Showing 41–54 of 54 items
The Sir John Herschel Collection
The preparation of the print Calendar of the Correspondence of Sir John Herschel (Michael J. Crowe ed., David R. Dyck and James J. Kevin assoc. eds, Cambridge, England: Cambridge Univ. Press, 1998, viii + 828 pp) which was funded by the National Science Foundation, took ten years. It was accomplished by a team of seventeen professors, visiting scholars, graduate students, advanced undergraduates, and staff working at the University of Notre Dame.
The first online version of Calendar was created in 2009 by Dr Marvin Bolt and Steven Lucy, working at the Webster Institute of the Adler Planetarium, and it is that data that has now been reformatted for incorporation into Ɛpsilon.
Further information about Herschel, his correspondence, and the editorial method is available online here: http://historydb.adlerplanetarium.org/herschel/?p=intro
No texts of Herschel’s letters are currently available through Ɛpsilon.
Learned of vacancy in Lucasian Professorship at Cambridge. Wrote to [T. W.] Hornbuckle explaining why JH declines. Asks JW's support for Charles Babbage.
Dr. [William] French withdrew candidacy for Lucasian Professorship. JH again attests to Charles Babbage's qualifications for that position, which includes seat on Board of Longitude.
Invites HK to dinner Saturday to meet James South and Alexis Bouvard.
Asks questions about the prospectus [see JE's 1826-3-2] prepared by the Berlin Royal Academy for a map of the heavens. Asks JE to send JH a copy of [K. L.] Harding's star atlas.
Reports on interest at the Astronomical Society, especially of [Thomas J.] Hussey, in the plan of the Berlin Academy for a new star chart. JH cannot participate due to JH's commitment to re-examine his father's nebulae, which requires that JH reside far from London.
Encloses an outline of JH's paper on iron [? 'On the Separation of Iron from Other Metals,' RSPT (1821), 293-9].
[Responding to WT's 1826-2-7], JH thanks WT for materials sent, makes suggestions regarding WT's upcoming trip to Geneva, and asks WT to deliver a book to [Alfred] Gautier.
[Responding to WT's 1826-3-24], JH concurs with P. S. Laplace's view about the advantage of astronomical observation from high elevations, e.g., from mountains. Comments on telescope prices, a paper by WT, Florence, and JH's plan to visit the Continent.
Thanks WT for bringing to JH Josef Fraunhofer's publications and Franz Gruithuisen's plates. Recounts JH's geologizing in France and JH's efforts to measure solar radiation.
Asks WW to watch over the printing of JH's 'Light' for the Encyclopaedia Metropolitana. Describes that work as not especially original and as free of historical information. Discusses JH's trip to Calais.
Declines to become a candidate for the Lucasian professorship. Explains his reasons. Has written in support of Charles Babbage. Thanks WW for seeing JH's 'Light' through the press. Describes JH's travels on the continent, including his 'geologising.'
Thanks for ME's letter; JH hopes to see her in Ireland in summer.
Has read his paper on vaporization with much interest and can see no objections to its arguments. Comments on some of the details.
[More detailed version of JH's 1826-5-26]. Has mentioned it to Humphry Davy.