HERSCHEL AND SCHROETER 169 



planet was snuffed out at once on leaving the sun's 

 body. Things were somewhat different with the 

 planet Venus. 



Venus had for many years been the object of close 

 research by Schroeter, a most painstaking observer of 

 Lilienthal, then a well-known observatory in the duchy 

 of Bremen. Her appearance had also been carefully 

 studied by Herschel for nearly twenty years. The 

 former made out that he had measured on her surface 

 lofty mountains six times higher than Chimborazo, or 

 about twenty-three miles in height. The latter could 

 see nothing of the kind, and poked some grave scientific 

 fun at his friend, who complained, in a learned paper, 

 that he could not "reconcile it to the friendly senti- 

 ments which the author has always hitherto expressed 

 towards me, and which I hold extremely precious ; 

 though perhaps to others it may not have the same 

 appearance." Boscovich's epigram on the planets had 

 come true in the case of these astronomers 



"'Twixt Mars and Venus as this globe was hurled, 

 'Tis plain that love and war must rule the world." 



Schroeter attacks Herschel for misrepresenting, or, on 

 insufficient grounds, rejecting his views. Herschel 

 appears not to have retorted any more than he did 

 when attacked elsewhere by others. It was wise; 

 but he found that the Lady Venus may be as much 

 a source of quarrel, when she walks in unsurpassed 

 brightness among the stars, as when she awakens the 

 feelings of mortal hearts on earth. 



As this was the only scientific quarrel in Herschel's 

 life, it is worth while to show how small it was. Far 

 different were the quarrels which caused annoyance 



