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SIE WILLIAM HERSCHEL, D.C.L., F.R.S., &c. 



Born November 15, 1738. Died August 23, 1822. 



Authentic particulars respecting both the early and private life 

 of this great astronomer are sadly deficient ; his scientific works 

 are, however, of a world-wide reputation, and it is with these that 

 we are chiefly concerned. William Herschel was born at Hanover, 

 and was one of a numerous family, who supported themselves chiefly 

 by their musical talents. At the age of fourteen William was placed, 

 it is said, in the band of the Hanoverian regiment of Guards, which 

 he accompanied to England at a period variously stated from 1757 

 to 1759. On his arrival he remained for some time at Durham, and 

 was subsequently, for several years, organist at Halifax, where he 

 was also employed in teaching music and studying languages. At 

 length, about the year 1766, he found himself in comparatively easy 

 circumstances, as organist of the Octagon Chapel at Bath. Here 

 Herschel began to study earnestly the science of astronomy ; and 

 feeling the necessity of obtaining a good telescope, the purchase of 

 which would be beyond his means, he determined to make one him- 

 self. After many trials, he succeeded in 1774 in executing with 

 his own hands a reflecting telescope, and soon acquired so much 

 dexterity, as to construct instruments of ten and twenty feet in 

 focal length. 



In the year 1780 he contributed his first paper, ' On the Variable 

 Star in Cetus,' to the Royal Society; and on the 13th of March, 1781, 

 announced to the world his discovery of a supposed comet, which, 

 on further examination, proved to be a planet exterior to Saturn, 

 now named Uranus.* This fortunate success was the first addition 

 to the number of primary planets since a period of an immemorial 

 antiquity, and it speedily made the name of Herschel famous. 



George III. took the new astronomer under his protection, and 

 attached him to his court, bestowing on him the title of astronomer 

 to the king, with a salary of 400Z. a year. It is difficult to estimate 

 the amount of benefit thus conferred on astronomy by the award of 

 this pension ; for nothing short of the entire devotion of a lifetime, 

 could have produced such results as we owe to Herschel. His 

 contributions to the ' Philosophical Transactions' alone amount to 

 sixty-nine in number, and may give some idea of the unwearied 

 activity of the author ; they range over a period of thirty-five years, 

 commencing in 1780 and terminating in 1815. The numerous bodies 

 which he added to the solar system, make that number half as large 

 again as he found it. Including Halley's comet, and the four satel- 

 lites of Jupiter and five of Saturn, the number previously known 



* Called at first Georgium Sidus in honour of George the Third. 



