Correspondence map
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Karl Friedrich Gauss
John Frederick William Herschel
John Frederick William Herschel publishes in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society.
1820: John Frederick William Herschel publishes “On the action of crystallized bodies on homogeneous light, and on the causes of the deviation from Newton's scale in the tints which many of them develope on exposure to a polarised ray” .
John Frederick William Herschel serves his first term as Foreign Secretary of the Royal Astronomical Society
1820
Copy of letter, copied as part of the correspondence project led by Colonel John Herschel FRS following the death of his father. Announces formation of the Astronomical Society. Will be pleased to propose [Carl Friedrich Gauss] as an associate.
9 May 1820 Sender: John Frederick William Herschel Reference number: HS/20/95
Copy of letter, copied as part of the correspondence project led by Colonel John Herschel FRS following the death of his father. Has received letter of 3 June 1820 reporting on the new circle at Göttingen Observatory. Will read it to the Astronomical Society and propose Carl Friedrich Gauss as associate. Sends some John Frederick William Herschel publications.
12 July 1820 Sender: John Frederick William Herschel Reference number: HS/20/98
1821
John Frederick William Herschel and Charles Babbage travel through France to Italy and Switzerland.
1821
John Frederick William Herschel publishes in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society.
1821:
John Frederick William Herschel publishes “On the aberrations of compound lenses and object-glasses" in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society.
John Frederick William Herschel receives the Copley Medal of the Royal Society for his papers printed in the Philosophical Transactions
1821
Draft in John Herschel's hand. Carl Friedrich Gauss has been elected associate of the Astronomical Society. Hopes the benefits will be mutual. Details of the prize subject for the present year. Has read Carl Friedrich Gauss's communications on the Reichenbach circle to the Society, where it evoked great interest. Comments on this. Carl Friedrich Gauss's certificate has been signed by Fearon Fallows, newly appointed Cape astronomer.
11 February 1821 Sender: John Frederick William Herschel Reference number: HS/8/72
Autograph letter signed by sender. Has been absent the whole summer and fears that his letter acknowledging his election to the Astronomical Society may have gone astray. Is grateful for the honor. Sends a paper of his own on a new method of making observations with the heliotrope. Comments on the usefulness of this instrument.
10 November 1821 Sender: Karl Friedrich Gauss Reference number: HS/8/73
Copy of letter, copied as part of the correspondence project led by Colonel John Herschel FRS following the death of his father. Carl Friedrich Gauss has been elected associate of the Astronomical Society. Hopes the benefits will be mutual. Details of the prize subject for the present year. Has read Carl Friedrich Gauss's communications on the Reichenbach circle to the Society, where it evoked great interest. Comments on this. Carl Friedrich Gauss's certificate has been signed by Fearon Fallows, newly appointed Cape astronomer.
11 February 1821 Sender: John Frederick William Herschel Reference number: HS/20/111
Copy of letter, copied as part of the correspondence project led by Colonel John Herschel FRS following the death of his father. Includes diagram. Sends first annual report of the Astronomical Society and will be sending one of John Frederick William Herschel's papers ['On the Aberrations of Compound Lenses and Object-glasses,' RSPT (1821), 222-67], which John Frederick William Herschel summarizes.
9 May 1821 Sender: John Frederick William Herschel Reference number: HS/20/117
1822
Death of Sir William Herschel FRS
25 August 1822
1823
John Frederick William Herschel receives the Bakerian Medal of the Royal Society.
1823:
John Frederick William Herschel gives the Bakerian lecture “On certain Motions produced in Fluid Conductors when transmitting the Electric Current”.
1824
John Frederick William Herschel moves to 56 Devonshire St., Portland Place, London
1824
John Frederick William Herschel serves as Secretary of the Royal Society
30 November 1824
1825
John Frederick William Herschel invents the actinometer to measure the heating power of the Sun’s rays
1825
Copy of letter, copied as part of the correspondence project led by Colonel John Herschel FRS following the death of his father. Includes diagram. Note to accompany the sending of a number of papers; comments on the orbits of double stars.
3 August 1825 Sender: John Frederick William Herschel Reference number: HS/20/221
1826
John Frederick William Herschel publishes in the Philosophical Transactions
1826:
John Frederick William Herschel publishes “On the parallax of the fixed stars”.
1827
Joseph Nicéphore Niépce presents his photographs in England for the first time
1827
1828
Autograph letter signed by sender. Many thanks for his communications, especially for the one on light. This may be translated into German by J. E. E. Schmidt, and he would be grateful if John Frederick William Herschel would authorize this to be done.
31 October 1828 Sender: Karl Friedrich Gauss Reference number: HS/8/74
Copy of letter, copied as part of the correspondence project led by Colonel John Herschel FRS following the death of his father. Many thanks for his communications, especially for the one on light. This may be translated into German by J. E. E. Schmidt, and he would be grateful if John Frederick William Herschel would authorize this to be done.
31 October 1828 Sender: Karl Friedrich Gauss Reference number: HS/21/30
1829
John Frederick William Herschel and Margaret Brodie Stewart are married in London
3 March 1829
Copy of letter, copied as part of the correspondence project led by Colonel John Herschel FRS following the death of his father. Note regarding the translation into German of John Frederick William Herschel's Light, which John Frederick William Herschel notes has already appeared in French.
27 April 1829 Sender: John Frederick William Herschel Reference number: HS/21/46
1830
John Frederick William Herschel is elected Foreign correspondent of the Académie des sciences
1830
Birth of Caroline Emilia Mary Herschel, daughter of John Frederick William Herschel and Margaret Brodie Stewart
31 March 1830
John Frederick William Herschel is nominated for the presidency of the Royal Society, loses by 8 votes to the Duke of Sussex
30 November 1830
1831
Mary Somerville publishes Mechanism of the Heavens
1831
Sir John Herschel is created Knight of the Royal Hanoverian Guelphic Order
1831
Sir John Herschel publishes Preliminary Discourse on the Study of Natural Philosophy as part of Dionysius Lardner’s Cabinet Cyclopaedia.
1831
Birth of Isabella Herschel, daughter of John Frederick William Herschel and Margaret Brodie Stewart
5 June 1831
1832
Copy of letter, copied as part of the correspondence project led by Colonel John Herschel FRS following the death of his father. Unable to visit, but has sent two papers on the orbits of double stars. Discusses double stars, noting that four double stars are now known to orbit with periods less than a century long. Wilhelm Olbers is seriously ill.
19 June 1832 Sender: John Frederick William Herschel Reference number: HS/21/112
1833
Sir John Herschel receives the Royal Medal from the Royal Society
1833:
The Medal is awarded "For his paper on nebulae and clusters of stars, published in the Philosophical Transactions for 1833."
Sir John Herschel publishes A treatise on astronomy as part of Dionysius Lardner’s Cabinet Cyclopaedia.
1833
Birth of William James Herschel, son of John Frederick William Herschel and Margaret Brodie Stewart
1833
Sir John Herschel departs for South Africa with his wife and their three children
13 November 1833
1834
Birth of Margaret Louisa Herschel, daughter of John Frederick William Herschel and Margaret Brodie Stewart
1834
1835
Sir John Herschel serves as President of the Literary and Philosophical Society of the Cape of Good Hope
1835
Halley’s comet becomes visible
28 November 1835
1836
Birth of Alexander Stewart Herschel, son of John Frederick William Herschel and Margaret Brodie Stewart
5 February 1836
1837
Victoria becomes Queen of the United Kingdom
20 June 1837
Birth of John Herschel, son of John Frederick William Herschel and Margaret Brodie Stewart
29 October 1837
1838
Sir John Herschel returns from South Africa
1838: A banquet in presence of Queen Victoria is given to celebrate his return to Britain and made a Baronet.
Copy of letter, copied as part of the correspondence project led by Colonel John Herschel FRS following the death of his father. Informs Carl Friedrich Gauss of the awarding to Carl Friedrich Gauss of the Copley medal for Carl Friedrich Gauss's magnetic researches; hopes that the British government will support such magnetic researches around globe.
3 December 1838 Sender: John Frederick William Herschel Reference number: HS/21/271
1839
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. Thanks for his letter informing him of his having been awarded the Copley medal. Was pleased to receive the observations of the magnetic declination and inclination of London. Projected expedition of Captain J. C. Ross pleases him. C. F. Gauss is now preparing the third volume of the Resultate. Would like John Frederick William Herschel's opinion on one of the papers in this volume. Gives his own views on the magnetic poles.
31 March 1839 Sender: Karl Friedrich Gauss Reference number: HS/8/76
Autograph letter signed by sender. Sends two copies of his own General Theory of Terrestrial Magnetism, one for John Frederick William Herschel and one for the Royal Society [of London]
7 May 1839 Sender: Karl Friedrich Gauss Reference number: HS/8/77
Copy of letter, copied as part of the correspondence project led by Colonel John Herschel FRS following the death of his father. Comments on Carl Friedrich Gauss's paper on the south magnetic pole, and on British efforts now underway to make magnetic observations.
17 June 1839 Sender: John Frederick William Herschel Reference number: HS/22/17
1840
Sir 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”
1841
Sir Robert Peel becomes Prime Minister
1841
Birth of Amelia Herschel, daughter of John Frederick William Herschel and Margaret Brodie Stewart
1841
1842
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. Pleased to hear that the magnetic observations are to be continued for a further three years. Mode of conducting observations in some foreign observatories would seem to need improvement. Has made a series of observations of magnetic inclination, which will be published in the sixth volume of Resultate.
24 October 1842 Sender: Karl Friedrich Gauss Reference number: HS/8/78
Copy of letter, copied as part of the correspondence project led by Colonel John Herschel FRS following the death of his father. Pleased to hear that the magnetic observations are to be continued for a further three years. Mode of conducting observations in some foreign observatories would seem to need improvement. Has made a series of observations of magnetic inclination, which will be published in the sixth volume of Resultate.
24 October 1842 Sender: Karl Friedrich Gauss Reference number: HS/22/139
Copy letter in John Herschel's hand. The instructions for making magnetic and meteorological observations are to be revised. John Frederick William Herschel asks Carl Friedrich Gauss's advice about this.
4 September 1842 Sender: John Frederick William Herschel Reference number: HS/25/6/12
1844
Birth of Matilda Rose Herschel, daughter of John Frederick William Herschel and Margaret Brodie Stewart
1844
1845
Sir John Herschel serves as President of the British Association
1845
