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[Letter] 1888 Oct 31, Queen Anne's Gate, Westminster [to] the Secretary, the Chemical Society, Burlington House/Alexander Siemens, [presenting to the Society a copy of W. Pole's biography of Sir William Siemens, on behalf of the late Sir William's executors]

Letter 1888 Oct 31

1888

[Letter, 1824] Mar 19, Royal Institution [to] Frederick Pollock/Michael Faraday, [re his experiments on the condensation of gases, etc. (as published in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, 113, 1823, 189-198). Mentions giving evidence on the relative advantages of oil gas and coal gas to a House of Commons Committee which included Pollock's brother, David.]

Letter, 1824 Mar 19

1824

[Letter] 1700 Jun 6, The Observatory [to] Rev. John Smith, Rector of Gate Burton, Lincolnshire/John Flamsteed, [re position of Earth's perihelion at the time of the Deluge, etc.; states belief, based on twenty years of his observations of Mercury and Mars, that Earth's aphelion "is carried forward... annually... under the fixed stars"; argues for a date for the Deluge earlier by a century than that suggested by Whiston; condemns Whiston's theory [of the Deluge] in general.]

Letter 1700 Jun 6

1700

[Letter, 18--, to an unnamed correspondent]/J.F.W. Herschel. [Informs that Messrs. Pellatt and Green will 'fill the pots' on Monday and asks if he will attend]

Letter, 18--, to an unnamed correspondent

[Letter] 1828 Oct 31 [to] Jas. Bandinel, Foreign Office, London / M.I. Brunel. [Apologises for delay in writing "to my friend .... the Tunnel maker". Refers to the "state of uncertainty" regarding the Thames Tunnel although "many enquiries are made as to when it will be resumed". Comments on the correspondence between Directeur General des Ponts et Chaussees and Mr. Smith [chairman, Thames Tunnel Co.]. Brunel is "totally ignorant on the subject of the Tunnel, the continuation of which I however consider certain was it but on Mr Smith's authority". Praises the part played by Bandinel]

Letter 1828 Oct 31 [to] Jas. Bandinel

1828

[Letter] 1862 May 27, Collingwood [to] Dr. Cranwick/J.F.W. Herschel. [Answers an enquiry from Cranwick concerning his (Herschel's) published argument against "the idea of an eternal self-existent matter" stressing that the core of the argument is against the "independent self-existence" rather than the eternity of matter. Amplifies this theme by extended discussion of atomic theory.]

Letter 1862 May 27

1862

[Letter] 1916 Mar 4, 354 Caxton House, Westminster, London, S W [to] Prof[essor] Silv[anus] P. Thompson, Morland, Chislett Road, NW / Alex[ander] Siemens. [Referring to the success of our second transformer in spite of "blue" leakage on the terminals]

Letter 1916 Mar 4

1916

[Letter] 1827 Jun 8, London [to] Mr Townshend, Canal Contractor, Birmingham / Tho[ma]s Telford. [Referring to costings and monthly statement from Townshend and querying amount asked for. As the first contracts are nearing completion, Telford will visit Birmingham and look over the accounts. The letter probably refers to the reconstruction of the Birmingham Canal undertaken by Telford 1824-1834]

Letter 1827 Jun 8

1827

[Letter] 1901 Nov 2, 58 Holland Park, London W.[to] Ellice Clerk / Joseph W. Swan, [reporting on a visit to the N.E. Wiring Company where he saw the Nernst lamp. They have sold 50 or 60 lamps at 30 and 40 shillings each. Feels they offer more competition to the arc lamp than the incandescent lamp. 4p. on 1 leaf]

Letter 1901 Nov 2

1901

[Letter] 1902 Apr 18, 16 Queens Gate Place, London SW [to Joseph] Swan / Hiram S. Maxim, [requesting a meeting to discuss proposals to combine all the English lamp companies under Swan. 2p. on 1 leaf]

Letter 1902 Apr 18

1902

[Letter] 1839 Aug 14, Admiralty [to] J. Field / W.E. Parry, [asking his opinion of a pair of paddle wheels "on the American principle" for the "100-horse Engines you are now working"]

Letter 1839 Aug 14

1839 Aug 14

[Letter] 1829 Feb 21, Hayle [to] Richd. Edmonds, Penzance / Richard Trevithick. [2p. on 1 leaf, holograph signed. Informs Edmonds, his solicitor, of agreement of all parties to "the rough draft of the agreement between my family and me", with the exception of certain provisions concerning Henry Harvey and Francis Trevithick (here set out in detail); requests Edmonds to make out the relevant deeds]

Letter 1829 Feb 21

1829

[Letter] 1877 May 19 Mornington Rd, London [to] Mr Ionides / William Crookes. [2p. on 1 leaf. Headed "Electric Light". Refers to "the authors' original paper in the Comptes Rendus" and to the use of an induction coil; Crookes's own coil is too delicate to risk in an attempt. Forwards the paper discussed and looks forward to a meeting]

Letter 1877 May 19 Mornington Rd

1877

[Letter] 1839 Nov 5 [to Jas?] Walker / M.I. Brunel. [1p., holograph signed. Concerns the good progress of the Thames Tunnel]

Letter 1839 Nov 5 [to Jas?] Walker / M.I. Brunel. [1p.

1839

[Letter] 1825 Mar, Buckingham Street, Fitzroy Square, London [to] Charles Macintosh/W.H. Wollaston. [Hastily written in reply to urgent request for an opinion on Macintosh's steel samples. Urges immediate patent application. Postscript describes Macintosh's distillation of coal tar as being better than "laborious condensation of peat" and advises him on methods of reducing iron oxides. Accompanied by typed transcript [19--] of part of the letter also giving some background information.]

Letter 1825 Mar

1825

[Letter] 1851 Jul 31, Strasbourg [to] Monsieur Roberts / Schwilgue. [Regrets he cannot accompany his son-in-law to visit Roberts and the Great Exhibition but will gladly send his portrait. Bears notes by Roberts stating he received letter at the Globe Works, Manchester on Sept.15. 1p. Found in inv. no. 1993-378 (MS 368/2). See also inv. nos. 1993-379 & 381 (MS 1481/1 & /3)]

Letter 1851 Jul 31

1851

[Form letter] 1855 Apr [to] Richard Roberts, Messrs. Roberts, Fothergill & Robinson, Faulkner Street, Manchester / Royal Scottish Society of Arts, [re Society's meeting on Apr 9. 3p. on 1 leaf. Found in inv. no. 1993-378 (MS 368/2). See also inv. nos. 1993-379 & 380 (MS 1481/1 & /2)]

Form letter 1855 Apr [to] Richard Roberts

1855

[Letter] 1906 Oct.11, Cholmeley Park, Highgate to Prof. [Sir Walter Noel] Hartley / E.C.C. Baly, [sending congratulations re award by the Chemical society of the Longstaff Medal Medal' for searches in spectro-chemistry. 3p. on 1 leaf. Found in MS 392/1]

Letter 1906 Oct.11

1906

[Letter] 1861 Aug 1, 11 Austin Friars, Old Broad St, London [to] Capt.Francis Fowke R.E., Science & Art Dept, Kensington / Willy & Lovelock, [re Rev. W.R. Bowditch's 'Patent Process of Gas Purification'. They are agents for his purifying apparatus which they hope to demonstrate to Fowke for museum use. Bowditch took out patents 1337 and 2882 in 1860. 1p. With Gas Purification Company booklet (1861) re Bowditch's patents]

Letter 1861 Aug 1

1861

[Letter] 1844 Aug 29, Royal College of Surgeons of England [to] John Harrison / Edwd. [?], secretary. [Acquaints Harrison that, at a meeting of the Council on Aug 26, he was appointed a Fellow of the College. Sends a Diploma to this effect (see MSL 2)]

Letter 1844 Aug 29

1844

[Letter] 1838 May 2 [to] Monsieur Lees, Paris/M.I. Brunel, [giving news of Isambard Kingdom Brunel who was ill after an accident and outlining the difficulties encountered with water, fire and foul air in building the Thames Tunnel. Marc himself was well and active inspite of being 69 years old]

Letter 1838 May 2 [to] Monsieur Lees

1838 May 2

[Ms. letter, 1796 Apr 4, Bombay to Mrs Catherine Coffie, New York / Alex. Adamson. 4p. on 1 leaf. Written in Bombay to Mrs Catherine Coffie, New York. Largely personal news, including reference to his young son's having been vaccinated against smallpox (in the first year of the vaccine's use). Bound with ms. letter, 1835 Jul 3, Kandy to ? / William Corneil, Col. Sgt. 97th. Regt., which refers to a Mr Adamson, and lithographed transcriptions of both letters, the volume being 26 x 21cm.]

Ms. letter

1796

[Letter] 1875 Jan 4 [to an unnamed correspondent] / Francis Galton. [3p. on 1 leaf, holograph signed. Accepts an offer, "having a great curiosity to learn something about Lichens". Informs that Dr Hooker at Kew has been carrying out experiments for him which he hopes will throw light on "reversion" and "variation". Asks if his correspondant knows any twins]

Letter 1875 Jan 4 from Francis Galton to unnamed correspondent

1875

[Letter] 1854 Aug.16, Lambeth [to] Joshua Field / Thomas Maudslay. [An angry letter concerning the delay in revising the partnership agreement of Maudslay, Sons and Field to allow admission of members' sons as partners. Suggests that his own son Henry Maudslay, the senior of the next generation at 32, has been unfairly treated so far]

Letter 1854 Aug.16

1854

[Letter] 1843 Jan 5, HMS "Bee", Woolwich [to] J. Field, Maudslay's Engineers, Westminster Road, London / Tho[ma]s Brown, 1st Eng[inee]r. [Enclosing a copy of "Bee's" trial of Blackland's propeller taken at the measured mile, Long Beach, (enclosure not with letter). Mentioning in postscript that the "Bee" was to be fitted with Erickson's propeller and promising to send results when tried]

Letter 1843 Jan 5

1843

[Letter] 1945 Oct 5, Reigate Hill, Surrey [to] Ted Hamel/Malcolm Campbell. [He is pleased Hamel is at last able to return home (Guernsey) after the war; arranges a meeting in London. ]

Letter 1945 Oct 5

1945

[Letter, c. 1818, to] Messrs. H. Maudslay & Co./J. Dameral. [Lengthy report of troubles with installation and operation of Tatlock's marine engine. Boiler and chimney will have to be moved. Difficulties with paddle wheels described. Mention of Boulton & Watt's engines in Berlin - Magdeburg boats]

Letter, c. 1818

circa 1818

[Letter] 1818 Mar 11, Lambeth [to] Respected friend / Henry Maudslay. [The letter refers to the correspondent's suggestion for consuming smoke in the engine of the paddle steamer "Rising Star" and requests his presence at a meeting that evening to discuss the proposals]

Letter 1818 Mar 11

1818

[Letter, 1953 Feb 23, to Ernest Mills / Air Service Training Ltd., (School of Marine Radio & Radar), Hamble, Southampton, advising him of his exam results for Radar Certificate. See also 1998-18 & 1998-20 to 21]

Letter, 1953 Feb 23

1953

[Letter, 1860] Jun 10, HMS Bulldog, Portsmouth [to C.] Reed / F.L. M'Clintock. [Allen Young has gone to Copenhagen to bring back the Fox; he is to go in her to examine shores of Iceland and Greenland for landing places for the (Atlantic) cable. 2p on 1 leafWith McClintock's visiting card ]

Letter, 1860 Jun 10

1860

[Letter] 1832 Feb 20 [to] Messrs Maudslay & Field, Lambeth Road / M. Brunel, [re principal dimensions of the Woolwich Pumps. 2p. on 1 leaf. Probably concerns pumps for Woolwich Dockyard. Item conserved and bound in limp folder]

Letter 1832 Feb 20 [to] Messrs Maudslay & Field

1832

[Letter] 1883 Apr 14, 23 Delahay Street, Westminster [to] Dr. Turner, 13 York Chambers, Adelphi / Sir John Wolfe-Barry. [Mentions 'the removal of carbonic acid gas & sulphurated hydrogen from the District Line' and the difficulties caused by 'the force of the induced currents due to the passage of trains'. 3p. ms.]

Letter 1883 Apr 14

1883

[Letter] 1843 May 13 [to] Sir [Marc Isambard] B[runel] / James Graham, [essentially congratulating him on the success in Mr Brunel's case, a rescue affected from the jaws of death and which now crowns his reputation; a reference to the successful completion of the Thames Tunnel. 2p on 1 leaf]

Letter to Sir Marc Isambard Brunel

1843

[Letter] 1733 Nov 23 [to] John Cox, Fairford, [Glos.] / John & Jane Cox, [his parents, of Heythrop, Oxon., re family matters. 1p. See also inv. nos. 1997-30 (MSL 246), and 1980-1444 and 1445 (in Pictorial collection) for family related items]

Letter 1733 Nov 23 [to] John Cox

1733

[Ms. letter, nd, to 'Dear Frank' / E.V. Appleton. 2p. on 1 leaf. He sends the 'solution of your problem. I could prove it easier by the theory of Potential but I think this will stand'. The problem is 'To find the work done in taking a 1 lb weight from the face of the earth to an infinite distance']

Ms. letter

nd.

[Letter] 1890 Jul 7, The University, Glasgow, to Dr (John Ambrose) Fleming / William Thomson, [later Lord Kelvin. He has 'looked into the matter of contact electricity and the multicellulars', giving details of readings. Major Cardew showed him his multicellular [voltmeter] and got different readings. Thomson is going to investigate this difference but thinks it may be due to 'the varnishing of the aluminium needle'. 4p ts. on 1 leaf, holograph signed]

Letter

1890

[Draft letter, 1853 May 6, 76 Shaw? Street to George Wallis / C. Wentworth Dilke. [Concerns travel arrangements to America for (Joseph?) Whitworth, Sir Charles Lyall and Dilke, and possible extra costs involved, and advising Wallis to make speedy communication with the agent re passage on ship. The group was going to report on the New York Industrial Exhibition of 1853]

Draft letter, 1853 May 6, to George Wallis

1853

[Letter, nd.] Manchester [to] Francis R. Rives / Lyon Playfair. [4p. on 1 leaf. He has perused Rives's father's address 'with much pleasure as an evidence that the connection of Science with Agriculture is quite as much appreciated in America as in England', mentioning Prof. Liebig's work, the success of which has been much greater in America, 'a circumstance which speaks much for the intelligence of American farmers, who from the richness of the soil in their land cannot yet have been compelled from mere necessity to resort to science as a means of improving the resources of an exhausted soil'. Playfair will shortly be sending Rives senior 'a small agricultural work lately published by myself']

Letter, nd. Manchester [to] Francis R. Rives

nd

Letter, 1861 Nov 14, 5 Holland Street, Blackfriars Rd., London [to] Captain Fowke R.E. / George Jennings. [Fowke, architect and engineer, had designed the South Kensington Museum which opened in 1857. Jennings asks if he will consider his request to install the 'sanitary fitments' in the building being erected at South Kensington for the International Exhibition of 1862 'at a price ...... as in the Exhibition of 1851'. The letter is written on a leaf which advertises various Jennings lavatories (i.e. wash basins). 2p on 1 leaf]

Letter, 1861 Nov 14

1861

[Letter (holograph signed)] 1929 Apr 3, St. Mary Bourne, Andover [to] Robert Whipple / C. V. Boys, re prisms. 2p. on 1 leaf. Boys 'can't very well show my solid prisms again at the R. Soc. soirees' as he 'had them there last May & June and I had a Dent's dipleidoscope'. He suggests Whipple could 'show your collection of 5 and you might have my 2 also ...'. The one Whipple let him borrow is interesting; Boys judges it 'to be an earlier attempt of Bloxam's. It is not so good in any respect as is hollow prism'. He then goes on to describe the theory and manufacture (with sketch)]

Letter (holograph signed) 1929 Apr 3

1929

[Ms. letter] 1871 Jul 9, Royal Commission on Scientific Instruction and the Advancement of Science, 6 Old Palace Yard, London to an unnamed correspondent / J.N. Lockyer. [1p. He writes to arrange a meeting, and to inform his correspondent that he has 'seen the Astr. Royal [G.B. Airy] about another Eclipse Expedtn. & I hope to have authority ... to order Instruments for 3 Stations'. [Lockyer did lead an expedition to Kerala in southern India for the solar eclipse in December of this year]

Ms. letter 1871 Jul 9

1871

[Ms. letter, 1818 Nov 7, in French to Sir Charles Blagden, 88 rue St. Lazare, Paris / Nicolas Fortin, re the metal palladium. Sir Charles Blagden was a physician and former Secretary of the Royal Society. Fortin replies to his letter of 26 Oct 'concernant l'auro palladium que Mr. Gay-Lussac a demande a Mr. le Docteur Wollaston - on n'a pas change d'avis sur l'emploi de ce metal, c'est Mr. Arago qui s'est charge de la correspondance avec le docteur Wollaston ... '. 1p.]

Ms. letter

1818

[Ms. letter] 1876 Nov 3, Playford near Ipswich [to] R. Anderson, Secretary to Home Office / G.B. Airy. [2p. on 1 leaf. He returns the Report (of the Commissioners appointed to inquire into the state of the Royal Observatory at Edinburgh), suggesting an alteration for Lord Lindsay to approve. With accompanying note (1p.) reiterating this. Anderson was Secretary to the Home Office. The Report of the Commission, of which Airy was a member, was published in 1877]

Ms. letter 1876 Nov 3

1876

A single-sided letter mounted onto card, dated 30/8/19. Identifiable text reads - "Dear Sir, Many thanks for this just forwarded from the [?] “Punch” office. I am trying to do a drawing for it this week. Please let me know if I am due fee for this? Yours truly, […] Armour P.S. I am fortunately […] know the huntsman of the […] & S. S hounds [?] but that can’t be helped but don’t expect a likeness. I think it might be an improvement to somewhat alter the scene, […] the lady addressing the […] man in the […] of a cart [?] or when occupied but I am not sure." This letter could relate to an ink illustration in the collection (object number 1990-5036/17176)

Punch Illustration Handwritten Letter

1919-08-29

[Ms.letter] 1829 Jun 13, [to] Mr. J. Field / M. I. Brunel. [Concerns burning of sawdust: 'we have never burnt the sawdust at Battersea but at Chatham it is done with success'. Requests bill for ordnance stores sent to him recently. 1p.]

Ms.letter 1829 Jun 13

1829

[Holograph letter] 1822 May 28, Killingworth Colly. [to] T. Brewin / G. Stephenson. [1p. He can survey and report on the intended line from Stratford to Moreton, or report on 'the Cost of laying the Rails and Blocks after the Ground is formed'. He comments unfavourably on Mr B. Thompson's 'Opinions on the Conveyance of Goods on Railways'. On SM neg.no. 476/89]

Letter, George Stephenson to T. Brewin, 28 May 1822

1822-05-28

Amateur radio enthusiast's correspondence: letter from J Argyle, Division Manager of the American Radio Relay League to Mr R Wright, 14 June 1924.

Amateur radio enthusiast's correspondence: letter from J Argyle

1924-06-14

[Ms. letter] 1818 May 25, Portsmouth Yard [to] Mr Maudslay or Mr Field, Engineers, near The Asylum, Lambeth / Simon Goodrich. [Recommends the bearer, William Brown, a gun-maker formerly employed at Portsmouth Yard and now unemployed after 'some little scrape'. 'Shall be glad to hear whether you or Mr Brunel did any thing for friend Grimshaw'. 2p. on 1 leaf]

Ms. letter 1818 May 25

1818

[Letter] 1909 Dec 1, North Road Works, St. Helens [to] S.F. Cody, Aintree Racecourse, Liverpool / Fred Brown, builder & contractor [&] timber merchant.

[Letter] 1909 Dec 1

1909

[Ms. letter] 1828 Apr 26, London Docks [to] Joshua Field / Henry R. Palmer [and] Walter Hunter. [They invite Field to arbitrate in a dispute over charges for coals between the London Dock Co. (of which Palmer is a director) and the estate of George Mackintosh) of which Junter is an executor. Written in Palmer's hand with Hunter's signature added. 2p. on 1 leaf]

Ms. letter 1828 Apr 26

1828

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