Announces F. W. Bessel's success in measuring stellar parallax.
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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.
Announces F. W. Bessel's success in measuring stellar parallax.
Departure of J. C. Ross for Antarctic expedition is approaching. Hopes that Admiralty will soon authorize R.S.L. to assist Ross in preparing instruments and coordinating global observations.
Will send two photometers and three-year supply of paper to [?]. One goes to J. C. Ross and one to F. Eardley Wilmot at Cape of Good Hope. Instructions for using photometers. Hopes [?] Robinson forwarded actinometers to Woolwich as JH directed. These should be checked at St. Helena. Instruction for using actinometers. Sent report to Humphrey Lloyd at B.A.A.S. Returns [?]'s Daguerre newspaper containing 'impudent notice about M. Pambour and his great Wheels.'
As offered in [?]'s letter of 9 Aug. 1832, JH accepts position as member of B.A.A.S. Council.
Is trying to expedite the shipping back to England of part of the zoological collection of Andrew Smith.
Describes in detail many of the plants at the Cape, especially flowering and variously scented ones.
Appears to be commenting on JH's availability for a position.
Mentions visit of 1 Feb. 1839 from W. H. Fox Talbot. Reports that JH has now 'accomp[lishe]d the whole problem [of photography].' Describes JH's recent results.
Gives permission to do anything with JH's letter; asks to be excused to J. W. Lubbock for not having written back.
Hopes for conveyance to Cambridge in covered vehicle for meeting of J. W. Lubbock's committee.
Describes sighting while at Slough a remarkably bright occurrence of the aurora borealis.
JH's experiments to find compounds suitable for photography. Accidental discovery of effect of 'nitrate of Silver.' Note of 22 Jan. from Francis Beaufort alerted JH to L. J. M. Daguerre's secret processes and W. H. F. Talbot's experiments.
Fourth observatory, at Van Diemen's Land [Tasmania], will be conducted by J. H. Kay, to be landed from one of vessels [Terror and Erebus] bound for Antarctica. This vessel will also carry observers and instruments for stations at St. Helena and Cape.
Comments on letter received. Regrets replies about 'the Muriate of Chrome.'
Compares 'Products' principle with 'Sums' principle for numerical analysis of taxation in several boroughs. JH's opinion favoring Sums was quoted 'in the Assembly.'
Please send vol. 2 of Nathaniel Bowditch's translation of P. S. Laplace's Mécanique céleste.
Is leaving England very shortly, so cannot meet to discuss the correspondent's Indian Survey. Provides advice on various metrological matters.
Expresses thanks for extract on cholera. Sends a copy of a paper on double stars. Hopes soon to be able to send supplement on double star orbits.
Responds to an unidentified mathematician who had written a critique of ideas put forward by Thomas Drummond, regarding whether to estimate the importance of various boroughs primarily in terms of population or in terms of the wealth of the population.