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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.
Should Mr. Morris, carpenter at Cranbrook, include canvas for covering dome, or will that be available at Cape Town? Improvements in WD's dome should be incorporated into Cape dome. Apologizes for WD's carelessness in managing telescope when JH visited.
Received three bills for £316 from Georg Merz and Sons, but JH's balance is only £19.
Explains combined British and foreign postage rate applied to JH's letter, which has been forwarded to France. [JH annotation on verso about actinometer.]
Plans to send parcel to observatory at Cape of Good Hope; does JH have anything to include?
Francis Beaufort is on leave. Does JH know of Beaufort's intentions regarding instruments assigned to [William] Mann, who departs aboard Arab in two days?
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.
R.S.L. committee for distribution of star catalogs should notify H. C. Schumacher of its work. Ordered additional copies to meet requests by foreign corresponding members. Deciding whom to include on distribution list. Concern by Treasury that distribution not be done for profit. Encloses letter from F. G. W. Struve.
Problems with expensive postage for [W. S.] Stratford's notices could have been avoided if these had been sent to R.S.L. for mailing. Explains R.S.L. system for foreign mailings. Believes that council's list of recipients for star catalogs should include many institutions that are not associated with observatories. Advises sending more copies to French institutions. Problems at Paramatta Observatory.
R.S.L. policy for paying postage on scientific communication by members to and from foreign correspondents. Addresses of proposed recipients for Cape Results. ES's illness and problem with eyes.
Cannot explain how Thomas Henderson arrived at special figures in N. L. Lacaille's star catalog. Will examine Lacaille's volumes tomorrow.
Reports organization of N. L. Lacaille's star catalog. Suggests method by which to compare this with Thomas Henderson's figures to determine Henderson's method of computation.
Arranges concurrent meetings of Standards Committee and Visitation [to Greenwich observatory]. Possible explanation for notations in [Thomas Henderson's] 'tables at June 11.' Please review and edit 'Preface to Lalande.' Will write to [Elizabeth] Baily.
Congratulates JH on finding solution [to Thomas Henderson's notations]. Sends extract of 11 Mar. 1841 letter from Henderson, stating that Henderson used computations in Francis Baily's edition of N. L. Lacaille's catalog. RS's notes on observation and reductions of J. J. L. Lalande. Sent skeleton of RS's 'Preface' to W. S. Stratford.
Believes that RS's suggested correction, 'when translated into its equivalent value in terms of the inclination,' will provide sought-for values.
Dispute with W. S. Stratford over proof sheets. Efforts to appease [T. R.] Robinson. RS's progress on works of N. L. Lacaille and J. J. L. Lalande.
RS will disclaim editorial responsibility for 'Preface' to J. J. L. Lalande's work if W. S. Stratford modifies it substantially. G. B. Airy is upset by omissions in 'Preface.' Usefulness of J. B. J. Delambre's work in understanding observations of N. L. Lacaille.
Aggravated by W. S. Stratford's refusal to send proofs [of 'Preface' to J. J. L. Lalande's work] to RS.
Repeats yesterday's protests against W. S. Stratford's refusal to send revised proofs to RS. Hopes G. B. Airy will not blame JH for delay.
Suggests alteration in list of observatories that JH sent to W. S. Stratford. Advises JH to include private astronomers on list also. News of [Elizabeth] Baily. Needs to borrow Francis Baily's apparatus for measuring length.
Can offer no explanation of how Thomas Henderson computed tables from data in N. L. Lacaille's star charts. Henderson did all his work at home. Suggests explanations for Henderson's corrections in red ink.