, &c., and by
increased reputation from the matters in which I was now engaged, the
power of thus commanding an increase of income. I should then have,
independent of my Fellowship, some competent income, and a house over
my head. I was quite aware that some time might elapse, but now for
the first time I saw my way clearly. The care of the Observatory had
been for two or three years attached to the Plumian Professorship. A
Grace was immediately prepared, entrusting the temporary care of the
Observatory to Dr French, to me, Mr Catton, Mr Sheepshanks, and Mr
King (afterwards Master of Queens' College). On Dec. 6th I have a note
from Mr King about going to the Observatory.
"On Dec. 6th my Paper on corrections of the elements of the Solar
Tables was presented to the Royal Society. On Dec. 9th, at 1 h. 4
m. a.m. (Sunday morning), I arrived at the result of my calculations
of the new inequality. I had gone through some fluctuations of
feeling. Usually the important part of an inequality of this kind
depends entirely on the eccentricities of the orbits, but it so
happened that from the positions of the axes of the orbits, &c., these
terms very nearly destroyed each other. After this came the
consideration of inclinations of orbits; and here were sensible terms
which were not destroyed.
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