| RefNo | MS/427/100 |
| AltRefNo | MS/427 p20 |
| Level | Item |
| Title | Copy letter from [George Gabriel] Stokes, Secretary of the Royal Society; to Major [John] Herschel R.E. FRS |
| Date | 12 April 1881 |
| Description | Updates Major [John] Herschel on the findings of an investigation on whether it would be suitable to lend invariable pendulums to Mr. Pierce of the US Coast Geodetic Survey, as one was discovered to be damaged [See MS/427/94]. Informs the minutes of the Kew Committee of 1881 refer to 'a regrettable accident' , which refers to the bending of the tail. Also informs that General Walker and General Sabine had to reground the knife edges of both pendulums in 1864, before it was lent to the Indian Government. In an investigation into the conditions in which the pendulums were kept in the Exhibition of Scientific Instruments, the South Kensington Museum [now the Victoria and Albert and Science Museums] stated their display was safe and only Mr. [George] Whipple [of the Kew Committee] and a guest were seen handling them. Mr. Whipple, when asked about this stated the guest was Hershel himself. [George Gabriel] Stokes, on a visit to the Museum confirms the bent pendulum was not in a case. Concludes that the bending could not have happened in India, suggests minute alternations to the pendulums to improve results and approves lending them to Mr. Pierce. |
| Extent | 3p |
| Format | Manuscript |
| AccessStatus | Open |
| RelatedRecord | MS/427/94 |
| MS/427/89 |
| MS/427/101 |
| MS/427/113 |
| MS/427/124 |
| MS/427/138 |
Fellows associated with this archive
| Code | PersonName | Dates |
| NA7955 | Herschel; John (1837 - 1921); Colonel; military engineer, surveyor and astronomer | 1837 - 1921 |