Galle enabled him to discover the planet on the very first night
that he looked for it.
The rival claims of Adams and Le Verrier to the discovery of Neptune,
or rather, we should say, the claims put forward by their respective
champions, for neither of the illustrious investigators themselves
condescended to enter into the personal aspect of the question, need
not be further discussed here. The main points of the controversy
have been long since settled, and we cannot do better than quote the
words of Sir John Herschel when he addressed the Royal Astronomical
Society in 1848:--
"As genius and destiny have joined the names of Le Verrier and Adams,
I shall by no means put them asunder; nor will they ever be
pronounced apart so long as language shall celebrate the triumphs Of
science in her sublimest walks. On the great discovery of Neptune,
which may be said to have surpassed, by intelligible and legitimate
means, the wildest pretensions of clairvoyance, it Would now be quite
superfluous for me to dilate. That glorious event and the steps
which led to it, and the various lights in which it has been placed,
are already familiar to every one having the least tincture of
science. I will only add that as there is not, nor henceforth ever
can be, the slightest rivalry on the subject between these two
illustrious men--as they have met as brothers, and as such will, I
trust, ever regard each other--we have made, we could make, no
distinction between then, on this occasion.
Pages:
373
374
375
376
377
378
379
380
381
382
383
384
385
386
387
388
389
390
391
392
393
394
395
396
397