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The Royal Society: Science in the Making

Correspondence Explorer

Choose two people to view all letters between them.

Showing 29 letters from 1668–1675

29 letters from Christiaan Huygens; 0 letters from Henry Oldenburg

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States that his theories on motion are still being worked out, but that he will send what he has to the Royal Society Read to the Royal Society on 12 November 1668

Reference number: EL/H1/57
1669

Discussing the publication of papers by Wren and Wallis on motion in 'Philosophical Transactions', which did not mention Huygens's work, despite their similarities; discussing his method of writing in code, which he is conveying to Robert Moray (see EL/H1/59)

Reference number: EL/H1/60

Sends the beginning of a treatise on percussive motion ('De motu corporum...') Read to the Royal Society on 7 January 1669

Reference number: EL/H1/61

States that Wren's papers on the laws of motion and those of his own are in agreement; wishes to send further accounts in cipher or anagram (the alphabet in code is at the foot of letter) On reverse is Wren's ciphered message to Huygens Read on 4 February 1669

Reference number: EL/H1/62

Discussing the publication of his paper on the laws of motion in 'Philosophical Transactions'; discussing his instructions for clocks; discussing Hooke's idea for maintaining the motion of large pendulums with little force; sends a sample of his new printing process Read to the Royal Society on 27 May 1669

Reference number: EL/H1/63

Concerning the publication of his paper with instructions for determining longitude; discussing Hooke's invention of the pendulum applied to a pocket watch; discussing his 60 foot lens which still has to be tested; discussing a large concave mirror made at Lyons Read to the Royal Society on 1 July 1669

Reference number: EL/H1/64

Discussing Wren's demonstration of applying a hyperbola to the manufacture of lenses; discussing his tests for burning mirror; finds Hooke's idea of applying a lodestone to a spring clock difficult to understand and requires further information about it; discussing Neile's argument about motion Read to the Royal Society on 21 October 1669

Reference number: EL/H1/65

Reiterates his enquiry about Hooke's idea for applying a lodestone to a spring clock because he feels that his previous letter has been mislaid; encloses anagrams of his work which he wants deposited with the Society (see CLP/3i/56); states that the trials for determining longitude with his marine clocks have been successful Read to the Royal Society on 21 October 1669

Reference number: EL/H1/66

Raises doubts about a paper on the flight of spiders for publication in 'Philosophical Transactions'; concern about 45-foot and 50-foot telescopes and that Campani's 15-foot telescope achieves good results; discusses his laws of motion and asks Neile to clarify his question on this topic; states that he will send a report about his marine clocks soon Read to the Royal Society on 4 November 1669

Reference number: EL/H1/67
1670

Discussing Mr Barrow's treatise on dioptrics; wishes to have a sample of Lambeth glass sent to him; discussing Wren's machine for grinding lenses; discussing trials of his marine clocks for determining longitude Read to the Royal Society on 20 January 1670

Reference number: EL/H1/68

Recommends M Morhof to the Royal Society; states that despite being ill he does not want to lose touch with academic developments and wishes that new editions of 'Philosophical Transactions' be sent to him

Reference number: EL/H1/69

Discussing Wallis's new treatise; concerning the discovery of a new star in Cygnus; concerns observations of Saturn with his 22-foot telescope, and looks forward to obaining the observations of Hooke and of Hevelius; introduces the work of de Monceaux, who has made observations whilst in the Levant, and states that he will be arriving at the Royal Society Read to the Royal Society on 27 October 1670

Reference number: EL/H1/70
1672

Discusses Newton's reflecting telescope, and parabolical and spherical specula in general; wishes to see Morland's trumpet after reading an account about it; states that his new clock was not ready for trials

Reference number: EL/H1/71

Discussing Newton's article in 'Philosophical Transactions' about lenses and mirrors for telescopes; discusses Slusius's analysis of Alhazen's problem about reflected rays (figures in text) Oldenburg's notes on reverse

Reference number: EL/H1/72

Concerning his latest calculation for Alhazen's problem (enclosure attached with figures and formulae); discussing Cassegrain's and Newton's telescope; discussing Newton's theory of colours Read to the Royal Society on 3 July 1672

Reference number: EL/H1/73

Concerning Slusius's latest construction of Alhazen's problem; discussing Newton's theory of colours; concerning Wallis's rules for tangents

Reference number: EL/H1/74
1673

Sends corrections to an article in 'Philosophcial Transactions' about his new barometer; discussing his concerns about Newton's theory of colours Read to the Royal Society on 9 April 1673

Reference number: EL/H1/75

Discussing water and mercury barometers

Reference number: EL/H1/76

Concerning copies of his books which he has sent to the Royal Society; concerning Newton's answers to his queries about his theory of colours

Reference number: EL/H1/77

Concerning the demonstration of the isochronism of the cycloid; concerning Hooke's circular pendulum; enquiry about Slusius's method of tangents; raising doubts about Pardies' treatise on mechanics

Reference number: EL/H1/78
1674

Concerning exchange of information by letters, journals and books; concerning the observations of Hooke and that 'Parallaxes' might answer the annual motion of the earth; further thoughts on Alhazen's problem

Reference number: EL/H1/80
1675

Concerning Dr Coxe's views on chemistry printed in 'Philosophical Transactions'; looking forward to reading Boyle's new treatise on the hidden qualities of air; wishing to see Hooke's construction of his 'quart de cercle' (quadrant); wanting to know opinions about Leeuwenhoek's microscopical observations; states that he has invented a new clock and sends an anagram about this Read to the Royal Society on 28 January 1675

Reference number: EL/H1/81

Discussing his new clock with a spring coil, which he states would make accurate pocket watches, or on a larger scale, would be suitable for discovering longitude Read to the Royal Society on 18 February 1675

Reference number: EL/H1/82

Discussing the production of his new watch; discussing the work ethics of Hooke; concerning Boyle's new book about bodies in air

Reference number: EL/H1/83

Sends his new watch for Lord Brouncker giving instructions and explanations for use

Reference number: EL/H1/84

Glad that his watch has arrived for Brouncker, and states that it is more precise than the ordinary watches, but not pendulum clocks, and then discusses why this should be so; wants to clarify whether he or Hooke invented their watch first; discussing Denis Papin's work on the vacuum

Reference number: EL/H1/85

Concerning his new watch and gives suggestions for correcting faults; states that the second watch for Brouncker has not been tested

Reference number: EL/H1/86

Discusses the sending of more watches to the Royal Society with advice for correcting problems

Reference number: EL/H1/87

Discussing a watch made by Isaac Thuret for Brouncker

Reference number: EL/H1/88