ASTRONOMY. 



clocks is one of the most advantageous 

 presents that was ever made to astrono- 

 my. He was also the first who found that 

 the singular appearances of Saturn are 

 produced by a ring, by which the planet 

 is surrounded : and his assiduity in ob- 

 serving it led him to the discovery of 

 one of its satellites. 



About this epoch, astronomy began to 

 be more generally cultivated and improv- 

 ed, in consequence of the establishment 

 of several learned societies, which, by ex- 

 citing a spirit of emulation and enterprise 

 among their members, greatly contribut- 

 ed to the advancement of every branch of 

 the mathematical and physical sciences. 



The chief of these were, the Royal Soci- 

 ety of London, and that of the Academy 

 of Sciences of Paris ; both of which have 

 rendered great services to astronomy, as 

 well by the eminent men they have pro- 

 duced, as by the zeal and ardour with 

 which the science has been constantly 

 promoted by them. Towards the latter 

 part of the seventeenth century, and the 

 beginning of the eighteenth, practical as- 

 tronomy seems rather to have languished ; 

 but, at the same time, the theoretical part 

 was carried to the highest degree of per- 

 fection by the immortal Newton, in his 

 "Principia," and by the astronomy of 

 David Gregory. About this time, also, 

 clock and watch-work was greatly im- 

 proved by Mr. Graham, who likewise 

 constructed the old eight feet mural arch 

 at the Royal Observatory at Greenwich, 

 and the zenith sector of 24 feet radius, 

 with which Dr. Bradley discovered the 

 aberration of the fixed stars. The astro- 

 nomical improvements in the last century 

 have been chiefly owing to the greater 

 perfection of instruments, and to the esta- 

 blishment of regular observatories, in va- 

 rious parts of Europe. Romer, a cele- 

 brated Danish astronomer, first made use 

 of a meridian telescope ; and, by observ- 

 ing the eclipses of Jupiter's satellites, 

 was led to his discovery of the motion of 

 light, which he communicated to the Aca- 

 demy of Sciences at Paris, in 1675. 



Mr. Flamsteed was also appointed the 

 first astronomer royal at Greenwich about 

 the same time, where he observed all the 

 celestial phcenomena for more than 44 

 years ; and, as the fruits of his labours, 

 published a catalogue of 3000 stars, with 

 their places, to the year 1688, as also new 

 solur tables, and a theory of the moon, 

 according to Horrox. Cassini, also, the 

 first French astronomer royal, greatly 

 distinguished himself by his numerous 

 observations on the sun, moon and pla- 



nets, and by the improvements he made 

 in the elements of their motions. 



In 1719, Mr. Flamsteed was succeeded 

 by Dr. Halley, the friend of Newton, and 

 a man of the first eminence in all tne~ 

 classes of literature and science, who 

 had been sent, at the early age of 21, to 

 the island of St. Helena, to observe the 

 southern stars, a catalogue of which he 

 published in 1729 ; and a few years after- 

 wards he gave to the public his " Synop- 

 sis Astronomize Cometicse," in which he 

 ventured to predict the return of a comet 

 in 1758 or 1759. 



On the death of Dr. Halley, in 1742, he 

 was succeeded by Dr. Bradley, who has 

 rendered himself highly celebrated by 

 two of the finest discoveries that have 

 ever been made in astronomy, the aber- 



motions of Jupiter's satellites, as well as 

 the most correct table of refractions yet 

 extant. Also, with a large transit instru- 

 ment, and a new mural quadrant of eight 

 feet radius, constructed by Bird, in 1750, 

 he made an immense number of observa- 

 tions, for settling the places of all the 

 stars in the British catalogue, together 

 with nearly 150 places of the moon, the 

 greater part of which he compared with 

 Mayer's tables. 



Dr. Bradley was succeeded in 1762, in 

 his office of astronomer royal, by Mr. 

 Bliss, but who, being in a declining stntr 

 of health, died in 1765, and was succeed- 

 ed by Nevil Maskelyne, D. D., the pre- 

 sent astronomer royal, who has rendered 

 considerable services to this science, by 

 his publication of the " Nautical Alma- 

 nac," the " Requisite Tables," &c. ; and 

 more particularly by the great assiduity 

 and zeal he has displayed in bringing the 

 lunar method of determining the longi- 

 tude at sea into general practice. 



Such was the state of astronomy, when 

 Dr. Herschell,by augmenting the powers 

 of telescopes beyond the most sanguine 

 expectations, opened a scene altogether 

 unlocked for. By this indefatigable ob- 

 server, we are made acquainted with a 

 new primary planet belonging to our sys- 

 tem, called the Gecrgium Sidus, attended 

 by six satellites, which he discovered on 

 the 13th of March, 1781, and which be- 

 ing at twice the distance of Saturn 71 cm 

 the sun, has doubled the bounds formerly 

 assigned to the solar system. We ra-e xlso 

 indebted to him lor a variety of ol>^ -va- 

 tions on several other interesting astrono- 

 mical subjects ; such as the discovery of 



