In the eloge pronounced upon him at the
Paris Academie Des Sciences, of which Halley had been made a member
in 1719 it was said, "he possessed all the qualifications which were
necessary to please princes who were desirous of instruction, with a
great extent of knowledge and a constant presence of mind; his
answers were ready, and at the same time pertinent, judicious, polite
and sincere."
[PLATE: GREENWICH OBSERVATORY IN HALLEY'S TIME.]
Thus we find that Peter the Great was one of his most ardent
admirers. He consulted the astronomer on matters connected with
shipbuilding, and invited him to his own table. But Halley possessed
nobler qualifications than the capacity of pleasing Princes. He was
able to excite and to retain the love and admiration of his equals.
This was due to the warmth of his attachments, the unselfishness of
his devotion to his friends, and to a vein of gaiety and good-humour
which pervaded all his conversation.
BRADLEY.
James Bradley was descended from an ancient family in the county of
Durham. He was born in 1692 or 1693, at Sherbourne, in
Gloucestershire, and was educated in the Grammar School at
Northleach. From thence he proceeded in due course to Oxford, where
he was admitted a commoner at Balliol College, on March 15th, 1711.
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