Page:Dictionary of National Biography, Second Supplement, volume 2.djvu/278

 in the 'Reports' of the British Association for 1868, 1872, and 1874. A table of the radiant points of comets computed by Herschel alone is in the 'Report' for 1875. He was reporter to the committee of the British Association on the 'observations of luminous meteors,' and from 1862 to 1881 drew up annually complete reports of the large meteors observed, and of the progress of meteoric science. For the British Association (1874–81) he prepared reports of a committee, consisting of himself, his colleague at Newcastle, Prof. A. G. Lebour, and Mr. J. T. Dunn, which was formed to determine the thermal conductivities of certain rocks. For the 'Monthly Notices' of the Royal Astronomical Society he prepared the annual reports on meteoric astronomy each February from 1872 to 1880 and contributed many other important papers to the 'Notices.' In one of these (June 1872), on meteor showers connected with Biela's comet, he predicted the shower which recurred at the end of November of that year. Herschel acquired great precision in noting the paths of meteors among the stars. From his determination of the radiant point of the November Leonids, Professor Schiaparelli deduced the identity of their orbit with that of Tempel's comet of 1866.

Besides meteoric astronomy, Herschel was interested in many branches of physical science, and became a member of the Physical Society of London in 1889 and of the Society of Arts in 1892. He contributed frequently to 'Nature,' an article on 'The Matter of Space' in 1883 being specially noteworthy. He worked much at photography, and in 1893 the Amateur Photographic Association presented an enlarged carbon print portrait of Alexander Herschel to the South Kensington Museum for the British Museum Portrait Gallery.

Herschel became fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society in 1867, and in 1884 was elected F.R.S., an honour already conferred on his grandfather, his father, and his younger brother John. In 1886 he gave up his professorship, and was made D.C.L. of Durham University. In 1888, with other members of his family, he reoccupied the house, now called Observatory House, Slough, where his grandfather. Sir William Herschel, had lived. Here he resided till his death, absorbed in study, but late in life he made a journey to Spain to observe the solar eclipse of 1905.

He died unmarried at Slough on 18 June 1907, and was buried in St. Lawrence's church, Upton, in the chancel of which his grandfather lies.

 HERTSLET, EDWARD (1824–1902), librarian of the foreign office, born at 16 College Street, Westminster, on 3 Feb. 1824, was youngest son of  [q. v.], of Swiss descent, by his first wife, Hannah Harriet Jemima Cooke. Educated privately near Hounslow, he was on 23 March 1840 temporarily attached to the library of the foreign office under his father, who was then librarian. On 8 Jan. 1842 he received a permanent appointment, on 28 Aug. 1844 became second clerk, and a little later the senior clerk. On 1 April 1855 he became sub-librarian, and on 19 Nov. 1857 librarian.

Hertslet carried on his father's tradition. He was long a main pivot of the foreign office work. Preliminary memoranda by him (now in the foreign office archives) focussed the history, geography, or international law incident to the chief public questions which came before the government while he held office. With the post of librarian he combined up to 1870 the agency for members of the diplomatic and consular services, and received an annual compensation on its abolition in that year.

He was attached to the special mission of Lord Beaconsfield to the Berlin congress in 1878, and was knighted for his services. He was one of the delegates for the examination of the question of boundary between British and Dutch territory in Borneo in June 1889.

Hertslet was retained at the foreign office long after the normal retiring age of sixty-five, discharging his duties up to 2 Feb. 1896. He was made C.B. on 21 Feb. 1874, and K.C.B. on 20 Aug. 1892. He died at his residence, Bellevue, Richmond, after an operation, on 4 Aug. 1902. He had resided at Richmond since 1852 and was active in local affairs.

Hertslet married Eden (d. 1899), daughter of John Bull, clerk of the journals of the House of Commons. Of his nine sons and three daughters, six sons and a daughter survived him. His third son, Mr. Godfrey L. P. Hertslet, in the library of the foreign office, succeeded him as editor of the 'Foreign Office List' and is also assistant editor of 'Hertslet's Commercial Treaties.' Hertslet continued many publications which his father began; the principal were: 1. The 'Foreign Office List,' of which he