On this account he only remained at St. Helena for a
single year, having, during that time, and in spite of many
difficulties, accomplished a piece of work which earned for him the
title of "our southern Tycho." Thus did Halley establish his fame as
an astronomer on the same lonely rock in mid-Atlantic, which nearly a
century and a-half later became the scene of Napoleon's imprisonment,
when his star, in which he believed so firmly, had irretrievably set.
On his return to England, Halley prepared a map which showed the
result of his labours, and he presented it to the king, in 1677.
Like his great predecessor Tycho, Halley did not altogether disdain
the arts of the courtier, for he endeavoured to squeeze a new
constellation into the group around the southern pole which he styled
"The Royal Oak," adding a description to the effect that the
incidents of which "The Royal Oak" was a symbol were of sufficient
importance to be inscribed on the surface of the heavens.
There is reason to think that Charles II. duly appreciated the
scientific renown which one of his subjects had achieved, and it was
probably through the influence of the king that Halley was made a
Master of Arts at Oxford on November 18th, 1678. Special reference
was made on the occasion to his observations at St.
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