126 Dr . Herschel’s Account of 
dered why it had not druck me fooner. The i ith of January, 
\ 
therefore, in the courfe of my general review of the heavens, 
I felecled a fweep which led to the Georgian planet ; and, while 
it palled the meridian, I perceived near its difk, and within a 
few of its diameters, fome very faint dars whofe places I 
noted down with great care. 
The next day, when the planet returned to the meridian, I 
looked with a molt fcrutinizing eye for my fmall dars, and 
perceived that two of them were milling. Had I been lefs 
acquainted with optical deceptions, I fhould immediately have 
announced the exidence of one or more fatellites to our new 
planet ; but it was neceflary that I Ihould have no doubts. 
The lead; hazinefs, otherwife imperceptible, may often ob- 
fcure fmall dars ; and I judged, therefore, that nothing lefs 
than a feries of obfervations ought to fatisfy me, in a cafe of 
this importance. To this end I noticed all the fmall liars that 
were near the planet the 14th, 17th, 18th, and 24th of Ja- 
nuary, and the 4th and 5th of February; and though, at the 
end of this time, I had no longer any doubt of the exidence of 
at lead one Satellite, I thought it right to defer this communi- 
cation till I could have an opportunity of feeing it actually in 
motion. Accordingly I began to purfue this fatellite on Feb. 
the 7th, about fix o’clock in the evening, and kept it in view 
till three in the morning on Feb. the 8th ; at which time, 
on account of the dtuation of my houfe, which intercepts a view 
of part of the ecliptic, I was obliged to give over the chace : and 
during thofe nine hours I faw this fatellite faithfully attend its 
primary planet, and at the fame time keep on, in its own 
courfe, by defcribing a condderable arch of its proper orbit. 
While I was chiefly attending to the motion of this fatellite, 
I did not forget to follow another fmall dar, which I was 
pretty 
