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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.
Urges against carrying up Table Mountain the zenith sector sent to TM to check N. L. Lacaille's measurement of a degree of terrestrial longitude. Comments on JH's skill with precision instruments.
Final arrangements before JH and family depart for England.
Would like an introduction to JH so that RM can send him the final proofs of a book he has been working at, which has been returned unopened from the Institut de France.
Privately acknowledges lack of clarity in William Herschel's report of discovering Saturn's inner rings, but JH was hurt by James South's public refutation of that discovery and by [T. R.] Robinson's abrupt refusal to communicate. Reviews WH's papers to demonstrate falsity of South's claim. Asks TM's opinion.
Having read John Burrow's book, JH proposes procedure for analyzing masses of data from [African] Expedition. Will volunteer to interpolate chronometer errors if TM will undertake computations.
'Penny Post' is deluging JH with nuisance mail. Reviews JH's efforts to obtain object glass for equatorial telescope at Cape of Good Hope. Trying to convince G. B. Airy to purchase from Merz and Mahler in Munich, rather than from William Simms. Russia is using TM's 'Cape Arc' in survey of its entire country.
Made a 'mess' of the tidal observation and meteorological observations that he took earlier in the week.
Too ill to attend the South African Institution meeting; asks JH to turn in the packet containing TM's and JH's meteorological observations.
Actinometer observations during the eclipse.
Finishing his copy of the panorama taken from the summit of Paarl rock. Needs TM's star reductions as soon as possible.
Thanks TM for the right ascension reductions. Saw the comet [Halley's] last night, but it was dimmer than before.
Asks for TM's barometer and thermometer readings for 20-28 September.
Feeling very ill. Discusses adjustments to TM's transit instrument.
Measurement of h Centauri.
Found the 'real' h Centauri; unsure what star is the 'false' h Centauri. Saw the largest sunspot that JH has ever seen. Saddened to learn that TM's son [George] is seriously ill.
Wants to invite members of the Beagle to dinner.
Sending the chronometer.
Polishing telescope mirrors.
Asks TM to attend a meeting of the Cape of Good Hope Association for Exploring Central Africa.
Asks TM to set JH's chronometer and barometer.