9G Caroline Liicretia HcrscheL [1797-1708. 



I was to have occasional access, as also to the 

 room with the sweeping and observing apparatus, 

 remained in its former order, where I most days spent 

 some hours in preparing work to go on with at my 

 lodging." A chance memorandum shows how the 

 leisure time was employed ; thus " At the ending of 

 1787, or beginning of 1788, began to make use of 

 some of the proof-sheets of Wollaston's Catalogue along 

 with Flamsteed's ; " and again, " December 24th, 1797, 

 received notice for printing the Index, which was not 

 at all adapted for that purpose ; but March 8th, 1798, 

 the copy was completed, and taken to the Royal 

 Society, and in the course of the summer the print 

 was corrected." The following letter to the Astrono^ 

 mer Royal bears on this subject : 



MISS HERSCHEL TO REV. DR. MASKELYNE. 



SLOUGH, Sept. 1798. 



DEAR SIR, 



I have for a long while past felt a desire of express- 

 ing my thanks to you for having interested yourself so kind!}- 

 lor the little production of my industry by being the pro- 

 moter of the printing of the Index to Flamsteed's Observa- 

 tions. I thought the pains it had cost me were, and would 

 be, sufficiently rewarded in the use it had already been, and 

 might be in future, to my brother. But your having thought 

 it worthy of the press has flattered my vanity not a little. 

 You see, sir, I do own myself to be vain, because I would 

 not wish to be singular; and was there ever a woman with- 

 out vanity ? or a man either ? only with this difference, that 

 among gentlemen the commodity is generally styled ambition. 



