Showing 239 results

A list of presents to the Royal Society, 1831-1849.

A small collection of photostats or photocopies of manuscripts held in other institutions, but of some relevance to the Royal Society and its own Archives. The series largely consists of groups of correspondence, notable letters to Julius Plucker (PH.1) letters of Hevelius, Newton and Flamsteed (PH.2) and of Edmond Halley (PH.3) There are some records of other institutions, including a minute book of the Physiological Society 1876-1892 (PH.9), and copies of Rutherford's correspondence at the Cavendish Laboratory.

The manuscript versions of papers published by the Royal Society in the 'Philosophical Transactions'. The series has many points of interest, which include authors' corrections to manuscripts, and the presence of original illustrations in various media (drawings, watercolours and photographs) bound in the volumes. Not all of the material printed in the 'Philosophical Transactions' relating to Society business survives, but manuscript examples of meteorological observations, lists of presents and annual indexing may be found in volumes 8, 9 and 12.
Papers are usually bound into vellum-covered volumes by year of publication, although a few (volumes 4, 5, 8, 9, 12, 17, 73-75) are loose, boxed items. Several gaps appear in the collection, notably for the period 1825-1839 (volumes 18-22) and any year may lack one or more papers; these omissions are noted at the beginning of each part. Despite this, the series constitutes a large, relatively complete run.

Correspondence relating to the Royal Grant of Apartments in Somerset House to the Royal Society by King George III including a copy of a memorandum by Albert, the Prince Consort, in 1851.

Copies of the outgoing letters written by the Foreign Secretaries of the Royal Society.

Minutes of the meetings of the Officers of the Society to discuss matters of policy, the administration and staffing of the Society, and to consider reports from staff.

Copies of outgoing letters from the President, Officers and Assistant Secretaries. Each page may contain up to four copied documents. Volumes are numbered 1-73 with an additional volume for the period January 1901-November 1904.

A list of objects presented to the Royal Society Museum, 1744-1779.

Catalogue of the Royal Society Museum, possibly seventeenth or early eighteenth century.

Addresses from various learned societies to the Royal Society on the occasion of the celebrations marking the centenary of Joseph Lister

Correspondence relating to the Royal Society Library catalogues 1836-1838 by Stephen Potter Rigaut. Proof copy of 'Defense of the resolution for rejecting (omitting) Mr Panizzi's bibliographical notes from the catalogue of the Royal Society' and covering letter.

The Royal Society Library and Museum; 'Libri desiderate' library request book with minutes of the Library Committee from undated to 1932.

Royal Society Library and Museum Account Book; the catalogue in account with the Royal Society.

Acquisitions book for the Royal Society Library, appears to be nineteenth century.

Inspectors' Visitation of the Royal Society Library, 1768-1769 and 1777.

Letters sent to the Royal Society, its President or Officers. Subject matter is both domestic and scientific. Domestic concerns include such matters as instructions from authors on the publication of papers. The letters on scientific topics appear to be those which were considered of small significance, e.g. giving notice of minor inventions, or appealing to the Society for recognition.

Miscellaneous letters and papers concerning the landed property of the Royal Society covering the nineteenth century.

Identifications and field notes by Edred John Henry Corner and Wee Lek Chew from the Royal Society's expeditions to Kinabalu, North Borneo, 1961 and 1964; with a preliminary report on the Cambridge expedition to Mount Kinabalu, 1965.

Photographs, engravings and other images of the Fellows of the Royal Society. Also includes manuscripts and objects of the Royal Society. They appear in various formats, whether in engravings, drawings, watercolours, paintings, sculpture, artefacts and photographs. There are also photographs of their manuscripts, works and publications.

Declarations in lieu of charter oath by Royal Society Fellows.

Council Attendance Book of Royal Society.

The accounts, menus, correspondence and minutes of the Royal Society Club, from 1743 to the present, and its associated organization the Philosophical Club (founded in 1847). Early records of the Club are limited to administrative matters, notably membership, attendance of Fellows and guests, menus and accounts. Summary descriptions of speeches and discussions at weekly meetings are not available until 1847, and then only in the rival Philosophical Club volumes. The eventual merger of the two bodies in 1900 resulted in this practice being retained to date.

Papers relating to the 250th Anniversary of the Incorporation of the Royal Society consisting of two separately bound addresses from the University of Paris and the University of Parma, a box of addresses from Europe other than the United Kingdom, Japan, USA, and the British Empire; a box of addresses from the United Kingdom; and a box of other miscellaneous papers.

Robinson's volatile temperament and his impatience with administration and routine have seriously affected the survival of material. Thus little survives of his correspondence which he usually wrote in longhand and without copies, or of his public life, service on committees, advisory boards, learned societies, and in the launching of new journals. There are, however, many manuscript notes in varying lengths of sequence and a few notebooks relating to research topics. Examples are a sequence of ideas on the possible structure of strychnine, tentatively dated 1945-1947 by J.W. Cornforth, and from a later period two relatively extensive sequences of research and correspondence, on the origins of petroleum and on drug research. Lacunae in the collection are to some extent compensated for by the autobiographical material. There are the background material and corrected proofs for the first volume of his memoirs published in 1976, and substantial typescript drafts of the second volume which was unfinished at his death together with narratives, correspondence and photographs sent to him by colleagues. There are also tape-recordings of conversations with colleagues covering similar types of recollections.

Notebooks and papers of Benjamin Robins, consisting of a miscellaneous notebook primarily on gunnery and fortification (MS 39), a commonplace book (MS 46), a box of miscellaneous papers (MS 130) and a letter to Martin Folkes enclosing a written message from the Chevalier Ossorio, Envoy from the King of Sardinia, on the proper charge of cannon (MS 139).

Relazione del Fenomeno Accaduto in Calabria by Don Roco Bovi, who was an eyewitness.

Photographs from tours of England and France, with related photographs and sketches, 1848-1854, 1888 and 1916, largely dating from 1848-1854, made by Henri Victor Regnault and John Stewart.

Reports on scientific papers submitted for publication to the Royal Society from 1832 to date (Peer Review). The referees were appointed to advise the Committee of Papers, and were drawn from appropriate subject disciplines within the Fellowship. Referees Reports vary in content between terse notes recommending acceptance or rejection to long monographs devoted to the subject under review. Much of their interest derives from the comment of one scientist on the work of another, for example Michael Faraday on J P Joule (RR.3.154,158) or Sir Oliver Lodge on Ernest Rutherford (RR.13.106).

Radar Calculation by Maurice Henry Lecorney Pryce. Introduction to the calculation states 'The problem is to find the electromagnetic field due to a source of elctromagnetic oscillations placed near to a very large sphere. By large is meant that the ratio of the wavelength to its radius, and also the ratio of the distance of the source from the surface of the sphere to its radius, are very small. The source is supposed to be in vacuo. The material of the sphere is such that waves are attenuated in a distance small compared with the radius."

Papers of and relating to Joseph Priestley, inclusing volume of items relating to Priestley's life, three letters from Priestley, his spectacles, and Diploma and seal awarded in 1780 by Catherine II, Empress of Russia.

Diagrams and manuscript of paper on colour blindness prepared by Sir William Pole, prepared for his paper published in 'Philosophical Transactions' in 1859.

The collection is particularly noteworthy for its full documentation of all aspects of Pirie's research, development and promotion of leaf protein for human comsumption. It is divided into the following sections:

Section A, Biographical. It includes obituaries, a copy of the Royal Society Biographical Memoir, a little documentation of undergraduate work, and historical material assembled by Pirie relating to J Brachel, J B S Haldane, F G Hopklins, and H H Mann. Miscellaneous material includes Pirie's philosophical notes on the nature of life the scientific method and other topics.

Section B, Research notebooks. These complete the sequence of numbered notebooks listed in the 'Catalogue of the Papers of Sir Frederick Charles Bawden including the papers of Alfred Alexander, Peter Kleczkowski and Norman Wingate Pirie' and also deposited in the Archives of the Royal Society. The sequence presented here runs from 1929-1996, with the missing notebooks to be found in the Bawden collection. The work documented includes Pirie's earliest research with A A Miles on 'Brucella abortus' and 'Brucella mellitensis', his research with F C Bawden on viruses, and the many facets of his work on leaf protein to the end of his life. There are also two numbered notebooks not included in the sequence which date from the 1940s.

Section C, Leaf Protein work. This is the largest section in the collection and documents the work for which Pirie became widely known. The material comers Pirie's own research work on leaf protein, his interest in leaf protein work worldwide, the promotion of leaf protein and the development of equipment, especially suitable for use in less developed countries, which could be used to extract it. There is documentation of Pirie's struggles within the Agricultural Research Council to find support for his work, his reports on progress and later fund raising for his reasearch. There is material relating to design and construction of leaf protein apparatus of various types. Pirie believed strongly that leaf protein could make a positive contribution to nutrition in poorer countries and trials were undertaken in India, Jamaica and other countries. Latterly he found backing for his work from the 'Find Your Feet' charity and this relationship is documented. Also of interest is Pirie's interest in promoting leaf protein, including sample recipes using the foodstuff.

Section D, Other Research interests. This focuses on Pirie's earlier research, including the work for which he was elected to the Royal Society and was awarded the Copley Medal. It is not extensive and should be consulted alongside the notebooks in Section B. It is presented by topic and includes research on tobacco mosaic and tomato bushy stunt viruses by Pirie and F C Bawden in the 1930's, work on 'Brucella abortus' in the 1930's and 1940's and bracken extraction in the 1950's. There is also material relating to various alternative sources of protein, including seafood, which relates to this interest in nutrition. Miscellaneous material includes documentation of Pirie's lobbying on behalf of 'biochemical engineering' research in the 1950's.

Section E, Drafts and Publications. This presents drafts and related material including publication on food resources and his 1987 book 'Leaf Protein and its by-products in human and animal nutrition', a small number of book reviews and a little editorial correspondence. The bulk of the section, however, comprises a sequence of Pirie's volumes of bound offprints, from 1929 to 1991 (with material for 1992-1996 unbound). This sequence is more than just a full record of Pirie's published work output, as intercalated or pasted to pages of the volumes are typescripts of unpublished work or work not published in full, reports on research, visits abroad etc, correspondence, and letters to the press on a wide variety of topics including nuclear weapons, the Communist Party, space exploration, scientific writing and world nutrition. The offprints themselves may bear later manuscript annotations and typescript notes by Pirtie, giving improved methods, corrections and later bibliographical references.

Section F, Visits and Conferences. These document a few of Pirie's visits 1946-1989. There is material relating to extended visits to the USA in 1946, to Czechoslovakia, the USSR and China in 1952, and later visits in connection with leaf protein work. The lack of coverage is partially compensated for by the quality of some of the documentation of the visits, including Pirie's manuscript and typescript notes and his official reports.

Section G, Correspondence. This is again partial in its coverage. The bulk relates to Pirie's work on leaf protein. There are also individual letters from significant correspondents, from the 1930's on, including A Szent-George, J B S Haldane, G C de Hervey, Sir Peter Medawar, T Svendberg, R L M Synge etc, which Piries appears to have kept for historical reasons. The correspondence is presented in alphabetical order by correspondent.

Copy of the Logbook kept on board the ship of the Hon. Captain Phipps, 1773.

Minutes of the Philosophical Club of the Royal Society, 1847-1901.

Philosophia Universalis Pertineis a Gabrielem Colleno Logicum, 1694.

Presentation papers on William Haseldine Pepys from various authors, with a letter from Michael Faraday in Volume 1.

Record of grants paid to, for what, and amounts. Electronic system of grant tracking takes over in 2003.

Clerk's copy of 'Opinions presentees par M. Pasteur, dans la reunion do 16 Mars 1868 au Palais de Tuileries' (Views presented by Louis Pasteur at a reunion at the Palais de Tuileries, 16 March 1668).

A small notebook containing parliamentary and other speeches.

Transcription by E Gerland of the original correspondence between Denis Papin and Gottfried Leibniz correspondence held at Cassel State Library, Hanover, with presentation correspondence from E Gerland to RB Prosser.

Manuscript volume of 'Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica', by Isaac Newton. Manuscript written out by Humphrey Newton, Isaac Newton's assistant and amanuensis, and annotated by Newton and Halley. Manuscript from which the First Edition was printed.

Cartoon called "The Adventures of Isaac Newton" illustrating the attempts by Newton to demonstrate the force of gravity to the Fellows of the Royal Society, published in Viz Magazine, page 5, May 2004.

Preliminary Report on, and photographs of, the event mounted and bound into one volume. Includes a letter from James Hector donating the report and photographs. Includes a second letter of 22 September 1886 with an additional 15 photographs with remarks on the back which have also been pasted in to the volume. The comments have been typed underneath the photographs.

National Physical Laboratory Executive Committee Minutes, 1924-1925.

Letters and papers about the early years of the National Physical Laboratory.

Horizontal pendulum records from the British National Antarctic Expedition 1901-1904.

Photographs of the British National Antarctic Expedition in six volumes.

Biographical Memoirs notes and papers accumulated by Guido Pontecorvo relating to Hermann Joseph Muller gathered by Pontecorvo in the process of writing Muller's obituary for Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society.

Papers of Thomas Muir comprising notebooks: a series of six loosely-bound collections of notes and drafts; 'Articles for Pogendorff VI', notes and first draft completed 1933; 'Oblong Arrays' material for paper 304 1-30, 31-60, 61-93 and 'Dunkel Notes', material for paper 305 1-30, 31-51.

Two manuscripts by Louis Joel Mordell: 1. 'On the geometry of numbers in some non-convex regions' 60 pages, some manuscript corrections and 2. ' Hardy's mathematician, apology' review article 10 pages, photocopy.