CHAP, vi.] Her English Bed. 215 



Spain and England, with their great pensions, which they 

 draw from the latter country, that it is quite a new world, 

 peopled with new beings, to what I left it in 1772. Added 

 to this comes the fear of having my new little English bed 

 (which on my removal I made with my own hands) burnt 

 before I am aware ; for, figure to yourself what danger one 

 continually must be exposed to, when, in the house where I 

 live, seven families (besides the floor my sister-in-law and I 

 occupy) with their servants and children, are living, and 

 their firing wood and turf is all carried over our heads. 

 About a month before Easter a great brewery, very near us, 

 burnt down, with many surrounding houses, to the ground. 

 I looked out of the window, and the burning flakes fell on 

 my forehead ; besides this, I have had four times the fright 



of fires at some greater distance. 



***** 



Your most affectionate Sister, 



C. HERSCHEL. 



MISS HERSCHEL TO J. F. W. HERSCHEL. 



* 



Aug. 16, 1827. 

 MY DEAREST NEPHEW, 



On the 9th I received the papers with your short but 

 sweet letter, and according to your direction they are by this 

 time at their destined places, all but Struve's and Bessel's ; 

 the latter, I was obliged to leave to the care of Encke, and 

 Struve's to Schumacher. I am particularly obliged to you 

 for your second Catalogue of double and treble stars, which 

 on reading it once over, makes me long for the time when I 

 shall be perfectly at ease to take it up again ; for, by the 

 manner in which you gentlemen now attack the starry 

 heavens, it seems that there will soon remain nothing to be 

 discovered. 



You mention that Mr. Baily intends to bring Flamsteed's 



