Subasta Bidspirit | AIRY GEORGE: (1801-1892) English Mathematician

AIRY GEORGE: (1801-1892) English Mathematician & Astronomer who served as Astronomer Royal 1835-81 a... - AIRY GEORGE: (1801-1892) English Mathematician & Astronomer who served as Astronomer Royal 1835-81 and in this role established Greenwich as the location of the prime meridian. A fine A.L.S., G B Airy, two pages, 8vo, Royal Observatory, Greenwich, London, 24th October 1872, to R. S. Newall. Airy states that he handed Madame Struve his correspondent's telegram, for delivery to her husband, before they left to see Mr. De la Rue and continues to comment 'You will find Madame Struve a very pleasing lady: she does not speak English, but speaks French and German well', further remarking that the lady 'would like very much to see something of the animation about Newcastle (the peculiarity which has struck her most in England) and if you could help her down the river a few miles in a steamer….I think she would be most gratified. Naturally she will see the High Land Bridge and anything else that may interest strangers', adding in the margin 'Perhaps the Roman antiquities in the Castle would be interesting'. Airy concludes by writing that he forgot to 'describe precisely to O. Struve the locality of the Harton Colliery, the scene of my experiments, but I do not suppose that he'will care about it'. A letter of interesting content and good association linking a number of important astronomers. Some very light, minor staining, largely to the left edge and only very slightly affecting the text but not the signature. About VG £150-200 Robert Stirling Newall (1812-1889) Scottish Engineer & Astronomer whose 25 inch refracting telescope housed in his private observatory was, for many years, the largest in the world. Warren De la Rue (1815-1889) British Astronomer, Chemist & Inventor, most famous for his pioneering work in astronomical photography. Emma Jankowsky (1839-1902) Second wife of Otto Wilhelm von Struve (1819-1905) Baltic German Astronomer, a leading member of the Russian Academy of Sciences and head of the Pulkovo Observatory from 1862-89.