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Royal Observatory Greenwich - WW coined the word Altazimuth for the Altitude and Azimuth Instrument, on consideration has he any change to make in it? Can he think of a name which is logical and convenient for another instrument commonly called a Collimater: 'Now the instrument so used is not described as to its characteristic property by this word, it may be used, it is true, for errors of collimation, but its distinguishing property is embedded in the words "inverse-action telescope". Could you invent a word of knowing aspect yet not excessively strange which would express this?'

Royal Observatory Greenwich - GA's suggestion for a Greek word appropriate to describe 'constructions or usages like those of a murial circle'.

Royal Observatory Greenwich - GA corrects a common misinterpretation of a Greek word (the sense of which is 'reverence' and not 'modesty') - 'a favourite language with me'.

Royal Observatory Greenwich - The tide observations Mr Maclear [Thomas Maclear] refers to are 'assuredly observations made at the Cape of Good Hope. Whether they have yet been sent to England, I do not know'. They will be sent to Francis Beaufort and not GA.

Observatory - GA gives WW references to French works on polarisation written between 1808 and 1824: 'Most of Biot's papers are tremendous to a person who is not very familiar with the subject, & perfectly easy to one who is familiar with it and has thought upon it well'.

Royal Observatory Greenwich - GA sends by rail the Greenwich Observations for 1849.

Royal Observatory Greenwich - GA returned from Gottenberg almost three days ago '& have my eclipse very well...and very wonderful it was: - doubtless the reds belong to the sun's atmosphere (not to the moon, nor to the sun's body)'. He has not yet drawn up his account of the eclipse due to work: 'Main is gone out for holiday and I am master and man. I am as it were up to the elbows in refractions...no bad thing, occasionally, to be fairly forced to go through the details of the books: for I always find a multitude of little things which though perfectly venial are almost intolerable'. He will present his account of the eclipse at the November meeting of the Astronomical Society.

Royal Observatory Greenwich - 'Richarda Airy has determined on taking our daughter [Elizabeth Airy who is ill] to Madeira. This, I need not say, is a grave measure; the mere expense is to me not a slight thing; but the most serious part is the separation for so long a time of the head of such a family'. GA proposes to come to Cambridge at some time and among other things talk to WW about the Sydney Professorships: 'These good people in Australia suddenly sent a commission to Herschel, Malden, H. Denisen, and myself, to ship them off 3 professors'.

Flamsteed House, Greenwich - The ship Richarda Airy is to sail on 'probably will not sail outward from Southampton before December 5' [see GA to WW, 20 November 1851]. This will probably prevent GA coming to Cambridge next week.

Flamsteed House, Greenwich - Due to a little ailment and the desire to go to Playford with his family, GA must 'reluctantly give up the chance of seeing' WW.

Playford near Ipswich - Edward Sabine has told GA that there should be a meeting of the BAAS in mid-January: 'The connexion of this with your Tidal proposal is not extremely close, but it suggests to me to ask you how far you have got the whole affair into shape. I do not think it right towards the Government or politic towards ourselves to make application till we know pretty exactly what is to be done, and can thus put them in a state to judge well of the magnitude, duration, and expense of the expedition'. GA agrees that the character of the expedition should be exclusively tidal.

Flamsteed House, Greenwich - GA has received a letter from his wife: 'With one day's roughness the voyage had been very smooth. They had scarcely any sickness, but Mrs Airy had suffered constant nausea; and they seem weary of the voyage' [see GA to WW, 20 November 1851].

Royal Observatory Greenwich - WW's memorial on the tides 'was duly read by me and approved to the best of my judgement, and reserved for the intended meeting of the B.A. Council'. A Council was called without informing GA: 'Imagine a Seniority Meeting without notice to the Master - so I have pronounced said meeting null and void, and we will have another soon, as soon as I have screwed Henslow and Hooker into shape, who are the most unpractical dogs that I ever met with. The business of the Association will, in fact, be somewhat advanced by this apparent contretemps'. GA has had a letter from 'Madeira yesterday. My party seem to be posited comfortably; but with regard to the ultimate success in the main object of the voyage, I have little hope' [see GA to WW, 20 Nov. 1851].

Royal Observatory Greenwich - Further to his last letter and the approval of WW's memorial on tides, GA subsequently sent a paper copy to Lord Rosse at the Royal Society for his approval; 'but I have heard nothing more about it (A non-resident President is a great evil). However, it will come I should think before long'.

Flamsteed House Greenwich - GA encloses the Tide Memorial for WW's signature: 'I should think that it would be best addressed to the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, and sent with a letter to the Secretary of the Admiralty'.

Royal Observatory Greenwich - Further to WW's memorial on tides, the Secretary of the Admiralty requires more details before they approve the plan. Thus could WW make out a more precise explanation. It would be prudent to consult a naval man like Francis Beaufort - 'who knows ports, winds, and currents' [see GA to WW, 31 Dec. 1851].

Edinburgh - After receiving WW's paper upon English Hexameters, WB and Sons mentioned his name to the translator of the two books of the Iliad, who in return gave 'his authority to convey you his name' - Mr Lockhart.

Ministère de la Marine et des Colonies, Dépot des Cartes et Plans - Reports that they have not many tide observations, and the only complete and unpublished observations were made by Capitaine Bérard, who made observations in New Zealand.

24 Stephen's Green, Dublin - A suggestion on how to improve WW's anemometer and obtain additional meteorological information, including a way of determining the hours the wind was blowing strongly or slightly: 'The mechanism I believe would be very simple'.

24 Stephen's Green, Dublin - Thanks WW for his letter referring him to William Simms the instrument maker of WW's anemometer [see HH to WW, 1 Oct. 1836]. Further to WW's description of the instrument, what velocity of the wind is necessary to produce any descent of the pencil [the movement of a pencil is used to measure the force and direction of the wind]? HH has a number of related questions. Further, as 'uniformity in the method of keeping the Registry would be desirable I should be glad to learn if any system has been agreed on'.

Slough - WW and George Peacock have 'absolutely turned his [Babbage] brain by your inflammatory conversation'. Babbage has been 'running analysis mad' and so has JH: 'I really have read and written more in the last fortnight than ever I did in twice the time in any other part of my life and I advise you to go and do likewise'. 'The distress of the poor and the pressure of the times forms the subject of conversation here'.

Slough - JH has sent WW's paper to Davy 'with the character it merits (for he cannot read it) - one of the neatest applications of algebraic analysis I have seen' ['A General Method of Calculating the Angles Made by Any Planes of Crystals, and the Laws According to which They are Formed', Phil. Trans., 1825].

Collingwood - JH sends WW the beginning of his Hexameter translation of book one of the 'Iliad': 'So far as the question as to the nationalisation of the Hexameter goes I am not dissatisfied with it, as there seems to me to be no appearance of constraint, and no material violation of accent in reading the lines but it assuredly does read bald and homely'. However, Homer's diction is also homely and in comparison to Pope is also bald. The English blank verse comes with a class at the end, while the Hexameter makes up for its terminal weakness by its initial form: 'The one is epigrammatic, the other impulsive. The one belongs to a natural and somewhat artificial literature, the other to a nascent and majestic one'.

Collingwood - JH is preparing 'a popular lecture on the sun adapted to the meridian of our Hawkhurst trades folks and farmers'. He is also producing a translation of the first book of the 'Iliad' into hexameters: 'It is shockingly bald and homely by the side of Pope - but I flatter myself a good deal more like Homer'.

Collingwood - Thanks WW for his Plato Vol. 3 [WW's trans. of Plato's Republic, 1861]. JH gives his reply to WW's observations on the beginning of JH's translation of the first book of Homer's 'Iliad' [see JH to WW, 12 Dec. 1861].

Collingwood - JH thanks WW for his remarks on his translation of book one of Homer's 'Iliad': 'I have adopted your suggestions all but one or two'. He has also begun the second book , but has not got far as he is constructing a 'general index catalogue of nebulae' with the aid of George Airy. JH's son Alexander Herschel is a candidate for the Professorship of Natural Philosophy at the Andersonian University of Glasgow: 'If in addition [to signing his certificate] you should think that he would be likely to make a good professor and in that case would express that opinion to the Secretary W. Ambrose...it would be a great help to him'.

Collingwood - JH does not like book two of Homer's 'Iliad': 'The catalogue of ships is simply abominable - the whole book is such a falling off from book 1 that (but for other characteristic marks) I should scarcely believe is written by the same author'. JH does not want to see any other translations in advance of his own and 'of those I have seen I like my own best'.

Collingwood - JH has not been working much on his translation of Homer's 'Iliad'. He will not be attending the BAAS meeting in October: 'that sort of thing is more than I can face now'. De Morgan has sent him a spoof of the opening of book one of the 'Iliad' [JH encloses a copy].

Collingwood - JH claims he thought he had sent WW 'my atoms' and encloses another off-print [JH, 'On Atoms' dated 16 Oct. 1860]. Thanks WW for his remarks on his translation of Homer's 'Iliad'. JH asks: 'What is to be done in the matter of this lamentable blow up between [George] Airy and [Edward] Sabine, - Surely A has taken up the matter in a very high handed and violent manner' [GA wants to expel ES as Chairman of the Board of Visitors to the Greenwich Observatory]. JH had been unaware that there had been any bickering at the BAAS.

Collingwood - JH will be sending WW 'a modified copy of the Maclear [Thomas Maclear] memorial', all he has to do is sign it and return it to JH. C. P. Smyth [Charles Piazzi Smyth] has informed JH that there 'is a provision (by superannuation fund deduction) for his retirement' which means JH has to cancel what has already been done.