xix 



rate treatises of great importance*, and by a profusion of lectures, reviews, 

 and other contributions to periodical literature t- Out of this wonderful 

 collection a few specimens may be selected. 



Of all his writings, that which has been most universally admired and 

 whose influence has been most widely felt is the " Discourse on the Study 

 of Natural Philosophy," which in 1830 appeared in ' Lardner's Cabinet 

 Cyclopaedia.' For power and elegance of language, for clearness of illus- 

 tration, for sound and far-sighted judgment, this little book cannot be 

 surpassed. Of course the progress of research enables us now to see further 

 in some directions than he could then anticipate, and the principles enun- 

 ciated in the first chapter have roused the ire of some of the philosophists 

 of the day. They, however, are proof against the cavils of such rash specu- 

 lators, for they are in perfect unison with the noblest aspirations and highest 

 intuitions of human nature. Of his purely physical works the astrono- 

 mical portion must hold the first place as a stupendous monument of un- 

 wearied labour, guided and enlightened by high theoretic anticipations and 

 consummate skill. 



As his father's greatest triumphs were achieved in the regions of double 

 stars and nebulae, it was natural that his thoughts should be turned in the 

 same direction, and that he should be impelled to complete as far as pos- 

 sible what Sir William had left imperfect. As early as 1821 he is found 

 associated with Sir James South in forming a Catalogue of Double Stars, 

 which appeared in our 'Transactions' for 1824, and was honoured with our 

 medal. This union of labour was soon interrupted. South moved his 

 observatory to Passy in quest of a clearer atmosphere than that of Black- 

 man Street. Herschel also went to the continent. His friend Babbage 

 had been overwhelmed by a domestic calamity, and Herschel abandoned 

 his own pursuits to aid time and change of scene in alleviating the affliction 

 of his companion 



On his return to Slough he resumed the double stars, and by 1832 he 

 had observed 5075 of these objects, a large portion of which were new to 

 astronomers. Most of these were observed with the 20-feet Herschelian 

 reflector ; and only they who have experienced the difficulty of obtaining 

 good measures of a double star even with a steady equatorial can rightly 

 appreciate the merit of such work performed with an instrument mounted 

 as this was (see the drawing of it in the frontispiece of the ' Cape Obser- 

 vations '). The results were published in six memoirs, the last of which 



* Two of these are of great value,— that on sound in the 1 Encyclopaedia Metro- 

 politan,' and that on telescopes in the ' Encyclopaedia Britannica' (this contains a de- 

 scription of the polishing-apparatus of his father). 



t He was often requested by the Council of the Royal Society to report on papers 

 submitted to it for publication. Some of theso Reports which the writer has seen are 

 so full of valuable matter as to make him regret that the rides of the Society do not 

 permit their publication. 



J In their tour they were received with great kindness by Laplace, who was fully 

 cognizant of what they had done at Cambridge, and referred to it with much pleasure. 



