RECORDS 



OF 



GENERAL SCIENCE. 



Article I. 



Life of the Rev. John Flamsteed, First Astronomer- Royal. 



Written by himself.* 



( Concluded from vol. ii. p. 341.) 



But Mr. Newton was not displeased with their flattery ; 

 nor ever (that I could hear of) endeavoured to correct them. 

 We conversed civilly as oft as we met accidentally : and 

 he failed not (as if he were a great master of my methods) 

 always to ask " how the catalogue went on?" To which I 

 always gave sincere answers ; telling him how far I had 

 proceeded, and that I wanted more hands, both to carry on 

 the observations and calculations that were necessary. But 



* It appears unnecessary to apologize to the reader for occupying so many of our 

 pages with one of the most interesting documents which has appeared during the 

 present century. The biography of 1 lamsteed being the property of the country, 

 it is only the duty of a journalist to call the attention of the public to it, for the 

 purpose of removing calumnies which have unjustly casta gloom over the character 

 of an illustrious philosopher. To Mr. Baily the memory of Flamsteed owes an 

 incalculable debt of gratitude, — not only for the labour which, as editor, he has 

 bestowed upon the work to which we are indebted for our extracts, but for the 

 minuteness of his investigations with regard to Flamsteed's character. This is 

 particularly exemplified in his exposure of a most extraordinary error committed 

 by Sir David Brewster, in his Life of Sir Isaac Newton, which calls for immediate 

 correction at the hand of the biographer himself : at page 212 of his Life of Newton, 

 a very coarse, ill-natured letter is given, with the signature of Flamsteed ; while 

 the original, which we believe to be in the University of Oxford, and to have been 

 seen by Sir David, has the name of Sir Isaac Newton attached to it! By what 

 authority was this alteration made? — Edit. 



vol,. III. U 



