.

"The king has not a happier subject than this man, who owes it
wholly to His Majesty that he is not wretched; for such was his
eagerness to quit all other pursuits to follow astronomy solely,
that he was in danger of ruin, when his talents and great and
uncommon genius attracted the king's patronage. He has now not only
his pension, which gives him the felicity of devoting all his time
to his darling study, but he is indulged in license from the king to
make a telescope according to his new ideas and discoveries, that is
to have no cost spared in its construction, and is wholly to be paid
for by His Majesty.

"This seems to have made him happier even than the pension, as it
enables him to put in execution all his wonderful projects, from
which his expectations of future discoveries are so sanguine as to
make his present existence a state of almost perfect enjoyment.
Mr. LOCKE himself would be quite charmed with him.

"He seems a man without a wish that has its object in the
terrestrial globe. At night Mr. HERSCHEL, by the king's command,
came to exhibit to His Majesty and the royal family the new comet
lately discovered by his sister, Miss HERSCHEL; and while I was
playing at piquet with Mrs. SCHWELLENBURG, the Princess AUGUSTA came
into the room and asked her if she chose to go into the garden and
look at it. She declined the offer, and the princess then made it to
me. I was glad to accept it for all sorts of reasons. We found him
at his telescope. The comet was very small, and had nothing grand or
striking in its appearance; but it is the first lady's comet, and I
was very desirous to see it. Mr. HERSCHEL then showed me some of his
new discovered universes, with all the good humor with which he
would have taken the same trouble for a brother or a sister
astronomer; there is no possibility of admiring his genius more than
his gentleness."

"_1786, December 30th_.--This morning my dear father carried me to
Dr. HERSCHEL. That great and very extraordinary man received us
almost with open arms. He is very fond of my father, who is one of
the council of the Royal Society this year, as well as himself. . . .
At this time of day there was nothing to see but his instruments;
those, however, are curiosities sufficient. . . . I wished very much
to have seen his sister, . . . b