account of his advanced age, to his son for the purpose of continuing his studies) is left solely to LadyHerschel."—Gentleman's Magazine, vol. xcii., 1822, p. 650.It is not necessary to say here how nobly SirJohn Herschelredeemed the trust confided in him. All the world knows of his Survey of the Southern Heavens, 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 hands. A glance at the Bibliography at the end of this book will show the titles of several papers by SirJohn, written with the sole object of rendering his father's labors more complete.

[28]The will ofHERSCHELwas dated December 17th, 1818.

"The personal effects were sworn under £6,000. The copyhold and other lands and tenements at Upton-cum-Chalvey, in the County of Bucks, and at Slough, he decrees to his son, with £25,000 in the 3 per cent. Reduced Annuities. £2,000 are given to his brotherJohann Dietrich, and annuities of £100 each to his brotherJohann Alexanderand to his sisterCarolina; £20 each to his nephews and nieces, and the residue (with the exception of astronomical instruments, telescopes, observations, etc., which he declares to have given, on account of his advanced age, to his son for the purpose of continuing his studies) is left solely to LadyHerschel."—Gentleman's Magazine, vol. xcii., 1822, p. 650.

It is not necessary to say here how nobly SirJohn Herschelredeemed the trust confided in him. All the world knows of his Survey of the Southern Heavens, 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 hands. A glance at the Bibliography at the end of this book will show the titles of several papers by SirJohn, written with the sole object of rendering his father's labors more complete.

[29]He was created a knight of the Royal Hanoverian Guelphic Order in 1816, and was the first President of the Royal Astronomical Society in 1821, his son being its first Foreign Secretary.

[30]Bode'sJahrbuch, 1823, p. 222.

CHAPTER IV.

REVIEW OF THE SCIENTIFIC LABORS OF WILLIAM HERSCHEL.

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 physics, regularly through the period ofHerschel'slife, and up to the state in which he left it.

A more detailed and precise account, which should appeal directly to the professional astronomer, will not be needed, sinceAragohas already fulfilled this want in his "Analyse de la vie et des travaux de SirWilliam Herschel," published in 1842. The few misconceptions there contained will be easily corrected by those to whom alone they are of consequence. The latter class ofreaders may also consult the abstracts ofHerschel'smemoirs, which have been given in "A Subject-index and a Synopsis of the Scientific Writings of SirWilliam Herschel," prepared by Dr.Hastingsand myself, and published by the Smithsonian Institution.

An accurate sketch of the state of astronomy in England and on the Continent, in the years 1780-1820, need not be given. It will be enough if we remember that of the chief observatories of Europe, public and private, no one was actively devoted to such labors as were undertaken byHerschelat the very beginning of his career.

His observations on variable stars, indeed, were in the same line as those ofPigott;FlaugerguesandDarquier, in France, had perhaps preceded him in minute scrutiny of the sun's surface, etc.; but, even in that department of observation, 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 telescopes. Before his time the principal aids to observation were the Gregorian and Newtoniantelescopes ofShort, and the small achromatics ofDollond.[31]

We have seen, in what goes before, how his patient zeal had succeeded in improving upon these. There was no delay, and no rest. Steadily the art of making reflectors was urged forward, until he had finally in his hands the forty-foot telescope.

It must be admitted that this was the limit to which the manufacture of powerful telescopes could be pushed in his generation. The optical and mechanical difficulties which prevented a farther advance required time for their solution; and, indeed, some of these difficulties are scarcely solved at this day. It may fairly be said that no reflector larger than three feet in aperture has yet realized our expectations.

The Improvement of Telescopes and Optical Apparatus.

It will be of interest to give in this place some connected account of the large forty-foot reflector, of four feet aperture, made byHerschel. Its history extends from 1785 to 1811. Its manufacture was considered by his cotemporaries as his greatest triumph. As a machine, it was extremely ingenious in all its parts, as may be seen from the elaborate description and plates of it published in thePhilosophical Transactionsfor 1795. One of its mirrors certainly had good definition, for, by means of it, the two small satellites ofSaturn(MimasandEnceladus) were discovered, and these discoveries alone would make it famous. Perhaps more was expected of it by the public in general than it absolutely performed. Its merits were after a while decried, andHerscheleven felt obliged to state why he did not always employ it in his observations. His reasons were perfectly valid, and such as any one may understand. The time required to get so large a machineinto working order was a serious tax; it required more assistants than his twenty-foot telescope, and he says, "I have made it a rule never to employ a larger telescope when a smaller will answer the purpose."

It still remains as a remarkable feat of engineering and an example of great optical and mechanical skill. It led the way to the large reflectors of LordRosse, some sixty years later, and several of the forty-foot telescopes of the present day even have done less useful work. Its great feat, however, was to have added two satellites to the solar system. From the published accounts of it the following is taken:

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