... Do not forget to thank my little nephew for his pretty letter. His description of the method his papa makes use of in teaching mathematical figures, I prefer to that of his grandfather. He used, when making me, a grown woman, acquainted with them, to make me sometimes fall short at dinner if I did not guess the angle right of the piece of pudding I was helping myself to! [Sidenote: 1842. _Regrets._] MISS HERSCHEL TO LADY HERSCHEL. HANOVER, _July 7, 1842_. MY DEAREST NIECE,— I have just now been reading your dear letter of June 7th once again, but I shall take care not to look into it for yet a while, else I run the risk of going mad when thinking of my running away from a country where I might have been an eye-witness, and sometimes a partaker, of so much domestic happiness. But it is no matter now, and of no use fretting about it; I am only sorry I cannot go on with my history as fast as I could wish, for I feel too unwell to be doing _any_ thing for any length of time.... ... I am glad my dear nephew finds pleasure in giving up so much of his valuable time to his dear sons; for my hair stands at an end on hearing what beings are continually expelled from _our_ Eton here, all owing to ignorant ambitious parents trusting entirely to unprincipled hirelings. Though my poor brother seemed to have no hands in the education of his only son, I know, from having been present at many private conversations he had with Dr. Gretton, that nothing was done without his approbation and advice. ... The _Astronom. Nachrichten_ have latterly been filled with tables and too much mathematics (for me). The last numbers, 450, 451, contain an account, by Struve, of the purchase of Olbers’ books, &c., for the library of the Observatory at Pulkowa. This puts one in mind of Olbers saying somewhere, I had discovered five comets. Who wanted him to give the number of _my_ comets when he knew them no better? As far as I recollect, Dr. Maskelyne has observed them all, and his observations on them are, I daresay, all printed in the volumes of the Greenwich Observations—at least of some he has shown me the proof sheets. I never called a comet mine till several post days were passed without any account of them coming to hand. And after all, it is only like the children’s game, “_Wer am ersten kick ruft, soll den Apfel haben! Wo sie denn alle rufen kick! kick! und so_,”[61] &c., &c. I long for the return of the messenger, for I heard to-day that Bessel and Encke were gone to the philosophical meeting in England, and I expect to hear a great deal of news. But first and foremost I wish to see in your next that yourself and my dear nephew, with all the dear _little, little_ ones, continue to be well and happy....