.vr. ii.j Impending Changes. 49 



with great pleasure, I had the lamps lighted up which illu- 

 minated the picture of a Saturn (cut out in pasteboard) at 

 the bottom of the garden wall. The effect was fine, and so 

 natural that the best astronomer might have been deceived. 

 Their royal highnesses and other ladies seemed to be much 

 pleased with the artifice. 



I remained in the Queen's apartment with the ladies till 

 about half after ten, when in conversation with them I 

 found them extremely well instructed in every subject that 

 was introduced, and they seemed to be most amiable 

 characters. To-morrow evening they hope to have better 

 luck, and nothing will give me greater happiness than to be 

 able to show them some of those beautiful objects with 

 which the heavens are so gloriously ornamented. 



Sir William Watson returned to Bath after a fortnight or 

 three weeks' stay. From him we heard that my brother/ 

 was invited to Greenwich with the telescope, where he 

 was met by a numerous party of astronomical and learned 

 gentlemen, and trials of his instrument were made. In 

 these letters he complained of being obliged to lead an 

 idle life, having nothing to do but to pass between London 

 and Greenwich. Sir William received many letters which 

 he was so kind as to communicate to us. By these, and from 

 those to Alexander or to me, we learned that the King wished 

 to see the telescope at Windsor. At last a letter, dated July 2, 

 arrived from Therese, and from this and several succeeding 

 ones we gathered that the King would not suffer my brother 

 to return to his profession again, and by his writing several 

 times for a supply of money we could only suppose that he 

 himself was in uncertainty about the time of his return. 



In the last week of July my brother came home, and imme- 

 diately prepared for removing to Datchet, where he had 

 taken a house with a garden and grass-plot annexed, quite 



