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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.
Confirms receipt of journals sent to JH by LQ. Calculations of probabilities for shots to hit targets.
A letter of introduction to AQ on behalf of John Franklin [famous explorer of the Northwest Passage].
Thanks JH for his hospitality when AQ visited England. Sending some copies of AQ's writings to be passed on to W. R. Birt.
Comments on exchange of papers with JH over the years, especially on electricity. Thanks JH for his assistance in AQ's research. Notes the loss of H. C. Schumacher. Hopes to come to England for the Great Exposition.
Received letters of 8 Dec. through [Charles] Babbage, including interesting work on statistical returns for Netherlands. Rejoices at prospect of new observatory in Brussels. Promises to do his utmost to help. Honored to be correspondent of Academy of Brussels. Requests AQ address further letters to JH as 'President of Astronomical Society.'
Tells AQ of 'negligent inattention' regarding Belgium's instruments. Has extracted promise from [William?] Simms that the equatorial should be finished by Christmas and mural circle within the following year. Mentions seeing Colonel Blake and [G. P.] Dandelin. Regrets [P. F.] Verhulst's illness. Discusses lichen.
Apologizes for being poor correspondent. Interested in AQ's idea of taking magnets along on trips. JH used to bring his barometer. Is busy reducing sweeps. Has little time for chemistry and optics. Discusses Borax. Has worked with orbits of double stars. Mentions Mrs. Somerville's Celestial Mechanics.
Requests that AQ forward letter to London explaining JH's delay in returning home. Promises to send latest paper on orbits of double stars. Mentions [Wilhelm] Struve's confirmation of data. States that [Wilhelm] Olbers is dying. [H. C.] Schumacher is recovering.
Addresses last words before departing to Cape. Informs AQ that results concerning absorption of light will be in next London and Edinburgh Philosophical Journal. One will be sent to AQ. Reminds AQ of promise to write JH at Cape.
Expresses regret for not writing earlier. Thanks AQ for meteorological observations. Has complete series of observations from March 1835 to December 1836. Thanks AQ for reports on papers sent. Will depart in early 1838 and requests duplicates of all observations sent: one to England, one to the Cape. Apprises AQ of JH's work on double stars and nebulae.
Attached circular from Meteorological Committee of South African Literary and Philosophical Institution stating a change from 36 to 24 hours of hourly observation at solstices and equinoxes. Letter to AQ thanks for great work and requests AQ continue.
Thanks AQ for meteorological observations for September 1838 and other materials sent. Singles 12 and 13 November as extraordinarily clear. Observed a 'paucity of shooting stars' and an Aurora Borealis.
Thanks for duplicates of horary observations. Requests that AQ and his associates cease them after December 1838. Questions 'whether any and what' corrections are applied to observations. Has successfully seen second satellite of Saturn.
JH's brother-in-law John Stewart, who is delivering this letter, seeks admission to a printing establishment. Asks AQ to aid JS. Lists recently received letters. Glad that AQ has [C. F.] Gauss's apparatus. Discusses an experiment in photography.
Will not attend B.A.A.S. meeting at Plymouth. Invites AQ to visit, preferably before 29 July, the date of the meeting. Sends thanks to [P. F.] Verhulst for elliptic functions.
Herschelian Telescope Song in English and Latin, translated by [T. I. M.?] Forster into Latin. Requiem of 40-foot reflector sung at New Year's Eve 1839-40.
Stresses importance of development and phases of periodic phenomena on earth's surface. Magnitudes of stars are the only observations JH is doing. Asks for help in planning trip on continent for three of his daughters and their governess.
Thanks for assistance in preparing trip. JH's daughters will probably not stay in Brussels long. Mentions his first engraving for Cape observations of nebulae is to be engraved this very day. Three quarters of his reductions of the southern sweeps are completed.
Will attempt to arrange publication and reception of AQ's work in England. Grieves that AQ has suffered attacks because of his zeal in meteorological observations.
Requests information on behalf of the Magnetic and Meteorological Committee of the B.A.A.S. Desires AQ's assessment of past achievements by 1845-3-10. Lists works to be forwarded before end of year.