| Description | Family transcription of Sir John Herschel's original diary. The volume describes Herschel's scientific and social life. It commences 'Began New Year at Midnight with a Dancing Party and Supper...' Meteorological and astronomical observations appear throughout. On 4 March he spends much of the day replying to Murchison on the Report of the Royal Society Government Grant Committee: he attends the committee on 21 March and the first grants are allocated on 4 June. He reviews Quetelet's 'Probabilities' on 9 May and Colonel Sykes's paper on 13 May. In June he visits High Elms [the residence of John William Lubbock] and views Roman remains at Holcombe and Keston, seeing Charles Darwin and others for dinner on 9 June. From 26 August Herschel and family members travel in France, setting out from Folkestone to Boulogne. They visit Amiens, Paris, Blois, Bordeaux and Pau. There are no entries for much of the period September-October and the diary resumes in November, with Herschel in London and offered the position of Master of the Royal Mint. On 14 December he notes the formal gazette entry. He visits the police with his wife Margaret 17-19 December after 'Disclosure of Kitty Whalton's delinquency'. The volume concludes with thebeginning of Herschel's Mint duties and finally, a list of expenses for December.
With a note on the cover page '1850'. |