From:
John Frederick William Herschel
To:
William Henry Sykes
Date:
21 January 1852
Source of text:
MM/16/168, Royal Society
Summary:
No summary available.
Contributor:
Royal Society
No summary available.
Chancellor of Exchequer [Charles Wood] authorizes increasing salary of W. H. Barton to £700. Write official letter to this effect with full details, as if no previous correspondence had occurred. [Prime Minister] John Russell approved appointment of W. T. Brande's son as supernumerary clerk in Mint. Treasury is now ready to receive JH's budget for 1852-53.
No summary available.
No summary available.
Congratulates EC on the first volume of Stars near the Ecliptic: JH expects never to observe again.
Does not understand difficulty with Benedetto Pistrucci. Expects BP to be available for employment whenever needed. Whether BP should execute a particular work is JH's decision, not BP's.
Discusses Balanus unguiformis. Promises to return specimen.
No summary available.
Changes in engraving department are delayed by Benedetto Pistrucci's 'extreme reluctance' to alter title of Chief Medallist. Suggests offering Pistrucci official assurance of continued employment.
Outlines his history with the Mint, including his promotion to Chief Engraver in 1817. Claims he was promised a pension at this time. Reports that the Treasury declared there were 'insurmountable difficulties as [BP] was a foreigner and a Catholic ...' in obtaining the original pension granted. The pension was then reduced from £500 to £350. Complains that his son was not granted the apprenticeship promised him. Outlines all pension plans proposed by the Treasury and why they are inadequate.
His concern [see JH's 1852-1-16] was not to suggest less bravery on the part of women and girls, but because Collingwood might well be in the middle of any fray. Agrees with MH's precautions about revaccination.
No summary available.
Proposal for dividing travel money for the Sydney University professors. Does GA agree [see JH's 1852-1-9]?
Sends JH a copy of a request to the Lords of the Treasury for a pension settlement [see BP's 1852-1-24].
Encloses completed security bond for Robert Mushet, with additional title of Senior Clerk added, as suggested by JH. [JH annotation: Procedure for processing and storing Mushet's bond.]
The Binder "by some wonderful Blunder" has bound the enclosed in all of CD’s copies [of Living Cirripedia, vol. 1]. He requests that it be pulled out. It may belong to W. A. Leighton’s volume [Lichens (1851)].
Has no photographs with him and when next JH goes to Collingwood, he will look to see if there are any left.
Agrees with JH's proposal regarding travel money for Sydney University professors [see JH's 1852-1-29].
A note to add to a previous letter.
Encloses item that is not to be distributed.