This appointment of astronomer royal at Greenwich, which was dated the third of February, 1741-2, placed Mr. Bradley in his proper element, and he pursued his observations with unwearied diligence. However numerous the collection of as tronomical instruments at that observa tory, it was impossible that such an obser ver as Dr. Bradley should not desire to increase them, as well to answer those particular views, as in general to make observations with greater exactness. In the year 1748, therefore, he took the op portunity of the visit of the Royal to the observatory, annually made to ex amine the instruments and receive the professor's observations for the year, to represent so strongly the necessity of re pairing the old instruments, and provid ing new ones, that the Society thought proper to make application to the king, who was pleased to order one thousand pounds for that purpose. This sum was laid out under the direction of our author, who, with the assistance of the late cele brated Mr. Graham and Mr. Bird, fur nished the observatory with as complete a collection of astronomical instruments as the most skilful and diligent observer could desire.
During Mr. Bradley's residence at the Royal Observatory, the living of the church at Greenwich became vacant, and was offered to him : upon his refusing to accept it, from a conscientious scruple, ".that the duty of a pastor was in com patable with his other studies and neces sary engagements," the king was pleased to grant him a pension of 2501. over and above the astronomer's original salary from the board of ordnance, "in cmssi deration (as the sign manual dated the 15th of February, 1752, expresses it)of his great skill and knowledge in the several branches of astronomy and other parts of the mathematics, which have proved so useful to the trade and navigation of this kingdom." A pension which has been regularly continued to the astronomers royal ever since.
About 1748 our author became entitled to Bishop Crew's benefaction of 301. a year to the lecture reader in experiment al philosophy at Oxford. He was elected a member of the Academy of Sciences at Berlin in 1747 ; of that at Paris in 1748; of that at Petersburgh in 1754; and of that of Bologna in 1757. He was mar ried in the year 1744, but never had more than one child, a daughter.
By too close application to study and observations, Dr. Bradley became afflict ed for near two years before his death with a grievous oppression on his spirits ; which interrupted his useful labours.
This distress arose chiefly from an appre hension that he should outlive his rational faculties : but this so much dreaded evil never came upon him. In June, 1762, be was seized with a suppression of urine, occasioned by an inflammation in the reins, which terminated his existence the 13th of July following. His death hap pened at Chalfont, in Gloucestershire, in the 70th year of his age, and he was in terred at Minchinhampton, in the same county.
As to his character, Dr. Bradley was re markable for a placid and gentle modesty, very uncommon in persons of an active temper and robust constitution. Although he was a good speaker, and possessed the rare but happy art of expressing his ideas with the utmost precision and clearness, yet no man was a greater lover of silence, for he never spoke but when he thought it absolutely necessary. Nor was he more inclined to write than to speak, as he has published very little ; he had a natural diffidence, which made him always afraid that his works might injure his character, so that he suppressed many which might have been worthy of publication. Many of his papers have been inserted in the Philosophical Transactions.
The public character of Dr. Bradley, as a man of science and observation, is fully established by his various works. His' private character was in every re spect estimable. That he published so little may be ascribed to a large share of diffidence, which prevented him from so liciting that attention which at all times he could command. His observations made at the Royal Observatory, during 20 years, were comprised. in 13 vols. folio and two 4to.; these were transferred in the year 1776 to the University of Oxford, on condition they should be printed and published by that learned body. In June, 1691; the Board of Longitude, see ing no prospect of their publication, pass ed some resolutions respecting the pub lic right to these observations, which be ing transmitted to the vice chancellor, the Board was in consequence informed, that the delegates of the press in the universi ty were proceeding with the work. The first volume was published in 1798, in a very splendid form, under the title of " Astronomical observations at Green wich, from the year 1750 to the year 1762."