Scope and Contents

Airy's official and scientific correspondence, volume 1, including letters from Amici, Baily, Beaufort, Bouvard, Brewster, Carlini, Cerquene, Colby, Davy, Gambart, Garvey, Gilbert, Hamilton, Herschel, Hudson, Hussey, Jenkins, Lardner, Lax, Maclear, Pearson, Pond, Rigaud, Robinson, Rumker, Sabine, Sanchis, Schumacher, South, Stratford and Young, with an index to the correspondents at the end. There are a few letters in French and Italian.

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Airy's official and scientific correspondence, volume 2, including letters from Arago, Auber, Baily, Barrow, Beaufort, Becker, Cooper, De Morgan, Encke, Forbes, Foster, Gambert, Gilbert, Gregory, Hamilton, Harcourt, Henderson, Herschel, Hudson, Hussey, Inman, Innes, Lax, Lubbock, Maclear, Princess Olive, Parrot, Pearson, Quetelet, Robinson, Schumacher, Sheepshanks, Stratford, Taylor, Tiarks and Tyson, with an index to the correspondents at the end. There are a few letters in French.

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Carbon copies of letters sent by Thomas Maclear between July 1844 and January 1846, including letters to the Admiralty, G.B. Airy, Gibbs, local army officers and civic dignitaries. There are also instructions for the heliotrope and on telegraphic communications.

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Carbon copies of letters from Thomas Maclear to G.B. Airy, Gibbs and Nicholson; instructions; and an 'Account of Malady' dated 18 April 1847.

Scope and Contents 2. Cape observations (continued).2/13. 'Star Magnitudes. Trial List', including later workings on star magnitudes running from the end.2/14. Lists of stars ordered according to observed magnitudes, 1835-1838 and 1839-1840, and some miscellaneous observations.2/15. Papers entitled 'Plans &c of the Equatorial Instrument & Revolving Roof. For the Cape'.2/16.1. Guard Book, Vol. III: drawings of nebulae, comets and the Southern Milky Way. With a few...

Scope and Contents 5. Star magnitudes, Cape of Good Hope.5/1. Observations entitled 'Star-magnitudes. Original Observed Lists. Booked', 1836-1841.5/2. 'Chap. IV. Astrometry of The Magnitudes of the Stars.'5/2.1. Notes and calculations entitled 'Photometry Astromet[r]y', including a letter to Herschel from Hugh, 3rd Duke of Northumberland, 30 October 1840.5/2.2. 'Magnitudes of the Stars from actual observation', covering observed sequences of 1835-1841.5/2.3. Notes...

Scope and Contents Correspondence and related papers concerning the correction of compasses on iron ships. There are papers regarding investigations of compass deviation on the 'Trident'; the work and findings of the Liverpool Compass Committee; changes in the deviation of iron ships' compasses; 'Notes on the arrangements and practice of adjusting the compasses of iron ships at Liverpool'; Dr W. Scoresby's account of the voyage of the 'Royal Charter'; compasses of the 'Great Eastern', with ratings of the...

Scope and Contents Papers relating to the publication of a paper by Airy on the establishment of the Northumberland telescope at the University Observatory, Cambridge. There is an essay giving a description of the dome and telescope, and correspondence with engravers, artists and printers for the paper's publication. The correspondence includes letters of thanks for the work from J. Challis, W.H. Miller, W.S. Stratford, G. Bishop, G. Fisher, W.R. Dawes, E. Sabine, Sir F. Beaufort, S.H. Christie, M.J. Johnson,...

Scope and Contents Correspondence and other papers regarding the acquisition of moveable property by the Royal Observatory, including the following:Correspondence with A. Cowper Ranyard, S. Denman, W. Spottiswoode and S. Crompton, who sent various photographs to Sir George Airy, 1875-1876.Correspondence with J.P. Maclear and the Admiralty concerning the return of a spectroscope which the Royal Observatory had loaned to Maclear, 1876.Copy of a letter from Airy to Lord Lindsay thanking...

Scope and Contents Miscellaneous papers relating to the Royal Astronomical Society, including notices of meetings; agenda for the Council meetings; balloting lists for officers; correspondence regarding the lecture on O. Struve's 'Etudes' and the Pulkova Observatory; the results derived from Cambridge observations of occultations, 1830-1835; correction to lunar elements from Greenwich observations, 1750-1830; a lecture upon Lord Rosse's and W. Lassell's telescopes; U.J.J. Le Verrier's paper on periodical...

Scope and Contents Papers relating to the Royal Astronomical Society, including a paper by Airy on the origin of the apparent luminous band which in partial eclipses of the Sun has been seen to surround the visible portion of the Moon's limb; a note on the division of labour in the observation of small planets; a paper by Airy on the transit of Venus, 1882; a paper by Airy on a comparison of the Chinese record of solar eclipses in the Chun Tsew with the computations of modern theory; a paper by Airy on a...

Scope and Contents Papers relating to the Royal Astronomical Society, including papers by Airy on the value of the Moon's semidiameter; the supposed possible effect of friction in the tides in influencing the apparent acceleration of the Moon's mean motion in longitude; a method of computing interpolations to the second order without changes of algebraic sign; Abraham Sharpe's quadrant; a meteor shower of November 1866; the simultaneous disappearance of Jupiter's satellites in the year 1867; certain...

Scope and Contents Correspondence of David Gill and related papers regarding the determination of the Cape-Aden longitude. The correspondence includes letters on the need for a determination of Aden's longitude, the delays caused by lines being brought down and political problems. There are also many telegrams exchanged between T. Maclear and D. Gill regarding delays caused by bad weather. The volume ends with a number of Admiralty charts of harbours and estuaries on the east coast of Africa. There is an index...

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The volume begins with the 'Report of Thomas Maclear ... her Majesty's Astronomer at the Cape of Good Hope, to the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, July 23, 1850', regarding the Cape Observatory (pp. 1-30). This is followed by other papers by Maclear concerning the observatory's work (pp. 31-114). The contents were reprinted from the 'Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society', Vol. XX.

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Official correspondence and rough and neat minutes of the Standards Commission, with summons to meetings. The volume includes all correspondence on the distribution of the standards authenticated by Act of Parliament, the changing of the manner of charging the customs duties from per 112 lbs to 110 lbs, and correspondence with the Treasury on accounts and printing. There are also letters from astronomers, including Sir J.F.W. Herschel, J.F. Encke and T. Maclear.

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Sent by Francis Beaufort to John Pond.

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A printed copy of Volume I of the 'Astronomical Observations' made at the Cape during the year 1834, prepared by Thomas Maclear.

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Papers relating to the Royal Astronomical Society's transactions with the Government, including correspondence on the transfer of the 'meridian ephemeris' to the Admiralty; the printing of T. Henderson's Edinburgh observations; the printing of T. Henderson's and T. Maclear's Cape papers; and F. Baily's reproduction of Cavendish's experiment.

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Richard Sheepshanks' correspondence with Airy, F. Baily, Sir J.F.W. Herschel, T. Maclear and W.H. Miller concerning standards and the Standards Commission.

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Details of stores, etc., purchased by Thomas Maclear and others for the Cape Survey, particularly for the survey party at Saldanha Bay.

Scope and Contents Theories of the Sun, Moon and planets, including investigations into and corrections of the semidiameters of the Sun, Moon and Venus; correspondence on the Moon's acceleration, with letters from J.C. Adams, C.E. Delaunay, P.A. Hansen, W. De La Rue, C. Pritchard and E.J. Routh; correspondence with C.E. Delaunay about the co-efficient of the principal time for expression of the Moon's latitude; correspondence on the transit of Venus, 1882, and the possibility of a transit of Mercury, 29...

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A fair copy by Thomas Maclear of transit observations for 24 January - 30 June 1834. There are annotations, written mainly in pencil in another hand, giving common star names against the Latinized versions. There are also notes on the astronomical seeing on certain dates, the weather, the appearance of Saturn and its satellites in mid-February, and the transit clock and telescope.

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A journal written by Thomas Maclear giving weekly notices of work at the Cape Observatory between 23 January and 25 September 1854, copied from RGO 15/3. The journal contains details of the work carried out on the transit circle, meridian observations, calculations and copying.

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A journal written by Thomas Maclear giving weekly notices of work at the Cape Observatory between 7 January and 2 June 1856, copied from RGO 15/3. The journal includes details of work carried out on the transit circle, meridian observations, calculations and copying.

Scope and Contents The weekly register of the general work of the Cape Observatory, including observations, details of instruments used and other information. The volume includes the following items:Observations of the immersion and emersion of Jupiter's satellites, 1839-1840.Observations of Mars, Venus and Mercury, 1839-1840.An account of an eclipse of the Sun, 26 August 1840.Observation tables of Encke's Comet, 2-21 May 1842.Reports by C. Piazzi Smyth of sightings and...