Referee's report by George Biddell Airy, on a paper 'Remarks on certain points in experiments on the diffraction of light' by Baden Powell

Description

Not recommended for publication in the 'Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society'. Refers to a paper by Lord Brougham, published in the Philosophical Transactions for 1850, 'Experiments and observations on the properties of light'. Refers to the undulatory theory of optics. Current paper makes points in reference to Brougham's in only a general way. Suggests it would be more valuable ina mathematical or physical journal. The reviewer reminds the Royal Society that they 'objected strongly to the publication of Lord Brougham's paper...in the Philosophical Transactions'. 'I do not think the Transactions the proper place. It would be a bad application of our publications to make them subservient, not to the advance of science...but to the diffusion of knowledge among philosophers of a lower grade, by opening them to a controversial correction of former errors for which no new theory or new experiments are required'.

Subject: Physics and Chemistry

[Published in the 'Proceedings of the Royal Society of London']

Reference number

RR/2/191

Earliest possible date

05 April 1852

Physical description

Letter on paper

Page extent

4 pages

Format

Manuscript