| Description | Nos 1 to 3 Letters from Charles Lyell and J F W Herschel 19th century..
One of Lyell's letters gives an account of a recent holiday at Balmoral with the Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.
Nos 4 to 7 Letters from Benjamin Thompson, Count Rumford, 1784-1801.
Nos 8 to 18 Letters from Thomas Henry Huxley to Sir John Evans, 1886-1892.
These letters mostly consist of correspondence relating to Huxley's Presidency of the Marine Biological Association. The Association was founded in 1883 after a public campaign organised by E Ray Lankester. The letters here illustrate the tensions between Huxley and Lankester, mostly over a greater role for scientists in a proposed Fisheries Department of Government. See Adrian Desmond, 'Huxley', 1997, pp562 and 734.
Nos 19 and 20 Letters from John Tyndall to R T Lewis, 1862.
No 21 Letter from J D Hooker, Royal Society, to Rev Miles Berkeley, 1863.
Nos 22 to 39 Letters to Profesor H W Porter, from various eminent persons, including Sir Oliver Lodge and J J Thomson. 1896-1933.
Nos 40 and 41 Two letters of Sir Charles Sherrington, 1947-1948.
The letters recount Sherrington's involvement in the first use of diptheria anti-toxin made in England. See also 'Sir Charles Sherrington's First Use of Diphtheria Antitoxin Made in England', 'Notes and Records of the Royal Society of London', Vol. 5, No. 2, April 1948.
No 42 Letter from John Parkinson, Caiston, to Sir Joseph Banks, 1791.
Nos 43 to 76 Letters to Edward Cooper from Francis Bailey, T R Robinson, G B Airy and David Brewster. 1835-1852.
The letters from G B Airy to Cooper are mostly on sightings of the asteroid Parthenope and the publication by Cooper of his "Catalogue of Stars Near the Ecliptic Observed at Markree". For more on Edward Cooper see: http://www.klima-luft.de/steinicke/ngcic/persons/cooper.htm. |
| Administrative history | Nos 1 to 3 Bought from Miss S Zileri in October 1841
Nos 4 to 7 Letters from Benjamin Thompson, Count Rumford
Nos 8 to 18 Presented by Miss Evans.
Nos 19 and 20 Presented by Miss E Lewis
No 21 Presented by Prof MW Travers, 1948
Nos 22 to 39 Presented by Mrs E Burrows 1949
Nos 40 and 41 Presented by the Royal Society Club
Nos 43 to 76 Presented by Brian Armstrong, 1950 |