Mr. Bailey speaks as every honest man must do, and the Reviewer only quotes Mr. Bailey's words. The readiest and indeed the only mode of extricating Newton from the dirty business in which he was unfortunately involved is to suppose him to have been all along the dupe of Halley's intrigues; and thus allowing him to clear his conscience at the expense of his judgment.

This Preface, however, of that moral character, Halley, is also brought forward to decide whether the Reviewer has not shown extraordinary ignorance of that part of scientific history, &c.' The Reviewer is certainly ignorant of this preface, which is to guide men's judgments; he knows no more of it than what Mr. Whewell has extracted, and that is one tissue of falsehood, as proved in the 'Life of Flamsteed: it is, moreover, damning evidence against Halley. That it is so little known is due to the magnanimity of Flamsteed, who made a sacrifice to heavenly truth' by burning 300 copies of the purloined and mutilated book. The extract from this precious preface, given by Mr. Whewell to enlighten mankind, commences with a bold assertion that thirty years had nearly elapsed, and nothing had proceeded from the magnificent observatory with which Flamsteed was entrusted. This magnificent observatory was entered by Flamsteed without a chair, or table, or instrument of any kind within its naked walls, all of which he supplied out of his pitiful salary of 100l. a year, assisted by the liberality of his private friends. He left it a 'magnificent observatory,' it is true-and his widow was threatened with a prosecution on the part of government for insisting on keeping what was her own. The Preface' proceeds to say, 'Mr. Flamsteed appeared to have laboured only for himself, or for a small number of friends.' Mr. Whewell would have done wisely to have suppressed this passage, for he has himself told us (p. 9) that the nation had a large share of Flamsteed's thoughts.' He knows, too-if he really has read Mr. Bailey's 'Life of Flamsteed'—that Flamsteed worked during many years for Sir Isaac Newton-and supplied him with a long series of observations, which were of the highest service to him and to science. Mr. Whewell says he takes a pleasure in quoting Newton's acknowledgment of having been favoured with those observations, and also his promise that he would not be less just to Flamsteed for the future-but he omits to record the remarkable fact, that Newton was not only regardless of this promise, but, in the second edition of his Principia, absolutely erased the acknowledgment that he had previously made; as if he wished to obliterate every trace of any favour conferred.

A word or two on the unblushing impudence of Halley in accusing Flamsteed of doing nothing in thirty years. This man had long been striving to supplant Flamsteed in the office of Astronomer Royal: and although he appeared so anxious to have the observations of Flamsteed published, even before they were fit for the press, yet, after he at last obtained the place, he suffered his own astronomical career of twenty-two years to pass away without publishing a single observa

tion, except the account of two or three eclipses. And what does Mr. Whewell imagine to have been the cause of this reserve? We will tell him—it is by Halley himself avowed that there being many uses to be made of the said observations for forming a method for better ascertaining the longitude of places, and a great reward being appointed, by Act of Parliament, for discovering such methods he had hitherto kept his own observations in his own custody, that he might have time to finish the theory he designs to build upon, before others might take advantage of reaping the benefit of his labours.' What does Mr. Whewell think of private property now? We will not believe that, with all his disparagement of Flamsteed, he can deliberately prefer this mean and selfish Halley to the noble and spirited Flamsteed, who communicated his observations with free and open hand to every person who asked for them; and who ultimately published them at his own expense. But enough and more than enough of this rash pamphlet, utterly unworthy of such a man as Mr. Whewell.

INDEX

TO VOLUME FIFTY-FIVE.

INDEX

TO THE

FIFTY-FIFTH VOLUME OF THE QUARTERLY REVIEW.