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The Royal Society: Science in the Making

Unpublished paper, 'On the practical use of the aneroid barometer as an orometer' by W S [William Scarth] Moorsom

Reference number: AP/40/17

Date: January 1858

Description

A government commission to Ceylon [Sri Lanka] in the beginning of 1857 led Moorsom, as chief engineer on the expedition, to provide (among other instruments) some aneroids, as a means of saving time in ascertaining the levels of mountain passes. Using these instruments, it was shown that an elevation of 950 feet may be taken to correspond with the fall through the first inch of the aneroid; that about 970 feet more corresponds with the fall through the second inch, and about 1000 feet corresponds with the fall through the third inch.

Includes one diagram showing details of the aneroid barometer.

Subject: Engineering / Navigation

Received 28 January 1858. Read 25 February 1858. Communicated by P W [Peter William] Barlow.

Written by Moorsom at 17 Great George Street, Westminster [London].

Whilst the Royal Society declined to publish this paper in full, an abstract of the paper was published in volume 9 of the Proceedings of the Royal Society as 'On the practical use of the aneroid barometer as an orometer'.

Reference number
AP/40/17
Earliest possible date
January 1858
Physical description
Ink on paper
Page extent
19 pages
Format
Diagram
Manuscript

Creator name

William Scarth Moorsom

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Citation

William Scarth Moorsom, Unpublished paper, 'On the practical use of the aneroid barometer as an orometer' by W S [William Scarth] Moorsom, January 1858, AP/40/17, The Royal Society Archives, London, https://makingscience.royalsociety.org/items/ap_40_17/unpublished-paper-on-the-practical-use-of-the-aneroid-barometer-as-an-orometer-by-w-s-william-scarth-moorsom, accessed on 28 April 2025

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https://makingscience.royalsociety.org/items/ap_40_17/unpublished-paper-on-the-practical-use-of-the-aneroid-barometer-as-an-orometer-by-w-s-william-scarth-moorsom

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    The 'Archived Papers' collection is comprised of original manuscript scientific papers and letters submitted to the Royal Society which remained unpublished or were abstracted in the journal 'Proceedings of the Royal Society' published from 1830 onwards.

    Dates: 1768 - 1989

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