JH wants to avoid using the meter in England; asks GA for the results of A. R. Clarke's calculations on the figure of the earth [see GA's 1863-10-7].
Comments on the possibility of employment in India for GA's son, Hubert.
Sends GA [see GA's 1863-11-21] JH's copy of the Melbourne telescope correspondence and reports; needs information from GA and Edwin Dunkin about the sun's motion, although JH questions some of Dunkin's work.
Has seen colored fringes on clouds described, and explained, in a journal. Does GA accept the explanation?
Thanks GA for the papers sent; asks GA to review enclosed note on solar motion [see JH's 1863-11-22].
Raises with GA the likelihood of an error in a date of a transit of Mercury in a paper by F. A. Winnecke.
Has been asked to reweigh the damaged Parliamentary standard pound weight; thinks that W. H. Miller would be a more suitable person to do the job.
Is trying to discover the train connections that will allow JH to come to a meeting of the Standards Committee without coming to London overnight. 'Catalogue of Nebulae' is now in proof state [see GA's 1863-10-9] and needs to be checked.
As JH has made minor changes in many calculated results, the proof sheets cannot be easily compared with the calculation sheets [see GA's 1864-2-6].
Is now too ill to come to the meeting of the Standards Committee; replies to GA's queries about how to clean up the pound [see GA's 1864-2-8].
Is unable to attend another meeting of the Standards Committee, due to severe illness; describes the best way to pack the standards away, and talks about the strange behavior of gallic acid.
Will miss yet another meeting of the Standards Committee due to illness [bronchitis]; W. H. Miller has brought JH up to date on the activity of the committee, and JH agrees with what is being done.
About observing a grain-shaped spot on the sun; greetings to Friedrich Winnecke.
Is very upset that JH's name has been attached to a group that wishes to import the 'French metrical system' into Britain; JH urges petitions or whatever is needed to retain the British system.
Compares earlier and more recent pound determinations and finds interesting results; wants GA's opinion on the accuracy of his work, as JH wishes to send it to the India committee.
Is working on a problem in polarized light, and finds his result disagreeing with F. J. D. Arago's third law; leads JH to think light cannot be undulatory in nature.
Comments on GA's explanations about polarized light, and discusses GA's idea of the nature of light [see GA's 1865-10-18].
Saddened by the poor treatment of W. H. Smyth [see GA's 1865-10-18].
Passes along a report that someone took a 4-foot telescope to the top of Snowdon [mountain], from where he could see the eight satellites of Saturn and the rings of Neptune.
Realizes that GA is quite correct [see GA's 1865-10-30]; JH had neglected a basic principle about interference.