| Description | Mr Aubrey's papers of the observations of Surrey were read, and he was thanked.
' There was also read the beginning of Mr Newton's Discourse containing such Observations as conduce to further Discoveries for compleating his Theory of Light and Colours, especially as to the constitution of natural Bodies, on which their Colours or Transparency depend. In which Discourse he describes first the principal of his Observations, and then considers and makes use of them.
At this time there were read the first fifteen of those Observations; which did so well please the Company, that they ordered the Secretary, to desire the Author he would permit them to be published, together with the rest which they presumed did correspond to those that had been now read to them.
Besides, there was read a letter of the same Mr Newton's written to Mr Oldenburg December 21 1675, stating the Difference betwixt his Hypothesis and that of Mr Hook's in his Micrography. The result of which is, that he (Mr Newton) hath nothing common with Mr Hook, but the Supposition that aether is a medium susceptible of Vibrations; of which supposition Mr Newton saith, that he makes a very different use, Mr Hook supposing it Light itself which he supposes it is not: Besides, that he (Mr Newton) explains very differently from Mr Hook the manner of Refraction and Reflexion, and the nature and production of Colours in all cases; and even in the Colours of thin transparent Substances Mr Newton saith, that he explains every thing after a way so differing from Mr Hook, that the Experiments he grounds his discourse upon, destroy all Mr Hook has said about them: And that the two main Experiments, without which the manner of production of those Colours is not to be found out, were not onely unknown to Mr Hook when he wrote his Micrography, but even last Spring; as he understood by mentioning them to the said Mr Hook.
The reading of the rest of Mr Newton's Discourse was referred to the next meeting. ' |