Page:History of the Royal Astronomical Society (1923).djvu/17

appeared. It will serve a double purpose to quote the whole sentence, italicising the word to be struck out.

One of the first great steps towards an accurate knowledge of

the construction of the heavens, is an acquaintance with the individual objects they present; in other words, the formation of

a complete catalogue of stars and other bodies, upon a scale in- finitely more extensive than any yet undertaken; and to be carried down to the minutest objects, not visible in any but the very best telescopes.

It is rather puzzling to find that it is impossible to strike out the word not as directed if the sense of the passage is to be preserved. The emendation adopted in Mem., 1, 4, is:

and that shall comprehend the most minute objects visible in good astronomical telescopes.

The whole construction has, of course, been altered. Sir John's complaint seems to have been a little hasty, for comparison of the Address as fully revised in the Memoirs with the copy put through the press by Baily, only reveals one serious alteration of the sense. The original reads:—

A well-made instrument will thus unavoidably acquire a reputation, not merely among a few eminently skilled observers as at present, but throughout the astronomical world of Britain.

but the last two words have clearly got into the wrong place, and in the revised version are restored to the other leg of the contrast—"a few eminently skilful observers in Britain as at present, but throughout the whole astronomical world."

It is, however, interesting to see what did ultimately happen to one sentence which Sir John had written, and then struck out in MS., but which Baily nevertheless printed. When Sir John got his dozen copies he again struck it out, and again Baily pleaded for it.

I have ventured, however, to retain the passage in page 5 which you had a second time struck out; it certainly is too impressive to be lost, and so has thought everyone to whom the passage has been read; so that if we have done wrong, we must all bear the blame equally. It is, however, transposed from its former position to one where it was considered more apposite.

The transposition enables us to identify the passage, which is as follows:—

Yet it is possible that some bodies, of a nature altogether new, and whose discovery may tend in future to disclose the most important secrets in the system of the universe, may be concealed