PK Y OF HERSCH1 in 



He conceived the idea of a 40-feet reflector, with a 



4- feet mirror at the bottom of the tube, cast and 



himself. Hia own account of the begin- 



magnificent work ia thin : - In the year 



1783 I finished a very good 20-feet reflector with u 



large aperture, and mounted it upon the plan of my 



present telescope. After two yean' obst i with 



great advantage of such apertures appeared ao 

 dearly to me, that I recurred to my former intention 



creasing them still farther ; and being now miffi- 

 rovided with experience in the work I wished 

 to undertake, the President of our Royal Society, who 

 is always ready to promote useful undertakings, had 

 the goodness to lay my design before the King. His 

 Majesty was graciouMy pleased to approve of it, and 

 with his usual liberality to support it with his Royal 

 bounty." There is this to be said on the departure 

 now made, that the great telescope, from the difficulty 

 of handling it, cannot be considered to have altog* 

 answered his expectations, for the 20-feet continued 

 to be his favourite in studying the heavens. But h<- 

 was full of hope. " By applying ourselves," he wrote 



:>ril 17M. " with all our powers to the improve- 

 ment of telescopes, which I look upon as yet 



it state, and turning them with assiduity to the 

 study <>f the heavens, we shall in time obtain some faint 



ledge of, and perhaps be able partly to delineate, 

 v-rior Construction of the Universe." 



i schel himself devised and superintended every- 

 thing about this great telescope. None but " common 

 workmen" were employed, as was also the case with 

 the greater reflector built by Lord Rosse, sixty yean 

 later. The woodwork of the stand, and machines for 



