ave been made even earlier and as a consequence of
totally independent calculations made by a young Cambridge mathematician,
J. C. Adams. Some of you are doubtless already familiar with the story in
its abridged form, for it has been scattered broadcast through literature.
In England it generally takes the form of emphasising the wickedness or
laziness of the Astronomer Royal who, when told where to look for a
planet, neglected his obvious duty, so that in consequence another
astronomer who made the calculation much later and gave a more virtuous
observer the same directions where to look, obtained for France the glory
of a discovery which ought to have been retained in England. There is no
doubt that Airy's conduct received a large amount of what he called
"savage abuse." When the facts are clearly stated I think it will be
evident that many of the harsh things said of him were scarcely just,
though at the same time it is also difficult to understand his conduct at
two or three points of the history, even as explained by himself.

[Sidenote: Facts undoubted.]

There is fortunately no doubt whatever about any of the _facts_. Airy
himself gave a very clear and straightforward account of them at the time,
for which more credit is due to him than he commonly receives; and since
the death of the chief actors in this sensational drama they have been
naturally again ransacked, with the satisfactory result that there is
practically no doubt about any of the facts. As to the proper
interpretations of them there certainly may be wide differences of
opinion, nor does this circumstance detract from their interest. It is
almost impossible to make a perfectly colourless recital of them, nor is
it perhaps necessary to do so. I will therefore ask you to remember in
what I now say that there is almost necessarily an element of personal
bias, and that another writer would probably give a different colouring.
Having said this, I hope I may speak quite freely as the matter appears in
my personal estimation.

[Sidenote: Airy's "Account."]

[Sidenote: "A movement of the age."]

Airy's account was, as above stated, given to the Royal Astronomical
Society at their first meeting (after the startling announcement of the
discovery of the new planet), on November 13, 1846, and I have already
quoted an extract from it. He opens with a tribute to the sensational
character of the discovery, and then states that although clearly due to
two indiv