1835.] First Astronomer- Royal. 421 



he went away he promised he would recommed them; though 

 he never intended me any good by it, but to get me under 

 him, that I might be obliged to cry him up as E. H[alley] 

 has done hitherto. 



1704, November 8th. Wrote the estimate, which was 

 read without my knowledge at the Royal Society. The 

 members thought it ought to be recommended to the Prince : 

 the President joined with them : a committee was appointed 

 to attend his Royal Highness : done without acquainting 

 me with it : an estimate of the charge drawn up without my 

 knowledge: the Prince allows £1200: Mr. Newton says 

 £1100. He concludes me now in his power; does all he 

 can to hinder the work, or spoil it, by encouraging the 

 printer to commit faults. We must print the observations ; 

 though I had showed in my printed estimate that, for very 

 good reasons, the charts of the constellations ought first to 

 be set upon. 



Mr. Newton told me he hoped I would give a note, under 

 my hand, of security for the Prince's money. This I know 

 was to oblige me to be his slave. I answered that I had 

 (God be thanked) some estate of my own, which I hoped 

 to leave, for my wife's support, to her during her life, to 

 my own relations afterwards : that therefore I would not 

 cumber my own estate with impress or security: but if 

 they would please to take his Royal Highness's money into 

 their hands, I would sign the workmen's bills to them, 

 whereby they would see if they were reasonable at the same 

 time. I was told, I should have all the printed copies, save 

 what his Royal Highness should have to present to the 

 Universities. And Mr. Newton granted that, since I re- 

 fused to handle any of his Royal Highness's money, there 

 was no need of security or articles : nevertheless . . 



[Here this MS ends abruptly.] 



Whilst Mr. Flamsteed was busied in the laborious work 

 of the Catalogue of the fixed stars, and forced often to 

 watch and labour by night, to fetch the materials for it from 

 the heavens, that were to be employed by day, he often, on 

 Sir Isaac Newton's instances, furnished him with observa- 

 tions of the moon's places, in order to carry on his correc- 

 tion of the lunar theory. A civil correspondence was 

 carried on between them : only Mr. Flamsteed could not 



