Physical Committee yesterday amended report by J. D. Forbes and recommended that R.S.L. establish a magnetical and meteorological observatory in vicinity of London.
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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.
Physical Committee yesterday amended report by J. D. Forbes and recommended that R.S.L. establish a magnetical and meteorological observatory in vicinity of London.
Funding for magnetic and meteorological instruments for Ceylon, which would be valuable addition to H.E.I.C. observatories. Compares [barometric] curves from America and Europe. Magnetometers for [Nossrey?] were paid for out of R.S.L.'s Donation Fund.
Will invite G. A. Erman to act as B.A.A.S. commissioner in reduction of 1829 Gaussian constant. Will try to remedy misconceptions of G. B. Airy. T. M. Brisbane will not get involved. Testing new magnetic instrument by Humphrey Lloyd for Arctic expedition. Invite C. F. Gauss to Cambridge.
Hopes royal observatory at Cape of Good Hope will relieve Ordnance department. U.S. government agreed to pay for publication of observations there. A. D. Bache favors continuance of hourly meteorological observations in U.S. for one year. G. A. Erman will attend meeting at Cambridge. German translations by ES's wife.
Urged by G. B. Airy, ES withdraws earlier letter to JH and encloses letter with ES's opinions regarding continuance of [magnetic and meteorological] observations.
Asks JH to inspect first magnetic and meteorological observations from [Tasmania] and Toronto. Hopes North American observations will be increased.
Will send JH's report to JH in August. J. C. Ross will not be at Cork meeting, but JH may announce there that first year of Ross's observations at sea will appear in R.S.P.T.
Forwarded letters to William Whewell, as JH requested. Will show copies of them to G. B. Airy. Completing volume of J. C. Ross's second crossing. Willing to take charge of W. R. Birt's models.
Returns JH report with one correction, substituting Kazan for North Cape, because [Christopher] Hansteen cannot find Norwegian observers. Will make copies of its final form and take one to B.A.A.S. meeting in Aberdeen. Mr. Bolyani has visited every magnetic observatory in Europe. 1854 was the year of minimum magnetic disturbances in Peking.
Sends Council report to be read next week. Instructed printers Taylor & Francis to accept any changes that JH may request. Sent copies of JH's report to Humphrey Lloyd and G. B. Airy. Gives ES's address in Scotland.
Reports meetings of ES and Humphrey Lloyd with scientists in Berlin and Göttingen. Alexander von Humboldt requests information from JH about southern hemisphere. Humboldt and Gauss are pleased by British respect for their work. ES will visit JH in Slough next week. Wants to see magnetic observations made by Navy lieutenant who accompanied Sir John Franklin to Van Diemen's Land.
Payment for instruments sent to Breslau observatory. Received proofs of JH's paper, which does justice to Humphrey Lloyd. Spoke to Lord Melbourne about establishing a magnetical and meteorological observatory in vicinity of London. Compares expenses for permanent and temporary observatories.
Encloses bill from W. H. Allen & Co. regarding Breslau observatory. [JH annotation: Details of bill.]
B.A.A.S. should not assume publication of meteorological observations if L. A. J. Quetelet gives these up. Johann Lamont in Munich is better qualified. Received from John Caldecott five years of meteorological observations at Trevandrum [India]. George Peacock has invited B.A.A.S. to meet at Cambridge in 1845.
Add to [ES's] enclosed letter, which ES will explain more fully at committee meeting next week.
Colonial governor at Ceylon will grant £150 annually for operation of magnetic observatory at Colombo, directed by Royal Artillery officers already there, if [R.S.L.] will supply instruments. Proposes seeking money for instruments from Wollaston Fund.
Appropriate use of Wollaston Fund for supporting research. Possible sources of instruments for new magnetic and meteorological observatory at St. John's, Newfoundland.
A. T. Kupffer proposes international meeting of authorities in terrestrial magnetism. ES suggests combining this with 1845 meeting of B.A.A.S. at Cambridge. Plans for publishing observations before Cambridge meeting.
Ship is ordered for Lt. Clark's excursion. Feels certain that Lord Stanley has consulted colonial governor.
JH is premature in concluding that international meeting of magnetic researchers would result in appeal to British government for funds to continue B.A.A.S. observatories beyond 1845. ES has not reviewed later observations [1842-43] and cannot judge whether observations have met original goals of R.S.L. and B.A.A.S. Agreement by Robert Peel and F. I. Brunnov on need for longer period of observations. Affirms value of JH's role in evaluating results of survey.