biography of princes, antient and modern, where
highly merited among his compeers of every age and country?[subnote 1]He was no ordinary proficient in what he gave his full attention to: and we have reason to believe that, like John Harrison, he was well qualified to discuss the eclipses of Jupiter's satellites. It is notorious that his affections were noways 'dark as Erebus;' for he loved music, and was much gratified with the compositions of Handel, but when a tract on astronomy by Mr. (afterwards Sir William) Herschel, who was professionally a musician, and excelled in it,[subnote 2] fell in his way he
- ↑ This insensibility, or this stultified indifference to the merit which might have been expected to rivet their attention by its newness, but which was left to be recorded half a century after by a penman who has not seen a college, except in travelling, and who could say, with Coriolanus,—'I have misfortunes to shew you, which shall be yours in private,' becomes a reproach which the Gentlemen of Oxford and Cambridge, feeling for the honour of their institutions, may desire to shake off, bat they should be reminded of Charles II. saying to the Duke of York, when he had married Anne Hyde, that—'he must drink according to his brewing.'
- ↑ In Dr. Miller's 'History of Doncaster' who was his personal friend, are some interesting particulars of Young Herschel's early progress in England. His first engagement was by the month in the band of the Durham Militia.
several acts relative to the Longitude and for remodelling the Board; having judged it expedient to preclude the necessity of sending to the Universities for scientific assistance, while it could be obtained much nearer, he thought proper to observe, that he designed no disrespect to the Gentlemen who had heretofore attended.—
—Abstractedly considered, this would bespeak the assent of the public, but there was neither a Professor Vince, a sideral Airy, nor a Dr. Izaac Milner in the time of John Harrison. By the way, Mr. Croker appears to have had no conception of that jealousy of the Mechanics, which the dishonourable refusal of a check on the computations, after the first voyage, might have been sufficient to apprise him of.Certainly it was very far from his intention to reflect on such well known and respectable names as that of a Vince and his coadjutors; they were too well known in the scientific world to be affected by any observation of his, were he inclined to detract from their merits.
