| RefNo | MA/27 |
| Previous numbers | MA.27 |
| Level | Item |
| Title | Letter from John Locke, Medical College of Ohio, Cincinnati [United States of America], to the Secretary of the Physical Committee of the Royal Society, or to Sir John Frederick William Herschel...Somerset House, London |
| Creator | Locke; John (1792-1856); American surveyor and geologist |
| Recipient | Herschel; Sir John Frederick William Herschel; first baronet (1792-1871); British mathematician and astronomer |
| Date | 26 December 1840 |
| Description | Beginning with hourly meteorological observations commencing at 6.00am on 21 December 1840 and concluding at 6.00pm on 22 December 1840 [Winter solstice]. Columns record: hour of observation; barometer in millimeters; attached thermometer in centigrade; external thermometer in fahrenheit; wet bulb thermometer; wind direction; and general remarks. The tables are followed by notes on the instruments used, including a Bunton's brass tube barometer and a thermometer by Newman of Regent Street London.
The letter concludes with more conventional remarks of correspondence to Sir John Herschel. He notes Herschel's request of 27 August for more data, following previous meteorological observations, and states that these were communicated either to the Albany Institute or to the Franklin Institute of Pennsylvania. Some or all may have been published. His observations have been interrupted by poor health and he cannot induce others to make them, but he offers to produce quarterly observations. He describes his visit to London in 1837 to procure the best instruments and instructions for meteorological and magnetic observations. He wsa treated kindly by the learned, and by the Royal Society, where he was introduced by Dr. Buckland. Since his return he has been absorbed in magnetic observations, giving details. He woul dtake pleasure in forwarding copies to the Royal Society. He includes tables of his dip observations taken on 23 December.
Typed paper label [p.8]: 'Cincinnati, Ohio, 1840. Locke.' |
| Extent | 8p. |
| Format | Manuscript |
| PhysicalDescription | Ink on paper |
| Dimensions | 280x225mm. |
| AccessStatus | Open |