XXI 



1820, and of the Royal Society in 1828. He was a man of retired 

 habits, but of amiable character and unblemished integrity. 



MANUEL JOHN JOHNSON, the late RadclifFe Observer, expired 

 suddenly on the 28th of February, 1859, in the fifty-fourth year of his 

 age. Cut off as he was in the midst of his invaluable labours and in 

 the full vigour of his high intellectual powers, his death has caused 

 a severe loss to science, which, however deeply deplored by the 

 numerous friends who enjoyed the privilege of his intimate acquaint- 

 ance, will only be appreciated in its full extent when the great and 

 important works which he designed, and so nearly executed, shall have 

 been duly completed. 



After passing through the usual course of studies at Addiscombe 

 College, Mr. Johnson commenced his public career in 1821 as an 

 officer in the St. Helena Artillery, and while acting as aide-de-camp 

 to General Walker, then in command of the island, was appointed to 

 the control of a small but efficient observatory, founded by the 

 Honourable East India Company. The establishment came into 

 active service in 1829, and in the short space of three years and a 

 half, a valuable catalogue of 606 stars had been observed by the young 

 astronomer and a single assistant. This catalogue was afterwards 

 published, at the expense of the Court of Directors, in the * Memoirs 

 of the Royal Astronomical Society/ and obtained for its author the 

 award of the gold medal of that body in the year 1835. 



On the termination of this important work, Lieut. Johnson re- 

 turned to England, and entered the University of Oxford as an 

 undergraduate. On the death of Professor Rigaud, in 1839, he was 

 appointed Radcliffe Observer, and speedily rendered the Observatory 

 one of the most active scientific institutions in the world. 



One of his first acts was to obtain permission of the Radcliffe 

 Trustees to publish an annual volume of Observations thus scorning 

 the life of comparative ease he might have chosen, and giving the 

 world an effectual guarantee for the performance of those self-imposed 

 duties to which he so willingly and faithfully devoted the remainder 

 of his life. He accordingly immediately began the re-observation of 

 * Groombridge's Circumpolar Catalogue/ adding thereto all conspi- 

 cuous adjacent stars, and many others of especial interest. To this 

 important work the resources of the Observatory were devoted for 



