98 



SCIENTIFIC THOUGHT. 



modern times by any single mincl,^ the penetrating and 

 far-seeing genius of Colbert had already recognised the 

 important part which science would one day play in 

 the government of the world, and had secured the ap- 

 proval of his royal master to the constitution of an Aca- 



Philos. Transactions in 1675), by 

 applying which he determined that 

 " the moon appeared to be kept in 

 her orbit purely by the power of 

 gravity." See Brewster's ' Life of 

 Newton,' vol. i. p. 290, &c. ; Tod- 

 hunter's ' History of the Theories of 

 Attraction,' vol. i. p. 38, &c. This 

 account is, however, now discredited 

 (see infra, chap, iv.) For the part 

 which iJr Hooke and Halley took in 

 the discover}' of the " reciprocal 

 duplicate " ratio, see also Brewster, 

 loc. cit., vol. i. p. 291, &c. During 

 the writing of the ' Priiicipia ' New- 

 ton carried on a useful correspond- 

 ence with Flamsteed, who was then 

 Astronomer-Roj'al. Howthishappy 

 co-operation ceased ten years later 

 can be read at length in Brewster 

 {loc. cit., vol. i. p. 312 ; vol. ii. p. 164, 

 &c.) The greatest material assist- 

 ance which Newton received was 

 from Halley, who defrayed the ex- 

 penses of publishing the ' Principia,' 

 after the Roj'al Society, to which it 

 was dedicated, had reversed its resol- 

 ution to defray them (Brewster, vol. 

 i. p. 305, &c. ) Nevertheless Weld, in 

 his 'History of the Royal Society,' 

 says: "Fortunate indeed was it for 

 .science that such a bodj^ as the Royal 

 Society existed, to whom Newton 

 could make his scientific communi- 

 cations ; otherwise it is very possible 

 that the ' Principia ' would never 

 have seen the light." Though one 

 must lament the difierences be- 

 tween Flamsteed and Newton, which 

 prevented the latter from bring- 

 ing his investigations of the lunar 

 and planetary theories to a close 

 (Brewster, vol. i. p. 312), a word of 



deep gratitude is due to Flamsteed's 

 own exertions in the cause of astro- 

 nomy. After Charles II. had built 

 the Observatorj'^ in order to have 

 the places of the fixed stars " anew 

 observed, examined, and corrected 

 for the use of his seamen" (Flam- 

 steed, History of his own I^ife), and 

 after he had appointed Flamsteed 

 Astronomer - Royal at a salary of 

 100 per annum, the Observatory, 

 " hurriedly established, was left for 

 a period of nearly fifteen years 

 without a single instrument being 

 furnished by the Government " 

 (Weld, vol. i. p. 255). The instru- 

 ments were mostly supplied by 

 Flamsteed himself orient by others, 

 and besides, " the king had ordered 

 that Flamsteed should instruct 

 monthly two boys from Christ 

 Church Hospital, which was a great 

 annoyance to him, and interfered 

 with his proper avocations " (Baily, 

 'Account of the Rev. J. Flamsteed'). 

 " Anj' other man would probablj- 

 have succumbed under the amount 

 of drudgery appertaining to the 

 office (earning his salary by labour 

 harder than thrashing), if indeed, 

 in the absence of encouragement, 

 he would have continued in it at 

 all, aud particularly when the re- 

 ward was so insignificant" (Weld, 

 vol. i. p. 256). 



1 "And it may be justly said, 

 that so many and so valuable Phil- 

 osophical Truths, as are herein dis- 

 covered and ])ut past dispute, were 

 never jet owing to' the Capacity 

 and Industi-y of any one Man " 

 (Words of Halley, Philos. Transac- 

 tions, vol. xvL, 1687). 



