152 Mr Bailly's Account of 



;nfirm that he was obliged to be assisted both up and down stairs, 

 it must be confessed that this scene exhibits but a miserable pic- 

 ture of the frailties of human nature, and every friend to science, 

 or even to humanity, must lament its ever having taken place. 



Soon after this occurrence, it appears that Flamsteed, finding 

 that all faith with him had been broken, that his catalogue had 

 been thus surreptitiously and clandestinely printed, and that his 

 observations also had been sent to the press in a garbled and 

 improper manner, broke off all communication with Dr Arbuth- 

 nott, and his coadjutors in this affair, resolving in his own mind 

 to appeal to the public on the occasion. He drew up a state- 

 ment of all the proceedings that had taken place, with a view to 

 its publication ; and afterwards set about a re-examination of 

 his observations, in order to collect together, for insertion in his 

 catalogue, such stars as had escaped his notice in his former re- 

 views, determined to perfect the catalogue as much as possible, 

 and to reprint it at his own expense ; and before the end of the 

 year 1 712, he received the last sheet from the press. He then 

 proceeded to do the same with his Observations ; and, for this 

 purpose, he applied to Sir Isaac Newton for the manuscript 

 copy not only of the catalogue, and of the 175 MS. sheets 

 of Observations which had been deposited in his hands, but 

 also of the MS. books of original eritries, which had been 

 left with him some time before, but without effect. Flam- 

 Steed, therefore, found himself obliged to commence legal pro- 

 ceedings against him for their recovery, but with what success I 

 have not been able to ascertain. Some of the books were re- 

 turned to Flamsteed, but there is still one of them missing (con- 

 taining the MS. observations from November 1702 to Janu- 

 ary 1712), which perhaps is the one that Flamsteed denies* 

 ever having received back. With respect to the 175 sheets 

 of MS. observations, it appears that Newton eventually hand- 

 ed them over to Halley ; which Flamsteed calls '* the height 

 of trick, ingratitude, and baseness." And it is certain that 

 Flamsteed was ultimately obliged to recopy not only the Cata- 

 logue, but also these 175 sheets of observations, for the press, 

 at an expense of nearly L. 200, and at a great loss of time and 

 labour, independent of the additional risk of error. This con- 



