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The Royal Society: Science in the Making

Copy letter, from Sir John Herschel to William Whewell, dated at 49 Charlotte St., Portland Place

Reference number: HS/20/77

Date: 1 December 1819

Description

Copy of letter, copied as part of the correspondence project led by Colonel John Herschel FRS following the death of his father. Praises William Whewell's new book [Elementary Treatise on Mechanics]; is working to get William Whewell elected to the R.S.L. Criticizes a pamphlet by George Peacock. Comments on rules proposed for the new Cambridge Philosophical Society.

Reference number
HS/20/77
Earliest possible date
1 December 1819
Page extent
4 pages
Format
Manuscript
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Creator name

John Frederick William Herschel

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Citation

John Frederick William Herschel, Copy letter, from Sir John Herschel to William Whewell, dated at 49 Charlotte St., Portland Place, 1 December 1819, HS/20/77, The Royal Society Archives, London, https://makingscience.royalsociety.org/items/hs_20_77/copy-letter-from-sir-john-herschel-to-william-whewell-dated-at-49-charlotte-st-portland-place, accessed on 12 February 2026

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https://makingscience.royalsociety.org/items/hs_20_77/copy-letter-from-sir-john-herschel-to-william-whewell-dated-at-49-charlotte-st-portland-place

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  • Herschel Letters

    This collection of nearly 10,900 letters, drafts, copies and notes is the largest repository of scientific correspondence from and to Sir John Herschel, leading figure of Victorian science.

    Dates: 1807 - 1875

    View collection