:ST PAPERS FOR ROYAL SOCIETY 51 

 POSM Wataon shared the opinion of Franklin'* 



"White 700, gnat George, for knowledge boat. 

 And sharp conductor* change for I.: 



The nation 1 ! out of jo 

 Frnnklm a wiier count punaea, 

 And all jour thunder neeleeB view* 



By keeping to the point"* 



Watson's diaoovery 0oon bore fruit Hcrachel 

 had been carefully studying the planet Saturn since 



^pring of 1774 Ho had also been observing 

 th< mountains on the moon's face and making calcu- 

 lations of their height Besides, he had been wat< 

 a variable star in the neck of the constellation called 

 The Whale. uonths after his introduction to 



\Vataon, he communicated to the Royal S 



._;h him two papers, which were read on Ma 



and modestly described as by Mr. William 

 Herschel of Bath. The first of the two was M On the 

 Periodical Star in Collo Cet'C The paper in itself was 

 not of much consequence, and it was on an old and 

 well- worn subject; 3 but it showed the books which 

 had influenced him in his astronomical studies, as his 

 sister had found by experience, and the carefulness 

 with which he had for years been making observa- 

 tions on tho stars. He had no desire to be considered 

 an amaU was in thorough earnest, keeping a 



il of what he saw in tho skies, and carefully 



change for future reference. On this 



Stella Mini, ur Wonderful Star, as it was called from 



the " surprising appearances " it was known to present, 



1 Weld, I/i*. oftJu Royal Soeuty, ii. 7, 94-101, 391. 

 8ae UUmlo, L 314 (edition 1 ; 



