| Description | Extracts of 14 letters from Sir John Frederick William Herschel to Thomas Maclear.
Letters dated per year and number, variety of topics covered during Herschel's stay in the Cape.
Mostly astronomical topics: astronomical data; "bagging" planetary nebulae; errors in Flamsteed's nomenclature; difficulty in observing; combining [Halley's] comet observations [ related to following item]; h Centauri.
Other: birth of Maclear's son; changes in Cape Town governance; South African climate; sending acacia seeds to experiment at [Charles] Lyell's request on temperature they can withstand and still germinate.
Each letters is decribed in a few words, some dated day and month. |