I have for a long while past felt a desire of expressing my thanks to you for having interested yourself so kindly for the little production of my industry by being the promoter of the printing of the Index to Flamsteed’s Observations. I thought the pains it had cost me were, and would be, sufficiently rewarded in the use it had already been, and might be in future, to my brother. But your having thought it worthy of the press has flattered my vanity not a little. You see, sir, I do own myself to be vain, because I would not wish to be singular; and was there ever a woman without vanity? or a man either? only with this difference, that among gentlemen the commodity is generally styled ambition.
I wish it were possible to offer something which could be of use to our Royal Astronomer than merely thanks. Perhaps the enclosed catalogue may be of some little service on some occasion or other. I was obliged to bring it into that form by way of scrutinizing the real number of omitted stars, and find it now very useful when my brother, in sweeping, &c., observes stars which are not contained in Wollaston’s Catalogue, to know immediately by this order of R. A. if they are in any of Flamsteed’s omitted stars, and if they are, what number they bear in the catalogue of omitted stars, which number we find in the first column. The rest of the columns will want no explanation, except the last, which would not be complete, or even intelligible, without the assistance of the catalogue of omitted stars, and the notes to that catalogue, for they are short memorandums collected from the descriptions in the catalogue, and from the notes to some of the stars.
As our Index contains all the corrections and information which I possibly could collect, those corrections and memorandums of which I had the pleasure, about eighteen months ago, to write a copy for Dr. Maskelyne, will consequently be laid aside, else I ought to take notice that there are one or two errors and several omissions which should have been corrected in that copy, but with which it will now be needless to trouble you, sir.
What has laid me under particular obligation to you, my dear sir, was your timely information, the August before last, of your having proposed the printing of the Index to the P. R. S. The papers were then in so incomplete a state, that it needed each moment which could possibly be spared from other business to deliver them with some confidence of their being pretty correct.
Many times do I think with pleasure and comfort on the friendly invitations Mrs. Maskelyne and yourself have given me to spend a few days at Greenwich. I hope yet to have that pleasure next spring or summer. This last has passed away, and I never thought myself well or in spirits enough to venture from home. If the heavens had befriended me, and afforded us a comet, I might, under its convoy, perhaps have ventured at an emigration. However, I cannot help thinking that I shall meet with some little reward for the denial it has been to me not coming this summer in seeing the improvements Miss Maskelyne has made (more perceptibly) in those accomplishments she seemed to be in so fair a way of attaining when I was there last.
With my best respects and compliments to Mrs. M.,
I remain, with the greatest esteem,
Your most obliged and humble servant,
C. Herschel.
1798. Extracts from Day-book.