CIIAP. L] Early Recollections. 3 



The family group to which Miss Herschel's auto- 

 biography introduces us consisted of 



1. Sophia Elizabeth, born in 1733. [Afterwards 

 Mrs. G-riesbach.] 



2. Henry Anton Jacob, born 20th November, 1734. 

 (4) 3. Frederic William, born 15th November, 1738. 

 (6) 4. John Alexander, born 13th November, 



1745. 



(8) 5. Carolina Lucretia, born 16th March, 1750; 

 and 



(10) 6. The little Dietrich, born 13th September, 

 1755. 



With the exception of frequent absences from 

 home which attendance on a regiment made inevit- 

 able, the family life went on smoothly enough for 

 some years, the father taking every opportunity, 

 when at home, to cultivate the musical talents of 

 his sons, who depended for the ordinary routine of 

 education on the garrison school, to which all the 

 children went from the age of two to fourteen. 

 Here the splendid talents of William early dis- 

 played themselves, and the master confessed that the 

 pupil had soon got beyond his teacher. Although 

 four years younger than Jacob, when the two brothers 

 had lessons in French, the younger had mastered the 

 language in half the time needed by the elder, and 

 he in some measure satisfied his eager desire for know- 



B 2 



