| Description | Enclosing a meteorological diary, complete to 30 September, making one year and some days. The diary has been kept carefully, in view of the observations sent by Dr. [William] Roxburgh being erroneous because of the thermometer in use, and because he has seen some mistakes in Mr. Kirwan's ingenous work. Under the care of Mr. Lindley, he has sent astronomical observations for ascertaining the geographical location of the place. If these are of no use Banks might return them to Dr. Lindley for use in the Observatory. He had hoped to give a despatch on his experiments on the origin of nitre, nitrous salts, natron and borax, but he has been prevented by bad health. The experiments have given different and contradictory results, so that he is uanble to establish a hypothesis, although he notes some results in the procurement of nitre. He has procured a chemical account of borax, but this was given to him under injunctions of secrecy, as the person communicating it expects to convert it to advantage in Europe, although Petrie thinks it does not contain much that was not known already. He was sorry to hear of Dr. [Alexander] Anderson's disappointment, as he must bear a loss of more than £1,000. His system was arrived at before facts and every experiment was not to discover truth, but to prove his hypothesis. He was deceived by the Coccus polonicus and Petrie wished Anderson has followed the advice of Dr. [Patrick] Russell, who's work on the serpents of that coast 'will do him...infinite credit'.
Endorsed [p.8]: 'Mr. Petrie July 18 - 88. Feb 13 - Error in M. Roxburgh's Thermometer'. |