| RefNo | MS/591/4/8 |
| Level | Item |
| Title | Letter from William Napier Shaw, 10 Moreton Gardens, Old Brompton Road, to Sir Archibald [Geikie] |
| Creator | Shaw; Sir; William Napier (1854-1945) |
| Recipient | Geikie; Sir; Archibald (1835-1924) |
| Date | 25 October 1908 |
| Description | Shaw has read Scott's letter, which he says makes for 'very painful reading'. He says he has 'wasted' time drafting a reply, hoping 'to convince Captain Scott or other people that his protest is not justified'. Scott's criticisms are similar to those already raised by [Louis] Bernacchi, who mistakenly believes Shaw is deliberately attacking 'the conduct and capacity of the Expedition'.
Shaw believes 'that the whirligig of time is now enabling two parties to bring in their revenges'. One group includes the critic in 'The Times' [who reviewed the Meteorological Volume] who 'were dissatisfied with the scientific arrangements and naturally wait for the issue of the scientific results to pounce'. The other group consists of the expedition members 'who might have been retained at a suitable salary to prepare the results for publication'.
Shaw argues it was necessary to point out 'peculiarities' with the data collection in the volume to head off criticism from the first group. Shaw blames the Society for the issues with the second group, stating that 'the Royal Society is really responsible for the decision that Mr Bernacchi's estimate of his retaining fees was beyond its mean and we must put up with his efforts to revenge himself as best we can'. |
| Extent | 6p |
| Format | Manuscript |
| AccessStatus | Open |
Fellows associated with this archive
| Code | PersonName | Dates |
| NA7142 | Shaw; Sir; William Napier (1854 - 1945); meteorologist | 1854 - 1945 |
| NA6174 | Geikie; Sir; Archibald (1835 - 1924); geologist and historian | 1835 - 1924 |