Correspondence map
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Christiaan Huygens
Henry Oldenburg
Concerning Hooke's pendulum clock and his machine for grinding lenses; that Monsieur Son's still works on his parabolic lenses for telescopes and that he has presented his portable watches to the court; observations of a spot on Jupiter made by Cassini, Hooke and Auzout
14 January 1666 Sender: Henry Oldenburg , Henry Oldenburg Reference number: EL/O1/37
1668
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
13 November 1668 Sender: Christiaan Huygens , Christiaan Huygens Reference number: EL/H1/57
Inviting Huygens to communicate his theory of motion
26 October 1668 Sender: Henry Oldenburg , Henry Oldenburg Reference number: EL/O1/81
Thanks that Huygens will send his theory about motion to the Society
16 November 1668 Sender: Henry Oldenburg , Henry Oldenburg Reference number: EL/O1/87
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)
30 March 1669 Sender: Christiaan Huygens , Christiaan Huygens 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
05 January 1669 Sender: Christiaan Huygens , Christiaan Huygens 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
06 February 1669 Sender: Christiaan Huygens , Christiaan Huygens 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
29 May 1669 Sender: Christiaan Huygens , Christiaan Huygens 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
26 June 1669 Sender: Christiaan Huygens , Christiaan Huygens 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
10 August 1669 Sender: Christiaan Huygens , Christiaan Huygens 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
04 September 1669 Sender: Christiaan Huygens , Christiaan Huygens 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
30 October 1669 Sender: Christiaan Huygens , Christiaan Huygens Reference number: EL/H1/67
Concerning reception of his theory of motion at the Society; concerning the dispute between Gregory and Huygens on the measurement of the circle
11 January 1669 Sender: Henry Oldenburg , Henry Oldenburg Reference number: EL/O1/97
Concerning his observations of the solar eclipse; concerning the publication of the position of fixed stars from a Greek manuscript copy of the 'Almagest'; states that he will send Wallis's paper on tides; that his telescope is nearly ready; concerning errors in 'Specimen recognitionis' published by Erasmus Bartholin at Copenhagen; concerning an instrument for measuring small distances which can be attached to a telescope; concerning distribution of his 'Cometographia' and 'Selenographia'
23 January 1669 Sender: Henry Oldenburg , Henry Oldenburg Reference number: EL/O1/99
Concerning work on the theory of motion and that he was going to publish Wren's paper on this subject; asks for permission to publish Huygens's paper on the laws of motion; that Robert Moray was going to send all that he has regarding the dispute between Huygens and James Gregory but hopes that it is ended now Postscript wishes Huygens to write his discovery in cipher and transcribes Wren's cipher
04 February 1669 Sender: Henry Oldenburg , Henry Oldenburg Reference number: EL/O1/101
States that his contribution to the laws of motion will be acknowledged in the register books but failure to publish his theory was down to him
30 March 1669 Sender: Henry Oldenburg , Henry Oldenburg Reference number: EL/O1/110
That there is concensus about the laws of motion set down by Huygens and Wren; sends printed copy of the English translation of his instructions for pendulum clocks; concerning Hooke's new pendulum clock; concerns a new method of printing; that trials on a 60-foot telescope have begun and would like to know about his progress in this field; concerning literary notices
31 May 1669 Sender: Henry Oldenburg , Henry Oldenburg Reference number: EL/O1/117
Concerning work carried out on the laws of motion
02 June 1669 Sender: Henry Oldenburg , Henry Oldenburg Reference number: EL/O1/118
That the 60-foot telescope has not worked well; concerning Hooke's pocket watch; details of Wren's method for printing; concerns making a large concave mirror; that the clock moved by a lodestone is a spring clock; concerning new books
05 July 1669 Sender: Henry Oldenburg , Henry Oldenburg Reference number: EL/O2/2
Concerning the flight of spiders; concerning the 50-foot telescope; concerning the success of Huygens' clocks on a voyage to Crete; concerning Campani's clock; concerning the discovery of longitude under the scrutiny of the Paris academy; concerning Boyle's experiments with water in pipes; concerning Barrow's work on optics
11 November 1669 Sender: Henry Oldenburg , Henry Oldenburg Reference number: EL/O2/14
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
22 January 1670 Sender: Christiaan Huygens , Christiaan Huygens 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
15 October 1670 Sender: Christiaan Huygens , Christiaan Huygens 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
01 October 1670 Sender: Christiaan Huygens , Christiaan Huygens Reference number: EL/H1/70
Concerning Isaac Barrow's work on optics; asks for comments on Wallis's work 'De Motu' and the sheet refuting Hobbes's quadrature; congratulates Huygens on the success of his pendulum clock on voyage to Crete; concerning Boyle's experiments with sealed tubes
31 January 1670 Sender: Henry Oldenburg , Henry Oldenburg Reference number: EL/O2/22
That the Dutch have carried out an experiment to break a glass by the human voice; that drawings of Saturn by Hevelius and Hooke are being printed (see 'Philosophical Transactions', vol 5, no 65, p 2091); that he encloses the second part of Boyle's paper on 'New pneumatical experiments about respiration'; concerning letters received from de Monceaux; informing him about Leibniz' work on motion
08 November 1670 Sender: Henry Oldenburg , Henry Oldenburg Reference number: EL/O2/35
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
13 February 1672 Sender: Christiaan Huygens , Christiaan Huygens 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
09 April 1672 Sender: Christiaan Huygens , Christiaan Huygens 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
01 July 1672 Sender: Christiaan Huygens , Christiaan Huygens 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
27 September 1672 Sender: Christiaan Huygens , Christiaan Huygens Reference number: EL/H1/74
Concerns publishing Cassini's observations of Saturn, and that Oldenburg will send this together with Hevelius's observations of Saturn, Jupiter's satellites, transit of Saturn; discussing Newton's new telescope; concerning Smethwick's work on nonspherical lenses; that he will send Slusius' account of his construction of Alhazen's problem at a later date; that he sends an account of Moreland's trumpet and wishes for comments on it
01 January 1672 Sender: Henry Oldenburg , Henry Oldenburg Reference number: EL/O2/65
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
14 January 1673 Sender: Christiaan Huygens , Christiaan Huygens Reference number: EL/H1/75
Discussing water and mercury barometers
10 February 1673 Sender: Christiaan Huygens , Christiaan Huygens 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
10 July 1673 Sender: Christiaan Huygens , Christiaan Huygens 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
04 June 1673 Sender: Christiaan Huygens , Christiaan Huygens Reference number: EL/H1/78
Received 12 copies of Huygens new book and distributed them accordingly; that Wallis has written to him about discovering a straight line equal to a paraboloid; that Hooke had constructed a circular pendulum; concerning an instrument for measuring the speed of falling bodies; that Oldenburg will forward the opinions of Fellows about Huygens' book
02 June 1673 Sender: Henry Oldenburg , Henry Oldenburg Reference number: EL/O2/114
Concerns a demonstration of the cycloid; recounts the principle of the demonstration of the synchronism of vibrations in a cycloid; transcribes William Brouncker's letter about his demonstration; concerning circular pendulums and pendulum clocks for use at sea
23 June 1673 Sender: Henry Oldenburg , Henry Oldenburg Reference number: EL/O2/120
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
15 May 1674 Sender: Christiaan Huygens , Christiaan Huygens 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
30 January 1675 Sender: Christiaan Huygens , Christiaan Huygens 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
20 February 1675 Sender: Christiaan Huygens , Christiaan Huygens 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
08 June 1675 Sender: Christiaan Huygens , Christiaan Huygens Reference number: EL/H1/83
Sends his new watch for Lord Brouncker giving instructions and explanations for use
21 June 1675 Sender: Christiaan Huygens , Christiaan Huygens 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
11 July 1675 Sender: Christiaan Huygens , Christiaan Huygens 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
10 August 1675 Sender: Christiaan Huygens , Christiaan Huygens Reference number: EL/H1/86
Discusses the sending of more watches to the Royal Society with advice for correcting problems
12 October 1675 Sender: Christiaan Huygens , Christiaan Huygens Reference number: EL/H1/87
Discussing a watch made by Isaac Thuret for Brouncker
21 November 1675 Sender: Christiaan Huygens , Christiaan Huygens Reference number: EL/H1/88