Record

HSF - Correspondence of Sir John Frederick William Herschel, and the Herschel family
- 2 - Correspondence of Colonel John Herschel
  - 1 - Letters of John Herschel to Margaret Brodie Herschel and John Frederick William Herschel

RefNo	HSF/2/1/64
Previous numbers	32.8.47 and 32.8.47A-B
Level	Item
Title	Letter from J [John] Herschel, Mussoorie, to 'Dearest Mother' [Margaret Brodie Herschel]
Creator	Herschel; John (1837-1921); British army officer and astronomer
Date	8 May 1862
Description	The letters from his mother and Bella have arrived and he responds, having a week's holiday. He hardly knows what to think of the Andersonian Institution candidateship [of Alexander Stewart Herschel] but he is disappointed if all of Alick's hard work results in one hundred pounds per year. Even if he doubled it it would be less than the lowest assistant in John's department. For more than a year John has been drawing a salary of eleven hundred per year, equivalent to £600 in England. He discusses his finances which he can only improve when he gets his captaincy. An Indian career is preferable to an English one he thinks, putting aside differences of health and lifestyle. He believes in sticking to his profession but he would trade for England at a loss because reading alone cannot keep up with 'the march of intellect' in Europe. He encloses a scrap from the most widely circulated newspaper in India [not present] as evidence of the poor scientific attainments of writer and editor. Returning to the question of the Andersonian chair, the chief thing is that Alick should like it, having sought it. Willy [William James Herschel] is not with John, who does not know if he intends to come or not. John gives a description of his department: it has two computing offices, the chief one at Calcutta [Kolkata] under Radanath Sikhdar [Radhanath Sikdar] 'with good mathematical talents' and one at Dehra under the Surveyor General, but in the charge of [John Baboneau Nickterlien] Hennessey, of whom he will write more. This has been a nuisance but now Sikdar has retired, the two offices will be brought together. They are now free of Calcutta, except that the Surveyor General lives there. Hennessey has a liver complaint and must go home; there are few men more competent, but John hopes to fill the post. If that happens, someone else will take up John's current work, although it is possible that Walker will send him for astronomical observations on the great arc. Plans are not yet settled. He hopes to send a facsimile of his frontispiece but has not faced the camera yet.
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

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