A discourse on the invention and improvements of the reflecting telescope. Delivered at the anniversary meeting of the Royal Society, November 30, 1777. / By Sir John Pringle, Baronet, President. Published at their request.

  • John Pringle
Date:
MDCCLXXVIII [1778]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A discourse on the invention and improvements of the reflecting telescope. Delivered at the anniversary meeting of the Royal Society, November 30, 1777. / By Sir John Pringle, Baronet, President. Published at their request. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    I 01;'. [ 23 ] (lnJ- ;,f )*-». ■ J ■ fc.r . career, to filence all competition I need but mention the i - .. > ’ .0 V. . •!. V 1 ; , Theory of Light and Colours; a piece fo excellent for invention, for judgment in conducing experiments, and for drawing the proper conclufions from them, that had t been Newton’s Angle work it would not only have done ailing honour to himfelf, but to the country that gave aim birth. And as to the inilruments, which of them, et me aik, hath not been either found out, or fignally mproved among you ? Or what nation is there that hath ;mbraced the arts, and doth not value itfelf on poffeffing svery piece of this kind of Britifh workmanfhip.. The- •eflefting telefcope I may call wholly yours, both as to he original contrivance and every itep of its advance- nent: nay, from its revival by Mr. Hadley to this day,. * l ipace of nearly threefcore years, we have heard of no irtift, out of this iiland, who hath been able tolerably to ■, .■ :opy, much lefs to add to this fplendid invention.. What acknowledgements then, gentlemen, do we: rot owe to our worthy brother, who for above twenty -ears pail, in the uncertain intervals of a toilfome and; tnxious profeflion, hath unbent his mind, not in the pe¬ ddling recreations of the world; but in inveftigating,, vith unremitting diligence, what had been done but con- ;ealed by others, and in making many fuccefsful expe- rimenta /