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.

The Royal Society: Science in the Making

First half of letter from John Frederick William Herschel, Collingwood to Edward Sabine

Reference number: MS/257/2/279

Date: 10 March 1850

Description

Herschel thanks [Francis] Ronalds for supply of paper. Refers to Sabine’s discovery about the direction of change in the earth's magnetism, the link to the northern and southern hemispheres, and relates it to suns and other electric currents. Discusses the pressure of an electrical current and developing magnetic forces. In the suns light discusses auroras. Refers to [Heinrich Wilhelm] Dove’s remarks on the globe, ‘superficial temperature and the magnetic force’. Reference to ‘atmospheric electricity’.

[This letter is continued in MS/257/2/280].

Reference number
MS/257/2/279
Earliest possible date
10 March 1850
Physical description
Ink on paper
Page extent
4 pages
Format
Manuscript
Also available on Epsilon
View Also available on Epsilon (external link, opens in new tab)

Creator name

John Frederick William Herschel

View page for John Frederick William Herschel

Use this record

IIIF manifest

View​ IIIF ​ manifest Opens in new tab

Open in Mirador viewer Opens in new tab

Export this record

Download PDF Opens in new tab

Citation

John Frederick William Herschel, First half of letter from John Frederick William Herschel, Collingwood to Edward Sabine, 10 March 1850, MS/257/2/279, The Royal Society Archives, London, https://makingscience.royalsociety.org/items/ms_257_2_279/first-half-of-letter-from-john-frederick-william-herschel-collingwood-to-edward-sabine, accessed on 25 April 2025

Link to this record

https://makingscience.royalsociety.org/items/ms_257_2_279/first-half-of-letter-from-john-frederick-william-herschel-collingwood-to-edward-sabine

Embed this record

<iframe src="https://makingscience.royalsociety.org/embed/items/ms_257_2_279/first-half-of-letter-from-john-frederick-william-herschel-collingwood-to-edward-sabine" title="First half of letter from John Frederick William Herschel, Collingwood to Edward Sabine" allow="fullscreen" frameborder="0" width="100%" height="500px"></iframe>

Related Records

Hierarchy

Related Fellows

Explore the collection

  • Manuscripts General

    Science in the Making presents selected items from the 'Manuscripts General' series, notably astronomical observations, investigations of discrete topics, and indices and registers of papers read before the Royal Society.

    Dates: 1551 - 1951

    View collection