the Rev. John Flamsteed, 143 



at an end, although the outward forms of civility were still kept 

 up. The reader, however, may be somewhat surprised to learn 

 that, not more than a month previous to this time (namely on 

 December 4, 1698), Newton had paid a visit to the Observatory, 

 late in the evening, for the express purpose of procuring twelve 

 more computed places of the moon, which he had previously 

 requested from Flamsteed, for some special purpose in his in- 

 vestigations.* And in order to understand the value and im- 

 portance of these favours, it should be constantly borne in mind, 

 that there was no other source in this country (nor on the Con- 

 tinent, as far as I can learn) from which such information could 

 be obtained. The Paris observatory had been established ever 

 since the year 1671 ; but hitherto only detached observations 

 had been published. 



Flamsteed continued for several years to pursue his observa- 

 tions, as well as his health and circumstances would permit ; and 

 in the course of that time, had not only formed a catalogue of two 

 or three thousand stars, whose position he had determined with 

 his new mural arc, but had also suggested several corrections to 

 the solar, lunar, and planetary tables, which he was by such 

 means enabled to supply. He now began to entertain serious in. 

 tentions of publishing the result of his labours, and wrote an esti- 

 mate of the number of printed sheets it would fill. He had already 

 expended upwards of L.2000 in furnishing instruments for the 



• In page 65, the reader will find the entry which Flamsteed made in his 

 Observation Book, relative to this visit of Newton : but I have since disco- 

 vered the following entry of the same event, in MSS. voL xvi., which is ra- 

 ther more minute. "• Decern. 4. die post preces vespertinas visum me ve- 

 niens Ds. Is. Newtonus, Cantabrigiae Matheseos Professor, &c., ascent rectas }) 

 cUm distantiis a polo, ab observationibus computo deductas 12, epag. 184 et 

 185. libri 5. calculationum transcriptas quas petiit communicatas habuit.* 

 And on referring to the said 5th book of calculations (MSS. vol. Iv.), I find 

 in page 181 a memorandum, that Newton had requested to have the computed 

 places of the moon for the following days, viz. June 22, 1694, April 25, May 

 13, 24, and 26, June 11, 16, 25, and 27, JOly 7, 9, H, and 15, and August 8) 

 1695 : all of which (except those of June 27 and August 8) are calculated by 

 Mr Hodgson in page 183, and copies of them were forwarded to Newton. 

 Flamsteed, however, discovered soon after that these computations were erro- 

 neous, and has himself calculated them anew on pages 184 and 185, as above 

 mentioned. And it was to obtain the^e twelve corrected values, that Newton 

 paid this visit to the Observatory. Yet within a month after this event, as I 

 have just stated, he wrote Flamsteed that most extraordinary lettor. - 



