Item 72 - Letter from George Airy

4 pp.

Royal Observatory Greenwich - GA sends WW a melody he wrote in 1826. GA has 'lately been into Ireland to try Lord Rosse's [William Parsons, 3rd Earl of Rosse] telescope; and on my return I came (but did not try) Lassell's [William Lassell]. Lord Rosse's telescope is not finished: "much has been done, but much remains to do". I can conceive that it will be necessary to alter entirely the mounting of the mirror. If you are in London on Friday November 10, you may at the R. Astronomical Society hear an explanation of some of the principal differences between L. Rosse and Lassell, and of some of the principal absolute methods of L. Rosse'. Could WW attend a meeting of the Board of Visitors on December 1 or 2: 'We must decide something about the objects and scale of our Magnetic Establishment, and I wish that you as physician would think of it'.