"This telescope, with which I had the pleasure of making obfervations during two hours, is only feven feet long, and fix inches fix lines in diameter. Mr. Herfchel afsured me, that he had made more than one hundred and forty mirrors with his own hands, before he reached that degree of perfection to which he at last brought them. A telescope of fix feet length is placed befide this one. "This celebrated astronomer has not confined the fize of his telescopes to the last measure; there are two others, which are twenty feet long, mounted on large standards, rifing above the house. The diameter of one of these telescopes is eighteen inches three-fourths, and the mirror weighs one hundred and fifty pounds. "As thefe fuperb inftruments are of the Newtonian kind, which require the observer to be befide the object-glass, Mr. Herschel has conftructed an apparatus of ingenious mecha⚫ nifm, by which the farther end of the telescope can be reached with ease and safety. There the observer finds a turning chair fo difpofed, as to enable him to fit at his eafe, and follow the courfe of the stars. A domeftic, placed below the telescope, by means of an ingenious combination, moves it softly and gradually along with the observer, and all the apparatus. "Thus William Herfchel has been enabled to discover, diftinctly, thofe innumerable ftars, which form the most pale and diftant part of the galaxy. "With these inftruments he has been enabled to observe that multitude of double ftars, as well as fo many nebulæ, with respect to which astronomers had only vague and uncertain notions; with them, too, he has undertaken to count the ftars of the sky, and has made most aftonishing discoveries. "Placed at the upper end of his telescope, when the inde fatigable aftronomer difcovers in the most defert parts of the sky a nebula, or a star of the least magnitude, invisible to the naked eye, he informs his fifter of it, by means of a string which communicates with the room where the fits; upon the fignal being given, the fifter opens the window, and the brother afks her whatever information he wants. Mifs Caroline Herfchel, after confulting the manufcript tables before her, replies, brother, fearch near the ftar Gamma, Orion, or any other conftellation which she has occafion to name. She then huts the window, and returns to her employment, That "That man must be born with a very great indifference for the sciences, who is not affected by this delightful accord, and who feels not a defire that the fame harmony fhould reign among all those who have the happinefs to cultivate them. How much more rapid would their progrefs then be !" "We commenced our obfervations with the Milky way. "The telescope of twenty feet difcovered to us, in the paleft and most diftant part of the heavens, an immenfe number of bright stars, quite diftinct and separate from each other. "Mr. Herschel then directed the inftrument to the ftar in the foot of the Goat, which emitted fo ftrong a light as to affect the eye. On making its light fall upon a paper written in very fmall characters, we could difcern and count the lines with cafe. It is curious thus to diftinguish objects by the glimmering of a ftar, that is, a fun many hundreds of millions of miles removed from the confines of our system. "The double ftars, which are not vifible with the most powerful acromatic glaffes, appear feparate and very diftinct, when viewed with the telescope of twenty feet long. "Mr. Herfchel made me obferve the nebula of M. Mercier, with the telescope of feven feet, that is, with the one at firft which ferved to difcover the planet. Thefe little specks appear ftill nebulous with that inftrument; and one perceives only a feeble and obfcure glimmering. But the telescope of twenty feet permits one no longer to doubt that they are cluf ters of ftars, which appear confufed only from their immenfe distance; by this telescope they are found to be perfectly diftinct. "Mr. Herfchel requested me to direct my principal attention to the flars which he was the first to discover to be of different colours from each other, and among which some are seen that border on blue, others on orange, and several on a bluish colour, &c. "It is certainly neither to an optical illufion, nor to the effect of the mirrors and lenfes, which Mr. Herschel uses, that we ought to attribute this difference of colour. I started every poffible objection upon the subject; but the learned observator always anfwered them by facts, to which it would be unreafonable to reply. Thus, for example, he repeatedly directed the telescope to two double stars of pretty nearly the fame magnitude, and feparated from each other by a small interval only; only; that is, fmall in appearance, for the interval must be immenfe if we confider their distance from the earth. Both were of the fame colour, and emitted the common white light of the stars. "On directing the fame telescope immediately after to other double stars near them, the one appeared to be evidently blue, and the other of a filver colour. The blue ftar was in fome inftances on the right, and in others on the left. I faw also fome single ftars of a blue appearance, several of a bluis white, and others of an orange colour. "Mr. Herschel said to me with much modefty, that this discovery was not of very great merit, fince it was easy to make it without recurring to large telescopes; acromatic ones with large object-glaffes being fufficient to difcover the coloured ftars above-mentioned. The obfervations, however, of Mr. Herfchel were at fift difputed, for it is much easier to deny than to examine. But they were foon confirmed, as they deferved to be, by the aftronomers of Germany and Italy, and by M. M. Delaffini, Mechain, &c. of the obfervatory of Paris. "Mr. Herfchel fhewed me a pretty large work on the ftars; which he defigns to publifh as foon as it is brought to a conclufion. He has confirmed what has been long fince obferved, that feveral ftars diftinctly marked in the ancient catalogues, and of which fome are even laid down in the celestial Atlas of Flamsted, have entirely disappeared. It is thus probable, that there fometimes happen great revolutions and and terrible catastrophes in feveral parts of the fyftem of the univerfe; fince, if the ftars were funs, their extinction must have annihilated the organifed beings who existed on the planets which they illuminated. Jupiter, viewed with the telescope of twenty-feet, appears much larger than the full moon. His parallel belts are very diftinct, and his fatellites are of a truly aftonishing magnitude. "On directing the fame telescope towards Saturn, we saw his ring in the most diftinct manner, and also the shadow which it projected on the body of that immenfe and fingular planet. Mr. Herfchel fhewed me the fky, and even feveral ftars, in the interval between the moveable ring and the planet. By means of fome luminous points which are remarked in the ring, he was enabled to discover that this folid circle has a rota a rotation from west to eaft in the fame manner with the other planets of our fyftem. "The micrometer which Mr. Herfchel ufes is compofed fimply of two threads of filk, very fine, well fretched and parallel, which may be moved to a greater or fhorter diftance at pleasure. The inftrument of parallel threads was known before, but this acute obfervator has perfected it, by finding an eafy method of turning one thread over the other at pleasure; fo that, on placing them in the telescope, he can take angles with the minuteft precifion. "The inventor of fuch large telescopes is far from having confined himself to thofe of twenty feet long. He was engaged in making the neceffary preparations, to construct one of forty feet in length, and of a proportionable diameter. "Mr. Herfchel's intention in conftructing telescopes of this great fize, is not fo much to magnify the object, as to obtain, by the aid of mirrors of fuch a vaft feld, a more confiderable quantity of light. This project is new and excellent. He told me, that he expected to encounter great difficulties in carrying to perfection a telescope of that dimenfion and weight; but that he, at the fame time, expected fuch great effects from it, that nothing fhould be capable of discouraging his progrefs. "I remained until daylight in that aftonishing obfervatory, constantly occupied in travelling in the heavens, with a guide, whose boundless complaifance was never wearied by my ignos rance, and the importunity of my queftions. I paffed about feven hours there, employed without intermiffion in obferving the ftars. It was impoffible to think the time long, when pent in an employment of fo profitable, and, with refpect to me, curious information. That delightful night appeared no more than a dream to me, and feemed to laft only a few inftants; but the remembrance of it is indelible; and the grateful recollection of the kindnefs with which Mr. Herfchel, and his interesting fifter, condefcended to receive me, will never be erafed from my heart." The account of the Highlands, and of the Cave of Fingal, is extended to fome length, and indeed occupies a confiderable part of the volumes. The mineralogift will will receive this work with gratitude, and perfons of every defcription will, from the perufal of it, obtain a more accurate knowledge of the natural hiftory of Great Britain. Such publication therefore we approve, and it is, on the whole, entitled to our applaufe. Poems by Robert Southey. Second Volume. Longman. THE name of Southey is already dear to readers of tafte and fenfibility. His Joan of Arc, his firft volume of Poems, and his Travels into Spain and Portugal, areworks in deferved eftimation, and moft perfons have read them with avidity. The prefent addition to his labours is not inferior to the former productions with which the public have been favoured. The Vifion of the Maid of Orleans, which conftituted. formerly, a diftin&t book of that work, is thrown out of the fecond edition, and is here feparately published, taking up the first fixty-nine pages. It is a fine piece of fancy, and contains many charming flights of the imagination. We are next prefented with three fmall pieces, The Rofe, The Complaints of the Poor, and a Metrical Letter. Then come Ballads, including many beautiful pieces, and, afterward, English Eclogues, which, by their fimplicity, cannot fail of engaging the heart. Every piece in the volume poffeffes merit, though we can evidently discern that there is a variety in the traits of excellence. Were the fubjects lefs melancholy, they might be the lefs interefting; but we wish that the genius of Mr. Southey, were more inclinable to cheerfulness. A four of thefe productions we intend to bring for. which it proje planet. Mr. Herfchef R; at the prefent we fhall conftars, in the interval betrurious ballad, the fingularity of By means of fome lumiro our attention. It is founded the ring, he was enabled ish historian, Matthew of Weft minster, |