Some small disagreement about the bill for the refractor [see GM's 1847-10-16].

Arrangements for JL's presentation to be made to the R.A.S.

Asks whether JL wishes to present method [see JH's 1847-12-4] at next R.A.S. meeting.

Suggests John Lubbock's improvements in calculating planetary perturbations be discussed at a R.A.S. meeting. Plans to bring subject before the Council.

JDH hopes to be at Aden tomorrow. On arrival at Alexandria 4 Dec Ld Dalhousie insisted he belong to his suite in future. Left Alexandria on Sunday for Cairo. Travelled with Captain Henderson & officers using Transit Offices steamer along the Makmoudea [Mahmoudieh] Canal, discusses the canals construction & death of many Egyptians. Describes landscape, mentions Tamarix, Dates, Acacias, Cyprus & Myrtle. Switched to a pleasure packet steamer placed at their disposal by Mehmet Ali [Muhammad Ali]. Describes luxurious fittings in the part for Lord & Lady Dalhousie. The rest of them: including the Prime minister of Egypt, messed on deck in little cabins with simple facilities. Describes the Nile as about as broad as the Thames at Kew, mentions reading Bruce's and Salt's travels in the past. River banks are cliffs of mud showing successive layers of deposited soil to which Egypt owes its scanty vegetation. Saw lonely Arabs, Dromedary, tents, & donkeys. Beyond river banks wide spread uninhabited sand deserts. Irrigation attempted here & there, houses rare & always built near trees. Numerous boats such as figured in Bruce's journey. Describes first glimpse of the Pyramids & Cairo. Few miles before the town are Mehmet Ali's country gardens and Palaces of Shoobra [Shubra]. Thinks the Leicester Square Panorama gives an admirable idea of Cairo's location. During Cairo stay visited Ali Pasha's Rhoda Gardens but on the whole disappointed & outlines the difficulties of an exotic garden in Egypt. Mr Traill received him very cordially & showed him the gardens which JDH briefly describes. Letter continues Aden 19 Dec. Describes Aden as wonderful, bleak & barren. Dr M[?] has gone to Bombay for good & is now at Scinde [Sindh]. The bulbs JDH would have are not above ground & everything but Capparis, & a few other things are burnt up. He has sent Lord Auckland's parcel of seed onto Bombay [Mumbai].

Seeks permission from the Trustees of the British Museum to borrow the cirripede specimens in the public collection. Explains his intention to produce a monograph of the Cirripedia.

Discusses loan of cirripede specimens from the British Museum.

Is obliged by his note and will accordingly write to Richard Sheepshanks. Spot on the sun was very visible to the naked eye recently. Looks forward to seeing JH.

Verified Leonhard Euler's values for Bernoulli's numbers up to B=25 by method previously outlined and to be stated fully in this letter. Mr. Hensley [of Trinity College] proposes to revise incorrect values given in Penny Cyclopaedia. Computing a Bernoulli number by P. S. Laplace's formula takes three days. HW's method of continued subtraction requires only 24 hours.

Received three bills for £316 from Georg Merz and Sons, but JH's balance is only £19.

Thanks JH for suggestion on his method of Great Circle sailing. Further enquires over some cartographic matters.

Thanks JH for the gift of JH's Cape Results.

Requests reimbursement for £316 JH paid to [Georg] Merz for two bills owed by astronomer royal.

Should Mr. Morris, carpenter at Cranbrook, include canvas for covering dome, or will that be available at Cape Town? Improvements in WD's dome should be incorporated into Cape dome. Apologizes for WD's carelessness in managing telescope when JH visited.

Admiralty lords paid £316 to JH's account at Drummond's [Bank] for dome to house Cape of Good Hope telescope.

Proved accuracy of Leonhard Euler's values for Bernoulli's 27th number. Plans to test number 29. Will investigate Thomas Clausen's theorem, the generality of which JH appears to have disproved.

Acknowledges receipt of JH's Cape Results by Royal Society of Sciences of Göttingen.

Is searching for a tooth of Carcharias which he might have left with RO.

Will edit a manual [Admiralty Manual] of Scientific Desiderata and Queries as requested by [George Eden,] Lord Auckland. Is AS preparing any material for this work? What is its content and when will it be ready?

Has been requested to prepare a manual of scientific instructions for the use of ship's officers, and is asking GA to prepare a section on astronomy.