BER8CHEL. 



By M. Arago. 



William Heeschel, one of the greatest astronomers that ever lived 

 iu any age or country, was born at Hanover, on the 15tli of November, 

 1738. The name of Herschel has become too illustrious for the world to 

 neglect searching back, along the stream of time, to learn the social 

 position of the families that have borne it. Yet pardonable curiosity 

 on this subject has not been entirely satisfied. We only know that 

 Abraham Herschel, great-grandfather of the astronomer, resided at 

 Mahren, whence he was expelled on account of his strong attachment 

 to the Protestant faith ; that Abraham's son Isaac was a farmer in the 

 vicinity of Leipzig ; that Isaac's eldest son, Jacob Herschel, disappointed 

 his father's earnest desire to see him devote himself to agriculture, that 

 he determined on being a musician, and settled at Hanover. 



Jacob Herschel, father of William, the astronomer, was an eminent 

 musician, not less remarkable for the good qualities of his heart than for 

 those of his mind. His very limited means did not enable him to bestow 

 a complete education on his family, consisting of six boys and four girls, 

 although, by his care, his ten children all became excellent musicians. 

 The eldest, Jacob, even acquired a rare degree of skill, which pro- 

 cured for him the appointment of master of the baud in a Hanoverian 

 regiment, which he accompanied to England. The third son, William, 

 remained under his father's roof, and, without neglecting the fine arts, 

 took lessons in the Freach language, and devoted himself to the study 

 of metaphysics, for which he retained a taste to his latest day. 



In 1759 William Herschel, then about twenty-one years of age, went 

 over to England, not with his father, as has been erroneously stated, 

 but with his brother Jacob, whose connections in that country seemed 

 likely to favor the young man's opening prospects in life. But neither 

 Loudon nor the country towns afibrded him any resource in the begin- 

 ning, and the first two or three years after his expatriation were marked 

 with cruel privations, which were, however, manfully endured. A fortun- 

 ate chance finally raised the young Hanoverian to a better position ; 

 Lord Durham engaged him as master of the baud in an English regiment 

 which was quartered on the borders of Scotland. From this moment 

 he began to acquire a reputation as a musician that was gradually 

 extended, until in 1706 he was appointed organist at Halifax, (York- 

 shire.) The emoluments of this situation, together with those of giving 

 private lessons both in the town and the country around, afforded him 

 the means to remedy, or rather to complete, his early education. It was 



