BAILY, Edward Hodges, a distinguished sculptor, was born at Bristol, 10th March 1788, and died at London, 22d May 1867. His father, who was a ship-carver of great repute, destined him for a commercial life, but even at school the boy showed his natural taste and remarkable talents by producing numerous wax models and busts of his schoolfellows, and afterwards, when placed in a mercantile house, still carried on his favourite employment. Two Homeric studies, executed for a friend, were shown to Flaxman, who bestowed on them such high commendation, that in 1807 Baily came to London and placed himself as a pupil under the great sculptor. In 1811 he gained the Academy gold medal for a model of Hercules restoring Alcestis to Admetus, ⅛ωΛ soon after exhibited Apollo discharging his arrows against the Greeks, and Hercules casting Lichas into the sea. In 1821 he was elected R.A., and exhibited one of his best pieces, Eve. He was for many years engaged in lucrative employment as modeller for Messrs Rundell & Co. and Messrs Storr & Mortimer. He was also entrusted with the carving of the bas-reliefs on the south side of the Marble Arch at Hyde Park. Besides numerous busts and statues, such as those of Nelson on the Monument, of Earl Grey, of Lord Mansfield, and others, his finest pieces are, Eve at the Fountain, Eve listening to the Voice, Maternal Affection, Girl preparing for the Bath, and the Graces....
BAILY, Francis, an English astronomer, was born in Berkshire in the year 1774, and for many years carried on business as a stockbroker in London. While amassing a large fortune by his business, he applied the profound mathematical knowledge for which he was distinguished to the doctrine of probabilities, and published several interesting works on that subject, as, Tables for the Purchasing and Renewing of Leases, The Doctrine of Interest and Annuities, The Doctrine of Annuities and Assurances, <fcc. In 1820 he was one of the original and most active promoters of the Astronomical Society; and on his retirement from business in 1825, he entered with the utmost energy upon the cultivation of astronomy and the kindred sciences. He gave the Nautical Almanac its present form and introduced other improvements; he took an active part in the investigation of the effects of the atmosphere on pendulum experiments; he aided in the repetition of the experiment of Cavendish on the specific gravity of the earth; he superintended the publication of the Astronomical Society’s catalogue of the fixed stars; and the revision of the annual catalogues in the 13th volume of the Society’s Memoirs was entirely his work. On his recommendation the British Association undertook the republication of the Histoire Céleste of Lalande, combined with Lacaille’s catalogue, which together contain no less than 57,000 stars; and there is reason to believe that he took an important part in the investigation of the course of the tidal wave in the Atlantic. His Account of the Rev. John Flamsteed, First Astronomer-Royal, 1835, a work of great ability and research, excited much discussion from the disclosures it made relative to the character of Sir Isaac Newton. Baily was extremely patient and methodical, and these qualities enabled him to effect, in the last twenty years of his career, a greater number of researches than most other philosophers have accomplished during a whole lifetime. He died August 30, 1844.
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