Pièce 24a - James David Forbes to William Whewell

2 pp

The Athenaeum Club - JDF did not suppose that WW's Report [Report on the Recent Progress and Present Condition of the Mathematical Theories of Electricity, Magnetism and Heat, Report of the BAAS, 5th meeting, 1835] would cover his subject [heat], neither was his last letter meant to influence WW's conclusions [see JDF to WW, 2 Oct. 1836]: 'but knowing that your attention had been generally turned to the subject and to Mr Murphy's [Robert Murphy] views I thought it probable that you might have heard the objection which having a certain mathematical plausibility might have struck you'. If WW can he should read JDF's short article on the subject drawn up for the Philosophical Magazine - if WW is at Taylor's ask him for a copy. What does WW think of Poisson's views? [S.D. Poisson, Theorie Mathematique de la Chaleur, 1835]: JDF has 'bought the book but only read the statement of them inserted by himself in the Annales de Chimie. I confess it is very provoking to see him knocking down Fourier's [Joseph Fourier] results right and left (they were on bad terms when he was alive) and above all giving space a temp. of - 13 cent. seems too absurd. Whatever his transcendent merit as a mathematician may be I have lost a good deal of my respect for him as a physician lately'.