prompted Herschel in his choice of a name for the new planet which he had discovered.
As early as May, 1782—before the King had appointed him as King's Astronomer—Herschel was apparently of opinion that the new planet should be named after George III. In a letter to Herschel, dated 10th May, 1782, Colonel Walsh, evidently one in close touch with the court, wrote: "In a conversation which I had the honour to hold with His Majesty on 30th ult. concerning you and your memorable discovery of a new planet, I took occasion to mention that you had a two-fold claim as a native of Hanover and a resident of Great Britain, where the discovery was made, to be permitted to name the planet from His Majesty". In a letter to his friend Watson in July, Herschel suggested the name, "Sidus Georginum". It was not until the following year, after he was settled at Datchet, that Herschel addressed to Sir Joseph Banks, President of the Royal Society, a letter concerning the name of the new planet. "In the fabulous ages of ancient times," he said in the course of this letter, "the appellations of Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn were given to the planets as being the names of their principal heroes and divinities. In the present more philosophical era, it would hardly be allowable to have recourse to the same method and to call on Juno, Pallas, Apollo or Minerva for a name to our new heavenly body. The first consideration in any particular event or remarkable incident seems to be its chronology: if, in any future age, it should be asked when this last-found planet was discovered, it would be a very satisfactory answer to say, 'In the reign of King George the Third'. As a philosopher, then, the name of Georgium Sidus presents itself to me as an appellation which will conveniently convey the information of the time and country where and when it was brought to view." Herschel then proceeds to eulogise the King as "the liberal protector of every art and
