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Material collected by Thompson, 1825-1915, and removed from books within the S P Thompson Rare Books collection housed within IET Library. It comprises correspondence (1890-1915) from contemporary physicists and mathematicians such as David James Blaikley, Sir William Henry Blagg, Sir Charles Tilston Bright, Hugh Longbourne Callendar, Henry Smith Carhart, Sir John Ambrose Fleming, Sir Richard Tetley Glazebrook, Oliver Heaviside, Gisbert Kapp, Phillip Kelland, Sir Oliver Lodge, Sir William Henry Preece, Albion T. Snell, Sir William Spottiswoode, and William Thompson, Baron Kelvin; and press cuttings, photographs, engravings, autographs and letters (1870-1916) relating to eminent scientists including Sir Cristopher Wren, Sir Isaac Newton, James Watt, William Herschel, Sir John Flamsteed, Alexander Von Humboldt, Charles Darwin, Louis Pasteur, Sir Charles Lyell, William Gilbert, Otto von Guericke, Robert Boyle, Benjamin Franklin, Joseph Priestley, Alessandro Volta, Sir Humphry Davy, Michael Faraday, Sir Charles Wheatstone, James Clerk Maxwell, Josiah Latimer Clark, Werner von Siemens, Alexander Graham Bell, Sebastian Ziani de Ferranti, and many others.

This class contains thirty-two volumes relating to the theory of navigation, mathematics and astronomy, fifteenth to nineteenth centuries. The earliest is Italian, written between 1470 and 1529, entitled 'Ragioni Antique Spettanti all Arte del Mare et Fabriche de Vaselli', which includes entries in many hands on navigational calculations, astronomy, astrology, sailing directions for the Mediterranean and the building and fitting of galleys. Chronologically, the next volume is the 'Regimento de la Declinacion del Sol', a Spanish navigator's manual, c 1500; the next is English, containing mathematical rules for measuring height and length, 1557; then follows 'L'Arte della Navigatione', Italian, with tables and moveable dials, 1567; and the last of the sixteenth century is by a Jesuit, Francisco da Costa (1567-1604). 'Arte de Navegar', written between 1596 and 1598 and illustrated with sketches of the astrolabe and compass. There are three seventeenth-century volumes; a treatise on astronomy by Thomas Willford entitled 'A genuine description and use of the perpetual calendar', 1654, which also contains a description of measures and of 'moveable fairs' around the country; a volume containing navigational exercises, often illustrated, by William Downman, written between 1685 and 1686, with a large amount of other information, including lists of ships, drawings of flags. poems, victualling and measures; and a workbook by Edward Ward, 1698, containing execises in navigation, astronomy and mathematics. The eleven eighteenth-century volumes include a copy of Robert Wright's 'Treatise on finding longitude at sea', 1726; a volume of lecture notes on navigation and astronomy given in Naples, 1755; and a volume in Turkish by Ibrahim Haggi, ca.1800, entitled 'Marifet Nameh' ('Encyclopedia of Knowledge'), on astronomy, architecture and geography. There are twelve nineteenth-century volumes dating between 1804 and 1883, all of which contain navigational and astonomical exercises transcribed by British seamen.

Of the twelve volumes in this class, two relate to the society of East India Commanders; one, 1780 to 1833, records wagers between members and promises of gifts to the society upon such eventualities as marriage or leaving the service; the other is an account book, 1825 to 1879. The remaining eight volumes are 'Elements of Navigation' by pupils of Christ's Hospital Mathematical School; the earliest is dated 1723 and the latest is c 1845. All are very carefully executed and the subjects include arithmetic, geometry, astronomy, gunnery and navigation; the majority are illustrated with diagrams, maps, pen and ink sketches or watercolours.

Commonplace books of extracts and notes from works published mainly during the last quarter of the 17th century and early 18th century, relating to science, medicine and mathematics. Written mainly in Latin or Italian, but with some entries in French. Author's holograph MSS. Illustrated by numerous folding and other pen-drawn diagrams and figures, and a few wash-drawings. The numeration of the volumes has been added.

Vol. I In universam scientiam mechanicam institutiones (80 ll. 3 folding pen-and-wash drawings). II Optica. Catoptrica. Dioptrica (56 ll. 4 folding pen-drawings). III Extracts and notes mainly in Latin, but a few in French on medical, scientific, mathematical and philosophical works, mostly published between c 1685 and 1700: with notices of others on Church history and doctrine, Jansenists, etc. There is a long entry towards the end of the volume on the 'Medicina mentis' by Ehrenfried Walter von Tschirnhausen [1651-1708], (352 ll. 1 folding wash-drawing, 8 folding pen-drawings, wash-and pen-drawing in the text). IV A similar collection, but with a preponderance of entries in French, included in which is a long article under the title: 'La vie de demoiselle Antoinette Bourignon [1616-1680], écrite par elle-même [etc.]' Amsterdam. 1683. The date 1705 is found on the verso of the last leaf (312 ll., 5 folding pen-drawings, and a few marginal pen-drawn figures, etc.) V Notes and extracts on geometry, mechanics, optics, physics, etc. on Cartesian principles: in Italian and Latin. At the end is a long entry entitled: 'Fisica generale sopra il lume, ed i colori per il P. Mallebranche (i.e. Nicolas de Malebranche [1638-1715]) dall'Istoria dell'Accademia delle Scienze, 1699' (224 ll. 6 folding pen-drawings). VI Netwon (Sir I.). Optica: in Latin (160 ll. 11 folding pen-drawings and marginal pen-drawn figures, etc.). VII Extracts from Newton's works on astronomy: conics, mechanics, physics, etc.: in Latin (246 ll., 10 folding pen-drawn figures, etc.). VIII Extracts on astronomy, geography, geometry, and chronology: in Latin. Written in 1713 'in hoc anno'. An added note on the first page contains the date 1714 (208 ll. 8 folding pen-drawn figures, and marginal figures, 1 folding Table). IX Sanctorius (S.). Ex commentariis in Avicennam et in Aphoirismos Hippocratis (256 ll.). A note on 'Colica' in Aphorism XXV is dated 1716. X Extracts and notes from 17th cent. medical works, notes of cases, medical receipts, etc.: in Latin (196 ll.). Illustrated with a full-page pen-drawing of a male head. Against this Marmi has written: 'Exhibeo schema communicatum mihi ab excellentissimo D[octore] Schustonio [?] Practico Esslingense ... Elegantissime Burrhus eques Mediolani (i.e. Giuseppe Francesco Borri [1627-1695]) apud Tackium (Johann Tackius [1617-1675]) Phasis p. 160 uti Macrocosmi Compendium homo existimatur, ita homo sive humanus mundus in se quoque habet proprium compendium in vultu et imago nostri corporis est facies'. The illustration shows the facial nerves supposed to correspond with those of other parts of the body. XI A similar volume, mainly in Latin, but with some entries in Italian (318 ll.). There are long extracts and notes on the works of Galen and Hippocrates. A marginal note on the 6th leaf is dated Naples 1714: another entry on 'Aqua Tofana' is dated 1715 apparently at Naples.

Pasted down as end-papers at the beginning of Vol. IV is a small folio sheet containing an engraving of 'Triangulus australis' above a decorated wreath, which includes a small meallion-portrait of Werner XVII Comes de Hapsburgo. It is numbered 132, and is apparently extracted from an unidentified volume of engravings. The identification of the author of these MSS. is based on two entries. The first is in Vol. III is a marginal note on the verso of the 12th leaf of the entry of the 'Medicina mentis' of Tschirnhausen noted above. It begins: 'Mihi Jos. Herm. M[armi]. The expansion of 'Herm' into an Italian Christian name seems doubtful, but it could be 'Hermannus' or 'Herminius' or even 'Hermes' or 'Hermete'. The second entry is however decisive. It is found also in a marginal note on the eating of cucumbers in the summer, in connexion with the onset of bile after drinking in hot weather as observed by Galen. This is definitely signed 'I. H. Marmi'. Produced in Naples?

Letter from Baldassarre Boncompagni-Ludovisi, 1856 to [To Augustus De Morgan], asking for a copy of 'The Elements of the Mathematical art commonly called Algebra, expounded in two books, by John Kersey. 1717'.

Letter from Baldassarre Boncompagni-Ludovisi, 1858, [To Augustus De Morgan]. Thanking De Morgan for his letter of 14 November 1858, giving information about Francesco Galigai's 'Pratica d'Arithmetica' (1548), and asking for further details. Letter enquires about the library of Dr [Daniel Mitford] Peacock and asks De Morgan to get Count [Guglielmo] Libri to send catalogues of sales he was to hold [in March and August 1859] in England and in Paris. Enquires about further editions of De Morgan's 'Arithmetical Books' (1847) and offers to get one printed in Rome.

Papers of Bernard Albert Hunn, 1949-[1982], relating to his career and research, including: copy of Hunn's degree certificate from King's College London, 1949; notes on elliptic functions, 1950; correspondence, 1951-1953, relating chiefly to the publication of scientific papers on aeronautics; reports from Hawker Aircraft Ltd design department, 1951-1953; technical papers and notes by Hunn, 1952-1956, relating to aeronautical mathematics; draft monograph by Hunn on 'Inertial guidance', 1964; correspondence, chiefly with James Allason, MP, concerning the British defence industry and world markets, 1964-1965; patent applications for 'improved guiding means for spinning missiles', 1959 and for a 'mind simulator' (an electronic model of the human mind), 1982, with essays and notes on the function of the human mind; photographs of a interlock relay system and of Revenue Systems component parts for a card payment system to be attached to a petrol pump; and memoir concerning Hunn's work in Nigeria, 1974-1978.

Papers of Rev George Fisher. The earliest items are two books of mathematical theorems, 1811 and 1813. There are volumes of notes and observations for both Fisher's Arctic voyages and for his period in the Mediterranean, accounts of later scientific work and abstracts of observations made by other scientists. This is the material which formed the basis of the scientific papers which he published in the Philosophical Transactions and elsewhere. There are letterbooks for Greenwich Hospital School from 1836 to 1863 (excepting the years 1858, 1859 and 1860) and other reports and papers relating to the School There are a number of items collected by Fisher The most important are Peter Puget's journal for March to May 1793 in the Chatham, storeship for Vancouver's expedition; a meteorological log also giving details of ship arrivals and departures at Madras, 1815 to 1816; Franklin's (q.v.) lunar observations on board the Trent in 1818 and Parry's (1790-1855) meteorological journal on his first two voyages in search of the North-West Passage in 1819 to 1820 and 1821 to 1823.