Part 2 (2/2)

”All this ti now see to complete his felicity, but sufficient leisure to enjoy his telescopes, to which he was so much attached, that at the theatre he used frequently to run fro the time between the acts”

In an extract from his _Journal No 1_, now at the rooms of the Royal Society, may be seen a copy of his first observation of the Nebula of _Orion_, on March 4, 1774 This was orian reflector

It was at this time (1775), between the acts of the theatre, that he made his first review of the heavens, with a Newtonian telescope, of an aperture of four and a half inches and apower of 222 times

This telescope was one of the first made by himself The review consisted of the examination of every star in the sky of the first, second, third, and fourth nitudes, and of all planets visible There are no records of these observations now extant, and they are noteworthy only as a preparation forout his resolve to see everything for hied of by the fact that between 1774 and 1781 HERSCHEL had observed a single object--the Nebula of _Orion_--no less than fourteen times

The success of his first telescopes incited him to new efforts His house beca that could tend to excellence in this manufacture was tried and re-tried a hundred different ways When a difficulty arose, experiun which continued till it was conquered When a success was gained, it was prosecuted to the utmost

In 1775 the first seven-foot reflector was ood” ten-foot took its place It ht that the telescopes mentioned were the only ones completed On the contrary, they were but the best ones selected out of ed, which had ”ave space for observing The grass-plat near it was soon utilized to hold the stand of a twenty-foot telescope, which he had even then projected His projects were unending, no success was final; his ht of activity; his whole effort was thrown into every undertaking

The mirrors for all these telescopes were h di near the correct for till the accurately exact curves were obtained, all this must be done by hand The machines for the purpose were not invented until 1788[11]

ALEXANDER and WILLIAM worked together at this, but most of the as done by the latter The sister's part was to attend in the workshop and lend a hand wherever and whenever it was needed

”My ti, besides attendance onhi the victuals by bits into his mouth This was once the case when, in order to finish a seven-foot mirror, he had not taken his hands froeneral he was never une or s of whatever caed to read to hi hts' Entertain tea and supper without interrupting the hich he was engaged,and so a hand I becaht be to his master in the first year of his apprenticeshi+pBut as I was to take a part the next year in the oratorios, I had, for a whole twelvemonth, two lessons per week fro-entlewoman (God kno she succeeded) So we lived on without interruption

My brother ALEX was absent from Bath for some months every su so or clockmaker's work for his brother”

News from Hanover put a sudden stop, for a time, to all these labors

The mother wrote, in the utmost distress, to say that DIETRICH had disappeared fro to India ”with a young idler not older than himself” His brother i an eye-piece in cocoa-nut, and started for Holland, whence he proceeded to Hanover, failing to meet his brother, as he expected Meanwhile the sister received a letter to say that DIETRICH was ”laid up very ill” at an inn in Wapping ALEXANDER posted to town, re, brought him to Bath, where, on his brother WILLIAM'S return, he found hi well cared for by his sister

About this ti Street, which was the last ium Sidus_ was discovered

The music still went on The oratorios of the _Messiah_, _Judas Maccabeus_, and _Samson_ were to be performed under HERSCHEL'S direction, with an orchestra of nearly one hundred pieces The scores and vocal parts of these CAROLINA copied with her own hands, and the _soprani_ were instructed by her, she being the leading soloist Along with the music went the astronomy Not only were new telescopes made, but they were made for immediate use

The variable star _Mira Ceti_ was observed, and a long series of lunar observations begun

”In 1779, 1780, and 1781 I hts of about one hundred mountains of the moon, by three different iven in _Philosophical Transactions_, vol LXX, but most remain uncalculated in my journal _till some proper opportunity”[12]_

While HERSCHEL wasthese lunar mountains, in December, 1779, he made by chance an acquaintance of much value to hiuished for his researches in electricity, happened to see him at his telescope, and this led to a visit and an invitation to HERSCHEL to join the Philosophical Society of Bath, then forladly did, and it was of use to him in many ways

He there for, and he himself became known Better than all, he learned to measure himself with other ained skill in putting his thoughts before his hearers This skill he never lost, and the merely literary art of his memoirs would make his papers remarkable without their other merits He is always clear, and in his early papers especially, he appeals to his particular audience--the Royal Society--in a hich shows that he is conscious of all its weaknesses as well as of its dignity Later, his tone slightly changed

He became less anxious to win his audience, for he had becoth to his style, but never induced the slightest arrogance of spirit or manner

The Bath Philosophical Society has left no printed proceedings HERSCHEL was one of its earliest members, and many papers were communicated to it by his hand These appear to have been of a very miscellaneous nature

Sohest interest to us now

In the _Philosophical Transactions_ for 1789, p 220, HERSCHEL tells us that he communicated to that Society ”certain mathematical papers”