ASTRONOMY IN T 1R 15 



yearn, was of com moo occurrence in the talk* 



limn- lik.-ly, for other 



Another astronomer, afterwards a f 



-If a name in the scientific 

 1, Sehroeter, f t!,.- Observa I.i lien thai, in 



the l)ur!.\ <>f Bremen, about twenty miles from Hano- 

 Olbera and I _', two of the astronomers who 



wards undertook t- llerschel in the dis- 



covery of planets, belonged to the same nei-M- -urhood. 

 There was at that time something in the air of 

 Hanover and its neighbourhood that turned the eyes 

 ung men of genius to the stars. It is i 



.Us of the sciences so eminent 

 as Newton, Leibnitz, and Euler entered freely 

 the talks between the father and his two eldest boys. 

 Jacob preferred sleep to talk. William never grew 

 ; ilk on men and subjects so attractive. He was 

 surrounded by living and famous astronomers. '! 



aii-l fame served, probably, to nurse in him th* 

 spark of science tha t ! :htedorci 



The prospect of war \\iih 1 Vance in 1755 gave 

 Herschel an opportui d i t i ng the country of his 



dreams, England. Discontent was i ur large 



towns ; incapacity was still more rife in the army and 

 navy. It was the age of Admiral Byng, of Lord 

 George Sackville, and of the Duke of Cumberland. 

 The French king was known to be planning, and was 

 lik> ly to carry into effect, a descent on the English 

 coast In April it was supposed the storm \\ 



land, for that island was so defenceless 

 that ten thousand troops might walk from one en 

 it to the otht i In October it was reported that a 



