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17 Nottingham Place - JH knows no one better, except Francis Baily, for the superintendence of the nautical almanac as George Airy. JH is depressed at the state of science in England: 'This is not a land where science of a high order is held in honour'. JH laments the lack of reward given to scientific talent in this country. '[William] Parry is going N.S.W and [Francis] Beaufort succeeds him as Hydrographer'.

37 Tavistock Place - Would WW restate the formula he suggested 'for determining the specific gravity (reduced to a vacuum) of hollow bodies, not hermetically sealed'. FB has received a letter from Frederick Bessel in response to FB's 'remarks on his experiments with hollow cylinders (not hermetically sealed) which has rather staggered me; & makes me fear that I may myself be in error'. Although FB's 'case is not exactly the case in point: but is, in fact, one still more erroneous: - at least in my opinion'. Could WW give his opinion [an extract of FB's letter to MB is enclosed].

37 Tavistock Place - When FB last saw WW, 'I think you said that Pontécoulant had verified the result of Prof. Airy's computations, relative to the correction for the long inequality of Venus'. In FB's Address to George Airy on delivering him the Medal [Astronomical Society], FB alludes 'to the calculation &c, & that few persons would be likely to repeat the process'. Does WW see any objections in noting Pontécoulant's verification in the printed version of his Address?

37 Tavistock Place - FB has 'for a long time past, had it in contemplation to give a new edition of Flamsteed's [John Flamsteed] British Catalogue [An Account of the Rev. John Flamsteed...to which is added his British Catalogue of Stars, Corrected and Enlarged, 1835]; and this intention is now fully confirmed by the recent & singular discovery of Flamsteed's M.S.S. at the Royal Observatory'. Through JF's original computing book 'I have been enabled to detect the source of most of his errors, & to rectify them accordingly'. In producing this amended and enlarged edition of the British Catalogue, it will not be possible for me (neither would it be fair or just to the memory of Flamsteed) to conceal the various other matters contained in those M.S.S...You will readily see, from the tone of Flamsteed, that he is very sore respecting the part which Newton took in the publication of the "Historia Celestis"...I am anxious, before I publish any thing, to discover (if possible) whether there are any M.S.S. in existence that will throw any light on this subject, & tend to set the character of Newton, in this business, in a fairer point of view'. Could GP check the Newton manuscripts and also inform WW. FB would like to see the whole of the manuscripts of Newton, in the possession of the University, published: 'There never was a time when they would be hailed with so much pleasure & satisfaction'.