16 Caroline Lucretia Herschel. [1761-1764. 



worthy mother had too correct a view of her duties 

 to stand in the way of the necessary preparation for 

 her daughter's confirmation, who was accordingly, but 

 not without complaints at the loss of time, released 

 from her household avocations for this purpose. 

 Alexander, who had been taken as a sort of ap- 

 prentice by Griesbach, was now of an age to turn his 

 great musical talents to profitable account, and re- 

 turned to Hanover, where he obtained the somewhat 

 mysterious situation of Stadtmusicus (Town Musician), 

 the duties of which office involved 



" little else to do but to give a daily lesson to an apprentice 

 and to blow a Corale from the Markt Thurm; so that nearly 

 all his time could be given to practice and receiving instruc- 

 tion from his father. There was no doubt but that he 

 would soon become a good violin player, for his natural 

 genius was such that nothing could spoil it." 



Although the absent brother William kept up 

 regular correspondence with Hanover, many of his 

 letters were written in English and addressed to 

 Jacob, on such subjects as the Theory of Music, in 

 which the family in general could not participate. 

 Year after year went by, and William showed no 

 inclination to leave England, to which country he 

 was becoming more and more attached ; the poor 

 father, who felt his strength steadily declining, became 

 painfully eager for his return. On the 2nd April, 

 17(U, they were thrown into "a tumult of joy" by his 



