Letters from eminent people, surnames C-H, to Mary and William Somerville and others, and related papers

Title

Letters from eminent people, surnames C-H, to Mary and William Somerville and others, and related papers

Shelfmark

Dep. c. 370

Summary

Comprises:

Folder MSC-1: Correspondents: Michelangelo and Margaret Caetani, 1842-1874

Folder MSC-2: letters received by Mary and William Somerville and others, 1826-1866 and n.d., including correspondence with William Carpenter, [biologist] regarding his studies of plant growth and other scientific subjects, and the use by Mary of illustrations previously used by him, 1860-1866. Other correspondents: A.W. and Maria Callcott, [Robert Haldane-Duncan], Lord Camperdown, A. Canova (visiting card only), Edward Cardwell

Folder MSC-3: Correspondents: W.Castel, Dr [Thomas] Chalmers, W.H.Channing, 1835-1877 and n.d.

Folder MSC-4: letters received by Mary and William Somerville from Sir Francis Chantrey, [sculptor], mainly regarding social matters, 1828-1837 and n.d.

Folder MSC-5: letters received by Mary and William Somerville, 1828-1868 and n.d., from correspondents including Mary Cowden Clarke, [writer on Shakespeare], requesting a lock of Mary's hair and returning a sonnet 'On receiving a lock of Mrs Mary Somerville's hair', Feb 1866. Other correspondents: L.J.Cist, Charles Clarke, Clot-Bey, Admiral Sir Edward Codrington, Edward Cooper, Peter Craw

Folder MSD-1: letters received by Mary and William Somerville, 1832-1860 and n.d., from correspondents including:

Charles Darwin, in response to receiving a copy of On Molecular and Microscopic Science, referring to Mary's excellent summary of the subject of orchids, 21 Jan, no year [c.1869], with a letter from Darwin to Lady Lyell, giving permission for the use of diagrams from his 'orchid book' by Mary, n.d.

Thomas Stephens Davies, [mathematician], referring to his work on spherical geometry, magnetism and other subjects, 1832-1837

Folder MSD-2: letters received by Mary, a dinner invitation from Sir H[umphry] Davy to William Somerville, 4 Dec, no year, and two autographs of Davy, one on a notice of election of Council and Officers of the Royal Society, 18 Nov 1822, 1819-1822 and n.d. Other correspondents: La Duchesse D'Abrantes, Jane Davy, [Lady Davy], [Alphonse] de Candolle], D'Enghien [?]

Folder MSD-3: letters received by Mary, William and Martha Somerville, from

[Benjamin Disraeli, Earl of] Beaconsfield, informing Martha Somerville of an increase in her pension, 17 May 1877

Augustus de Morgan, [mathematician and logician], commenting on The Mechanism of the Heavens, reading materials, and other matters, 1831-1844 and n.d.

G.D. Donati, [astronomer], 1858-1860, one dated 2 Oct 1858 annotated in Mary's hand 'From Signore Donati about his Comet'

Folder MSD-4: letters received by Mary, William and Thomas Somerville and related papers, 1820-1862, including a letter from Louisa Drewry, annotated in Mary's hand 'A petition to the London University to examine the proficiency and grant Diplomas to young women intended for Governesses. It was rejected – they are more liberal in the Sorbonne at Paris', 17 Apr 1862. Other correspondents: J.E. Drinkwater, T. Drummond, Henry Dundas, Charles Dupin

Folder MSE-1: letters received by Mary and William Somerville and others from Maria Edgeworth, [novelist], and related papers, 1822-1832 and n.d., including:

copy of a letter from Maria Edgeworth to Miss Ruxton, 17 Jan 1822, describing Mary

notes by Maria Edgeworth relating to sights in London and Paris, n.d.

Folder MSE-2: Correspondents: Ad[olphe] d'Eichthal, Theresa Lister [later Lady Ellis], Hon Mountstewart Elphinstone, William Empson, 1836-1863 and n.d.

Folder MSF-1: letter from H[ugh] Falconer to Mary, 12 Apr 1860; letters received by Mary and William Somerville and Agnes Greig from Michael Faraday, and related papers, 1832-1848 and n.d., including:

comments on texts, possibly on Mary's writings, Nov 1833 and Aug 1834

letter of thanks to Mary for sending him a copy of her work, 1 Mar 1834

letter describing his experiments with precipitations on paper, 12 Oct 1835

Folder MSF-2: letters received by Mary and William Somerville and others, 1814-1860 and n.d., from correspondents including:

George Finlayson, [naturalist], describing his travels in Sri Lanka, India and Thailand in letters to Charles Farrell, 1817-23

Captain [later Sir] John Franklin, regretting that he is unable to accept the Somervilles' invitations, n.d.

Other correspondents: Donald Finlayson, W.H. Fitton, Edward Forbes, James D. Forbes, Richard Fowler, Robert W. Fox

Folder MSG-1: Correspondents: Thomas Galloway, A.B. Garrod, A. de Gaspari, J. Gassiot, J.L. Gay-Lussac, John Gibson, 1819-1869

Folder MSG-2: letters received by Mary and William Somerville, 1804-1838, from correspondents including Mary Griffith, [scientist and writer], sending a copy of her recently published work, Discoveries in Light and Vision, 12 Dec 1836. Other correspondents: Davies Gilbert, James Gregory, Hudson Gurney

Folder MSH-1: letters received by Mary and William Somerville from Captain Basil Hall, [traveller and writer], referring to Mary's writing, and his own, and other matters, with two autographs cut from letters, 1831-1842 and n.d.

Folder MSH-2: letters received by Mary and William Somerville, n.d., from correspondents including Henry Hallam, [historian], commenting on a passage in On the Connexion of the Physical Sciences relating to the ancient Egyptian Sothiac period, 12 Mar, no year [c.1835]. Other correspondents: William Harness, George Head

Folder MSH-3: letters received by Mary and [Martha] Somerville and Agnes Greig from J.F.W. Herschel, [mathematician and astronomer], his wife, Margaret, his daughter, Isabella, his son, Captain J. Herschel, and his father, William, 1826-1873 and n.d., including:

letter from J.F.W. Herschel to Miss [Martha] Somerville regarding the editing of a work by her mother, [probably the manuscript of On Molecular and Microscopic Science], 3 Jan 1867

letter from J.F.W. Herschel and his wife, Margaret, to Mary on the publication of On Molecular and Microscopic Science, 5 Jan 1869

letter from J.F.W. Herschel to Mary containing comments on the manuscript of her autobiography, 14 Mar 1869

letter from Captain J. Herschel to Miss [Martha] Somerville, seeking her advice on forming a collection of his father's correspondence, 6 Dec 1873

Folder MSH-4: letter from William Herschel, [astronomer], to William Wallace welcoming a visit from Mary and William Somerville, 8 Jul 1812, and letters from [Lady] Margaret Herschel to Mary, 1832-1835 and n.d.

Folder MSH-5: letters received by Mary and others, 1848-1874 and n.d., from correspondents including:

J.R. Hind, [astronomer], 7 and 15 Mar 1848, the former enclosing 'a catalogue of Comets whose orbits appear to be elliptical'

Sir Henry Holland, [physician], commenting on Mary's writing and other scientific matters, n.d. [some c. 1834]

Other correspondents: T. Archer Hirst, Joseph D. Hooker

Folder MSH-6: letters received by Mary and William Somerville, and related papers, 1825-1868, from correspondents including:

William Huggins, [astronomer], regarding Mary's and his own writings on spectrum analysis, 26 May 1868

Alexander von Humboldt, [geographer and naturalist], 1825-1849, including a sketch by him of Halley's comet, 29 Oct 1835

Other correspondents: Leonard Horner, Joseph Hume, B Huntsman

Date

1804-1877 and n.d.

Language

English

Physical extent

1 box (21 folders)