6 
HISTORY OF THE 
[1820-30 
under the appearance of very minute single stars no way distin 
guishable from others of a less interesting character, but by the 
test of careful and often repeated observations. 
We may now declare the secondary purpose with which the 
former passage was quoted, and which has prompted also the 
relation of these details somewhat more fully than occasion perhaps 
seemed to warrant. In recurring to these early days after the lapse 
of a century, there can scarcely be a better motive than that of 
realising what was in the minds of these pioneers, and seeing wdiat 
came of it. As one item alone in their programme, they did not 
hesitate to announce it as their ambition to survey the whole sky 
by co-operative endeavour down to the minutest star visible in 
the best telescopes, and that with the laborious methods of the time ! 
Two-thirds of a century later, with the immensely powerful aid 
of photography at hand, their successors really embarked on this 
project, but have found it far beyond their resources. The sky 
has indeed been completely photographed, at Harvard and else 
where, but this is only one step on the way to the scrutiny of each 
star—“ careful and often repeated.” The question forces itself 
on our attention whether our pioneers had really counted the cost; 
and we can only reply that, if they had not, they were only com 
mitting the same mistake which their successors, with far better 
information, repeated in 1887. They then initiated the project 
for the Astrographic Chart, which was to be completed in a dozen 
years, though to-day, after nearly three times that period, it is 
yet far from accomplishment. Of the enthusiasts who adopted so 
great a programme in 1820, probably Sir John Herschel had the 
best means of knowing what it involved ; and we may perhaps 
read into his attempted deletion of the sentence some misgivings * 
whether ambition might not overreach itself. Possibly the 
cataloguing of every star might be achieved, by sharing out the 
work : but what about “ careful and often repeated observations ” ? 
Perhaps that had better go out ? However, the other enthusiasts 
were too many for him and it was ultimately retained. 
We see then that the infant Society did not merely “ hitch 
its waggon to a star,” but would be content with nothing less 
than the whole universe of stars down to the minutest. For 
tunately they were nevertheless men who realised well enough that 
whatever their ultimate aims might be, their beginnings must be 
eminently sober and practical. They started with the reform of 
the Nautical Almanac ; and read papers to one another about 
micrometers and refraction; or arranged skeleton forms for 
* On 1820 December 19, Sir John writes to Babbage: “Why not proceed to 
set on foot that ‘ regular systematic examination of the heavens ’ about which 
there is so much said ad captandum vulgus in the Address ? ”