276 
ral Elliott, in a certificate now in his fa- 
mily’s possession, which proves the high 
estimation in which his services were held. 
He has left a numerous family, who deeply 
lament the loss of so excellent a husband 
and father. 
At Slough, 87, Sir William Herschel, 
L.L.D. F.R.s. knight of the Guelphic order 
of Hanover; but far more distinguished for 
his discoveries, and his profound views 
and writings in astronomy, and in other 
branches of natural philosophy. He was 
born in Hanover in 1738, and was the se- 
cond of four sons, all of whom were 
brought up to their father’s profession, as 
musicians, Finding, however, in his son 
William an inquisitive mind beyond what 
appeared in the other sons, he gave him 
theadvantage of a Frenchmaster. Luckily, 
the tutor’s favourite study was metaphy- 
sics; and, from this worthy man, Herschel 
acquired an introductory knowledge of 
logic, ethics, &c. In1759, he left his na- 
tive country and repaired to London, 
whither his father and himself accompa- 
nied some Hanoverian troops, as part of 
their military band. With these the father 
returned, leaving yonng Herschel to try 
his fortunes in England, who first engaged 
himself asa hautboy player in the band of 
the'county of Durham militia. He after- 
wards obtained the situation of organist at 
Halifax, in Yorkshire, principally through 
the recommendation of the late Joah 
Bates, esq. son of the then parish-clerk of 
Halifax. There he tanght music, and em- 
ployed his leisure hours in learning the 
English, Italian, and Latin languages, and 
in obtaining an insight into the elements 
of mathematics and natural philosophy. 
The theory of harmony engaged his atten- 
tion, and he made himself master of Dr. 
Smith’s Harmonies. ‘We then resolved on 
the regular study of mathematics, and 
proceeded through Newton’s Principia. 
Other sciences now became easy to him. 
He then went to Italy, where he staid so 
long that his money was exhausted, aud he 
found himself without funds sufficient to 
carry him to England. He surmounted 
this difficulty by a benefit concert at 
Genoa, which he was able to do by the 
friendship of Langlé, a Frenchman. In 
1766, Sir William removed with his bro- 
ther to Bath, where they were engaged for 
the pump-room band by the late Mr, 
Lindley. Sir William was, like his nephew 
Griesbach, esteemed an excellent per- 
former on the oboe, as his brother was on 
the violoncello, His musical pursuits 
fonnd him great employment; yet he saved 
time for the study of the mathematics, 
and now paiticularly directed his pursuits 
to optics and astronomy. The pleasure 
which he experienced from viewing tie 
stars through a Gregorian telescope of 
two feet, made him desirous of possessing 
a collection of astronomical instruments, 
Sir William Herschel. 
[Oct. 1, 
but the cost was aninsurmountable obsta- 
cle. He therefore determined to endea- 
vour to make a telescope himself, and he 
accordingly commenced the undertaking. 
After much labour and many failures he 
succeeded ; and, in 1774, had the inexpres- 
sible pleasure of viewing the stars through 
a Newtonian reflector of five feet, of his 
own construction. Encouraged by_ this 
success, and by the pleasure of the pursuit, 
he afterwards proceeded to construct one 
of seven, and then of ten feet. He now 
devoted his nights to observations, and 
had the good fortune to remark that a 
star, which had been recorded by Bode as 
a fixed star, had changed its position, and 
was progressively doing so. Prolonged 
attention to it enabled him to determine 
that it was an hitherto unobserved planet; 
and, having determined its rate of motion, 
its orbit, &c. he announced his interesting 
discovery to the world, which, in compli- 
ment to the King of England, he named 
the Georgium Sidus; but which astrono- 
mers call, iv honour of the discoyerer, 
Herschel. It has also been denominated, 
Uranus. This discovery was made in 
1781, and was announced to the Royal 
Society, who decreed him their an- 
nual gold medal, and unanimously elected 
him a fellow. In the next year the King 
of England, gratified by the compliment 
paid him by his Hanoverian subject, took 
him under his protection. Herschel, 
therefore, quitted Bath with his instru- 
ments, and took up his residence at 
Slough, near Windsor, in a house provided 
for him by the king, who appointed him his 
professor of astronomy, with a pension. 
He now found himself in a situation to 
bring his great design to bear, which was, 
to construct a telescope of forty feet. In 
this he at last succeeded; it was .com- 
pleted in 1789, and he then rendered an 
account of it to the Royal Society, who 
soon published itin their ‘‘ Transactions.” 
A description and drawing of it are like- 
wise to be found in the ‘*‘ Monthly Maga- 
zine.” It has been generally supposed 
that Dr.H. discovered the planet Herschel 
by means of his great telescope, but it was 
made with his seven-foot telescope. In 
1783 he announced a supposed discovery of 
avoleano in the moon; and in 1787, by 
continuing his observations, he detected 
two more in supposed eruption, In pur- 
sning his observations on the planet 
Herschel, he found that it had two satel- 
lites. Herschel was now, by the Univer- 
sity of Oxford, named a doctor of laws. 
He has since supplied the ‘‘ Philosophical 
Transactions” with many elaborate and 
profound communications on the construc- 
tion of the universe, on the systems of the 
fixed stars, on the nebulous stars, on light, 
and other philosophical subjects, the sub- 
stance of which is to be found in. all our 
elementary works of science, The enor- 
mous 
