<c 



no mean violinist' 2 and that he gave 

 musical parties is not improbably true. 

 But it appears to be quite certain that he 

 and Herschel did not make acquaintance 

 with each other in Yorkshire, and that 

 the Rector of Thornhill did not instruct 

 the future illustrious astronomer in the 

 art of grinding specula. Herschel was 

 appointed organist at Bath in the autumn 

 of 1766 and removed to that city at the 

 beginning of the following year, before 

 Michell succeeded to the living at Thorn- 

 hill. There was thus no opportunity for 

 their meeting in Yorkshire. Herschel at 

 Bath was absorbed in his duties as a pro- 

 fessional musician and did not enter upon 

 the study of astronomy till 1773, and next 

 year began to grind specula. The two 

 men had never met nor exchanged letters 

 up to the spring of the year I78I 1 . 



The legend that the discoverer of the 

 planet Uranus received his first lessons in 



1 Scientific Papers of Sir William Herschel (1912), 

 vol. i, p. xxxii. 



C. I 7 



