Great Astronomers, Robert Stawell Ball [fox in socks read aloud txt] 📗

before withdrawn me. But, it not being a

fit season for physic, it was thought fit to let me alone this

winter, and try the skill of another physician on me in the

spring.”

 

It appears that at this time a quack named Valentine Greatrackes,

was reputed to have effected most astonishing cures in Ireland

merely by the stroke of his hands, without the application of any

medicine whatever. Flamsteed’s father, despairing of any remedy

for his son from the legitimate branch of the profession,

despatched him to Ireland on August 26th, 1665, he being then, as

recorded with astronomical accuracy, “nineteen years, six days,

and eleven hours old.” The young astronomer, accompanied by a

friend, arrived on a Tuesday at Liverpool but the wind not being

favourable, they remained there till the following Friday, when a

shift of the wind to the east took place. They embarked

accordingly on a vessel called the SUPPLY at noon, and on Saturday

night came in sight of Dublin. Ere they could land, however, they

were nearly being wrecked on Lambay Island. This peril safely

passed, there was a long delay for quarantine before they were at

last allowed on shore. On Thursday, September 6th, they set out

from Dublin, where they had been sojourning at the “Ship” Hotel,

in Dame Street, towards Assaune, where Greatrackes received his

patients.

 

[PLATE: FLAMSTEED’S HOUSE.]

 

Flamsteed gives an interesting account of his travels in Ireland.

They dined at Naas on the first day, and on September 8th they

reached Carlow, a town which is described as one of the fairest

they saw on their journey. By Sunday morning, September 10th,

having lost their way several times, they reached Castleton,

called commonly Four Mile Waters. Flamsteed inquired of the

host in the inn where they might find a church, but was told that

the minister lived twelve miles away, and that they had no sermon

except when he came to receive his tithes once a year, and a woman

added that “they had plenty enough of everything necessary except

the word of God.” The travellers accordingly went on to

Cappoquin, which lies up the river Blackwater, on the road to

Lismore, eight miles from Youghal. Thence they immediately

started on foot to Assaune. About a mile from Cappoquin, and

entering into the house of Mr. Greatrackes, they saw him touch

several patients, “whereof some were nearly cured, others were on

the mending hand, and some on whom his strokes had no effect.”

Flamsteed was touched by the famous quack on the afternoon of

September 11th, but we are hardly surprised to hear his remark

that “he found not his disease to stir.” Next morning the

astronomer came again to see Mr. Greatrackes, who had “a kind of

majestical yet affable presence, and a composed carriage.” Even

after the third touching had been submitted to, no benefit seems

to have been derived. We must, however record, to the credit of

Mr. Greatrackes, that he refused to accept any payment from

Flamsteed, because he was a stranger.

 

Finding it useless to protract his stay any longer, Flamsteed and

his friend set out on their return to Dublin. In the course of

his journey he seems to have been much impressed with Clonmel,

which he describes as an “exceedingly pleasantly seated town.”

But in those days a journey to Ireland was so serious an

enterprise that when Flamsteed did arrive safely back at Derby

after an absence of a month, he adds, “For God’s providence in

this journey, His name be praised, Amen.”

 

As to the expected benefits to his health from the expedition we

may quote his own words: “In the winter following I was

indifferent hearty, and my disease was not so violent as it used

to be at that time formerly. But whether through God’s mercy I

received this through Mr. Greatrackes’ touch, or my journey and

vomiting at sea, I am uncertain; but, by some circumstances, I

guess that I received a benefit from both.”

 

It is evident that by this time Flamsteed’s interest in all

astronomical matters had greatly increased. He studied the

construction of sun-dials, he formed a catalogue of seventy of

the fixed stars, with their places on the heavens, and he computed

the circumstances of the solar eclipse which was to happen on June

22nd, 1666. It is interesting to note that even in those days the

doctrines of the astrologers still found a considerable degree of

credence, and Flamsteed spent a good deal of his time in

astrological studies and computations. He investigated the

methods of casting a nativity, but a suspicion, or, indeed, rather

more than a suspicion, seems to have crossed his mind as to the

value of these astrological predictions, for he says in fine, “I

found astrology to give generally strong conjectural hints, not

perfect declarations.”

 

All this time, however, the future Astronomer Royal was steadily

advancing in astronomical inquiries of a recondite nature. He had

investigated the obliquity of the ecliptic with extreme care, so

far as the circumstances of astronomical observation would at that

time permit. He had also sought to discover the sun’s distance

from the earth in so far as it could be obtained by determining

when the moon was exactly half illuminated, and he had measured,

with much accuracy, the length of the tropical year. It will thus

be seen that, even at the age of twenty, Flamsteed had made marked

progress, considering how much his time had been interfered with

by ill-health.

 

Other branches of astronomy began also to claim his attention.

We learn that in 1669 and 1670 he compared the planets Jupiter

and Mars with certain fixed stars near which they passed. His

instrumental means, though very imperfect, were still sufficient

to enable him to measure the intervals on the celestial sphere

between the planets and the stars. As the places of the stars

were known, Flamsteed was thus able to obtain the places of the

planets. This is substantially the way in which astronomers of

the present day still proceed when they desire to determine the

places of the planets, inasmuch as, directly or indirectly those

places are always obtained relatively to the fixed stars. By his

observations at this early period, Flamsteed was, it is true, not

able to obtain any great degree of accuracy; he succeeded,

however, in proving that the tables by which the places of the

planets were ordinarily given were not to be relied upon.

 

[PLATE: FLAMSTEED.]

 

Flamsteed’s labours in astronomy and in the allied branches of

science were now becoming generally known, and he gradually came

to correspond with many distinguished men of learning. One of the

first occasions which brought the talents of the young astronomer

into fame was the publication of some calculations concerning

certain astronomical phenomena which were to happen in the year

1670. In the monthly revolution of the moon its disc passes over

those stars which lie along its track. The disappearance of a

star by the interposition of the moon is called an “occultation.”

Owing to the fact that our satellite is comparatively near us, the

position which the moon appears to occupy on the heavens varies

from different parts of the earth, it consequently happens

that a star which would be occulted to an observer in one

locality, would often not be occulted to an observer who was

situated elsewhere. Even when an occultation is visible from

both places, the times at which the star disappears from view

will, generally speaking, be different. Much calculation is

therefore necessary to decide the circumstances under which the

occultations of stars may be visible from any particular station.

Having a taste for such computations, Flamsteed calculated the

occultations which were to happen in the year 1670, it being the

case that several remarkable stars would be passed over by the

moon during this year. Of course at the present time, we find

such information duly set forth in the NAUTICAL ALMANAC, but a

couple of centuries ago there was no such source of astronomical

knowledge as is now to be found in that invaluable publication,

which astronomers and navigators know so well. Flamsteed

accordingly sent the results of his work to the President of the

Royal Society. The paper which contained them was received very

favourably, and at once brought Flamsteed into notice among the

most eminent members of that illustrious body, one of whom,

Mr. Collins, became through life his faithful friend and constant

correspondent. Flamsteed’s father was naturally gratified with

the remarkable notice which his son was receiving from the great

and learned; accordingly he desired him to go to London, that he

might make the personal acquaintance of those scientific friends

whom he had only known by correspondence previously. Flamsteed

was indeed glad to avail himself of this opportunity. Thus he

became acquainted with Dr. Barrow, and especially with Newton, who

was then Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge. It seems

to have been in consequence of this visit to London that Flamsteed

entered himself as a member of Jesus College, Cambridge. We have

but little information as to his University career, but at all

events he took his degree of M.A. on June 5th, 1674.

 

Up to this time it would seem that Flamsteed had been engaged, to

a certain extent, in the business carried on by his father. It is

true that he does not give any explicit details, yet there are

frequent references to journeys which he had to take on business

matters. But the time now approached when Flamsteed was to start

on an independent career, and it appears that he took his degree

in Cambridge with the object of entering into holy orders, so that

he might settle in a small living near Derby, which was in the

gift of a friend of his father, and would be at the disposal of

the young astronomer. This scheme was, however, not carried out,

but Flamsteed does not tell us why it failed, his only remark

being, that “the good providence of God that had designed me for

another station ordered it otherwise.”

 

Sir Jonas Moore, one of the influential friends whom Flamsteed’s

talents had attracted, seems to have procured for him the position

of king’s astronomer, with a salary of 100 pounds per annum. A

larger

salary appears to have been designed at first for this office,

which was now being newly created, but as Flamsteed was resolved

on taking holy orders, a lesser salary was in his case deemed

sufficient. The building of the observatory, in which the first

Astronomer Royal was to be installed, seems to have been brought

about, or, at all events, its progress was accelerated, in a

somewhat curious manner.

 

A Frenchman, named Le Sieur de S. Pierre, came over to London to

promulgate a scheme for discovering longitudes, then a question of

much importance. He brought with him introductions to

distinguished people, and his mission attracted a great deal of

attention. The proposals which he made came under Flamsteed’s

notice, who pointed out that the Frenchman’s projects were quite

inapplicable in the present state of astronomical science,

inasmuch as the places of the stars were not known with the degree

of accuracy which would be necessary if such methods were to be

rendered available. Flamsteed then goes on to say:—“I heard no

more of the Frenchman after this; but was told that my letters had

been shown King Charles. He was startled at the assertion of the

fixed stars’ places being false in the catalogue, and said, with

some vehemence, he must have them anew observed, examined,

and corrected, for the use of his seamen.”

 

The first question to be settled was the site for the new

observatory. Hyde Park and Chelsea College were both mentioned as

suitable localities, but, at Sir Christopher Wren’s suggestion,

Greenwich Hill was finally resolved