| RefNo | HSF/2/1/106 |
| Previous numbers | 32.8.92 |
| Level | Item |
| Title | Letter from J [John] Herschel, Bangalore [Bengaluru], to 'Dear Father' [Sir John Frederick William Herschel] |
| Creator | Herschel; John (1837-1921); British army officer and astronomer |
| Date | 1 May 1870 |
| Description | He gathers from his mother's letter to Mary [Mary Cornwallis Herschel] that he is embarked upon becoming a Fellow of the Royal Society. He may have to take some actions, but his ignorance of the forms and his distance prevents him from doing much. On proposers, he concurs that Sir A [Andrew Scott] Waugh should be a sponsor and he is sure that Colonel [Alexander] Strange would act too. He will write to Colonels [Henry Edward Landor] Thuillier, [James Thomas] Walker and [James Francis] Tennant to enlist their support and will rely on those who know him by report only. His faith in science is great, but he thinks his works too feeble to act in the matter, which has led him to hang back. He is working on the reduction of observations made in the last four months with Strange's zenith sector and will write a long letter describing its performance. He is fortunate to have such a 'noble instrument' and owes this informal report before data for a sounder and precise judgement is available. He thinks it should be employed in higher work than latitude determinations. |
| Extent | 4p. |
| Format | Manuscript |
| PhysicalDescription | Ink on paper |
| AccessStatus | Open |
Fellows associated with this archive
| Code | PersonName | Dates |
| NA7955 | Herschel; John (1837 - 1921); Colonel; military engineer, surveyor and astronomer | 1837 - 1921 |