9s. 1d.; and it is now, after one hundred and sixty years, a good substantial building.

Mr. Baily informs us, that it appears from some manuscript notes in a copy of Dr. Maskelyne's Observations, that Flamsteed House, as it is generally called, was originally a tower built by Humphrey Duke of Gloucester, which had been repaired by Henry VIII. in 1526; that it had been sometimes the habitation of the younger branches of the royal family; sometimes the residence of a favourite mistress; sometimes a prison; and sometimes a place of defence. Mary of York, fifth daughter of Edward IV., died in the Tower of Greenwich Park in 1482. Henry VIII. here visited 'a fayre lady whom he loved.' In Queen Elizabeth's time, it bore the name of Mirefleur. King Charles II., with all his levity and licentiousness, had the merit of converting it to a more useful and laudable purpose; and it is but justice to allow him the praise of establishing, at this early period, two institutions that have conferred great benefits on science, and an honourable distinction on England. The utility and efficiency of one of these institutions has been progressive; but the other, we grieve to say, has for some years past retroceded, more especially since the presidency of Sir Joseph Banks. Sir Joseph, in fact, anticipated the decline of the Royal Society. He saw that the numerous offsets which the march of intellect,' and the wide spread of science, were calling into existence, and which were likely to be conducted more in the spirit of the times than in that which rigidly prevailed in the parent society, would have a tendency to draw away many of its most valuable and distinguished fellows-to use his own peculiar mode of expression, which we once happened to hear him make use of, They will go on docking the skirts of the old lady's petticoat, till she has not a rag left to cover her nakedness.' Some silly squabbles, and other circumstances of recent date, seem to be accelerating the fulfilment of this prophecy.

We must here digress for a moment to take a brief view of what has been done, since Flamsteed's time, with regard to the remuneration of the Astronomer Royal. It, indeed, appears to us surprising that so paltry a salary as that of 100l. a year should have been established, even at that time, for so highly important, respectable, and laborious a situation as that of the King's Observator,'-an appointment that kept Flamsteed poor, and left his family so; for it was never increased during the forty-five years he filled the situation. The advice of his successor, Halley, said to have been given to some one of Queen Anne's administration, to keep the salary small, lest the appointment should become an object of parliamentary jobbing,' was not so disinterested as might appear; and, considering the enmity this distinguished mathema

tician and astronomer bore to Flamsteed, was probably advanced from no good intention to the first Astronomer Royal. When he, however, at the death of Flamsteed, succeeded to the situation, he received in addition the double of that paltry salary, without any scruple or inquiry about 'parliamentary jobbing.'

Shortly after the accession of George II., Queen Caroline made a visit to the Royal Observatory, and being highly pleased with all she saw, and finding that Halley had served the Crown in the navy,* obtained for him from the king the half-pay of captain, which he retained during his life. On his death in 1742, Dr. Bradley was appointed Astronomical Observator;' and on his refusing to accept the living of Greenwich, from a conscientious suspicion that the duty of a pastor was incompatible with his other studies,' George II. granted him a yearly pension by sign manual during pleasure, in consideration of his great skill and knowledge in the several branches of astronomy, and other parts of the mathematics, which have proved so useful to the trade and navigation of this kingdom.' This pension was renewed on the accession of George III.; and on the death of Dr. Bradley, the same sum was granted to his successor, Mr. Bliss, who enjoyed the situation but about three years, when, in 1765, Dr. Maskelyne, on his appointment, received a like grant.

The fixed salary of 100l. a year, with the addition of 250l. a year paid at the Exchequer, out of his Majesty's civil list (which produced only 2077. 10s.), making the income 3071. 10s. per annum, was continued down to the late astronomer-royal, Mr. Pond, on whose appointment, in consequence of a strong representation from Sir Joseph Banks, the Admiralty was directed to make up the two above-mentioned sums to 600l. a year net. Sir Joseph represented to the Treasury that the nature of the office required almost eternal attendance, for that the heavenly bodies which must be observed were like the tides-they waited for no man.

This office (he says) is highly respectable, and is looked up to, not by Englishmen only, but by the astronomers and navigators of all Europe. The observations of Greenwich have hitherto been preferred by calculators, and used by them in preference to all others; and I will venture to add, that the longitude at sea, that greatest of all desiderata to a maritime nation, has derived more substantial advancement from the Royal Observatory than from all the world beside.'

In 1698 he was appointed by King William commander of the Paramour pink, to lay down the latitudes and longitudes, and the variation of the compass on the coast of America, and to attempt the discovery of what land lies to the south of the Western Ocean.' He went a second time, having with him a second small vessel, proceeded as far south as the ice would permit him, and returned by St. Helena, coast of Brazil, &c., in 1700.

This is all perfectly true; and the latter part of Sir Joseph's eulogy is most particularly due to that excellent man, the Rev. Neville Maskelyne, who, in addition to his ordinary labours, projected and brought to its completion, gratuitously, the first Nautical Almanack published in this country, with its most valuable accompaniment, the Requisite Tables,' containing also the most approved rules in his time for determining the longitude at sea by lunar observations. That the Nautical Almanack of Maskelyne has recently been extended and improved detracts nothing from the merit of its first projector, who happily had a private fortune of his own, or he could not have supported that respectability which the astronomer royal ought to maintain, on an income of 3071. 10s. per annum.

Halley's recommendation of keeping the salary low was therefore long enough continued in practice. On the late very recent appointment of Professor Airy, it has been raised to 800l. a year; but viewing the long-established character of the present holder for scientific acquirements, and the ability he displayed in the high situation he held at Cambridge, there is little danger of his appointment being considered as a parliamentary job,' though presented by the Treasury to a Cambridge man. Lord Melbourne, indeed, to do him justice, has now given up the patronage, of which the Treasury had hitherto been particularly tenacious, to the Board of Admiralty, together with the whole control and responsibility of the Royal Observatory. To no department of the government, we will venture to say, could this patronage, control, and responsibility be more properly intrusted-the original design of the Royal Observatory being, as its founder, Charles II., expressed himself, for the use of my seamen,'

From the period of the establishment of the Royal Observatory, 'we may date,' says Mr. Baily, the commencement of modern astronomy: the invention of the telescope, and the introduction of the clock, then first used for astronomical purposes, were vast improvements on the ancient mode of observing; and their beneficial effects were immediately apparent.'

To return to Flamsteed-he lost no time in taking possession of his official residence. In July, 1676, he removed to the Observatory-the only instruments with which he was then furnished being an iron sextant of seven feet radius, and two clocks, given to him by his friend Sir Jonas Moore, together with a quadrant of three feet radius, and two telescopes, which he had brought with him from Derby. In 1678 he borrowed a quadrant from the Royal Society, which he employed rather more than a year, when the ill-nature of Mr. Hook forced it out of his hands.' He was pro

mised by the government that additional instruments should be supplied at the public expense, but none were ever furnished. He soon found that, with his miserable pittance of salary, his expenses were much too great for his resources, and that the only chance of improving them was to resort to the laborious task of a teacher.

'Wanting assistance,' he says, 'I took an ingenious young man to be my servant, and some young gentlemen to teach. I employed them in my night observations to tell the clocks, write for me, and such like things as I might safely trust them in, which saved the public the charge of a pair of necessary assistants, and helped to bear the further unavoidable charge of an expensive habitation.'

Mr. Baily found among his papers a list of 140 persons, between the years 1676 and 1709, whom he had instructed, and among these are the names of several of the nobility-such as Marlborough, Hamilton, Essex, Dartmouth, Guilford, &c.

In 1679 Sir Jonas Moore died; 'with whom,' he says, 'in a manner fell all my hopes of having any allowance of expenses for making such instruments as I still wanted.' Towards the end of 1680, and beginning of 1681, the great comet appeared, and was diligently observed by him. It was generally considered that there were two comets about the same time; but Flamsteed affirmed there was only one, whose line of motion, before and after it passed the sun, he accurately described. This being imparted to Mr. Newton, then Lucasian professor of mathematics at Cam bridge, he wrote to Flamsteed, arguing strongly that there must have been two different comets; and moreover,' says Flamsteed, 'magisterially ridiculed the contrary opinion;' but four years afterwards (in 1685), Newton admitted they both might be the same, and that Flamsteed was right.' Afterwards, as Flamsteed informs us, he imparted the place of the comet, deduced from my observations, by repeated calculations, and he published them in the Principia (1687); but with slight acknowledgments of so laborious a work.' This communication appears to have been the commencement of his correspondence with Sir Isaac Newtonwith the exception of a letter of April, 1682, to introduce a Mr. Edward Paget, who was a competitor for a vacant place in the establishment of Christ's Hospital. On the back of this letter is a note written by Flamsteed :—

'Mr. Paget was chosen master of the mathematical school on my recommendation. . . . . . and the Hospital governors were so pleased with the choice, that, to show their gratitude, they sent me a staff, and made me of their number the summer following.'

But alas! for Mr. Paget-the note continues—

'Ebrietati deinde post annos 7 nimium addictus, immemor officii,

pueros

pueros neglexit, in Flandriam transiit, deposuit mimas, in Indiam tandem navigavit: faxit Deus ut sanus et sobrius redeat.'

In August, 1691, Newton writes to Flamsteed, introducing Mr. Gregory as a very ingenious person, and good mathematician.' In the letter he happens to say, he hopes it will not be long before he publishes his catalogue of the fixed stars, and of the first six magnitudes observed by others; and he also incidentally mentions the name of Halley. In reply, Flamsteed assigns freely his reasons for differing with Newton as to the publication of his catalogue, explains to him what has been done, what he is doing, and what he means to do, to complete his observations, and make them fit for the public eye; and he concludes his long letter by showing pretty clearly what his opinion already was of Mr. Halley.

It only remains that I give you the answer I would make to our suggesting friend, when he asks me why I do not print my observations? "Tis, first, I do not find myself under any obligations to receive instructions what to do, or be governed by him and his associates. Secondly, I would not thrust such an incomplete catalogue on the world as he has done from St. Helena. ..... He has more of mine in his hands already, than he will either own or restore; and I have no esteem of a man who has lost his reputation, both for skill, candour, and ingenuity, by silly tricks, ingratitude, and foolish prate; and that I value not all or any of the shame of him and his infidel companions; being very well satisfied that if Christ and his apostles were to walk again upon earth, they should not escape free from the calumnies of their venomous tongues. But I hate his ill manners, not the man: were he either honest, or but civil, there is none in whose company I could rather desire to be.

But my letter makes you now do penance. I beg your pardon for a just indignation, to which some very foolish behaviour of his very lately has moved me; and desire you to assure yourself, that no one is more sincerely your servant, than your affectionate friend and brother,

Halley was undoubtedly in all respects the very reverse of Flamsteed. Low and loose in his moral conduct-an avowed and shameless infidel-no sympathy could exist between him and our astronomer. In a letter (Dec. 18, 1703) to Mr. Sharp, Flamsteed says, Dr. Wallis is dead: Mr. Halley expects his place, who now talks, swears, and drinks brandy like a sea-captain; so that I much fear his own ill behaviour will deprive him of the advantage of this vacancy.' Flamsteed's fears, however, were not realized. Newton was now president of the Royal Society, and Halley obtained that professorship, which in 1698

*Savilian Professor of Mathematics.

had