An account of the first visit to Dr. Herschel, at Slough, upon this
astronomical pilgrimage, written by Dr. Burney, to Bookham, in
September, 1797, displays, though unintentionally, the characters of
both these men of science, with a genuine simplicity that can hardly
fail of giving pleasure to every unsophisticated reader.
After mentioning a call upon Lord Chesterfield, at Baillies, in the
neighbourhood of Slough, he says:
“I went thence to Dr. Herschel, with whom I had arranged
a meeting by letter; but being, through a mistake, before
my time, I stopped at the door, to make inquiry whether
my visit would be the least inconvenient to Herschel
that night, or the next morning. The good soul was at
dinner, but came to the carriage himself, to press me to
alight immediately, and partake of his family repast: and
this he did so heartily, that I could not resist. I was
introduced to the company at table; four ladies, and a
little boy, about the age and size of Martin.[49] I was
quite shocked at intruding upon so many females. I knew
not that Dr. Herschel was married, and expected only to
have found his sister. One of these females was a very
old lady, and mother, I believe, of Mrs. Herschel, who
sat at the head of the table. Another was a daughter
of Dr. Wilson, an eminent astronomer, of Glasgow; the
fourth was Miss Herschel. I apologised for coming at so
uncouth an hour, by telling my story of missing Lord
Chesterfield, through a blunder; at which they were all
so cruel as to join in rejoicing; and then in soliciting
me to send away my carriage, and stay and sleep there.
I thought it necessary, you may be sure, to _faire la
petite bouche_; but, in spite of my blushes, I was
obliged to submit to having my trunk taken in, and my
carriage sent on. We soon grew acquainted; I mean the
ladies and I; for Herschel I have known very many years;
and before dinner was over, we all seemed old friends
just met after a long absence. Mrs. Herschel is sensible,
good-humoured, unpretending, and obliging; Miss Herschel
is all shyness and virgin modesty; the Scots lady
sensible and harmless; and the little boy entertaining,
comical, and promising.[50] Herschel, you know, and every
body knows, is one of the most pleasing and well-bred
natural characters of the present age, as well as the
greatest astronomer. Your health was immediately given
and drunk after dinner, by Dr. Herschel; and, after much
social conversation, and some hearty laughs, the ladies
proposed taking a walk by themselves, in order to leave
Herschel and me together.
We two, therefore, walked, and talked over my subject,
_tête à tête_, round his great telescope, till it grew
damp and dusk; and then we retreated into his study to
philosophise. I had a string of questions ready to ask,
and astronomical difficulties to solve, which, with
looking at curious books and instruments, filled up
the time charmingly till tea. After which, we retired
again to the study; where, having now paved the way, we
began to enter more fully into my poetical plan; and he
pressed me to read to him what I had done. Lord help his
head! he little thought I had eight books, or cantos,
of from four hundred to eight hundred and twenty lines,
which to read through would require two or three days!
He made me, however, unpack my trunk for my MS., from
which I read him the titles of the chapters, and begged
he would choose any book; or the character of any great
astronomer that he pleased. ‘O,’ cried he, ‘let us have
the beginning.’ I read then the first eighteen or twenty
lines of the exordium; and then told him I rather wished
to come to modern times; I was more certain of my ground
in high antiquity than after the time of Copernicus. I
began, therefore, my eighth chapter.
“He gave me the greatest encouragement; repeatedly saying
that I perfectly understood what I was writing about:
and he only stopped me at two places; one was at a word
too strong for what I had to describe; and the other
at one too weak. The doctrine he allowed to be quite
orthodox concerning gravitation, refraction, reflection,
optics, comets, magnitudes, distances, revolutions, &c.
&c.; but he made a discovery to me which, had I known
sooner, would have overset me, and prevented my reading
to him any part of my work! this was, that he had almost
always had an aversion to poetry! which he had generally
regarded as an arrangement of fine words, without any
adherence to truth: but he presently added that, when
truth and science were united to those fine words, he
then liked poetry very well.
“The next morning, he made me read as much, from another
chapter, on Descartes, as the time would allow; for I had
ordered my carriage at twelve. But I stayed on, reading,
talking, asking questions, and looking at books and
instruments, at least another hour, before I could leave
this excellent man.”
1798.
The spring of the following year, 1798, opened to Dr. Burney with
pupils, operas, concerts, conversationes, and assemblies in their
usual round. All that is marked as peculiar, in his memorandums, is
the intimate view which he had opportunity to take of the triumphant
elevation of commercial splendour over even the highest aristocratical,
in the entertainments of this season.
His late new acquaintance, Mr. Walker, of Liverpool, and his charming
wife, not only, the Doctor says, in their balls, concerts, suppers,
and masquerades, rivalled all the Nobles in expense, but in elegance.
And that with an _eclât_ so indisputable, as to make those overpowered
great ones “hide their diminished heads;” or raise them only in a
tribute of patriotic admiration, at a proof so brilliant of the true
national ascendance of all-conquering commerce.
If a born nobleman, or gentleman, whose income, however great, be
limited to his rent-roll, take up nine or ten thousand pounds for any
extraordinary occasion, so abrupt a dip into his fortune must be met
by selling, or mortgaging some estate; or by borrowing at ruinous
interest: while to the successful man of commerce, there is frequently
so sudden and lucrative a flush of abundance, that no obstacle seems to
be in the way to any species of extraneous expenditure.
Yet it has generally been observed, that this exuberance of
new-acquired wealth, when springing from fortuitous circumstances, not
progressive prosperity, rarely terminates in a pre-eminence that is
durable. On the same wheel, around which turn the favours of fortune,
turn, also, its perils; and though there are splendid exceptions to
the remark, still it is but seldom that the lavish superfluity of
the happy chance, or fortunate speculation, which sets the merchant
above his Peers, escapes, ultimately, the revolving counterbalance of
ever-lurking reverse.
When the Doctor had finished, in twelve books, the rough sketch of
his Astronomical Poem, he was allured into reading parts of it to no
less personages than Messrs. Windham and Canning. His account of this
lecture was thus given to the Hermits:
“_24th April, 1798, Chelsea College._
“Mrs. Crewe has frequent singing-parties with young
people of _ton_, to bring out Miss. Crewe. All the world
that I know are there. Last week I was at Mrs. Ord’s,
to meet my old sweethearts, Mrs. Garrick, Betty Carter,
Hannah More, and my new sweetheart, Mrs. Goodenough,
the Speaker’s sister, &c. To-morrow at Lord and Lady
Inchiquin’s; Friday again at Mrs. Crewe’s, with evening
music at Lady Northwick’s, _ci-devant_ Lady Rushont’s;
Saturday to dine with Lady Jones, relict of Sir
William.——And so we go on.
Well, but in the midst of all this hurly burly, and
business besides, I have terminated the twelfth book of
my Poem, and transcribed it fair for your hearing or
perusal. Mrs. and Miss Crewe, and Miss Hayman, who is now
privy purse to the Princess of Wales, have been attending
Walker’s astronomical lectures, and wanted much to hear
some of my _Schtoff_; so, also, Windham and Canning. An
evening was fixed upon for a meeting. Windham, after
dinner, was to read us his balloon journal; Canning a
manuscript poem; and I a book of my astronomy. The lot
fell on me to begin. When I had finished book the first,
“_Tocca Lei_,” quoth I to Mr. Windham. “No, no, not yet;
another book first!” Well, when that was read, “_Tocca
Lei_,” I cried to Mr. Canning. “No, no,” all called out,
“let us go on! another book!” Well, there was no help; so
hoarse as I now was, I began a third book. Mrs. Crewe,
however, soon offered to relieve me; and Miss Hayman
to relieve Mrs. Crewe; and then supper was announced;
and thus I was taken in! and the rest, with the balloon
and the manuscript poem, are to be read _comf._ at Mrs.
Crewe’s villa at Hampstead, as soon as finished.”