His eulogium was loudly uttered in the grief and lamentation of the whole navy; victory appeared too dearly bought, while they confidered the price which was paid for it; and indeed, fuch was the attention of this nobleman to the welfare of his feamen, as well as to the order and regularity of the fleet; fuch was bis fkill to find out, and refolution to reform abufes; that the lofs of fuch a commander may be regretted, when the victory in which he fell fhall ceafe to be mentioned.

The perfon of LORD ROBERT MANNERS was worthy of fuch a mind; he was tall and graceful; ftrong and active; his features were regular, and his countenance beautiful, without effeminacy; his eyes were large, dark, and moft expreffive; his complexion in clined to brown, with much co-. Jour, which remained unimpaired by the Weft-India climate; indeed, his whole appearance com manded love and refpect, and was a strong indication of fuperior merit.

LORD ROBERT poffiffed, in an eminent degree, the happy art of gaining the affections of his men, while he preferved the ftricteft dif cipline among them; nor is this his greateft praife; for while he

was admired by the officers of every rank, for his affability and engaging deportment, he was trufted by the highest in command, and confulted by many, who judged his great fkill and attention in the line of his profeffion, more than balanced their longer experience.

The bravery of LORD ROBERT was accompanied by a difpofition tender and merciful; his obliga. tions to ufe feverity were punishments to himself; and he was always unhappy in feeling the neceffity of beftowing correction; yet his lenity was always judicious, and feldom ineffectual: he had once the opportunity of pronouncing pardon on thirteen of fenders; (who were a part of fixty-four, condemned in feveral fhips for mutiny) on which occafion, his feelings overcame his power of utterance: he began with reprefenting to them (who were ignorant of the intended grace) the nature of their crime, and the punishment due to it; but when he came to speak of the offered mercy, he partook of their senfations, and could only deliver it by bursting into tears it is but juft to remark, that these men were truly fenfible of the worth of fuch

a

commander, and were afterwards confpicuous for their good behaviour among the best seamen of the navy.

re

LORD ROBERT, however he pof❤ feffed the virtue, was without the weakness of a tender difpofition; he was grave, prudent and ferved, never fpeaking his opinion but upon fure grounds, and then at proper times, in the company of his felect friends, or when truth and juftice called upon him to ref

D 4

cue

cue an action or a character from fufpicion, or reproach; yet his referve, was not of that kind which damped his love for fociety; he was of a convivial turn; generous, condefcending, and benevolent; emulating the humanity as well as bravery of his father, and his father's houfe.

His chief ftudy was that of his profeffion, in which he read and perfectly understood the most approved authors, not neglecting other kinds of reading, in fome of which he was peculiarly and wonderfully verfed; fome indeed which might be thought foreign to his purfuits, if any can be fo thought, to the vigorous and comprehenfive mind which he poffeffed: in fhort, he feemed to be deficient in no qualification which might render him the best private friend, and one of the greatest and ableft officers, this or any other country has produced.

To crown all his virtues, he had that of unaffected diffidence, being perfectly modeft in his opinion of himself, and an enemy to all oftentation he never liftened to his own praife, but either forbad any to fpeak of the honour he fo well deferved, or withdrew from the applaufe which he could not fupprefs; this difpofition continued to the laft, when he converfed with the fame unaffected cafe and wishing to write to a

friend, he made ufe of his left hand, and gave him an account of his fituation in terms brief, eafy and affecting, because moft unaffected, dif overing the greatest magnanimity of foul, by not taking any pains to have it difcovered by others.

Nor is this eulogium to be confidered as proceeding from any partial regard, or prepoffeffion; the teftimony of public gratitude, which was voted in the House of Commons, is a fufficient proof of the national fenfe of his merit; but the many private relations of his virtues, could they be univerfally diffufed, would place him in a ftill ftronger point of view; thefe are given by men whofe tef timony is voluntary and difinterefted, whofe experience: could not be deceived, and whofe eminence in their profeffion must entitle them to every degree of credit and attention.

Such is the character of LORD ROBERT MANNERS; and these anecdotes of him I have related from the best authority. Thofe who knew him, will, I am fure, think themflves indebted to me for the intention; and those who did not, little apology will, I hope, be wanted, for making them acquainted with the worth of a brave and heroic young nobleman, who was an ornament to their country, and died in its defence.

NATURAL

name

SIR,

B

Y the obfervations of the most eminent aftronomers in Europe it appears, that the new ftar, which I had the honour, of point ing out to them in March, 1781, is a primary planet of our folar fyftem. A body f nearly related to by its fimilar condition and fituation, in the unbounded ex panfe of the ftarry heavens, must often be the fabje&t of the converfation, not only of aftron mers, but of every lover of fcience in general. This confideration then makes it neceffary to give it a name, whereby it may be diftinguifhed from the reft of the planets and fixed stars.

In the fabulous ages of ancient times the appellations of Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn, were given to the planets, as being the names of their prin. cipal heroes and divinities*. In the prefent more philofophical æra, it would hardly be allowable

་

thod, and call on Juno, Pallas, Apollo, or Minerva for a to our new heavenly body. The firft confideration in any particular event, or rem rkable incident, feems to be its chronology: if in any future age it should be afked, when this laft-found planet was difcovered? It would be a very fatisfactory anfwer to fay, " in the reign of king George the Third." As a philofopher then, the name of Georgium Sidus prefents itfelf to me, as an appellation which will conveniently convey the information of the time and country where and when it was brought to view. But as a fubject of the beft of kings, who is the liberal protector of every art and science; as a native of the country from whence this illuf trious family was called to the British throne: as a member of that fociety, which flourishes by the diftinguifhed liberal ty of its royal patron; and, laft of all, as a perfon now more immediately under the protection of this excellent monarch, and owing every thing to his unlimited bounty; I cannot but wish to take this op

portunity

portunity of expreffing my fenfe of gratitude, by giving the name Georgium Sidus,

Geogium Sidus
jam nunc affuefce vocati,

VIRG. Georg. to a flar, which (with refpect to us) first began to fhine under his aufpicious reign.

By addreffing this letter to you, Sir, as prefident of the Royal Society, I take the most effectual method of communicating that name to the literati of Europe, which I hope they will receive with pleafure. I have the honour to be, with the greateft refpect,

Sir,

Your moft humble and moft obedient fervant, W. HERSCHEL.

On the Diameter and Magnitude of the Georgium Sidus; with a Defcription of the dark and lucid Dife and Periphery Micrometers. By William Herfchel, Efq. F. R. S. From the fame Work,

IT

T is not only of the greatest confequence to the aftronomer, but also gives the highest pleasure to every intelligent perfon, to have a juft idea of the dimenfions of the folar fyftem, and the heavenly bodies that belong to it. As far then as they fall within the reach of our inftruments, they ought carefully to be examined and measured by all the various methods we can invent. Almoft every fort of micrometer is liable to fome inconveniences and deceptions: it will, however often happen, that we may correct the ersors of one inftrument by the op

pofite defects of another. The measures of the diameter of the Georgium Sidus, which were de livered in my first paper, differ confiderably from each other. However, if we fet afide the three firft, on a fuppofition (as I have hinted before) that every minute object, which is much fmaller than what we are frequently used to fee, will at first fight appear lefs than it really is; and take a mean of the remaining obfervations, we fhall have 4" 36" for the diameter of the planet, On comparing the measures then with this mean, we find but two of them that differ fomewhat more than half a fecond from it; the reft are almost all within a quarter of a fecond of that measure. This agreement, in the dimensions of any other planet, would appear very confiderable; but not being fatisfied, when I thought it poffible to obtain much more accurate meafures, I employed the lamp. micrometer in preference to the former. The first time I used it upon this occafion I perceived, that if, instead of two Jucid points, we could have an intire lucid difk to refemble the planet, the measures would certainly be ftill more compleat. The diffi. culty of dilating and contracting a figure that fhould always remain a circle, appeared to me very confiderable, though nature, with her ufual fimplicity holds out to us a pattern in the iris of the eye, which, fimple as it appears, is not one of the leaft admirable of her inimitable works. However, I recollected, that it was not abfo lutely requifite to have every infenfible degree of magnitude fince, by changing the distance, I

could