Mr. Rigaud on Harriot's Papers. 269 



had every wish to promote the publication ; but things were 

 now materially altered. They had undertaken to enable Zach 

 to bring out a work, which he professed to be preparing for 

 publication ; but he had not only gone back from his engage- 

 ment, but had thrown them into a situation, in which he would 

 have made them responsible for working up the materials 

 which he had thought proper to select for them. This last 

 circumstance corroborates a correction, which must be made 

 with respect to the manner in which the business was managed. 

 The general idea is simply that Zach, having found these 

 papers, the Earl of Egremont, in consequence, sent them to 

 Oxford for publication ; in that case, however, he would most 

 probably have sent the whole, that a judgment might be formed 

 of the connexion and value of the several parts ; but the truth 

 is that Zach, from the beginning, merely endeavoured to make 

 the most of his discovery for himself. He applied to the uni- 

 versity, in the first instance, to print his work, because, as he 

 expressed himself in his Latin letter of proposals, ' quo tern- 

 pore et quo auxilio in lucem proferretur, nulla erat post tot 

 tantosve conatus spes relicta, nullum relictum consilium.' 

 When he had given up this object he printed the observations 

 of the comets (possibly the only part which really called for 

 publication), and then made his retreat, so as to turn the eyes 

 of the world from himself to the university. Nothing, of 

 course, could have been done with the papers without hi$ 

 having previously obtained the permission of the nobleman to 

 whom they belonged ; but Zach appears to have made himself 

 the prime agent in the whole business, so that no direct inter- 

 course took place between the university and the Earl of Egre- 

 mont, till after the undertaking had been finally given up. I 

 suspect that the delegates themselves were not apprised of their 

 only having a portion of the papers ; at least I can recollect no 

 allusion to it from those of former days with whom I have 

 conversed on the subject, and the fact has certainly not been 

 generally known ; but, however this may have been, it had 

 become necessary for those who acted on the part of the 

 university, to take the precaution of inquiring further, and 

 ascertaining the nature and character of what had been put 

 into their hands. The late Dr. Robertson was, therefore, re- 



