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Confidential. Royal Observatory Greenwich - Miss Sheepshanks [Richard Sheepshanks sister] wants to use some of her brother's money in a way he would have liked: 'Her thoughts naturally turn to Astronomy, Cambridge, Trinity. and she has in the final instance consulted me about it'. It is her wish that GA and WW 'should decide entirely about it'.

Flamsteed House, Greenwich - GA has already sent three copies of the Account of the Haston Experiments [see GA to WW, 1 Nov. 1854]: 'Pray cause a search to be made for them'. Two copies of the Greenwich Appendixes were sent to WW: 'But if they trouble you, I can send only one in future'. GA will think of a time when they can 'talk over Italian and other matters'.

Royal Observatory Greenwich - GA gives a list of references pertinent to 'the steps which have been made in Astronomy in the last few years. A great deal has been done, and some of the things done have distinct relation to the comparison (as a science) of the two processes of theory and observation (as labours)'. GA places his list under the following titles - 1. Parallaxes and Motions of Stars: 2. Orbits of Double Stars: 3. Sun's Heat: 4. Attractions generally: 5. Lunar Theory: 6. Planetary Theory: 7. Encke's Comet: 8. Cometary Theory generally: 9. Shooting Stars: 10. Miscellaneous.

Royal Observatory Greenwich - GA and Richarda Airy 'propose to offer you our company on Dec. 12'. GA gives his corrections to WW's Inductive Sciences [History of the Inductive Sciences from the Earliest to the Present Time, 3rd edn., 1857] and apologises for the 'frightful' amount of references he gave on the progress of modern astronomy - 'I could not well give you fewer' [see GA to WW, 11 Oct. 1856].

Flamsteed House, Greenwich - GA sends WW a letter from Vignoles [Charles B. Vignoles] 'whom I thought the most likely person of my aquaintance to give me the the verity about Skew Arches'. GA has taken up Plato's Phaedo again after 'I do not know how many years'.

Flamsteed House, Greenwich - GA has been laboring on the account of Sheepshanks's [Richard Sheepshanks] work on Standards, which has now passed through its first stage. GA's plan devised for the Correction of the Compass is adopted by most iron ships in the world. However, the Admiralty 'nominally adopt Archibald Smith's mode of resolving observed errors into series &c of multiples and then computing errors generally, but practically, I do not think it is ever used at all'. GA gives a description of 'a very neat way of presenting errors graphically, which was invented by Napier [Robert Napier], iron ship builder, of Glasgow'. GA had a Royal Navy ship sent out with a corrected compass last autumn: 'Scoresby [William Scoresby] had not published any thing specific. Changes were found in the magnetism of the ship. Some of his compass observations came to me through the Liverpool Committee [of the BAAS], and I discussed them. A very valuable report on the subject generally, including these, has been made by the Liverpool Committee to the B. of Trade, which I have urged the Board to publish'. GA does not know anything of the diurnal variations and the magnetic storms, as compared with solar spots.

Further to Le Verrier's principle, that France ought to be in the first rank in observations as well as every thing else, GA thinks his 'bold talk is admirable' - but he does not agree: 'The Greenwich Observatory has grown up like the British Constitution under pressure of circumstances, and has thus adapted itself to the genius of the people, and is likely to receive permanent support under circumstances in which a French observatory would not receive much support. I can abandon such showy things as discovering comets and planets, and can therefore do the dull meridian work surprisingly well, and this is known to and approved by the astronomical public of England but it would not do in France'. However the mathematical and astronomical parts of Le Verrier's Annales are admirable and should be adopted 'as the authorised exposition of modern astronomy (Lunar Theory excepted)'

Royal Observatory Greenwich - Could WW dine Professor Gautier of Geneva 'in hall, or lodge him' in Cambridge: 'He is a capital good fellow, and does more to make English science known on the continent, by his writings in the Bibliotheque Universelle, than any other person'.

Royal Observatory Greenwich - As far as GA remembers, WW quoted accurately from him concerning the old eclipses: 'and I was certainly correct: the only point on which change could be suspected (a point of no interest to the chronology) being that in the first paper I had left open the passage of Agathocles to the North or South of Sicily, inclining however to the North, but in the second paper I decide on the South'. There was some quibbling about another eclipse 'computed only from [Buachkardt's] elements, and is so stated in my first paper. It has since been computed with Hansen's elements (nearly as was described for Buackhardt's) far north of the sea of Azores. If this is the matter of which you were thinking I will send a note on it to the Athenaeum'. Were the quarrels at the BAAS meeting of 1857 or 1856?.

Royal Observatory Greenwich - Regarding the eclipse GA will be observing it from Hanowden near Wellingborough: 'My first Assistant and my best assistant (viz my wife) and other aids are to go there'. If WW wants to come he will have to bring his own telescope.

Royal Observatory Greenwich - GA is sorry to hear of the death of George Peacock: 'He was my earliest and best friend in College'. This is a good time to revise the relative positions of the Plumian and Lowndean Professorships - the latter is well endowed and has nothing to do, while the former is insufficiently endowed and is overloaded with too heavy duties: 'Here is an opportunity for removing a scandal'. WW should write to the Vice-Chancellor on the matter.

Royal Observatory Greenwich - Further to the Sheepshanks endowment [see GA to WW, 30 Sept. 1856], he has talked over the amended Draft - 'it is understood to be all right as far as the low intellect of a Solicitor goes'. The £10,000 will eventually get transferred to the Master, Fellows and Scholars of Trinity College and George Airy.

Royal Observatory Greenwich - GA has written to the Vice-Chancellor, 'stating the reasons for my scheme' [see GA to WW, 10 Nov. 1858].

Royal Observatory Greenwich - GA has looked at Cowley's [Abraham Cowley] Ode to the Royal Society: 'I find the allusions and the repetition of allusions to Bacon much stronger than I had supposed. Cowley, though no man of science, was a schemer in science, and seems to have been intimate with the founders of the Royal Society...from whom probably he had derived his impressions about Bacon'.

Royal Observatory Greenwich - GA has received permission from the Athenaeum for republishing: 'Alter the MS as you think fit, but not the printed matter except to have blank spaces where I have notated "white line". And with all speed put it in hand in the form which you think best'. GA does not know how it should be circulated: 'Would you send a copy to every Peer and MP? Would you send one to every graduate on the Trinity Books? Or what should be the rule?'

Royal Observatory Greenwich - Could WW send one copy of the 'Remarks on the Draft of Statutes' when printed to the Chancellor. A further dozen of 'decent luxury' should be sent to the individual Commissioners.

Royal Observatory Greenwich - Can WW procure for GA from one of the libraries Horsley's [John Horsley] 'Britannia Romana'. Wilfred [Wilfred Airy] 'has made an awful mess of his examination...and must I conceive be set down to physical derangement, cerebral and nervous'.

Royal Observatory Greenwich - The Sheepshanks endowment will be nearly in place once Miss Sheepshanks executes the Transfer of stock and the Deed of Gift [see GA to WW, 30 Sept. 1856]. Thus WW and Trinity Seniors should prepare the time and circumstances for the examination of scholarship.

Royal Observatory Greenwich - GA encloses the Deed of Gift in the matter of the Sheepshanks Endowment [see GA to WW, 30 Sept. 1856]. Wilfred Airy has returned home with the Senate House Papers: 'I have looked over them carefully. I see pretty clearly the state of things, and do not think the worse of Wilfred for his place. I am much dissatisfied with the examination. Your Smith's Prize Revision of the upper places has cast upon the examination such a slur as I never knew before'.

Royal Observatory Greenwich - A minor technicality concerning the Sheepshanks endowment: 'I conceive that there is not the smallest difficulty about the departure from Deed-Regulation on the matter of notice from Managing Body to Trustees, in this year's disposal of the Sheepshanks Fund Proceeds'.

Royal Observatory Greenwich - GA did not like the Senate House Examination Papers [see GA to WW, 5 Feb. 1859], 'and I digested and abstracted them. Of the Abstract I sent a copy to Mathison [William C. Mathison]. It so became known, and Challis [James Challis] asked for a copy which I sent him. Subsequently Mr. Ferress (moderator) has asked for a copy which I send'. Would WW like a copy.

Royal Observatory Greenwich - GA thanks WW for the copy of the Commissioners new Draft of Statutes for the College -- 'on the whole I am satisfied with it'.

Royal Observatory Greenwich - GA fears that 'this little affair of the letter concerning Challis [James Challis] must have annoyed you much'. WW should show GA's letter again to Challis: 'His dire anger arises entirely from mistake of phrases. There is not a word derogatory to him. There is disapproval of his conduct of the Observatory, but he has known that for twenty years'. JC has on the one hand got 'the Observatory into an improper condition, and on the other hand he still hankers after the idle attempt of doing more than the Observatory can do or is wanted to do'. An application should be made to the Observatory Syndicate for funds to bring up the Observatory reductions.

Royal Observatory Greenwich - GA will arrive on Saturday at 1.30. He has written to the Vice-Chancellor advising him to send the Sheepshanks Endowment Deed to Trinity Lodge 'a few minutes before 1.30 for my examination' [for background see GA to WW, 30 Sept. 1856]. GA is not sure whether he can obtain information on the question of a Transit-Circle: 'Can you ascertain whether Challis [James] looks to dimensions equal to those of the Greenwich Instrument, or smaller?'

Royal Observatory Greenwich - GA can not make his appointment with WW on Saturday at 1.30, since he has to meet the engineer of the new Equatorial [see GA to WW, 24 Mar. 1859].

Royal Observatory Greenwich - GA sends WW some information on the costs of a Transit-Circle [see GA to WW, 24 Mar. 1859].

Flamsteed House, Greenwich -- Thanks WW for his letter of congratulations on Hubert's [Hubert Airy] Scholarship. GA gives a few remarks concerning the questions set in WW's papers. The confusion arising from the first question probably arises from 'the floating idea, that inches multiplied by inches produce square inches'. GA found the solution to question 23 very quickly.

Royal Observatory Greenwich - Sheepshanks Exhibition [see GA to WW, 30 Sept. 1856] can be divided into three parts: 1. Gravitational, 2. Geometrical Astronomy and 3. Theory and Practice of Observations. GA could do number 3, Mathison [William C. Mathison] number 2 and if Adams [John C. Adams] is around, he could do number 1. A Transit-Circle was first introduced in Greenwich, because 'a Mural Circle cannot carry a large object-glass. - But there are many distinct advantages. As a Transit, it is no better than a detached Transit, but as a Circle it holds its position much better than a Mural Circle: the same object is infallibly observed in both elements; and (probably for that reason) one observer with the Transit-Circle observes a greater number of objects than two with Transit and Mural Circle: and it saves the salary of one observer'.

Playford near Ipswich - GA gives his observations on the physical geography and architecture of Southern France.

GA has received his account from Deightons [the publisher J. Deightons] for publishing the University Commission pamphlet.