146 Mr Baily's Account of 



for the performance of the contract.* Notwithstanding this 

 compliance, however, on the part of Flamsteed, the work of the 

 press does not seem to have been expedited ; further obstruc- 

 tions were thrown in the way of proceeding, the nature and 

 cause of which are not sufficiently apparent ; and Prince George 

 died (October 28, 1708) before the second volume was entered 

 upon. The work was now completely stopped ; and although 

 by this melancholy event the power of the referees ceased, the 

 papers were still left in their hands. 



Being now undisturbed (as Flamsteed expresses himself), he 

 proceeded to carry on such observations as he wanted for the 

 purpose of his astronomical inquiries, and added many new stars 

 to his catalogue. Nothing more was heard about Sir Isaac 

 Newton or the printing ; and Flamsteed says, in one of his let- 

 ters to Mr Sharp, " I shall not urge it forward again, till I see 

 a good fund settled and secured for carrying it on, without any 

 danger of impediment or obstruction from him or any of his 

 tools." But in the midst of this apparent quiet, he was again 

 annoyed, when he least expected it, by being privately informed 

 that his catalogue (which he had delivered, sealed up, into Sir 

 Isaac Newton's hands, as a sacred deposit) was in the press ; 

 but more so, by a letter from Dr Arbuthnott (dated March 14, 

 1710-11), demanding the deficient parts of such catalogue, and 

 informing him that he (Dr Arbuthnott) was commanded by the 

 Queen to superintend and complete the publication of the His^ 

 toria Coslestis^ undertaken by the late Prince. Dr Arbuthnott, 

 however, appears to have put the business into the hands of the 

 Royal Society, who thus became in some measure mixed up 

 with the subsequent proceedings ; but Newton and Halley were 

 evidently the prime movers on every occasion. Halley was (I 

 believe) at that time clerk to the Society.f Flamsteed was 

 much annoyed at this new step : he requested and obtained an 

 interview with Dr Arbuthnott, and at the conference that en- 



• This continual suspicion appears to me to have been exerted on the 

 wrong side ; for it was Flamsteed that had most reason to be cautious, since 

 he would have been the only sufferer by any breach of the agreement. 



+ I shall still call these parties referees, for want of a better designation ; 

 for although the original committee was dissolved, yet it is evident that the 

 same amrnxu existed in those who formed the new body of advisers. 



