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Copy letter, from Sir John Herschel to William Whewell, dated at Cape Town

Reference number: HS/25/3/18

Date: 28 January 1834

Description

Copy letter in John Herschel's hand. Has arrived at Cape Town; finds it an 'Earthly Paradise.' Describes its climate and noteworthy features of the southern heavens. John Frederick William Herschel's views on geology transformed by having read volume III of Charles Lyell's Principles of Geology.

Reference number
HS/25/3/18
Earliest possible date
28 January 1834
Page extent
4 pages
Format
Manuscript

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 Cape Town, 28 January 1834, HS/25/3/18, The Royal Society Archives, London, https://makingscience.royalsociety.org/items/hs_25_3_18/copy-letter-from-sir-john-herschel-to-william-whewell-dated-at-cape-town, accessed on 12 February 2026

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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