Skip to content

Please be aware that some material may contain words, descriptions or illustrations which will not reflect current scientific understanding and may be considered in today's context inaccurate, unethical, offensive or distressing.

Letter, from Sir John Herschel to Francis Diedrich Wackerbarth, dated at Collingwood

Reference number: HS/25/15/27

Date: 21 March 1866

Description

Copy of letter, copied as part of the correspondence project led by Colonel John Herschel FRS following the death of his father.
Following on from Wackerbarth's suggestion to collect William Herschel's published works into one volume was considered earlier, but publishers found it not profitable. All works except two are in R.S.P.T., 1780-1818. [Letter continues 22 Mar.:] Herschel almost completed identifying and assembling all of William Herschel's double stars and micrometrical measures. Thanks for calling attention to 'unpublished series of 400 'Guages [sic] ('hausters')" noticed by [Maximilian Weisse]. Herschel was not aware of these. [Letter continues 23 Mar.:] Does not approve of Wackerbarth's suggestion to request subscriptions to fund collection of William Herschel's works. [Note by copyist: List of differences between original letter and copy.] [Unknown annotation: 'Original in No. 2 Corresp. Tin box B.8.']

Reference number
HS/25/15/27
Earliest possible date
21 March 1866
Page extent
5 pages
Format
Manuscript

Creator name

John Frederick William Herschel

View page for John Frederick William Herschel

Use this record

Citation

John Frederick William Herschel, Letter, from Sir John Herschel to Francis Diedrich Wackerbarth, dated at Collingwood, 21 March 1866, HS/25/15/27, The Royal Society Archives, London, https://makingscience.royalsociety.org/items/hs_25_15_27/letter-from-sir-john-herschel-to-francis-diedrich-wackerbarth-dated-at-collingwood, accessed on 16 August 2026

Link to this record

Embed this record

<iframe src="https://makingscience.royalsociety.org/embed/items/hs_25_15_27/letter-from-sir-john-herschel-to-francis-diedrich-wackerbarth-dated-at-collingwood" title="Letter, from Sir John Herschel to Francis Diedrich Wackerbarth, dated at Collingwood" allow="fullscreen" frameborder="0" width="100%" height="500px"></iframe>

Hierarchy

This item is part of:

Related Fellows

Map

Explore the collection

  • 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