| RefNo | HSF/2/3/13 |
| Previous numbers | 600/31/90 and 600/31/90A-B |
| Level | Item |
| Title | Letter from John Herschel, Kodangal, to [Mary Cornwallis Herschel] |
| Creator | Herschel; John (1837-1921); British army officer and astronomer |
| Date | 27-28 January 1872 |
| Description | He is inclined to write a love letter but he thinks it unnecessary as she would know what he had to say. He contrasts this year with the previous one. He has made two thousand bricks that day, which will take three days to dry and two days for firing. Meanwhile, he will think and plan. He is able to do a lot of computation while on the march and this will clear much of his recess work. He has made a stern attack on the Accountant General for obstruction in having lawful bills paid. If this is ignored, he will take the matter higher, and Rogers said he has suffered in the same way, not yet having his December pay. He explains the Accountant General's methods, including setting a limit based upon estimates of expenditure. Herschel is sure the difficulty will continue when he draws pay from Hyderabad. There is a great deal in Mary's notes from Isaac Taylor's 'Words and Places', which interested Herschel. He has before him a list of twenty-seven terminations in names of villages in the Raichoor [Raichur] which he occasionally, but vainly, tries to learn their meaning. He discusses these, concluding that he will need to read Taylor's book before he accepts his etymologies. There is considerable research to be done in Indian names, he believes, but it would require an expert in the chief languages. [From 28 January] He refers to his pleasure in writing to her, the letters 'some day perhaps will be but a sad memorial to one of us'. His post came in at 2.00am. He asks if she is regular with her injections and if the same dose is effective. |
| Extent | 10p. |
| Format | Manuscript |
| PhysicalDescription | Ink on paper |
| AccessStatus | Open |
Fellows associated with this archive
| Code | PersonName | Dates |
| NA7955 | Herschel; John (1837 - 1921) | 1837 - 1921 |