CHAP, ii.] Life at Datchct. 53 



planets, double stars, c., c., were made, was incredible, 

 as may be seen by the various papers that were given to 

 the Royal Society in 1783, which papers were written in the 

 daytime, or when cloudy nights interfered. Besides this, the 

 twelve-inch speculum was perfected before the spring, and 

 many hours were spent at the turning bench, as not a night 

 clear enough for observing ever passed but that some 

 improvements were planned for perfecting the mounting and 

 motions of the various instruments then in use, or some 

 trials were made of new constructed eye-pieces, which were 

 mostly executed by my brother's own hands. Wishing to 

 save his time, he began to have some work of that kind 

 done by a watchmaker who had retired from business 

 and lived on Datchet Common, but the work was so bad, 

 and the charges so unreasonable, that he could not.be 

 employed. It was not till some time afterwards in his 

 frequent visits to the meetings of the Royal Society (made 

 in moonlight nights), that he had an opportunity of looking 

 about for mathematical workmen, opticians, and founders. 

 But the work seldom answered expectation, and it was 

 kept to be executed with improvements by Alexander during 

 the few months he spent with us. 



The summer months passed in the most active prepara- 

 tion for getting the large twenty-foot ready against the next 

 winter. The carpenters and smiths of Datchet were in daily 

 requisition, and as soon as patterns for tools and mirrors were 

 ready, my brother went to town to have them cast, and during 

 the three or four months Alexander could be absent from 

 Bath, the mirrors and optical parts were nearly completed. 



But that the nights after a day of toil were not given to 

 rest, may be seen by the observations on Mars, of which a 

 paper, dated December 1, 1783, was given to the Royal 

 Society. Some trouble also was often thrown away during 

 those nights in the attempt to teach me to re-measure 



