A story about Voltaire; arrangements to visit AD.
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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.
A story about Voltaire; arrangements to visit AD.
Reasons why he is unable to sign the Memorial to the bishops regarding their attitude to Essays and Reviews.
A letter of great sadness: someone is at death's door; not much hope is held out. [This letter may refer to the imminent death of daughter Margaret Louisa, because of its reference to poor Reginald, which was the name of MLH's husband].
Gratitude for sending [John] Taylor's book. Believes dimensions of Great Pyramid exhibit knowledge of geometry but not of calculus among ancient Egyptians. Suggests way to modify British standard of length to produce 'perfect metrical system' superior to that of French.
Agrees with BB that the honorarium paid to the secretaries should be increased. Further comments on this point.
Sends back manuscript of WH's [Elements of Quaternions] with comments. Says it's excellent but somewhat distracting to a beginner.
[Responding to HS's 1859-12-31,] JH presents additional problems in the nebular hypothesis, critiques in detail HS's views of the distribution of cometary orbits, and argues against HS's theory of sunspot formation.
Claims if he had known certain informations concerning discovery of Neptune, he would have ranked J. C. Adams's claim equal with U. J. J. Leverrier's.
On the usefulness of Stephen's Writing Fluid to stop the sun's excess of light at large apertures in the telescope.
Comments on WL's 4-foot equatorial telescope of which WL sent JH a lithograph [see WL's 1860-2-8].
Apologizes for not returning sheets of Elements of Quaternions sooner, but was ill. Again cautions WH that method might be too advanced for elementary readers.
Offers some possible explanation for what the unnamed observer saw [see GA's 1860-3-1].
Is arguing for the development of a British metrical system based on the length of the polar axis of the earth.
Agrees with NP's proposed method of designating variable stars. Offers some suggestions from JH's own experience.
Against changing location of Royal Observatory [from Greenwich], but will defer to opinion of [G. B. Airy] Astronomer Royal. Airy is most competent to judge situation. Still ill.
Comments on, and encloses, a letter from JH's son William James, who has accepted responsibility for trying to resolve a grave situation [in India].
Expresses his views on how the British should select their standard of length. Also discusses John Taylor's views of the Great Pyramid.
Does not wish to forward some letters of AS's brother, Richard, as JH has made marginal notes he would not wish others to read.
[Following up on JH's 1860-4-23,] notes another numerical relationship between the dimensions of the Great Pyramid and those of the earth.
Too ill to work on anything besides nebula catalogue. Discusses recent meteorological phenomena, period of solar spots, and great pyramid.