J9 
continued together for some time, making observations on the 
meridional zenith distances of the fixed stars, sun, moon, and 
planets, with the times of their transits over the meridian; also the 
diameters of the sun and moon, and their eclipses, and those of 
Jupiter’s satellites, the variation of the compass, &c. Mr. Sharp 
assisted Mr. Flamsteed also in making a catalogue of nearly three 
thousand fixed stars, with their longitudes and magnitudes, their 
right ascensions and polar distances, with the variations of the same 
while they change their longitude by one degree. Among other 
indications of great genius it was stated that Mr. Sharp made most 
of the tools used by joiners, clockmakers, opticians, and mathemat¬ 
ical instrument makers. The telescopes he made use of were all of 
his own making, and the lenses were ground, figured, and adjusted 
with his own hands. The quadrature of the circle was undertaken 
by him for his own private amusement in 1699, deduced from two 
different series, by which the truth was proved to seventy-two 
places. Mr. Sharp continued all his life a bachelor, and spent his 
time as recluse as a hermit. He was very irregular in his meals, 
and sparing in his diet. His breakfast, dinner, and supper often 
remained untouched when his servant went to clear away. He was 
of middle stature, of a delicate constitution, and very thin. He 
died July 18, 1742, aged 91. Mr. Ford described the equatorial of 
Mr. Sharp’s own making (in the possession of the Society), which 
had been purchased by the late Mr. W. L. Newman, and from his 
description it appeared that, notwithstanding some defects, the 
instrument had been considered a very fine one. 
Me. Ford alluded to another astronomer, who resided in this 
city, namely, John Goodricke, who was born at Groningen, on the 
17th of September, 1764. At five years old he had scarlet fever 
ending in total deafness. His father removed to York in 1774, 
and he was three years in a deaf and dumb asylum at Edinbimgh. 
In 1778, he was under Dr. Enfield, at the Academy at Warrington, 
an accomplished mathematician and natural philosopher. In 1781, 
he returned to York, and made acquaintance with Edward Pigott, 
Esq., a gentleman well versed in astronomy, residing in the house 
now occupied by J. P. Mills, Esq., in Bootham. In the garden 
attached to this house Mr. Pigott’s father had constructed an 
observatory, and here, in 1782, Mr. Goodricke observed variations 
in the star Algol, in the constellation Medusa. For this he was 
awarded the annual gold medal of the Poyal Society, when he was 
only eighteen years of age. In 1796, he was elected a Fellow of 
B 2 
