BRA 



liis tEile and talents, he rcliTiieJ his preferments in l!ic 

 church. In 1724, he comnmnicattd to the Royal .Society 

 Iiis obfcrvations on a comet, which had appeared towards 

 the clofe of the preceding year ; and, in 1726, he commu- 

 nicated to the lame body, of vvliich he had become a mem- 

 ber, a paper containing a comparifon of feme obfcrvaticns' 

 made at I^ilbon, witli thofe made by himfclf at Wanltead, 

 on tiie eclipfes of the f.rll fatellite of Jupiter, and publillicd 

 in the Philofophical Traiifaflions, No. ,;i><'). (See Abr. 

 vol. vi. pt. i. p. 412.) Tlieie communications were follow- 

 ed by his celebrated theory of the aberration of the iixed 

 ilars, the difcovery of which was announced in 1728, and 

 publiflied in the Philofophical I'ranfaclions, No. 406. (See 

 Abr. vol. vi. pt. i. p. 129.) For a particular account and 

 illullration of this theory, of the principles on which it is 

 founded, and of the important purpofcs to which it is ap- 

 plicable, fee the articles AiJERRATioN, LiclTT,and Star. 



Our author's theory, ellabUdisd by the moll accurate ob- 

 fcrvations, was approved by the moll eminent mathemati- 

 cians ; and whilll the pubHcation of it ferved in a very high 

 degree to advance his reputation, it was the means of intro- 

 ducing him to the acquaintance and friendfliip of the earl of 

 Macclesfield, fir Itaac Newton, Dr. Hallev, ajid fevcral 

 other perfons of the moll dillinguiQied charatler. 



In 17JO Mr. Bradley was appointed lefturer of aftronomy 

 and experimental philuiophy in the Univerlity of Oxford ; 

 the duties of which office he performed till witliin a few 

 years of his death. His obfcrvations on the comet that ap- 

 peared in the beginning of the year 1737, were publilhed in 

 the Philofophical Tranlaftions, No. 446, and an abltraCl of 

 them maybe found intiie Abridgment, vol.viii. pt.i. p. 210. 

 About tins time Dr. Halley, who was then the aftronomer 

 royal, and who had conceived a very high opinion of Mr. 

 Bradley's talents and attainments, formed a dclign of refign- 

 iflor in his favour; but ids death prevented the accomplifliment 

 of his purpofe. However, after that event, he obtamed the 

 appointment in February 1741-2; and was, at the fame time, 

 honoured w'ith the degree of doftor of divirjity by a diploma 

 from Oxford. He was now in a fituation peculiarly favour- 

 a'ole for the proftcution of his favouiite fcience ; and he loft 

 no opportunity of cultivating it by the number and accuracy 

 of his oh-fervations. Accordingly, in 1747, he announced 

 to the Royal Society his important difcovery of the nuta- 

 tion of the earth's axis ; which was publiflied in the Philo- 

 fophical Traufaftions, No. 485 ; and is preferved in the 

 Abridgment, vol. X. pt.i. p- 32. For a particular account 

 of this difcovery, fee 'Nutation. The Royal Society, 

 duly apprized of its value, conferred on Dr. Bradley their 

 annual prize medal. By means of the excellent inllrunients, 

 conllrucled by Mr. George Graham, Dr. Bradley, who 

 knew how to ufe them, and what allowance ought to be 

 made for the errors to which they were fnbjciSl, was enabled 

 to obferve celellial phenomena, which had eicaped the notice 

 of former allronomers ; and to the vigilance and accuracy 

 of his obfcrvations v/e are indebted tor the above-mentioned 

 difcovery. Senhbie, however, ot the importance and utility 

 of good inJlrumeuts, our excellent ailronomer availed him- 

 fclf of the yearly vitit of the Royal Society to the Royal Ob- 

 fervatory at Greenwich, to recommend an attention to this 

 bufuiefs ; and he fuceeeced in obtaining, by the interpoli- 

 tion of the fociety, in 1748, a grant ot loocl. from 

 his majefty George II. to be laid out under his direc- 

 -tion for the !.-r)provenient of the aftronomical apparatus. 

 Mr. Graham and Mr. John Bird aililled him in the accom- 

 pliihment of this objeft. To him the world is peculiarly m- 

 <lebted for tiie new naval quadrant, as well as for thofe other 

 iBlirumcats which vverc fet up in the Royal Obfervatoiy. 



BRA 



What ufe he made of tlem will furtlicr appear in the fequcl 



ol this article. 



In 1748, Dr. Bradley wa-s chofen a foreign menibci- of 

 the Royal Academy of Sciences at Paris ; and about the 

 fame time he became entitled to bidiop Crew's benefaction 

 of 30I. a year to the ledurer in experimental phdofopliy 

 at Oxford. In the year 1751, on occafion of a vacancy in 

 the valuable living of Greenwich, it was thought to be 

 conveniently lituated for the Royal Obfervatorv, and cifered, 

 on the part of the king, to Dr. Bradley. But lie alleged 

 that the duty of a paitor was incompatible with his other 

 ftudies, and nccetlary engagements ; and from the moft ccn- 

 fcientious and laudable motives declined accepting this valu- 

 able preferment. ''J'he king, how-evcr, determining that he 

 fhould hot lofe by his integrity, granted him a yearly pcii- 

 fion of 2501. (Feb. 15, 1752) ; which was continued till bin 

 death by his prefent majclly, and has fince been regularly 

 paid to the adronomer royal. 



In 1752, Dr. Bradley was elc£lcd one of the council of 

 the Royal Society ; in 1754, he was appointed a member 

 of the Academy of Sciences at Pctcrfhur,;-, by diploma 

 from the whole b(;dy ; and in I 757, he was admitted into 

 the Academy of Sciences at Bologna ; and he was alfo a 

 member of the Prulllan Academy of Sciences and Belles 

 Lettres at Berlin. His obfcrvations on the comet of 1757, 

 were publiihcd in the Philofophical Tranfaftions, vol.i. 

 part I. p. 408. 



Dr. Bradley profecnted his (Indies and obfcrvations with 

 iniabated vigour and affiduity, till within about two years of 

 his death ; when, probably, as the efTcft of his intenfe and 

 little varied application, h.is fpirits began to be dtprcfTtd, 

 and he was difquicted by an apprehenlion that he fhould 

 furvive his rational faculties ; a calamity, however, which lie 

 never experienced. Neverthelefs, in 1760, his bodily ftrcngth 

 declined ; and about the end of June, 176;, he was attacked 

 with a total iupprcflion of urine, in coid"eqi;ence of an iriflam- 

 matiou of the kidiiics, which terminated his life, at Chal- 

 ford in Gloucelterlhire, on the 13th of Jnlv, in the 70th 

 year of his age. He was interred at Mitchin Hampton, in 

 that county, in the fame grave with his mother, and his 

 wife, whom he married in 1744, and by whom he had one 

 daughter, who furvived him. 



" The public charadler of Dr. Bradley," fays one of his 

 biographers, " as a man of fcience and difcernnient, is well 

 eftablilhed by his works. His private charafter was in 

 every refpeft eilimable. Temperate in li-is enjoyments, 

 mild and benevolent in his dil'pofition, indifferent to the 

 calls of wealth, diltinCtion, and even of fame ;' he was iv:dcbt- 

 ed to his uncommon merit 'alone for the friendfliip niid regard 

 of the molt eminent men of his time. His manner was 

 engaging and communicative, and his language in eonvcrfa- 

 tion clear, impreffive, and fluent, though he was rather 

 more difpofcd to lillen than to fpeak. That he pubhihed 

 io little may perhaps be afcribcd to his fcrupulous accuracy 

 which rendered him d;!lident, or more probably to the calm 

 and placid temper ot his mind, which diil not llrongly urge 

 himtofolicit tliat attention he could at pltalnre command." 

 His obfcrvations made at the Royal Obfervatory during ;o 

 years, comprized in 13 fol. and tv\o quarto volumes, unfor- 

 tunately for the intcrells of fcience, were taken away at his 

 death by his reprefentatives, who, upon preparations being 

 made by government for recovering them by procefs of 

 law, (and an actual commencement of a fuit for that pur- 

 pofe,) prefented them to Icrd North, by whom they were 

 transferred, in I'J'jft, to the iiniveifity of Oxford, ot which 

 he was chancellor, on condition ol their printing and pub- 

 lilliing them. In June, 1791, fifteen years after the Obfcr- 

 B b 2 vaticns 



