SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



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Frederick William Herschel was born in Hanover, 

 November 15th, 1738, of Protestant parents. His 

 first Christian name was seldom used, and he was 

 generally known as William Herschel only. His 

 ancestors were long employed about the Hano- 

 varian Court in various capacities, either in the 

 gardens, or chiefly in the bands of music attached 



Sir William Herschel. 



to the regiment of Guards. William was engaged 

 as hautboy player, but his health becoming 

 shaken, he was made to desert his regiment by 

 his parents, who shipped him off to England. 

 Here he had a hard struggle for existence for the 

 first three years of his residence, but fortunately 

 he got the appointment of bandmaster of the 

 Durham Militia, after which he became a music 

 teacher at Doncaster, and conducted concerts in 

 other parts of Yorkshire. In 1765 he was organist 

 at Halifax, whence he w-ent to Bath in the same 

 capacity. There he studied harmony and mathe- 

 matics after many a day of sixteen hours' teaching. 

 This led on to astronomy, and he hired a small 

 reflector from a quaker optician. With his 

 brother's help, and some tools, in 1773 he set up 

 his first telescope, and on March 4th, 1774, 

 observed the nebula of Orion, a record of which 

 is preserved by the Royal Society. 



From that time, by slow and laborious work, 

 he steadily made his way as an astronomical 

 observer, until the jointure he received with his 

 wife, on their marriage in 17SS, left him free for 

 greater work. 



Herschel was a man in every way to be admired, 

 gentle, cultured, earnest and painstaking in every- 

 thing he undertook. Fullof simplicity and kindness, 

 he was ever ready to help others. His fidelity 

 in friendship was notorious. It is related that in 

 the midst of his busy life in Bath he left every- 

 thing to search for a younger brother who had run 

 away from home. 



At last there came the great necessity of tho.se 

 times, royal favour ; it included, by the way, free 

 pardon for his deserting the regiment of Guards 

 and a Knighthood xjf the Royal Guelphic Order of 

 Hanover. It is impossible here to enumerate all 

 the astronomical achievements of Herschel — it would 

 occupy pages ; the titles alone fill sixty-nine pages 

 in the memoirs published by the Royal Society, 

 He was virtually the founder of sidereal science, 

 and he left records of 2,500 nebulae, whereas 103 

 were only known on his taking up the study of 

 astronomy. All he did was with the aid of simple 

 instruments slung on a scaffolding mounted on 

 circular rails. He never possessed a transit instru- 

 ment, nor an equatorial. He it was v^ho first 

 indicated the association of sun-spots and terres- 

 trial weather, pointing out that the price of wheat 

 rose when the spots were scarce. He died of 

 bilious fever, 25th August, 1S22, in his eighty- 

 fourth year, and was buried at Slough. 



His only child. Sir John William Herschel 

 (1792-1871) the first baronet, followed the path so 

 ably directed by his father, with the advantage of 

 improved instruments and the augmented know- 

 ledge of both generations. He was unsurpassed as 

 an observer. 



Dr. Edward Jenner (1749-1823). 

 Edward Jenner is better known to the world as a 

 medical man than an e.xponent of any branch of 

 natural science. He it was who first practically 



Dr. ED\v.M;n Jenner. 



applied what is now known as bacteriology to the 

 alleviation of human suft'ering — for such was, 

 unknown to himself, the discovery of vaccination 

 as a preventive of smallpox. 



Edward Jenner was born at Berkeley, in 

 Gloucestershire, where his father was vicar, on 

 May 17th, 1749. His mother's father had also been 



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