BiograpJiical Memoir of' Sir William Herschel. 5 



workmanship, the singular circumstances of his life, the aids 

 with which the arts had furnished him, and the noble use to 

 which he applied his leisure hours, were the subject of conversa- 

 tion in England, andjrfiroughout all Europe. AH these details 

 fiime to the knowledge of the king. George the Third loved 

 the sciences as the ornament of states, and as a pure source 

 of glory and public prosperity. He sent for Herschel, antici- 

 pated and realized all his views, and made him fix his residence 

 at Datchett, and soon after at» Slough, within a very short 

 distance of Windsor Castle. 



The retreat of Slough became one of the most remarkable 

 places of the civilised world ; it was visited by illustrious travel- 

 lers ; Herschel dwelt there with his family ; it was there that 

 he finished his long and memorable career. The king interested 

 himself in all his researches, and frequently wished to augment 

 the expences proposed, in order that nothing might hmit either 

 the perfection or the dimension of his instruments. History 

 ought to preserve for ever the reply of this prince to a celebrat- 

 ed foreigner who was thanking him for the large sums he had 

 expended in furthering the progress of astronomy. " I pay the 

 expences of war,"" said the king, " because they are necessary ; 

 as to those of science, it is agreeable to me to prescribe them ; 

 their object costs no tears, and does honour to human nature.*" 



Herschel had secured the assistance of one of his brothers, a 

 loan well skilled in theoretical and practical mechanics, who se- 

 conded all his designs, directed the carpenters in the construc- 

 tion of the large instruments, and, with a rare sagacity, realized, 

 almost as soon as expressed, all his brother'*s inventions. Their 

 sister. Miss Caroline, soon acquired a very extensive knowledge 

 in astronomy and mathematics. A lively and constant friend- 

 ship, the desire of contributing to the glory of her brother, and 

 without doubt a disposition of mind peculiar to this extraordi- 

 nary family, procured her unrivalled success in her studies. 

 She digested and published his observations. We are also in- 

 debted to her for the discovery of several comets. She partici- 

 pated in all the watchings, and in all the literary labours of her 

 brother ; and assuredly no astronomer ever had a more intelli- 

 gent, more faithful, and more attentive assistant. 



In this secluded retreat, adorned by the fine arts, and still 



