Misc. items relating to George Boole.
Includes: 2 autograph signatures of George Boole.
Notes of various items relating to Boole in the possession of the Taylor family.
List of items relating to Boole left at `Farmfield' at Taylor's death, and their disposition (compiled by G.K. Batchelor).
List of material presented by Taylor to the Royal Irish Academy, May 1954.
Press-cuttings re Boole.
Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia. Dated Abril 1924 - Provided answers to his ['Anthropological Questions'] and would like to have a copy of the book in which the answers were published.
11 Old Square, Lincoln’s Inn, London, W.C.2.—Unemployment seems a more pressing problem in India than low wages, and he was interested to learn of certain manufacturing projects. Thanks him for his kindness during his and his wife’s visit. His wife went on to Hong Kong, and then to North America to visit her children.
(Carbon copy of a typed original.)
Reports that he has discovered that the sea air does not cure hayfever. Describes Southend as 'not a bad little place', with no beauty, 'but cheerful enough and no Smells, to speak of.' States that he pays £1 a week for two little rooms, with an eating house next door, where he dines for a shilling. Reports that he is reading political economy and [Gewter], and that his eating house 'only takes in the Standard, where Protestantism is breathing less fire and slaughter than [he] had expected.'
Hopes that she has sent him his letters, because among them is 'an examination paper for Ladies' about which he is rather anxious. Remarks on the visitors to the area. Reports that he had considered going to Margate, but was afraid of being sea-sick. Resolves to come to similar places regularly in June, 'get iodized and then go back to London until the hayseason is over.' With regard to Mr Horton, undertakes to pay one third of £60 in two instalments of £10 per annum [for the education of Horton's son Fred], and states that when he agreed on their scheme he had in view his prospective decrease in income. Reports that he has just earned £10 by taking part in an entrance examination. Asks her to ask Arthur whether a Warrington whom he has examined [Thomas Rolls Warrington?] was a new boy in his form 'when he had a Boil.' Claims that he thought that he recognised his signature.
In relation to Miss Brooke, declares that without being pretty, she is not ugly, and that her face 'shows feeling and intelligence when one looks close.' States however, that 'one has to penetrate a slight veil of dullness to see these qualities', and that 'there is not a particle of girlish attractiveness about her...' Asks Myers what he thinks of the proposal to tell Miss Clough that he [Myers] is a correspondent, and to arrange to go in some evening. In relation to the 'dear damsel', states that his experience of the correspondents [in the scheme for women's education] would not incline him to give a tragic interpretation to her silence. Refers to his own correspondents, who are all 'irregular and arbitrary in their ways, except one young strenuous well-trained governess in London, and the admirable and delightful Annie Thomas'. Announces that he is off to Rugby the following day, 'where the impending crisis [re headmaster Henry Hayman] still hovers. Invites Myers to breakfast on Sunday or Monday, 'and see one or two undergraduates.'
Sends Nora a letter, which seems to him 'a sincere and touching tribute' [not included]. Hopes that she is well, and has had some rest. Explains that he is still tied [to Oxford] by an effort to reduce his arrears. Wishes her well for 1907.
Has had a good many letters from Austria, none of which include alarming information about friends. Wittgenstein's sister is returning to Vienna from New York. Wittgenstein does not have a good chance of naturalization.
7 Camden Street, Camden Town - Thanks WW for the invitation but his lectures are 'imperative'. If his papers are to appear together he wants copies all at one time and does not care whether they are printed in the form of two papers or one. He is to publish a work on logic soon after the papers appear, and will think of Whewell's suggestion about taking a subject, but 'what subjects run very thickly in syllogisms...[and the] syllogistic examples in books of logic are literally nothing more than terms of one word or so substituted in the formal syllogism'. Instead of subjective and objective he will use ideal and objective, and explains how he will use it in terms of the mind. He writes this to show Whewell 'how far our language agrees'. Writers on Formal Logic are often confused - they 'speak ideally, and not objectively', and 'admit contradictory propositions as ideally enunciable'. He then presents some phraseology, 'seven definite relations of term and term: identical and contrary, sub-identical and super-identical, sub-contrary and super-contrary, and mixed. He concludes with a dialogue he had with his daughter as to the ideas of necessary and contingent.
Royal Observatory Greenwich - GA is 'busy in the pendulum reductions, and till they are pretty far advanced or indeed completed we cannot tell how good the results are'. He sent six observers to Haston Colliery: 'I put up the apparatus and gave a few lessons, but I did not take a single observation'. GA gives a description of the tests: 'Galvonic wires were laid from one station to the other, and a telegraph needle was mounted by each clock face, and thus our clocks were compared by simultaneous signals without any necessity for chronometers'. GA is surprised at WW's report of Scoresby's remark on the non-correction of varying inductive force, and he should direct Scoresby [William Scoresby] to look at the Phil. Trans. for 1839 (p. 182-183): 'The effect of induced magnetism is very small, and I believe that ship-correcters very commonly neglect it'.
Mostly reviews of Henry Sidgwick: A Memoir, with some letters to Nora Sidgwick regarding the publication, or sending on reviews. One review (106/77) of Henry Sidgwick's The Philosophy of Kant and Other Lectures, from the Academy.
Sidgwick, Eleanor Mildred (1845-1936), college headThorpeness, Suffolk. - Wanted to write to Robert with but could not remember his address, and her 'invaluable card-index' let her down; she is therefore 'extra pleased' to receive his poems [this year's "From the Shiffolds"] today. It is a 'mercy to get away from thoughts of the war', as she sees Robert does, as in his 'charming poem' to his kitten ["Pusska"]; wishes he were here to write one about their 'very dear Peke'. Wonders whether the people of the earth will 'learn anything from these awful years', or whether they will just 'commit planet suicide'; feels 'much more hope with Labour than the Tories, at all events', and it is good not to have 'any fear from the skies' and feel that the 'devilish destruction is over', at least.