Correspondence map
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James Clark Ross
John Frederick William Herschel
Sir John Herschel serves his first term as President of the Royal Astronomical Society
1839: to 1841
Birth of Maria Sophia Herschel, daughter of John Frederick William Herschel and Margaret Brodie Stewart
1839
William Henry Fox Talbot presents his paper-based photographic process at the Royal Society
1839
Autograph letter signed by sender. Saturday the 17th will be convenient because it gives him time to finish his pendulum experiments.
10 August 1839 Sender: James Clark Ross Reference number: HS/14/427
Draft letter. Describes method of suspending furniture in a ship such that the furniture is less influenced by the ship's motion.
19 July 1839 Sender: John Frederick William Herschel Reference number: HS/14/432
Copy of letter, copied as part of the correspondence project led by Colonel John Herschel FRS following the death of his father. Describes method of suspending furniture in a ship such that the furniture is less influenced by the ship's motion.
19 July 1839 Sender: John Frederick William Herschel Reference number: HS/25/13/5
Refers to instruments for the fixed observatory at [Tasmania; Lutruwita or Truwana, colonial Van Diemen’s Land]. Herschel hopes the Admiralty will provide all fixed stations with chronometers and portable transit instruments. Fears that naval expedition will be detained.
29 March 1839 Sender: John Frederick William Herschel Reference number: MS/257/2/264
Concerns about equipment for fixed observatories, for which aid will come from [British Association for the Advancement of Science], and for [naval] expedition. Expresses vital importance of meteorological observatory at [Tasmania; Lutruwita or Truwana, colonial Van Diemen’s Land].
4 April 1839 Sender: John Frederick William Herschel Reference number: MS/257/2/265
Herschel sends plans for and detailed explanation of device to suspend cot or couch in ship so as to 'destroy' ship's motion and alleviate seasickness. Includes sketch of the plan.
19 July 1839 Sender: John Frederick William Herschel Reference number: MS/257/2/266
Due to the Royal Society council meeting on Thursday, Herschel suggests meeting on Friday with [John Henry] Lefroy, [Charles James Buchanan] Riddell and several others. Refers to method of observation with instruments.
27 July 1839 Sender: John Frederick William Herschel Reference number: MS/257/2/267Sir John Herschel publishes in the Philosophical Transactions
1840: Sir John Herschel publishes “On the chemical action of the rays of the solar spectrum on preparations of silver and other substances, both metallic and non-metallic; and on some photographic processes”
Sir Robert Peel becomes Prime Minister
1841
Birth of Amelia Herschel, daughter of John Frederick William Herschel and Margaret Brodie Stewart
1841
Birth of Julia Herschel, daughter of John Frederick William Herschel and Margaret Brodie Stewart
1842
Sir John Herschel publishes in the Philosophical Transactions
1842: Sir John Herschel publishes “On the action of the rays of the solar spectrum on vegetable colours, and on some new photographic processes”
Autograph letter signed by sender. Cannot at present accept Lady Herschel's invitation to Collingwood. Is getting married.
29 September 1843 Sender: James Clark Ross Reference number: HS/14/428Birth of Matilda Rose Herschel, daughter of John Frederick William Herschel and Margaret Brodie Stewart
1844
Sir John Herschel serves as President of the British Association
1845
Birth of Francisca Herschel, daughter of John Frederick William Herschel and Margaret Brodie Stewart
1846
Sir John Herschel serves his second term as Foreign Secretary of the Royal Astronomical Society
1846: To 1847
Sir John Herschel serves his second term as President of the Royal Astronomical Society
1847: Until 1849
Sir John Herschel receives the Copley Medal
1847: Sir John Herschel receives the Copley Medal of the Royal Society "For his work entitled Results of Astronomical Observations made during the years 1834, 1835, 1836, 1837 and 1838, at the Cape of Good Hope; being a completion of a telescopic survey of the whole surface of the visible heavens, commenced in 1825"
Sir John Herschel publishes a paper
1847: Sir John Herschel publishes Results of astronomical observations made during the years 1834, 5, 6, 7, 8, at the Cape of Good Hope; being a completion of a telescopic survey of the whole surface of the visible heavens, commenced in 1825.
Autograph letter signed by sender. Wants John Frederick William Herschel to name the circle of uniform temperature of the ocean near the equator. Explains the circle of uniform temperature.
30 April 1847 Sender: James Clark Ross Reference number: HS/14/429
Herschel speculates on a name for Ross’s 'hot and cold basins' giving examples and discusses the causes of equatorial heat and polar cold. Herschel proposes the ‘circles of deep-sea temperature’ and asks Ross’s opinion.
5 May 1847 Sender: John Frederick William Herschel Reference number: MS/257/2/272The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood is formed, by John Everett Millais, Dante Gabriel Rosetti and others
1848
Napoleon III is elected first President of France
20 December 1848
Autograph letter signed by sender. Going to the Arctic. Wants suggestions for experiments. Will pursue barometric experiments. Royal Society has not published his Antarctic research. Will send those documents to John Frederick William Herschel first for revision.
23 April 1848 Sender: James Clark Ross Reference number: HS/14/430