Bio^ raphical Memoir of Dr Thomas Young, 235 



of shame to the English nation ; if there was discovered a typo- 

 graphical error in it, as there ever has been, and ever will be, 

 in any large collection of figures, the British Navy, from the 

 smallest vessel to the largest three-decker, misled by the errone- 

 ous cipher, would assuredly be engulfed in the mighty deep. 



It has been asserted that the principal promoter of these ex- 

 aggerated follies never discovered so many grave errors in the 

 Nautical Almanac, until after he had ineffectually endeavoured 

 to get himself made a member of the Board of Longitude. I do 

 not pledge myself for the accuracy of this statement; and at all 

 events, I will not make myself the instrument of propagating 

 the malicious remarks to which it gave rise. I ought not, in 

 truth, to forget, that for many years the member of the Royal 

 Society who is here pointed at, nobly consecrated a portion of 

 his brilliant fortune to the advancement of science. This praise- 

 worthy astronomer, like all learned men whose thoughts are con- 

 centrated upon a single object, had the misfortune, which I do 

 not pretend to excuse, to measure through magnifying glasses 

 the importance of those projects which originated with himself; 

 but the point on which he is principally to be blamed is, that 

 he did not perceive that the exaggerations of his disputes would 

 be taken up in serious earnest ; that he forgot that, in all times, 

 and in all countries, there exists a great number of individuals 

 who, inconsolable on account of their own insignificance, seize 

 as their prey every opportunity of scandal, and, under the mask 

 of the, public welfare, are delighted to become the base Zoiluses 

 of those among their cotemporaries whose fame proclaims their 

 merit. At Rome, he who was appointed to insult the victor 

 during his triumph, was nothing better than a slave; but in 

 London, it was a member of the House of Commons who offer- 

 ed a cruel affront to these learned and illustrious individuals. 

 An orator, who was previously celebrated for his prepossessions, 

 but who had hitherto vented his spleen only on productions of 

 French origin, attacked the most eminent men of England, and 

 uttered against them, before Parliament, the most puerile accusa- 

 tions with laughable gravity. The ministry, whose eloquence 

 was exercised for whole hours upon the privileges of rotten 

 boroughs, did not utter a single word in favour of genius; and, 

 finally, the Board of Longitude was suppressed without opposi- 



