206 HERSCHEL AND HIS WORK 



Another visit paid by Herschel was to Paris at 

 the commencement of the shortlived peace of Amiens 

 in 1801. From the brief notes preserved in his sister's 

 Memoirs it appears that, on July 13, " my brother, 

 Mrs. H., my nephew John, and Miss Baldwin left 

 Slough to go to Paris." The next entry is, " An- 261 h. 

 All returned with my nephew dangerously ill. 

 Going daily for some hours to work at the Observa- 

 tory, and to receive visitors and letters, had nt 

 hastened my recovery, for it required no less tlrm 

 seven months before I could be without the attnul- 

 ance of Dr. Pope." During these weeks of holiday 

 in France, Herschel had opportunities of renewing 

 or strengthening the friendly feelings with which the 

 astronomers of that country, during an age of great 

 hostility between the two nations, regarded tin- 

 labours of their English brethren. They had shown 

 their esteem for him in particular by choosing him 

 as a member of the Institute, one of the highest 

 honours that could be bestowed on a man of sci- 

 But his visit was made more remarkable by an 

 interview with Napoleon Buonaparte, who was then 

 First Consul, and afterwards Emperor. Twelve years 

 later he gave an account of it to Thomas Campbell, 

 the poet, who met him at Brighton, and thus records 

 the story : 1 



" I was anxious to get from him as many particulars 

 as I could about his interview with Buonaparte. 

 The latter, it was reported, had astonished him by his 

 astronomical knowledge. 



" ' No/ he said ; ' the First Consul did surprise me by 

 his quickness and versatility on all subjects; but in 



1 Seattle's Life of Campbell, ii. 234, 235, 239. 



