The Osceola times., 1876-04-29
THE HERSCHELs.

no8Von8 mctnouicaiiy iOr uimeeu. Want
ing telescope, and unable TO afford a
reflector, he made one, a Newtonian of
Ave feet focal length, and with this he
commenced an exhaustive study OF the
armament, taking the groups of stars in
regular series. The discoveries he made
were considerable, and induced him To
make researches with telescope of greater
pOwer. So he commenced the construc-
ton Of twenty-foot reflector, by which
minute characteristics might be distin-
guished among the STAN, nebula, and
planets. To pursue his labors with any
advantage he required knowledge Of
mathematics and the art of calculating
by logarithmA, but he was already In.
structed In these branches Of learning.
Caroline, who had in a lesser degree
taught herself mathematics, fell readily
into the project of making telescope
which would excel everything elss of the
kind. Here, then, about IVA, were these
two Herschcls busted In elescopc-msking.
Mechanics were employed to assist, and
the house for time was almost turned
into a Workshop. A foundry was estab-
lished In the back garden. The beating
Of hammers was heard in the garret.
There were turning -lathes in The bed.
rooms. The rasping Of files went on In
all directions. Caroline took her part in
The general bubbub. Returning from
concert, In which she had acquitted her.
self ~ vocalist, she would rapidly
change her dress, put on a pair Of old
gloves, and work IKE heroine until far
on in the morning. The heaviest and
most critical part Of the manufacture
WAS casting and polishing the mirror.
william undertook the polishing. SO
eager was he that he did not even spare
time to take food. Caroline waited on
him and put victusls into his mouth.
bometimes To amuse him during these
monotonous labors she read TO him chap
ters from Don Quixote or the works
Of stcrne and Fielding. They were re.
warded. The twenty.fsot telescope was
. success.
In 1881 William discovered Uranus, at
first called the Georgium Sidus, one of
the remoter planets. Men of science be-
gan to speak Of his astronomical feats and
gladly welcomed him to their circle. He
was elected a Fellow of the Royal So
ciety, and for the few days he could spare
from professional duties was introduced
into the best society of London. The
time had come for devoting himself
entirely 10 astronomical pursuits. On
Whit-Sunday, 1882, he and his sister
played and sung in public for the last
time at chapel in Bath. Caroline had
various requests to sing in oratorios at
Bristol and elsewhere, but they were
declined. She would not leave her
brother. We thus fix 1882 as the turn
ing point in the history of the Herschels.
Music was laid aside. Henceiorth II was
10 be all astronomy, and there was
revealing in ideas Of what might be mu-
tually discovered. Bath had served its
day and was given up. The neigAbsr.
hood of London, well out of the fog and
smoke, was resolved on as place Of res
idence. In coming to this determination
perhaps Herschel was influenced by at
tentions shown to him by George iii.
The king protesscd TO be interested in
his discoveries and had fancy to see his
telescope; and appointed him to be
Astronomer Royal, at salary Of f4OO
a year. Never, rs was said, did menarch
purchase honor more cheaply.
At first the Herchels set themselves
down in an old tumble-down house at
Datchet, where there was considerable
space for fabricating telescopes. To Car
oline was assigned the special duty of
examining the heavens nightly with the
small Newtonian telescope called a
"sweeper," made by her brother. Gaz-
ing for hours intently, she was to "sweep
for cemets" or whatever seemed new and
remarkable. The duty of standing on
dewy grass-plot till, it might be, two in
the morning, searching for comets or
those cloud looking clusters of stars
called nebule, or anything else strange
on the surface Of the sky, was rather
trying and would scarcely fit modern
young lady. In her devotion to her
brother, Miss Herschel did not murmur
at the Inconvenience Of these explora.
tions. She was bent on the glory OF being
q discoverer. To pursue her task to any
god effects she had made herself &C.
quainted with the names and places Of
the already known stars, comets, and
other phenomena. She could detect a
new comet in the realms Of space as
readily as you would discover strange
passenger In the street. Her brother
having put up his twenty. foot telescope,
was equally busy sweeping the heavens,
aud from the size and powers of the in.
strument was able 10 penetrate deeper
into space, % ~ to resolve some Of the neb-
ule into their component stars. In this
way the two together largely increased
the catalogue Of ncbula, stars, comets,
and satellites. For her own part, Caro-
line first and Last discovered as many q,
eight comets, only two Of which had pre-
viously been known.
During the day Herschel was busy
making telescopes Of feet, 10 feet, and
20 on, that had keen bespoke; some ol
them being ordered BY the king for use
by the royal family. One was ordered
BY the king Of Spain 1t the price of e..
80. Two were ordered by the prince Of
Uanino At . cost Of f2,S00. The making
of these telescopes was remnnerativt
work, mot TO be rejected, but it delayed
the preparation Of telescope, with {
mirror 4 feet In diameter, having foca
length Of 70 feet, on which great expec
ou1f1aa vglD founded. At length, an In
3Ungtof the0 nagni2csnt diansnslon