Autobiography of Sir George Biddell Airy by George Biddell Airy (top 100 novels .TXT) 📕

the construction has considerably exceeded the original estimate, and that this excess has been most liberally defrayed by the Government.'--In December Sir John Herschel gave his opinion (to the Admiralty, I believe) in favour of procuring for the Cape Observatory a Transit Circle similar to that at Greenwich.--I had much correspondence about sending Pierce Morton (formerly a pupil of mine at Cambridge, a clever gentlemanly man, and a high wrangler, but somewhat flighty) as Magnetic Assistant to the Cape Observatory: he was with me from May to October, and arrived at the Cape on Nov. 27th.--I was much engaged with the clock with conical motion of pendulum, for uniform movement of the Chronographic Barrel.--Regarding galvanic communications: On Sept. 19th I had prepared a Draft of Agreement with the South Eastern Railway Company, to which they agreed. In November I wrote to Sir T. Baring (First Lord of the Admiralty) and to the Admiralty for sanction, which was given on Dec. 18th. In December I had various communications about laying wires through the Park, &c., &c., and correspondence about the possibility of using sympathetic clocks: in June, apparently, I had seen Shepherd's sympathetic clock at the Great Exhibition, and had seen the system of sympathetic clocks at Pawson's, St Paul's Churchyard.--In the last quarter of this year I was engaged in a series of calculations of chronological eclipses. On Sept. 30th Mr Bosanquet wrote to me about the Eclipse of Thales, and I urged on the computations related to it, through Mr Breen. In October the eclipse of Agathocles (the critical eclipse for the motion of the Moon's node) was going on. In October Hansteen referred me to the darkness at Stiklastad.--I went to Sweden to observe the total eclipse of July 28th, having received assistance from the Admiralty for the journeys of myself, Mr Dunkin, Mr Humphreys and his friend, and Capt. Blackwood. I had prepared a map of its track, in which an important error of the _Berliner Jahrbuch_ (arising from neglect of the earth's oblateness) was corrected. I gave a lecture at the Royal Institution, in preparation for the eclipse, and drew up suggestions for observations, and I prepared a scheme of observations for Greenwich, but the weather was bad. The official account of the Observations of the Eclipse, with diagrams and conclusions, is given in full in a paper published in the Royal Astr. Society's Memoirs.--This year I was President of the British Association, at the Ipswich Meeting: it necessarily produced a great deal of business. I lectured one evening on the coming eclipse. Prince Albert was present, as guest of Sir William Middleton: I was engaged to meet him at dinner, but when I found that the dinner day was one of the principal soiree days, I broke off the engagement.--On May 26th I had the first letter from E. Hamilton (whom I had known at Cambridge) regarding the selection of professors for the University of Sydney. Herschel, Maldon, and H. Denison were named as my coadjutors. Plenty of work was done, but it was not finished till 1852.--In connection with the clock for Westminster Palace, in February there were considerations about providing other clocks for the various buildings; and this probably was one reason for my examining Shepherd's Clocks at the Great Exhibition and at Pawson's. In November I first proposed that Mr E.B. Denison should be associated with me. About the end of the year, the plan of the tower was supplied to me, with reference to the suspension of the weights and other particulars.--In 1850 Admiral Dundas (M.P. for Greenwich and one of the Board of Admiralty) had requested me to aid the Trustees of the Dee Navigation against an attack; and on Mar. 19th 1851 I went to Chester to see the state of the river. On Jan. 1st 1852 I went to give evidence at the Official Enquiry.--At a discussion on the construction of the Great Exhibition building in the Institution of Civil Engineers, I expressed myself strongly on the faulty principles of its construction.--In this year I wrote my first Paper on the landing of Julius Caesar in Britain, and was engaged in investigations of the geography, tides, sands, &c., relating to the subject."

Of private history: "I was several times at Playford during January, and went there again on Dec. 23rd.--In this year a very heavy misfortune fell on us. My daughter, Elizabeth, had been on a visit to Lady Herschel at Hawkhurst, and on Apr. 2nd Sir J. Herschel wrote to me, saying that she was so well in health. She returned a few days later, and from her appearance I was sure that she was suffering under deadly disease. After some time, an able physician was consulted, who at once pronounced it to be pulmonary. A sea voyage was thought desirable, and my wife took her to Shetland, where there was again a kind welcome from Mr Edmonston. But this, and the care taken on her return, availed nothing: and it was determined to take her to Madeira. My wife and daughter sailed in the brig 'Eclipse' from Southampton on Dec. 11th. The termination came in 1852.--On Nov. 23rd I went to Bradfield, near Bury: my uncle, George Biddell, died, and I attended the funeral on Nov. 29th.--From July 18th to Aug. 24th I was in Sweden for the Observation of the Eclipse, and returned through Holland.--In October I was about a week at Ventnor and Torquay, and from Dec. 7th to 11th at Southampton, on matters connected with my daughter's illness."

The following extracts are from letters to his wife, relating to the Observation of the eclipse, his interview with the King of Sweden, &c., and his visit to the pumping engines at Haarlem:


_July 28, half-past 10, morning_.

The weather is at present most perfectly doubtful. Nearly the whole sky is closely covered, yet there is now and then a momentary gleam of sun. The chances are greatly against much of the eclipse being seen. All is arranged to carry off the telescope, &c., at 11: they can be carted to the foot of the hill, and we have made out a walking-pass then to the top. We are to dine with Mr Dickson afterwards.


_July 28, 10 at night_.

Well we have had a glorious day. As soon as we started, the weather began to look better. We went up the hill and planted my telescope, and the sky shewed a large proportion of blue. At first I placed the telescope on the highest rock, but the wind blew almost a gale, and shook it slightly: so I descended about 8 feet to one side. (The power of doing this was one of the elements in my choice of this station, which made me prefer it to the high hill beyond the river.) The view of scenery was inexpressibly beautiful. The beginning of eclipse was well seen. The sky gradually thickened from that time, so that the sun was in whitish cloud at the totality, and barely visible in dense cloud at the end of the eclipse. The progress of the eclipse brought on the wonderful changes that you know: just before the totality I saw a large piece of blue sky become pitch black; the horror of totality was very great; and then flashed into existence (I do not know how) a broad irregular corona with red flames _instantly seen_ of the most fantastic kind. The darkness was such that my assistant had very great trouble in reading his box chronometer. (A free-hand explanatory diagram is here given.) Some important points are made out from this. 1st the red flames certainly belong to the sun. 2nd they certainly are in some instances detached. 3rd they are sometimes quite crooked. 4th they seem to be connected with spots. The corona was brilliant white. One star brilliant: I believe Venus. I had no time to make observations of polarization, &c., although prepared. When the totality was more than half over I looked to N. and N.W., and in these regions there was the fullest rosy day-break light. After the sun-light reappeared, the black shadow went travelling away to the S.E. exactly like the thunder-storm from the Main. The day then grew worse, and we came home here (after dinner) in pouring rain.


STOCKHOLM,
_1851, Aug. 5_.

I then by appointment with Sir Edmund Lyons went with him to the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Baron Stjerneld, who received me most civilly. My business was to thank him for the orders which had been given to facilitate the landing of our telescopes, &c., &c. He was quite familiar with the names of my party, Humphreys Milaud, &c., so that I trust they have been well received (I have had no letter). He intimated, I suppose at Sir E. Lyons's suggestion, that perhaps King Oscar might wish to see me, but that it would not be on Tuesday. So I replied that I was infinitely flattered and he said that he would send a message to Sir E. Lyons by Tuesday evening. Now all this put me in a quandary: because I wanted to see Upsala, 47 miles off: and the steamboats on the Maelar only go in the morning and return in the morning: and this was irreconcileable with waiting for his Majesty's appointment which might be for Wednesday morning. So after consultation Sir E. Lyons put me in the hands of a sort of courier attached to the Embassy, and he procured a caleche, and I posted to Upsala yesterday afternoon (knocking the people up at 11 at night) and posted back this afternoon. And sure enough a message has come that the king expects me at 11 to-morrow morning. Posting of course is much dearer than steam-boat travelling, but it is cheap in comparison with England: two horses cost 1s. for nearly 7 miles. At Upsala there is a very good old cathedral, I suppose the only one in Sweden: and many things about the University which interested me. I sent my card to Professor Fries, and he entirely devoted himself to me: but imagine our conversation--he spoke in _Latin_ and I in French: however we understood each other very well. It is on the whole a dreary country except where enlivened by lakes: some parts are pine forests and birch forests, but others are featureless ground with boulder stones, like the worst part of the Highlands.


_August 6, Wednesday, 3 o'clock_.

I rigged myself in black trowsers and white waistcoat and