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Chap. V.]
Life in Hanover.
183
MISS HERSCHEL TO J. F. W. HERSCHEL.
HANOVER, March. 7, 1825.
The birthday of my dear nephew! who I wish may enjoy in health and prosperity many returns of this day. I will drink your health, and on the 16th of this month you may return the compliment, for then I shall have completed my seventy-fifth year.
I received the parcel, not till the last day of February, which contained your letter of December 4th, with the prints of the King and Queen, which I delivered to the Regierungsrath B, to forward to his father at Göttingen.
The first part of your letter is filled with expressions of the most feeling kindness towards me, and I will pass them over without attempting to describe what I felt on reading the same, and merely for yours and your dear mother's satisfaction I will answer as in the way of business all you wished to know. November 22nd I received the £50 Lady H. paid over for me to Mr. Goltermann, for which I returned the day after (23rd) the formal receipt in a letter to your mother, and hope it may not have been lost (for I generally write what comes uppermost) .... I am ready with the Catalogue of Nebulæ, and have only to write, not a Preface, for I shall write what I have to say at the end .... I wish, in case you were not on the spot to receive the box from Mr. Goltermann yourself, you would before you left town beg Mr. G. to keep it till you called for it yourself; for I must confess that from the day I let the eight manuscript books and catalogue of Nebulæ, and catalogue of stars drawn out of the eight books of sweeps, go out of my hands, I shall have no peace till I know they are safe in your own, where they ought to be. If you can think of anything else I can send you, I beg you will let me know, for a large parcel is no more trouble than a lesser one to