and Astronomical Notices. 363 



such an opinion, if any one else had to use the telescope ; for accord- 

 ing to each person's peculiar physical conformation and peculiarities, 

 he can do the best work with some different form of instrument to 

 his neighbour. And here is a generic difference between meridian 

 and extra-meridian astronomy ; in the former, almost everything 

 depends on the absolute perfection of the mechanical action of the 

 instrument, and hardly anything on the skill of the observer ; while 

 in the latter, the case is so completely reversed, that a life spent in a 

 meridian observatory seems almost to unfit a person for undertaking 

 extra-meridian observations. A person accustomed for years to 

 nothing but mural circles and transit instruments would be utterly 

 aghast at being called on to make any accurate observations with one 

 of Sir W. Herschel's, or even Sir J. Herschel's reflectors, they 

 would be to him a bow of Ulysses, which, to whatever good purpose 

 it could be bent by its owner, would be powerless in the hands of 

 any one else. The results produced, should form the only test of the 

 sufficiency of the instrument of any particular observer, for that 

 which suits the idiosyncrasy of one person may be distasteful and 

 even impossible to another. 



" Never use flat brushes," said Haydon in one of his Edinburgh 

 lectures on painting ; " no one can produce fine pictures with flat 

 brushes : Sir Thomas Lawrence used flat ones, you should employ 

 round ones." But who, on comparing the works of Sir T. Lawrence 

 and Mr Haydon, would consider the precept borne out by the exam- 

 ples % Again, who could have painted decently with Etty's brushes, 

 with the hair straggling out in all manner of ways % and yet none of his 

 cotemporaries could approach him in results produced by the brush. 

 But what should we think, if he had been prevented from under- 

 taking any large work for a public body, until he should have satis- 

 fied perhaps a board of his brother artists, or perhaps a board who 

 had never painted at all, that his brushes were of the fit and proper 

 description wherewithal to produce a good painting % 



Moreover, with regard to the objection raised that the coming man 

 has not yet appeared, that no one can be pointed out either with all 

 the qualifications for making the telescope and using it afterwards, 

 or, if possessing them, that he is not at the command of the Govern- 

 ment, — the proposers of the measure were prepared, if desired, to 

 make the telescope themselves, and to furnish it complete to Govern- 

 ment, so that there need have been no difficulty on that score ; per- 

 haps even to have recommended the observer ; but it is not the usual 

 practice of scientific societies to dictate when asking a favour. The 

 minister was informed most distinctly what was the desideratum of 

 the Association ; was certified of its practicability by one who has 

 borne a large share in making and using the largest modern reflec- 

 tors ; and even had an estimate given to him. Enough was done, 

 therefore, if he had been disposed to comply ; and it would have 

 been the usual course to request the British Association or the Royal 

 Society (the other petitionhig body) to name a committee to confer 

 with him. But this course was not pursued, and the answer which 



