Sending an address delivered at the opening of the Observatory at Williams College. Comments on the building and gives ideas for forthcoming work. Would be happy to communicate news to the new Meteorological Association formed in London.
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.
Sending an address delivered at the opening of the Observatory at Williams College. Comments on the building and gives ideas for forthcoming work. Would be happy to communicate news to the new Meteorological Association formed in London.
Sending papers from Francis Beaufort on hurricanes.
Sent some Edinburgh ale to the Herschels. Will not patent telescope. Discusses Giovanni Santini's article on telescopes in the Quarterly Journal.
Pleased that JH enjoyed the ale. Asks whether comets could be portions of the luminous atmosphere surrounding the sun.
Sending more ale. Abandoning AR's theory of comets coming from solar volcanoes, although he thinks it is somewhat consistent with observed phenomena of solar spots.
Discusses the ale he sent. Hopes his hypothesis of the origin of the solar system did not offend JH.
Has no intentions of making solar volcano theory public. Offers one more possibility for its validity. Pleased that Caroline Herschel is well and remembers him.
Apologizes for delaying in getting ale to the Herschels. A new cask is being sent.
Discusses problem with transporting the ale JH wanted. Wishes him a safe journey to the Cape of Good Hope.
Calling his attention to the works of J. C. Poggendorf and Guillaume Weber. Does he know of the ingenious work carried out at the Cape by C. F. Gauss and Weber?
Recounts details of his visit to England. Gives his own recent astronomical observations. Is sending this via G. B. Airy in case JH has left.
Alphonse de Candolle would like some information on the region where JH is now residing [at the Cape]. Has read about JH's voyage and his work on the constellations. Gives his own recent astronomical observations.
Understands from Francis Baily that JH has received the first 88 pages of the Parramatta Catalogue. The remainder has been sent and now encloses the final part.
Botanical and meteorological queries. Sends meteorological observations.
Thanks for his long letter on the climate and vegetation of the Cape. Congratulations on the success of his mission.
Prospects good for crossing Kalahari Desert and visiting Musalacatzie [Moselekatse], 'dreaded tyrant of the interior.' Heard reports of extraordinary animals and great inland lake. Describes planned itinerary and John Barrow's observations.
Note of thanks to JH for interceding on AS's behalf.
Tells JH about artifact exhibition AS has set up, and about preparation for publication of some astronomical observations.
More about lack of success of exhibition, and about publication of observations [see AS's 1837-8-27].
Note accompanying one of AS's publications on South African zoology.