Halley appears to have devoted much time to the
investigation; indeed, he remained at Dantzig for more than a
twelvemonth. On his return to England, he spoke highly of the skill
which Hevelius exhibited in the use of his antiquated methods, but
Halley was nevertheless too sagacious an observer to be shaken in his
preference for the telescopic method of observation.
The next year we find our young astronomer starting for a Continental
tour, and we, who complain if the Channel passage lasts more than an
hour or two, may note Halley's remark in writing to Hooke on June
15th, 1680: "Having fallen in with bad weather we took forty hours in
the journey from Dover to Calais." The scientific distinction which
he had already attained was such that he was received in Paris with
marked attention. A great deal of his time seems to have been passed
in the Paris observatory, where Cassini, the presiding genius,
himself an astronomer of well-deserved repute, had extended a hearty
welcome to his English visitor. They made observations together of
the place of the splendid comet which was then attracting universal
attention, and Halley found the work thus done of much use when he
subsequently came to investigate the path pursued by this body.
Pages:
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192
193