Correspondence of Sir Isaac Newton and Professor Cotes : including letters of other eminent men, now first published from the originals in the library of Trinity College, Cambridge; together with an appendix containing other unpublished letters and papers by Newton; with notes, synoptical view of the philosopher's life, and a variety of details illustrative of his history, by J. Edleston.

  • Isaac Newton
Date:
1850
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Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Correspondence of Sir Isaac Newton and Professor Cotes : including letters of other eminent men, now first published from the originals in the library of Trinity College, Cambridge; together with an appendix containing other unpublished letters and papers by Newton; with notes, synoptical view of the philosopher's life, and a variety of details illustrative of his history, by J. Edleston. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    difficult consideration ; yet to depend also on the said properties of light. See Birch hi. 247, seqq. One experiment mentioned in the “ hypothesis” relative to the effects of glass electrised by friction particularly struck some of the members, and it was ordered to be tried at the next meeting. The paper was read by instalments, the “ hypothesis on Dec. 9 and 16, the “ observations” respecting colours on Jan. 20, Feb. 3, and 10. The “ observations” afterwards formed part of the 2nd Book of his Optics. I he “ hy- pothesis” has been lately reprinted in the Phil. Mag. for Sept. 1846, pp. 187—213. “ Dec. 16. INIi' Newton’s experiment of glass rubbed to cause various motions in bits of paper underneath was tried, but did not succeed This trial was made upon the reading of a letter of his to Mr Oldenburg (Dec. 14) in which he gives some more particular directions about that experiment.” Oldenburg was ordered to write to him again upon the subject “ & desire him to send his own apparatus, as also to en- quire whether he had secured the papers from being moved by the air, that might somewhere steal in.” On the second part of Newton’s hypothesis being read, Hooke, according to his wont, said that the main of it was contained in his Micrographia. (48) At the meeting on Dec. 30, there was also read a letter from John Gascoines (Liege, 15 Dec. 1675) to Oldenburg, acquainting him with the death of Linus from the prevailing epidemic, “and with the resolution of Mr Linus’s disciples to try Mr Newton’s experiment concerning light and colours, more clearly and carefully” according to his directions of Nov. 13: “intimating withal that if the said experiment be made before the Royal Society, and be attested by them to succeed, as Mr Newton affirmed, they would rest satisfied. It was ordered that when the sun should serve, the experiment should be made before the Society.” (49) Harum....librationum causas Llypothesi elegantissimS, explicavit nobis vir Cl. Isaac Newton, cujus Humanitati hoc et aliis nominibus plurimum debere me lubens profiteor. Mercator’s Institutiones Astronomies (p. 286) published in the beginning of 1676. See Princip. (3d ed.) Lib. 3. Prop. 17. Mecan. Celest. Tom. v. p. 279. Newton seems to have been in possession of his explanation in 1673. See his letter to Olden- burg, June 23 of that year, Horsley iv. 343. Rigaud, Append. 42. (60) He returns his hearty thanks for “the favour of the Society in their kind acceptance of his late papers “ that he knew not how to deny any thing which they desired should be done, but he requested that the printing of his observations about colours might be suspended for a time, because he had some thoughts of writing such another set of observations...which ought to pi’ecede those now in the Society’s pos- session.” Macc. Corr. n. 388. (51) we fjn(j j]ie following notices in the Journal Book upon this subject. On March 2, Oldenburg reminded the Society that the sky was favourable for making the experiment. Hooke said that he had an apparatus ready whenever it should be called for. March 16. The experiment ordered to be made at next meeting if the weather should prove favourable. Apr. 6. A committee appointed to try the experiment and repeat it before the Society. Apr. 27. The experiment tried with success, of which Oldenburg sends an account to Gascoines (May 4). (52) Appendix, No. XIII. (53) It was afterwards printed in Wallis’s Opp. in. 622—629. (Oxf. 1699), and, from that work, in the Commercium Epistolicum, where the typographical error of 26 Junii for Julii, which is corrected in Wallis’s errata, is also copied in the heading of the letter. (54) Appendix, No. XIV. (35) The original letter extending over 14 folio pages is in the British Museum (MSS. Birch 4294). It was accompanied by a note to Oldenburg (Macc. Corr. ii. 400) in a postscript to which he observes: “I hope that this will so far satisfy M. Leibnitz that it will not be necessary for me to write any more about this subject; for