e. He complained especially
of those from ladies not much skilled in science, saying, "What should
they do but ask silly questions, when they spend their lives in doing
naething but spatting muslin?" Veitch was strictly religious and
conscientious, observing the Sabbath day with great solemnity; and I
had the impression that he was stern to his wife, who seemed to be a
person of intelligence, for I remember seeing her come from the
washing-tub to point out the planet Venus while it was still daylight.

The return of Halley's comet, in 1835, exactly at the computed time, was
a great astronomical event, as it was the first comet of long period
clearly proved to belong to our system. I was asked by Mr. John Murray
to write an article on the subject for the "Quarterly Review." After it
was published, I received a letter from James Veitch, reproaching me for
having mentioned that a peasant in Hungary was the first to see Halley's
comet, and for having omitted to say that, "a peasant at Inchbonny was
the first to see the comet of 1811, the greatest that had appeared for a
century." I regretted, on receiving this letter, that I either had not
known, or had forgotten the circumstance. Veitch has been long dead, but
I avail myself of this opportunity of making the _amende honorable_ to a
man of great mental power and acquirements who had struggled through
difficulties, unaided, as I have done myself.

LETTER FROM JAMES VEITCH TO MRS. SOMERVILLE.

INCHBONNY, _12th October, 1836_.

DEAR MADAM,

I saw in the Quarterly review for December 1885 page 216 that the
comet 1682 was discovered by a Peasent, George Palitzch residing in
the neighbourhood of Dresden on the 25th of December 1758 with a
small Telescope. But no mention is made of the Peasent at Inchbonny
who first discovered the beautiful comet 1811. You will remember
when Dr. Wollaston was at Inchbonny I put a difficult question to
him that I could not solve about the focal distance of optic glasses
when the Dr. got into a passion and said: Had he problems in his
pocket ready to pull out in every occasion? and with an angry look
at me said, You pretend to be the first that discovered the comet
altho' it has been looked for by men of science for some time back.
Now I never heard of such a thing and you will perhaps know
something about it as the Dr. would not be mistaken. After we got
acquainted, the Dr. wa