84 HISTORY OF ASTRONOMY. 



infallibly have recognized it as soon as he had instituted 

 a comparison of his observations. Being fully resolved to 

 make sure of the diamond, he shoveled up with it a 

 great mass of rubbish, and stored it all away to examine 

 at his leisure. 



To Le Yerrier belongs the credit of having been the 

 first to publish to the world the process by which he 

 arrived at the conclusion of the existence of a new 

 planet; and it is conceded that his researches were 

 more complete and elaborate than those of his rival; 

 while to Galle belongs the undisputed honor of having 

 been the first practically to recognize this body as a 

 planet. 



To give to the new planet the name of Le Yerrier, 

 would be indeed to confer honor where honor was due ; 

 but it would be dishonor to others whose pretensions are 

 but little inferior to his own. The astronomers of Eu- 

 rope have preferred to take a name from the divinities 

 of the Eoman mythology, in conformity with a well- 

 established usage; and as the name of Neptune har- 

 monizes with this system, and withal was first suggested 

 by the Bureau des Longitudes, they decided to adhere 

 to it. This was the unanimous voice of Europe, with 

 the exception of France, and the astronomers of France 

 have since acquiesced in this decision. 



The discovery of Neptune has given an unequivocal 

 refutation to Bode's law of the planetary distances. This 

 famous law may be thus stated. If we set down the 

 number 4 several times in a row, and to the second 4 



