With the second volume of “Recollections” all connected narrative and detailed relation of daily events ceases, and for the ten years from 1788 to 1798 there is not even the journal, which, however, was resumed in the latter year. All has been destroyed. An event so important as her brother’s marriage^[12] is only noticed as fixing the date when the “place of a housekeeper” had to be resigned. Miss Herschel lived from henceforth in lodgings, coming every day for her work, and in all respects continuing the same labours as her brother’s assistant and secretary as before. But it is not to be supposed that a nature so strong and a heart so affectionate should accept the new state of things without much and bitter suffering. To resign the supreme place by her brother’s side which she had filled for sixteen years with such hearty devotion could not be otherwise than painful in any case; but how much more so in this where equal devotion to the same pursuit must have made identity of interest and purpose as complete as it is rare. One who could both feel and express herself so strongly was not likely to fall into her new place without some outward expression of what it cost her—tradition confirms the assumption—and it is easy to understand how this long significant silence is due to the light of later wisdom and calmer judgment which counselled the destruction of all record of what was likely to be painful to survivors.

Her later letters abundantly show that she had learned to love the gentle sister-in-law whom she so pathetically entreats to hold on with her in their common old age, and the journals of her astronomical researches sufficiently prove that her zeal in “minding the Heavens” knew no abatement. It was at this period also that she made some of her most important discoveries. Before the end of 1797 she had announced the discovery of eight comets, to five of which the priority of her claim over other observers is unquestioned. A packet, in coarse paper, bearing the superscription, “This is what I call the Bills and Receipts of my Comets,” contains some data connected with the discovery of these objects, each folded in a separate paper, and marked “First Comet,” “Second Comet,” &c., &c. Some of the correspondence on the occasion of her first discovery has already been quoted, and in a note she explains that many of the letters from distinguished men which she received had been given to collectors of autographs. The letter to the Astronomer Royal, announcing the discovery of her second comet, has been preserved, with his answer.

Dear Sir,—

Last night, December 21st, at 7^h 45ʹ, I discovered a comet, a little more than one degree south—preceding β Lyræ. This morning, between five and six, I saw it again, when it appeared to have moved about a quarter of a degree towards δ of the same constellation. I beg the favour of you to take it under your protection.

Mrs. Herschel and my brothers join with me in compliments to Mrs. Maskelyne and yourself, and I have the honour to remain,

Slough, Dec. 22, 1788.

P.S.—The comet precedes β Lyræ 7ʹ 5ʺ in time, and is in the parallel of the small star (β being double). See fifth class, third star, of my catalogue.—Wm. H.

Dear Miss Caroline,—

I thank you for your favour of the 22nd instant, containing an account of your discovery of a second comet on the 21st, and recommending it to my attention.

I received it only on the 24th, at ten in the morning, owing to the slowness of our penny post.

I delayed acknowledging it till I could inform you at the same time I had seen it. The frost, unfortunately for us astronomers, broke up the very same morning that your letter arrived, in consequence of which the weather has been so bad that I could not get a sight of your comet till last night, the 26th, when, at 6^h 34ʹ, it followed α Lyræ in the A. R., 3ʹ 7ʺ of time, and was 2° 30ʹ S. of it. This only by the divisions of the equatorial and meridian circles, but true to a minute or two of declination and five seconds of time. I compared it more accurately with a small telescopic star nearer it, which, when settled hereafter, will determine its place within 30ʺ of a degree. Hence its A. R. was about 18^h 33ʹ 55ʺ, and distance from the North Pole 53° 59ʹ. By your observation of December 22nd, 5^h 31ʹ in the morning, its A. R. was 18^h 35ʹ 12ʹ, and P. D. 56° 56ʹ. Hence it has moved retrograde in A. R. about the rate of 17ʹ of time per day, and 30ʹ per day northward in declination, which agrees nearly with your observation of its approach towards δ Lyræ. Its motion is fortunately favourable for our keeping sight of it for some time, which may be very useful, especially if it should be moving from us, which there is an equal chance for, as the contrary. It appeared to me very faint, and rather small, but the air was hazy. By its faintness and slow motion, it is probably at a considerable distance from the earth. Time will explain these things. Let us hope the best, and that it is approaching the earth to please and instruct us, and not to destroy us, for true astronomers have no fears of that kind. Witness Sir Harry Englefield’s valuable tables of the apparent places of the Comet of 1661, expected to return at this time, with a delineation of its orbit, who, in page 7, speaks of the possibility of seeing a curious and beautiful transit of it over the sun’s disk, should the earth and comet be in the line of the nodes at the same time, without horror at the thought of our being involved in its immense tail. I would not affirm that there may not exist some astronomers so enthusiastic that they would not dislike to be whisked away from this low terrestrial spot into the higher regions of the heavens by the tail of a comet, and exchange our narrow uniform orbit for one vastly more extended and varied. But I hope you, dear Miss Caroline, for the benefit of terrestrial astronomy, will not think of taking such a flight, at least till your friends are ready to accompany you. Mrs. Maskelyne joins me in best compliments to yourself and Dr. and Mrs. Herschel. If your observation was precise as to the difference of A.R. of the comet and β Lyræ, it may be of use for determining the orbit, especially if the comet should be going off from us. I have not yet examined whether it can be the French comet discovered by M. Messier, on the 26th of last month, which was going from the earth. Its apparent motion must have turned at right angles to its former one, which is possible, but not very probable. I could not see your comet with the night glass, nor would its faintness allow of illuminating the wires.

Sir,—

Your intelligence of the comet I received, but on account of the long time elapsed since the 2nd and 3rd of this month we have not been able to recover the fugitive. Last night, however, my sister discovered a comet near β Lyræ, which you will find no difficulty to follow as its motion is very slow, and the comet a pretty visible object. We saw it again this morning, and it seems to go towards δ Lyræ, you will see it pass by β Lyræ. It is a much larger object than the nebula near β Lyræ, discovered by Mr. Darquier, of Toulouse (Connoissance des Temps, 75).

Dear Sir,—

I am much obliged to you for your account of the comet, and beg you to make my compliments to Miss Herschel on her discovery. She will soon be the great comet finder, and bear away the prize from Messier and Mechain.

The weather yesternight was bad, and to-night I have looked for it, in the moments of fine weather, with a good night-glass, but am not sure that I saw it, though I thought I perceived it about half-way between β and δ Lyræ. The glass I used showed D’Arquier’s nebula, though but faintly. Before I could get any other telescope ready, the weather clouded. If you have seen it again, pray be so good as to give me its place when you saw it last, and with what power and light it may be seen. I was going to write to Messier about his comet, but have deferred it, as I would not mention yours without your leave, and could not find it in my heart to write without doing it.

Sir,—

The last time I was in town, you expressed a wish to see my observations on the comet which my sister, Caroline Herschel, discovered in the evening of the 21st of last December, not far from β Lyræ.

As she immediately acquainted the Reverend Dr. Maskelyne and several other gentlemen with her discovery, the comet was observed by many of them. The Astronomer Royal in particular having, I find, obtained a very good set of valuable observations on its path, it will be sufficient if I communicate only those particulars which relate to its first appearance, and a few other circumstances that may perhaps deserve to be noticed.

Dec. 21st, 1788.—About 8 o’clock I viewed the comet which my sister had a little while before pointed out to me with her small Newtonian sweeper. In my instrument, which was a ten-foot reflector, it had the appearance of a considerably bright nebula, of an irregular round form, very gradually brighter in the middle, and about five or six minutes in diameter. The situation was low, and not very proper for instruments with high powers.

Dec. 22nd.—About half-after 5 o’clock in the morning I viewed it again, and perceived that it had moved apparently in a direction towards δ Lyræ, or thereabout. I had been engaged all night with the twenty-foot instrument, so that there had been no leisure to prepare my apparatus for taking the place of the comet; but in the evening of the same day I took its situation three times....

In every observation I found the small star which accompanies β Lyræ exactly in the parallel of the comet.

These transits were taken with a ten-foot reflector, and the difference in right ascension, I should suppose, may be depended upon to within a second of time. The determination also of the parallel can hardly err so much as 15 seconds of a degree.

This, and several evenings afterwards, I viewed the comet again with such powers as its diluted light would permit, but could not perceive any sort of nucleus which, had it been a single second in diameter, I think, could not well have escaped me. This circumstance seems to be of some consequence to those who turn their thoughts on the investigation of the nature of comets, especially as I have also formerly made the same remark on one of the comets discovered by Mr. Mechain in 1787, a former one of my sister’s in 1786, and one of Mr. Pigott’s in 1783 in neither of which any defined, solid nucleus, could be perceived.

The third comet was discovered on the 7th January, 1790; the fourth on the 17th April of the same year, during her brother’s absence from home. It was announced to Sir Joseph Banks in the following letter:—

Sir,—

I am very unwilling to trouble you with incomplete observations, and for that reason did not acquaint you yesterday with the discovery of a comet. I wrote an account of it to Dr. Maskelyne and Mr. Aubert, in hopes that either of those gentlemen, or my brother, whom I expect every day to return, would have furnished me with the means of pointing it out in a proper manner.

But as perhaps several days might pass before I could have any answer to my letters, or my brother return, I would not wish to be thought neglectful, and therefore if you think, sir, the following description is sufficient, and that more of my brother’s astronomical friends should be made acquainted with it, I should be very happy if you would be so kind as to do it for the sake of astronomy.

The comet is a little more than 3½° following α Andromedæ, and about 1½° above the parallel of that star. I saw it first on April 17th, 16^h 24ʹ sidereal time, and the first view I could have of it last night was 16^h 5ʹ. As far as I am able to judge, it has decreased in P. D. nearly 1°, and increased in A. R. something above 1ʹ.

These are only estimations from the field of view, and I only mention it to show that its motion is not so very rapid.

Dear Sir,—

I am almost ashamed to write to you, because I never think of doing so but when I am in distress. I found last night, at 16^h 24ʹ sidereal time, a comet, and do not know what to do with it, for my new sweeper is not half finished; and besides, I broke the handle of the perpendicular motion in my brother’s absence (who is on a little tour into Yorkshire). He has furnished me to that instrument a Rumboides, but the wires are too thin, and I have no contrivance for illuminating them. All my hopes were that I should not find anything which would make me feel the want of these things in his absence; but, as it happens, here is an object in a place where there is no nebula, or anything which could look like a comet, and I would be much obliged to you, sir, if you would look at the place where the annexed eye-draft will direct you to. My brother has swept that part of the heavens, and has many nebulæ there, but none which I must expect to see with my instrument. I will not write to Sir J. Banks or Dr. Maskelyne, or anybody, till you, sir, have seen it; but if you could, without much trouble, give my best respects and that part of this letter which points out the place of the comet to Mr. Wollaston, you would make me very happy.

Madam,—

I return you many thanks for the communication you were so good as to make to me this day of your discovery of a comet. I shall take care to make our astronomical friends acquainted with the obligations they are under to your diligence.

I am always happy to hear from you, but never more so than when you give me an opportunity of expressing my obligations to you for advancing the science you cultivate with so much success.

Dear Miss Herschel,—

I am much obliged to you for your kind letter. The night before last was cloudy. Last night, or rather this morning, about half-past two, I got up to look for the phenomenon; it was somewhat hazy. I observed with a common night-glass of Dollond’s a faint something in a line between α and π Andromedæ, much like a faint star; it had no coma nor fuzzy appearance. By looking at Flamsteed’s Atlas I find no small star there. I was preparing to attack it with a good magnifying power, and to get its place with my Smeaton’s equatorial micrometer, but when I was ready a haze came on and soon after too much daylight, so I can say no more to it as yet. If I saw what you judged a comet, it must have moved but little since you saw it; it was as large as a star of 7th magnitude, but rather faint. I sent this morning to Dr. Maskelyne: he says he could see nothing with a good night glass, but will try again the next fair morning, and after trying he will answer you; in the meanwhile he begs his best compliments. I will also try again. Pray let me know if you think it was the comet I saw. I have mentioned it to no one but to Mr. Wollaston, who thanks you sincerely, but did not find himself well enough to observe; he lives in Charter House Square; direct upon occasion there to the Rev. Francis Wollaston.

You cannot, my dear Miss Herschel, judge of the pleasure I feel when your reputation and fame increase; everyone must admire your and your brother’s knowledge, industry, and behaviour. God grant you many years health and happiness. I will soon pay you a visit, as soon as your brother returns. If I have any instrument you wish to use, it is at your service.

Dear Miss Herschel,—

* * If I misunderstand anything I shall be obliged to you for an explanation. The weather has not permitted me to see anything of the comet yet, but it seems now mending, and I hope to be able to make something of it to-morrow morning. Your second communication, at the same time that it gives me fresh spirits as to the certainty of its being a comet, will certainly assist me in more readily finding it. I feared that your using your new telescope might make that a bright comet to you which might prove but a very faint one, if at all visible, in a common night-glass, which is what we first use to discover a comet with. As soon as I shall have seen it I will send you a line. I sent intelligence of your discovery to M. Mechain, at Paris, last Tuesday, and will send to him your farther communication next Friday. Mr. Maskelyne joins me in best compliments to yourself and Mrs. Herschel, and Dr. Herschel on his return. Dr. Shepherd sent advice of it from me last Tuesday to the Master of Trinity, at Cambridge, who perhaps may convey the agreeable intelligence to your brother.

Ma chère et savante Commère,—

J’ai reçu avec la plus délicieuse satisfaction la première lettre dont vous m’avez honoré; je ne pouvois attribuer votre silence à une timidité que votre reputation condamne, mais je l’aurais attribué à mon peu de mérite si vous aviez continué de me refuser une réponse. Vous écrivez si bien que vous ne pouvez pas avoir à cet égard une excuse légitime.

Vous verrez bientôt M. Ungeschick, qui a baptisé votre filleule Caroline; dites-lui qu’elle se porte beaucoup mieux, ainsi que le petit Isaac (je l’ai ainsi nommé en mémoire d’Isaac Newton); pour sa sœur je ne pouvois lui donner un nom plus illustre que le vôtre; c’est ce que j’ai fait remarquer en annonçant sa naissance dans notre Moniteur ou Gazette Nationale du 31 janvier. Je ne pouvois vous donner un compère d’un plus grand mérite que M. Delambre. Il fait actuellement des tables des Satellites de Jupiter qui surpassent de beaucoup celles de M. Wargentin.

Votre commère ma nièce calcule des tables pour trouver l’heure en mer par la hauteur du soleil. Mde. du Piery calcule des observations d’éclipses. Pour moi, je suis occupé des étoiles, j’en ai déjà 6,000; votre compère Le-Français^[13] y met beaucoup de soin. Nous tâchons tous de seconder vos heureux travaux et ceux de votre illustre frère; nous vous prions tous de recevoir vous-même et de lui présenter nos respects.

Remerciez-le bien de la complaisance qu’il a eu de m’envoyer la rotation de l’anneau, dont j’étois bien curieux. Je suis avec autant d’attachement que de respect, Savante Miss,

Plusieurs de mes étoiles ont servi à comparer votre comète qui a disparu le 30 juin, mais que M. Messier et M. Méchain ont suivis sans interruption, jusques dans le crépuscule.

Je vous prie de demander les bontés de votre digne frère pour M. Ungeschick, qui est un astronome de mérite, et qui a bien du zèle, mais en vous voyant le zèle augmentera.

Dear Sir,—

Our good friend, General Komavzewski, will persuade me to believe that I am capable of giving you pleasure by writing a few lines; but I am under an apprehension that he is overrating my abilities. You, my dear sir, certainly overrated them when you thought me deserving of expressing your esteem for me in so public a manner as the General and Mr. Ungeschick have informed me of.

It will probably pass between the head of the Swan and the constellation of the Lyre, in its descent towards the sun. The direction of its motion is retrograde.^[14]

As the appearance of one of these objects is almost become a novelty, I flatter myself that this intelligence will not be uninteresting to astronomers, and therefore hope, sir, you will, with your usual kindness, recommend it to their notice.

Two years later the eighth and last comet was discovered, on the 6th of August, 1797. It was the occasion of the following letter:—

Sir,—

This is not a letter from an astronomer to the President of the Royal Society announcing a comet, but only a few lines from Caroline Herschel to a friend of her brother’s, by way of apology for not sending intelligence of that kind immediately where they are due.

I have so little faith in the expedition of messengers of all descriptions that I undertook to be my own, with an intention of stopping in town and write and deliver a letter myself, but unfortunately I undertook the task with only the preparation of one hour’s sleep, and having in the course of five years never rode above two miles at a time, the twenty to London, and the idea of six or seven more to Greenwich in reserve, totally unfitted me for any action. Dr. Maskelyne was so kind as to take some pains to persuade me to go this morning to pay my respects to Sir Joseph, but I thought a woman who knows so little of the world ought not to aim at such an honour, but go home, where she ought to be, as soon as possible.

The letter which you sent, sir, to my brother, was the only one received at Slough in my absence; it arrived towards noon on the 16th, and was brought by a porter from an inn.

I hope you will excuse the trouble I give by sending this, though I know it is entirely useless, because Dr. Maskelyne had probably my memorandum which I took to Greenwich with him when he called in Soho Square, and therefore I can say nothing but what you, sir, are acquainted with already; but I shall be a little more comfortable when I can say to my brother I have written to Sir J. Banks concerning the comet.

We are now reduced to the short diary-like entries in a small book entitled “Extracts from a Day-Book kept during the years 1797 and 1821,” which begins: “1797, in October I went to lodge and board with one of my brother’s workmen (Sprat), whose wife was to attend on me. My telescopes on the roof, to which I was to have occasional access, as also to the room with the sweeping and observing apparatus, remained in its former order, where I most days spent some hours in preparing work to go on with at my lodging.” A chance memorandum shows how the leisure time was employed; thus—“At the ending of 1787, or beginning of 1788, began to make use of some of the proof-sheets of Wollaston’s Catalogue along with Flamsteed’s;” and again, “December 24th, 1797, received notice for printing the Index, which was not at all adapted for that purpose; but March 8th, 1798, the copy was completed, and taken to the Royal Society, and in the course of the summer the print was corrected.” The following letter to the Astronomer Royal bears on this subject:—

Dear Sir,—

I have for a long while past felt a desire of expressing my thanks to you for having interested yourself so kindly for the little production of my industry by being the promoter of the printing of the Index to Flamsteed’s Observations. I thought the pains it had cost me were, and would be, sufficiently rewarded in the use it had already been, and might be in future, to my brother. But your having thought it worthy of the press has flattered my vanity not a little. You see, sir, I do own myself to be vain, because I would not wish to be singular; and was there ever a woman without vanity? or a man either? only with this difference, that among gentlemen the commodity is generally styled ambition.

I wish it were possible to offer something which could be of use to our Royal Astronomer than merely thanks. Perhaps the enclosed catalogue may be of some little service on some occasion or other. I was obliged to bring it into that form by way of scrutinizing the real number of omitted stars, and find it now very useful when my brother, in sweeping, &c., observes stars which are not contained in Wollaston’s Catalogue, to know immediately by this order of R. A. if they are in any of Flamsteed’s omitted stars, and if they are, what number they bear in the catalogue of omitted stars, which number we find in the first column. The rest of the columns will want no explanation, except the last, which would not be complete, or even intelligible, without the assistance of the catalogue of omitted stars, and the notes to that catalogue, for they are short memorandums collected from the descriptions in the catalogue, and from the notes to some of the stars.

As our Index contains all the corrections and information which I possibly could collect, those corrections and memorandums of which I had the pleasure, about eighteen months ago, to write a copy for Dr. Maskelyne, will consequently be laid aside, else I ought to take notice that there are one or two errors and several omissions which should have been corrected in that copy, but with which it will now be needless to trouble you, sir.

What has laid me under particular obligation to you, my dear sir, was your timely information, the August before last, of your having proposed the printing of the Index to the P. R. S. The papers were then in so incomplete a state, that it needed each moment which could possibly be spared from other business to deliver them with some confidence of their being pretty correct.

Many times do I think with pleasure and comfort on the friendly invitations Mrs. Maskelyne and yourself have given me to spend a few days at Greenwich. I hope yet to have that pleasure next spring or summer. This last has passed away, and I never thought myself well or in spirits enough to venture from home. If the heavens had befriended me, and afforded us a comet, I might, under its convoy, perhaps have ventured at an emigration. However, I cannot help thinking that I shall meet with some little reward for the denial it has been to me not coming this summer in seeing the improvements Miss Maskelyne has made (more perceptibly) in those accomplishments she seemed to be in so fair a way of attaining when I was there last.

May 29th and 30th.—Was mostly spent at the Observatory, Professor Vince^[15] being there.

July 30th.—My brother went with his family to Bath and Dawlish. I went daily to the Observatory and work-rooms to work, and returned home to my meals, and at night, except in fine weather, I spent some hours on the roof, and was fetched home by Sprat.

September 11th.—Dined at my brother’s. Professor Pictet and Dr. Ingenhouse, &c., were there. Cloudy night.

October 7th.—Finished the MS. Catalogue of omitted stars for Dr. Maskelyne.

December 31st.—Mem. Uncommonly harassed in consequence of the loss of time necessary for going backward and forward, and not having immediate access to each book or paper at the moment when wanted.

January 4th.—Spent the evening at my brother’s. Sir Wm. Watson^[16] and Mr. Wilson^[17] were there.

February 11th.—My brother went to Bath to make some stay there, having taken a house on Sion Hill.

February 26th.—Mrs. Herschel, Miss Cobet, and the servants left Slough for Bath. Russell, the horse-keeper, and his wife, were, along with me, left in charge of the house, from which I seldom was absent at any other time but to go to dinner at my lodging every day at one o’clock.

March 29th.—The Prince of Orange stepped in to ask some questions about planets, &c.^[18]

Lord Kirkwall and a gentleman came to see the instruments.

April 1st.—My brother arrived at Slough, and on the 11th he took a paper to the R. S., which he brought with him for me to copy in the clear. The fine nights were spent with sweeping.

May 14th.—Was interrupted in works on account of the Montem.

[Montem].—Was visited by Mrs. Owen, the Elds, Linds,^[19] &c., at my lodgings, or wherever they could find me.

June.—Began re-calculating all the sweeps as a constant work for leisure time.

June 8th.—My brother returned. I drank tea with him and Mrs. H., and at seven went home to my lodgings.

July 15th.—Agreed for apartments at Newby’s, the tailor, in Slough (Mr. S. and Mrs. B. speaking well of them as sober, industrious people), I am to enter at Michaelmas.