64 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



raphy, which were to be sent to Sir John Herschel, the son of this new 

 sister-in-law, she destroyed all her diary and records for the ten years 

 immediately succeeding her brothers marriage. Her biographer and 

 relative alludes to her experiences at this time in the following lan- 

 guage : 



" With saddened heart hut unflagging determination she continued to work 

 for her brother, hut saw his domestic happiness pass into other keeping. It is 

 not to be supposed, however, that a nature so strong and a heart so affectionate 

 should accept the new state of things without much and bitter suffering. To 

 resign the supreme place by her brother's side, which she had filled for sixteen 

 years with such hearty devotion, could not he otherwise than painful in any 

 case ; but how much more so in this, where equal devotion to the same pursuit 

 must have made identity of interest and purpose as complete as it is rare ! One 

 who could both feel and express herself so strongly was not likely to fall into 

 her new place without some outward expression of what it cost her tradition 

 confirms the assumption and it is easy to understand how this long, significant 

 silence is due to the light of later wisdom and calmer judgment which counseled 

 the destruction of all record of what was likely to be painful to survivors." 



In reference to Herschel's marriage, a writer in the London Ex- 

 aminer says, "It is impossible to regret or censure the step which 

 gave existence to his yet more remarkable son ; " but this is a sin- 

 gular and tardy justification. In marrying, he did what it was highly 

 probable he would do ; and, remembering this, he should not have 

 allowed his sister to live so entirely for him. It is not to be supposed, 

 however, that he foresaw the unpleasant consequences that fell upon 

 her. When the temptation to marry came, he no doubt stupidly fan- 

 cied that in enriching his own life by this new relation he should add 

 to her happiness by bringing her a sister ; but, if he had studied the 

 ways of men and women as he studied the heavens, he might have 

 saved himself from such a delusion. 



The work she did during the next ten years affords abundant 

 evidence of the heroism with which JMiss Herschel met her fate. 

 Besides discovering seven more comets, she prepared "A Catalogue 

 of 860 Stars observed by Flamstcad, but not included in the British 

 Catalogue," and " A General Index of Reference to Every Observa- 

 tion of Every Star in the above-mentioned British Catalogue," both 

 of which works were published by the Royal Society in 1708. She 

 also spent much time upon another work which was not finished for 

 many years. It was " The Reduction and Arrangement in the Form 

 of a Catalogue, in Zones, of all the Star-Clusters and Nebula? observed 

 by Sir "VV. Herschel in his Sweeps." For this she received the gold 

 medal of the Royal Astronomical Society in 1828, and it was pro- 

 nounced by Sir David Brewster " a work of immense labor." 



Some account of her discoveries was found in a packet wrapped in 

 coarse paper, and labeled "This is what I call the bills and receipts 

 of my comets." The separate parcels of this bundle were marked 



