| RefNo | HSF/2/3/25 |
| Previous numbers | 600/31/102 and 600/31/102A |
| Level | Item |
| Title | Letter from John Herschel, to 'Dear my wife' [Mary Cornwallis Herschel] |
| Creator | Herschel; John (1837-1921); British army officer and astronomer |
| Date | 22 February 1872 [? in later blue chalk] |
| Description | He hopes she is surviving the first interruption of their correspondence. He hopes to leave the country tomorrow, with only seven miles to Sedashipet [Sadashivpet] and he hopes his carts will hold up. It is a fine Moon and too hot to march by day. Herschel describes the state of the roads, the crudity of wheel construction, and the reasoning power of cowherds and cultivators. He cites [Michael] Faraday's sense of dog intelligence in relating the story of a dove fluttering away from its nest. He fears he missed her last post. He gives an account of the latest stage of his correspondence with the Accountant General on payments, which he has referred to a higher authority. Mary has asked where he thinks [Thomas Henry] Huxley is misunderstood, and he responds by saying Huxley should be read by strict interpretation; Miss Taylor and others have read beyond this. Herschel thinks there is something wrong with his morphia, as he cannot get it to dissolve. His shooting was poor on the same day he tried, but shortly afterwards he brought home a full bag of birds. She wrote that she was to go to a picnic at Lamb's Rock. He says nothing of the assasination as it is 'quite too awful'. He dreamt of an escape and a massacre last night, attributing this to 'too many snipes for dinner'. |
| Extent | 6p. |
| Format | Manuscript |
| PhysicalDescription | Ink on paper |
| AccessStatus | Open |
Fellows associated with this archive
| Code | PersonName | Dates |
| NA7955 | Herschel; John (1837 - 1921) | 1837 - 1921 |