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SIS Bulletin Issue 28 Scientific Instrument Society Bulletin of the Scientific Instrument Society No. 28 March 1991 Bulletin of the Scientific Instrument Society ISSN 0956-8271 For Table of Contents, see inside back cover Executive Committee Jon Darius, Chairman Gerard Turner, Vice Chairman Howard Dawes, Executive Secretary Stanley Warren, Meetings Secretary Allan Mills, Editor Desmond Squire, Advertising Manager Brian Brass, Treasurer Ronald Bristow Anthony Michaelis Arthur Middleton Stuart Talbot David Weston Membership and Administrative Matters Mr. Howard Dawes P.O. Box 15 Pershore Worcestershire WR10 2RD Tel: 0386-861075 United Kingdom Fax: 0386-861074 See inside back corer for information on membership Editorial Matters Dr. Allan Mills Astronomy Group University of Leicester University Road Leicester LE1 7RH Tel: 0533-523924 United Kingdom Fax: 0533-523918 Advertising Manager Mr Desmond Squire 137 Coombe Lane London SW20 0QY United Kingdom Tel: 081-946 1470 Organization of Meetings Mr Stanley Warren Dept of Archaeological Sciences University of Bradford Richmond Road Tel: 0274-733466 ext 477 Bradford BD7 1DP Fax: 0274-305340 United Kingdom Tel (home): 0274-601434 Typesetting and Printing Halpen Graphic Communication Limited Victoria House Gertrude Street Chelsea London SW10 0]N Tel 071-351 5577 United Kingdom Fax 071-352 7418 Price: £6 per issue, including back numbers where available The Scientific Instrument Society is Registered Charity No. 326733 The Delicate Issue of Short Research Book Reviews Authenticity Projects Sought The Editor would be pleased to hear from Quite recently, for the first time in its Nowadays, students reading for a first members willing to review new and history, the British Museum deliberately deg~ in a scienti~ sub~ct are commmdy forthcoming books in our general fieldof held an exhibition of fakes) Oriented required to carry out a small research interest.If author, titleand publisher(and, towards fine art and statuary, Baird's project in their final year. Four afternoons if possible,ISBN number) are cited,then 'original' television apparatus was the a week for one term may be allocated to it may be possible for the Editor to obtain only scientificinstrument on display. It this work, the report on which forms part a review copy gratis from the publisher. was explained that,rather than being the of the as~smnent towards the final degree. The convention is that the reviewer keeps true original,it was a recons~ made the book -- but you've got to read it and at some later date m and was not even This development, besides being excellent write a fairreview for the Bulletin! capable of working! A 'phakomt~e', training for the student,also provides an constructed from bitsand pieces welded opportunity for the investigationof topics Binders for the Bulletin together, was an obvious spoof, surely in the history of science/scientific intended to amuse rather than deceive. instruments that are insufficient to Members can now buy binders for the warrant a 3-year term of research towards Bulletin. Each can hold up to I0 issues. However, fakes range from this level to a Ph.D. Thus, in the physics department They are covered in dark blue PVC and those that are intended to deceive -- and with which the Editor is associated, have the Society's name in gilt lettering succeed. (See "The Henze Collection' and student projects have investigated (with on the spine,and our logo, in gilt,on the 'Market Place' in this issue.) The degree of subsequent publication) such matters as front.They cost £6 each plus postage,and knowledge and craftsmanship displayed Newton's telescope, the accuracy of the the rates for the latterare as follows: is commonly mediocre, but can reach high secondary fiats in early reflectors, and the UK (one binder) £1.05,(two binders) levels when potentially valuable Leidenfrost effect. Current projects £I .6O. instruments are copied or created. As in include the history and construction of Europe (one) £1.40, (two) £2.35. every field, it therefore behoves col lectors the 'long'barometer (iL those using a fluid USA by air (one) £6.80, (two) £11. to examine goods on display, or offered to other than mercury); the recovery of USA surface(one) £2.90, (two) £4.25. them, very carefully. This is where a sev~y fadedphotographs by low-energy reputable dealer or knowledgeable expert radiography; and Lichtenberg figures as Send your order with payment to Stuart earns his fee. it must be made very clear examples of fractalstructures. The first of Talbot, I0 Danebury, 9 St. Quintin that the Scientific Instrument Society can these was stimulated by articles in the Gardens, London WI0 6AS, U.K. Make in no way, ether directly or by association, Bulletin. cheques payable to the Scientific authenticate or validate any item, Instrument Society. although it may occasionally be possible The Editor would be pleased to receive to put bona fide enquirers in touch with a suggestions for topics that might lend Society Tie recognized expert in a given field. themselves to thisapplication. Subjects of a practical or experimental nature are The Editor preferred, for laboratory and workshop Members may wish to purchase the facilities in physics, chemistry and many Society'stie. The ~ are golden yelk~w 1. Mark Jones (editor), Fake: The Art of other disciplines are available. (Address on dark blue;the material ispolyester and Deception, British Museum Publications, given on inside of front cover.) the cost £I0. Send your order with 1990. payment to StuartTalbot, I0 Danebury, 9 St. Quintin Gardens, London WI0 6AS, Future Society Meetings UK. Please make cheques payable to the Scientific Instrument Society. Regretfully,it will not now be possible to hold a meeting of the Society at Christie's in late March. The Committee realises that this leaves an unfortunate gap in the programme, but the abrupt cancellation NOTICE OF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING is due to circumstances beyond their control The 7th Annual General Meeting of the ScientificInstrument Society The proposed Leicester conference has will be held on Saturday, 29th June, 1991 in London, also had to be postponed to another year. at a venue to be announced. However, the good news is that the SIS visitto Holland is confirmed (substantially as shown in Bulletin 27) and that the formal AGM will be held in London and In accordance with the constitution, all Officers and Ordinary members of the accompanied by a lxogramme of lectuns/ Committee resign at the Annual General Meeting. demonstrations. All members of the Scientific Instrument Society are invited to submit nominations for any post as Officer or Ordinary member of the Committee. Each candidate requires a nominator and two seconders, and the nominator should seek permission of the candidate prior to nomination. Nominations should reach the Secretary at P.O. Box 15, Pershore WR10 2RD, Worcestershire, England by 19th May 1991. Bull~n~theScientificinatnm~mtSociety No. 2fl (1991) ! Instrumentmakers and the Royal Arms John R. Millburn The year 1990 saw the 150th anniversary Instrument Maker to the sovereign are advertisements kept a stock of wood-block of the Royal Warrant Holders Ass~atitm, now well known, for example Thomas ornaments, including the royal arms in a founded in 1840 by a group of tradesmen Wright (Mathematical Instrument Maker variety of sizes and decorative styles, holding appt~ntments to the young Queen to George 11) and the Adams family which they seem to have chosen at random Victoria. n Nowadays the use of the royal (Mathematical Instrument Makers to when assembling (for example) the arms by tradesmen is strictly controlled George liD. The dates and titles of their advertisements found at the end of 19th- by the Trade Mark Acts, and is ck~ely appointments can be found in the Lord century directories. Engravers producing monitored by the Association, who will Chamberlain's b~Is at the Public Record a trade card or billhead to a particular take action against anyone abusing or Office, Chancery Lane,: and are now customer's requirements ought to have infringing their privileges. When it was entered in the Project SIMON files. By no been more accurate in their depiction of founded in 1840, however, the situation means all warrant holders used the royal the arms, though as will be seen later was rather different. Conrail, if any exk~d, arms on their statkn~n/: the Adams family, lapses did occur from time to time. was much loiter, and the initial purl~e for example, apparently did not, though of the Association was simply to organize George Adams senior did once state in a Changes in the Royal Arms an annual dumer for membe~ to celebrate newspaper advertisement in 1757, when the Queen's birthday. It was not until the he was Mathematical Instrument Maker Since the accession of Queen Victoria on end of the nineteenth century that the to George, Prince of Wales, that he had 20th June 1837 the design of the royal Association began to exercise its present the Prince's arms over the door of his arms has remained constant to the present 'watchdog' function. shop. It is when the royal arms are found day, in the form shown in C.W. Dixey's on trade cards or billheads of tradesmen billhead dated 1840 (Figure 1). The shield Prior to 1837 no distinction was made in holding appointments to lesser members is divided into four quarters, the arms of the Lord Chamberlain's b~a~ks between of the royal family, or to quasi-royal England (3 lions passant-gardant) salaried appointments, such as 'Physician departments such as the Admiralty or the occupying the first (top left-hand) and to his Majesty', and the appointments of Office of Excise, or were used to indicate fourth quarters, with Scotland (a lion craftsmen ~ such as mathematical the [~)s.,~ssion of a patent of invention, rampant in a double border) and Ireland instrument makers ~ who held a royal that questions of date are likely to arise.
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