[Summary in JH's hand:] Enquiry about Henry John Hollier's request for advance on mortgage. Enclosed form to be signed by JH [as co-trustee] or chief accountant of Bank of England. [JH note: signed form and returned it to Anderson and Shonbridge. Forwarded letter to Few & Co.]

Notices in letter of last May JH's postscript about the rate of color blindness occurring to overworked or ill artists, and doubts it becomes di-chromic, but merely a 'weakness' of vision.

JH having declined offer from Clarendon Press to write a treatise on inductive logic, [Thomas] Fowler of Oxford, who had earlier written a book on deductive logic, drafted an inductive logic, relying heavily of JH's Prelim. Discourse and Familiar Lectures. Asks JH to make suggestions on the manuscript.

Describes celebration of [Alexander von] Humboldt's centennial in Boston. Sends photograph of total eclipse of sun, from Henry Morton, and various other articles. Praises science.

Pleased JH wants to defend [James] Grahame's work. Describes [Henry] Morton's work and sends additional publications. Intrigued by JH's prediction that a great discovery concerning the sun will be made soon.

Sends 'first fruits' of Melbourne telescope in form of a letter from [A.] LeSueur and [R. L. J.] Ellery. Includes discussion of nebulae.

Desires advice on construction of glass prisms for Newtonian reflecting telescopes. Also asks how to test the parabolic figure of a glass speculum before silvering.

Wilberforce Clarke, the nephew of an old friend, has been appointed to a meteorological observatory. He needs a list of useful books and instruments for his job from JH.

Has been translating into Latin 'your Dean's "Kentish Fire."' Has good Latin versions of [Oliver Goldsmith's] 'Edwin and Angelina' by Lord Stratford de Recliffe and of [Thomas] Gray's 'Elegy' by 'Chief Justice [Henry Thomas?] Cockburn.' Sends his 'Genevieve.'

Has autographs that display the activity of the sun. Sends sonnets he has written. Asks JH to mention distribution of nebulae at R.A.S.

Mary Somerville is sending her autobiography and desires comments and suggestions. She is busy with mathematics.

Thanks JH for his letters to her mother (Mary Somerville), who is not well enough to write. Describes eruption of Vesuvius.

Has made the changes JH suggested. Autobiography will be published posthumously. Met [Henry W.] Longfellow. Wishes the Herschels would visit because it might improve JH's health.

Sends Christmas greetings to family. Still has her intellect and is staying busy. Thanks Margaret Brodie Herschel for visiting Agnes [Greig].

Is happy that his discovery of 70 Ophiuchi was included in JH's catalogue of double stars. Thanks for correction on a logarithm of the focal point equation; intends to change this in Astronomische Nachrichten.

Apologizes for not acknowledging JH's work. Asks for copy of Royal Geographical Society's papers. Discusses [François] Arago's work on light beams and prisms. Requests JH's opinion concerning [Wilhelm] Klinkerfues's theory of light, which seems to make [Augustin] Fresnel's hypothesis superfluous.

Obtained and sent JH 2 copies of Physique sociale. Thanks JH for observations but they are too scientific for his lectures.

Is trying to get JH 2 copies of Physique sociale. Discusses additions. Addresses JH's comments concerning power of a supreme being. Sends 19th volume of annals of observatory and AQ's work on international congress on statistics.

Thanks JH for his positive judgement of his work. Mentions that [François] Moigno could only say that it was anti-religious. Another work on statistics has emerged: Versuch einer Sozialethik, 2nd. vol., by Alexander von Ochingen. In few days leaves for international conference on statistics.

Encloses reference to one of JH's letters to JT that has already been printed.