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The Royal Society: Science in the Making

Draft letter, from Sir John Herschel to Francis Beaufort

Reference number: HS/3/326a

Date: 13 January 1832

Description

Contemporary copy letter in Herschel's hand. Annotated in pencil by Herschel: "written & dispatched Jan 12 1832 PS written and separately dispatched Jan 13 1832, see diary for 1832". Responds to Francis Beaufort's request for advice on a political document prepared by Thomas Drummond analyzing parliamentary representation and taxation in mathematical terms.

Reference number
HS/3/326a
Earliest possible date
13 January 1832
Page extent
8 pages
Format
Manuscript
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Creator names

John Frederick William Herschel

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Sir; John Frederick William Herschel

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Citation

John Frederick William Herschel, Sir; John Frederick William Herschel, Draft letter, from Sir John Herschel to Francis Beaufort, 13 January 1832, HS/3/326a, The Royal Society Archives, London, https://makingscience.royalsociety.org/items/hs_3_326a/draft-letter-from-sir-john-herschel-to-francis-beaufort, accessed on 11 November 2025

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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

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