Scientific Instrument Society

Bulletin of the Scientific Instrument Society No. 29 June 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 WRI0 2RD Tel: 0386-861075 United Kingdom Fax: 0386-861074

See inside back cover ~or 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 lDP Fax: 0274-305340 United Kingdom Tel (home): 0274-601434

Typesetting and Printing Halpen Graphic Communication Limited Victoria House Gertrude Street Chelsea London SWi0 0JN Tel 071-351 5577 United Kingdom Fax 071-352 7418

Price: £6 per issue, including back numbers where available

The ScientificInstrument Society is Registered Charity No. 326733 Instruments in the who are interested in their own speciali .ty. instruments is the task of the Jenemann- Netherlands A membership list will now be printed, Mettler Foundation. It was recently .set up but anyone who would m,t like their name on the initiative of the Mainz balance to be included should inform the histurian Hans Jenemann together with Members will doubtless have noted that Executive Secretary. Mettler lnstrumente GmbH, Giessen, one this issue of the Bulh'tin is a little late in 4. Several members recommended the of the leading manufacturers of balances, publication. However, there is gtx,d names of friends who might join. This has scales and analytical instruments. The reason: the inclusion of a long multi- already resulted in several new members, foundation is administered by the author report on the Society's visit to the so do encourage your friends to send for Founders' Association of German Science Netherlands fnnn 13-17 May. The richness our brochure. in Essen, and will award the 'Taul Bunge and diversity of the various collections, 5. Information about meetings was Prize" annually. It is endowed with at and the care taken of us by our Dutch dLsappointing because it showed that least 10,0(X) German marks, and the first hosts, will be very apparent from the of members had never attended one. What award will be made in 1992. The prize is accounts. can we do to tempt you? Our events are named after Paul Bunge (1839-18881 the very varied and interesting as well as most important constructor of analytical, Only one thing marred the visit: the being social occasions. Do attend a assay and high-performance precision absence of our organizer Stanley Warren. meeting -- you will certainly learn balances in the second half of the 19th He suffered a heart attack a few weeks something and meet interesting people. century. before the departure date, so was 6. One third of members preferred prevented form personally enjoying what midweek meetings and two thirds The prize will honour completed work in he had laboured to bring into being. We weekends. The Society will continue with the field of the history of scientific are glad to be able to report that Stanley is both options. instruments in English, German or French, now making good progress after surgery, 7. Respondents preferred more than one it being immaterial whether such work and has indicated his willingness to lecturer per meeting. has already been published or printed. continue in the vital post he has filled 8. A lot of interest was expressed in a The award is independent of the age and with such enthusiasm. We look forward weekend meeting with 'hands-on' nationality of the author. to his participation in future events. experience. It is hoped to organise such an event next year with Gerard Turner as According to the Jenemann-Mettler Stanley's illness did, of course, mean that the main speaker. Foundation, work considered for the someone else had to be found to cope 9. The Bulletin is seen as the life blood of award need not be concerned .solely with with all the tasks -- expected and the Society, and was regarded as very precision or analytical balances. Rather, unexpected ~ inevitably accompanying good/good by almost every respondent. the intention is to include the entire any visit abroad by a large party. 10. Some people would prefer more spectrum of historical scientific Fortunately Mark Turner was home on illustrations, and one suggestion was for instruments. leave from his geological career in illustrations on the front and back covers. Australia, and accepted the job at very 11. A majority of respondents would like Details may be obtained from the short notice. No doubt organizing to see colour illustrations. Founders' Association of German Science, exploration in the Outback has given him 12. Most respondents said they read the Bruker Fhdt 56-00, D-4.~'~}E.~m 1, (contact valuable experience, for he coped entire journal. person: Dr. Klaus Neuhoff) quoting the magnificently with the round-ups and 13. As most people therefore read the reference "Paul Bunge Prize". not a single member was lost. advertisements this indicates the BuUetin to be an excellent place to advertise. The Editor 14. Two thirds of resl:~mdents had visited a dealer or bought an instrument as a Fellowship of Makers and result of an advertisement in the Bulletin. Restorers of Historical Society Questionnaire Musical Instruments Conclusion We had an excellent response to the The questionnaire was very valuable in (FoMRHI) questionnaire circulated to members last finding out what members want, and will year. There were 168 replies -- over a help in the creation of an interesting This society was founded in 1975 as an quarter of the current membership. Many programme of meetings. Comments association of people concerned with the thanks to all who replied, for by knowing received will also help to shape the construction of early musical instruments your views the Committee can improve Bulletin. (up to the present century). A number of the Society. Many respondents gave Sunday meetings have already been held thoughtful comments and suggestions. The general comments about the Society this year at the Faculty of Music, St. All will be examined, and we are already were too numerous to be listed. Many Aldate's, Oxford, on themes relating to taking action on a number of issues. good ideas emerged and will be musical instrument technology. It has considered in the coming months. become apparent that in many areas (e.g. The results of the questionnaire showed design and technology, tools and that: David Weston materials, special skills, restoration and conservation) there is interesting common 1. 25% of members are academics, 25% ground with the SIS, and anyone who dealers or restorers, and 50% are collectors. Jenemann-Mettler would like to contribute in any way, or 2. A large number of members also Foundation establishes the wishes to attend future meetings, is invited belong to other societies. to contact the Hon. Secretary, Jeremy 3. The majority of members welcomed Paul Bunge Prize Montagu, Faculty of Music, St. Aldate's, the publishing of a list of the names and Oxford OX1 1DB. addresses of members. Many would like The promotion of science and research in to contact people in their area, or those the field of the history of scientific

Bulletin of the Scientific Instrument Society No. 29 (1991) SIS Monographs Contributions The Society's Desk at the lOth Scientific Instrument Anthony Michaelis rel:~)rts that his Contributions for the Bulletin are always proia,sal for a series of SIS nit)hi)graph,, welcome, lhere is no reason why they Fair tin tilt, making of xientitic in,,,truments should be restricted to antique or high- ha,, attracted a tavourable response, and value items: in tact artich~ on early 2Itth A total of E.'~ was rai~'d from the role of that t~o u,ell-known .-,cholars have century in.,,truments would fill a gap in Bulletins, ties & sub,,~:riptions. Particular already put h)rward preliminary titles: our contents list. Thus, the two-pan thanks to Judith Dawes for her efforts balance with .,,eparate weights, and the thnmghout the day, ably assistt~.t at 5ilvlo Bedini: 'l,en~, (;rmdlng m the Wheatshme bridge, have already pas~d various times bv Gloria Clifton and Ron 17th Century' into history (oblivion?) ~ far as pre~,nt- Bristow. dav students art, concerntM. Gerard Turner: 'Optical (.;lass The ~cietv's appreciation for their Product,m in the 17th Century' Manv authors now u...,e word prtxe.~.~)rs, assi,,tance. and ihose able to supply articlt,'s on di.~ Dr .Mlchaeli,, would be glad to hear from tin addition to a print-out) would facilitate Stuart Talh)t am.orie el..,,c able to make a contribution: inclusion of their work in the Bulh'tm. his addrt~,, is Flat 1, 12 tlall Road, London Any maior language tc N. Apple Mac or Nt,%S '+l'l). IB.~t compatibles) is acceptable.

Reports of Exhibitions

'Images of Time' Exhibition on It)an from mu~'ulriS and private or Every exhibit had a demription or Nov 28th 1990 - Jan 27th 1991 company collections, notably in England explanation in Dutch as well as English. Amsterdam, Netherlands and ,qwit/erland. Bt,sidt~ genuine old scientific instruments, there were also beautifully-made An lmprt',,~,ive exhibition concermng all When viewing the hundreds of exhibits reconstructions, for instance of John a-ptx:ts tit time wa~ organi/ed by the and di,plays one was overwhelmt~l bv t larri,,~m's first marine chnmometer. 'q-ime tor Tmw'" foundation in the Nieuwe the multitude of impress|tins. I had to Other exhibits were push-button Kerk in Amsterdam, and attracted more ,,,pread my time over two visits-- and still experiments and working models to than 40,000 vi,,itors. The Nieuwe Kerk is I wa~,n'I satisfied that I had studied explain the use and design of various the 15th century church at Dam ,%uare in everything. kinds of time-measuring devices and tlae middle of Am,,terdam. Adiacent to instruments. Interactive computer the Royal I'alace (the former town hall) it l,, ab, t(the tamou,, church where, as laid do~n bv the I)utch constitution, kings and quet, ns ot th)lland are crowned Ahhough it', interior is not ~ well ,,uited for .in exhibit)on, thl,, building w'a,, ~crtalnk a grand place to hold it.

lhe exhibition con.,,.i~,ted of tour main theme,,:

[ ) ]-irne nlea-.urement 2t lime in phy,,ics 3) hme in the natural world 4~ l ime and .,,txietv

In total thcre ~,~ere more than V,00t,x htbits, ranging form the earlie~,t ~,undials to the mt)~,t mt~.iern quart/and atomic dt~.ks, and tnclud mg alnu r,t eve~'tlung remotely a,,,ocmttxt ~,~ith time in its broadest ~,nse.

Anthon,." lurner, who participated in the orgamsatton of a similar exhibition in France, ~,l,, the driving torte behind the exhibition Organl...ation wa., in the hands o| Mind/ Ah',otiate~ BV, but it was . '.:.~. Anthony Turner who succeeded in bringing together a wealth of in,,truments Fig. I ~. l-It,.- .',at, hm X t/.' t ,,i. a.lt t,cn,hd,,m m the Nicua,c hcr/~.

2 Bulletin of the ~'ientific Instrument %~riety No. 2g (IqO1) I • " • II /

A

Fig. 3 i',/rt,,tth,'tnll ",t,/i~'~CtOJl~Dl~,D~,lt ot the 12th ,enturtt "Ca~th'" water clocl~ of II,n ai-la'ari, cE.dtibit m~. 88~

Groningen and Delft. Jan Lh,iman of Utrecht gave an interesting lecture on his current research with micn~,copes. After this drinks were served, followed by a .splendid dinnt~" in the hall of the Mu~m B~,~,rhaave.

The atmosphere was pleasant and the main aim of the evening -- to t.~tablish regular and informal contact betw~,n the invited perkins -- was .,~m reacht~. It was decided to adopt the name of the famous Delft instrument maker J.H.Onderdewijngaart Canziu,~ (177,1- 1838) for future mt~,tings. It wa,~ al~ agre~,d to mt~,t twice a year, on the anniversary of Onderdewijngaart's birthday (January 13th) and, bt

i The mt~,tings will include a short k'cture Fig. 2 A (('ml'h'.~. a,trom,mtcal ,h,,~, ~xm'd I'o,~'dhm Nox,'nl ~q~rt h,c . ~t ~/',d,~t n,, 3;71 bv ~me of the n~,mber~ in" an invik~.| gut~,t, fifllowed hv drinks and dinner. The programs enabled the public to get colour. Clearly, the English version was locations will, each time, be a mu.,~,um of acquainted with .such notions as the Arrow written first and then translated by non- one of the attending curators. The ofTime, the Fourth Dimension, the3Bodv experts into Dutch, unfortunately Mu.,~,um B~n,rhaave otfered to admim,,ter Problem, etc. resulting in a few silly and incorrect the 'Ge/el~'hap', with Dr Veeneman descriptions and statements. acting as Chairman and Mrs. Marian For the general public the most attractive Fournier as l|onorarv ~x'retarv. exhibit was perhaps the 27 metre long R'ter IK la,uwman Foucault pendulum swinging in the centre VVdlem Mor:t'r Bru~ltt,; of the church. During the Christmas The 'Gezelschap Nederhmds S( ]u'cp~Hrt Mu,~;um period the pendulum was knocking down Onderdewijngaart' g,tttenber~,'erl,h'm I little candles instead of the usual wo(~en NL-1018 KK Amsterdam blocks! On February 5th Dr. G.A.C.Vt~eneman, Director of Mu~um B~erhaave in Leiden, Finally, should it have been all too much invited the 22 directors and curators of fiw the visitor to assimilate, a magnificent Dutch museums who are professionally catalog was available, edited by Anthony involved with historic scientific Turner. I can recommend this, even to instruments. There were, among others, those who were unable to visit the representatives from Mu~um B~erhaave, exhibition; there is a Dutch and an English the University Museum in Utrecht, version. This Images (ff Time I~)ok consists Teylers, the Clockmuseum in of approximately Z~ pages, and describes Schoonhoven, the Mu.,~m in The Hague every exhibit. Many of the pictures are in and from university collections in i Bulletin of the Scientific Instrument S~:iety No. 2g (l*~'qt) John Benjamin Dancer: Manchester Instrument Maker

Jenny Wetton

John I~mlamin Dancer, Manchester's m¢~t Dancer continued the business in famous I~h century scientific instrument Liverp~d from 1835 until, In 1841, he maker, was born in London in 1812k His entered into partnership with A.Abraham, grandfather was a scientific instrument a well-known scientific instrument maker maker and his father, Josiah, had train¢~l of Lord Street, Liverpool. Abraham, who with Edward Troughton, one of I~mdon's al~) had branches in Glasgow and Bath, most skilled optical instrument craftsmen Somerset, manufactured a large range of J~v~iah t~k over the family busim.'ss on instruments including telescopes, his father's death in 1817. microscopes, electrical apparatus and measuring instruments. The business had At the time of Dancer's birth the ~ientific been in operatiun since about 1820 and community in l.ondon still embodied the was pn~ably on a firmer financial ft~ng 18th century ideals of the gentleman than that of Dancer. The deal between amateur. There were few, if any, paid Abraham and the young Dancer involved I~,~itions for t h~..~' who wanted to pursue the latter moving to Manchester to scientific investigation:. In contrast, bv establish a branch of the business there as the time ot Dancer's death in 1887, ~'ience 'Abraham and Dancer'. By June 1841, had become a profession. In.,,titutions in Dancer was trading from 13 Cross Street, l,ondon and provincial cities provided near the new Victoria Station ~. (Fig 2). training at several academic levels, and his own micral,hoto,c, ra],h~ ~No.3.L c. 1855~. This was the main railway station for the op~wtunities: for tho.,~" with talent to Liverpool-Manchester line, which meant pursue original n.-~'arch through paid J,~iah him.,~qf became an active member that Dancer could carry on his business in employment. of several .,~K'i~ies invoh'ed in promoting conjunction with the main Liverp~x~l scientific knowledge. He gave lectures on branch of Abraham's. By tracing Dancer's career-- particularly various subjects. In 1825, he became between 1841 and 1870 when his invoh'ed in a to found a Mechanics prelect •_ /~///,/H.J,/, .Manchester business flourished -- we Institute to provide education for working may understand the changes which were n~,n. M~t of th~.,e wl',~ .,,el up the Institute ~.'curring in the scientific community had been a,,,~'iated with the Royal during this prt~-ess of institutionalisation Institution. They were often religious and professionalisation Especially, we dis.,,enters and politically radical. Josiah may examine relationships between gave many cour~ on scientific subjects members of an informal scientific at the Mechanics Institute. community, for Dancer became m~trun~,nt maker to ~me of Manchester's Josiah and his wife had a large family: m~,t flistinguished men of science: R(~ert four daughters and three.,~ms. Two .~ms, Angus Smith, Edward Binnev, James however, died at a young age. John was Prescott Joule and William C'rawford educated initially at a local dame ~h(xd. William,~m. ~me of the~, men made His father then supervi,,~d his further fundamental revisions to accepted education in mathematics. As a child, he Fig.2 Abraham & Dancer's trade card, theories of the time. Some, such as began helping Josiah prepare used betuven 1841 and 1845. W.CWilliam~m, were al~ among the demonstrations for ~ientific lectures. He first to hold l~sitions in the new later ~ined the family business, first as an There is evidence that Dancer established institution~ which were part of the apprentice and later as an assistant. a workshop at the back of the Cross Street prole,,,~ionali~ation of science. premises, where he was able to construct In 1835, when John Dancer was only specialist apparatus for customers and John Dancer left l,ondon, aged six, when twenty-three years old, Josiah died carry out repairs. From that time, Dancer his lather moved the family business to suddenly while making ubservations continued to trade in Manchester under l,iverl~xd which, in 1818, was a busy .,.'a through a tele~ope. John decided to his own name until 1878, when the I~rt providing a sub,,tantial market for continue his father's business and, at about business was transferred to his daughters, navigational equipment. There were nine this time, began to lecture on scientific Elizabeth Eleanor and Anna Maria. mathematical instrument makers already topics to audiences- in and around in busine,,s, and three navigation Liverp~d. By 1841, when Dancer set up his business warehou.,~,s i,iverl~,d also had a fairly in Cross Street, Manchester was a busy vigorous scientific and cultura'l Throughout his long career, Dancer communi,., in 1758, a sub~-riplion libra,, commercial and industrial centre. Several demonstrated his talents as a skilled firms traded in scientific instruments, had been ~et up and, in 1814, the Royal technician and gifted inventor. While still selling mostly barometers or spectacles. Institution had been fi0unded 'ior in his twenties, he introduced the use of promoting the increase and diffut, ion of The Ronchetti family, for example, had thin i~mms unglazed jars to separate the established themselves as barometer, laterature, ~qence and the Arts". Its first two ~lutions in Daniell's voltaic cell. His president was William Roscoe, a thermometer and hydrometer makers work is noted in Golding Bird's imporlant during the 1790s', and probably supplied prominent local lawyer. Many lecturers textb~k of 1839. While experimenting gave D~pular demonstrations and courses John Dalton with some of his chemical with these cells he discovered the apparatus ~. By the 1840s they had on scientific subp~,cts. The Inshtution's technique of copper plating by electrolysis. activitie~ must have provided a market expanded their business in Market Street John Dancer published few papers al~mt to include optical instruments and it was which Josiah Dancer could supply with his work and, in con,~'quence, has received apparatus. a thriving concern. The Ronchetti little recognition. business, however, was one of only a

Bulletin of the .'~'ientific Instrument Society No. 29 (1991) small number supplying a range of enthusiasts and provided microscope publishing papers on the local scientific instruments, and the demand demonstrations for organisationssuch as carbonifer(ms flora. In 1851 he became for such instruments in Manchester was the Manchester Field NaturalistsSociety. Professor of Natural History in a new growing rapidly. Abraham and Dancer He designed and manufactured an educational venture in the city, Owens were able to take advantage of this instrument for use on collecting College. promising business opportunity. expeditions for the Field Naturalists Society when it was established in 1843. William~m received one of the highest The scientific community in Manchester accoladesof the scientific world, the Royal in the 1840s revolved around the Literary From 1845, Dancer developed and S(~iety's C,old Medal, in 1874. He admired and Philosophical Society. Its president pngluced several models of microscope. Dancer's microscopes as fine instruments in 1840 was the venerable John Dalton, His 1873 catalogue listseight "FirstClass" through which the detailsof fossilremains for whom Dancer made a micnwocope achromatic micn~copes, as well as ten could be observed. During the 18~)s soon after he set up business in other microscopes for use in the fieldand William.son keenly encouraged the Manchester. The Society acted as an by students. He was appointed optician pursuit of micr(vscopy, and was the informal university, enabling to the Art Treasures Exhibitionof 1857. In moving forcebehind the establishment of investigators to exchange ideas and 1862 he was awarded a prize medal for a microscopical section of the Literary providing a means of communicating the quality of his microscopes at the and Philosophical Society. their findings. Other organisations, Exhibition in London. Seven years later including the Royal Manchester he was apl~inted Optician in Manchester From 1857 members of the Literary and Institution, the Mechanics Institute, and to the Prince of Wales. These honours Phik~)phical Society met over dinner to several small medical schools, offered reflect the high quality of Dancer's discuss the latest techniques. Dancer often lecture courses on scientificsubjects to microscopes. He established a good provided microscopes for these meetings, members of the general public. reputation and devoted a large part of his together with interesting specimens for business to this section of the trade. members to view. In this way he was able Notable figures in this community of to advertise the excellence of his researchersand teachersduring the 1840s One of Dancer's early customers, who instruments as well as provide polite were the chemist, Lyon Playfair;James was to achieve great distinction as a amusement for his friends and associates. Prescott Joule, who was concerned with micr(~copist, was William Crawford in 1880 the Manchester Microscopical ideas about the conversion of energy from Williamson ~. Williamson, born in Society was formed as a separate one h)rm to another; and the engineers Scarborough in 1816,came to Manchester organisation ~. By this time Dancer was William Fairbairn and Joseph Whitworth. in 1835 when he was appointed curator not very active in business, although he There was thus a considerable market for for the museum of the Natural History continued to trade and did exhibit Dancer's instruments. Dancer joined the Society.Five years laterhe leftManchester instruments at the Society's Literary and Philosophical Society in 1842, to complete his medical studies in London. conversaziones. and began to provide his distinguished From boyhood Williamson had colleagues with a range of apparatus. demonstrated a passion for geology Dancer's instrument making skills (especially paleobotany) but it was well- brought him into contact with many Dancer's partnership with Abraham nigh impossible to earn a living as a prominent local scientists.]n about 1844 enabled the newcomer to Manchester to naturalist in the 1830s. Williamson he collaborated with James PrescottJoule make availablebetter quality instruments returned to Manchester to practise in a series of experiments on the and, in particular, microscopes with medicine but continued his fossil studies, production of heat by mechanical work, achromatic lenses.In 1826 Joseph Jackson Lister,in association with William Tulley and James Smith, had produced a microscope with lenses made of a combination of flintand crown glasses*. This combination of glasses with i :: .~I?:~. complementary opticalqualities allowed correctionsto be made for both chromatic and spherical aberration. By eliminating :. these sources of distortion microscope lenses capable of very high magnifications could be made, and by the 1830s makers in London were producing these achromatic microscopes on a commercial basis. However, the market for these instruments was not large, and outside London achromatic microscopes were not generally available.

By 1840, A. Abraham was retailing,and probably also making, achromatic microscopes7. Soon after Dancer moved to Manchester he began trading in this new form of instrument. He offered for sale at £7.15s a model which could be packed away for convenience into its specially-designed mahogany box.

Dancer quickly made links with local Fig.3 ].B.Dancermade thistrat~qling microscope Jar l.P.loulearound 1843.

Bulletin ~ the Scientific ln.qrument Society No. 29 (1991) h~r which Jouh, has h~'ona, tartarus"' J¢~uk, Dancer was not simply a skilled Manchester. ]'he earliest known wa,, born in Salford in 1818. His father ran microscopist. He designed other photograph of Manchester was taken by a brewing bu,,|ness, and the young James instruments, for example speed indicat~rs Dancer in 1842 and shows the curler's was able to devote a considerableamount for industrial machinery. In his workshop shop at !, Market Street ~7. Dancer of timeand money topursumgan interest at Ardwick, equipped with 'steam ~)wer continued to work with newly-invented in experimenting. Joule inv~.'~tigated the and suitable machinery', he was able to pRx'esses: when the colk~lkm pn~ss was temperature chang¢.'s produced when pn~duce very high quality get-Is '~. He introduced in the early 18.~)s he was soon gases art, compres~ and then allowed al.,~ retaih~J standard meteorological able to sell prepared chemicals for it, to expand, lie realised that the instruments. However, he is perhaps best temperature changes would be slight and known for his photographic work, and in Dancer was interested in making that he would therefore need accurate particular for his work on improvements to the magic lantern, in and .~,nsitive thermometers with 'very microphotography and on the 1837 he used limelight, previ,msly u,~'d narrow h~re of uniform diameter'. Joule, stere~'opic camera. in signalling, to increase the intensity of worked with Dancer at the instrument its illumination. This enabled a picture maker's premises 'eve~' m~a.ning ha" .,~nne Dancer's interest in photography began measuring fifteen feet across to be weeks until a few Thermometers the first early in Ila3q with the publication by produced from the back of a large lecture which were made in England with anv William Hen~ Fox Talbot of his meth,~ hall. He als) used triple achromatic lenses pretensions to accuracy were for producing "photogenic drawings' on to improve the clarity of the image. completed '~'. Dancer al~ matte Joule a paper. Dancer immediately began Lanterns with these len,,~eswere supplied travelling micr¢~'ope to enable the ~ale experimenting with the process and to the Manchester Mechanics Institute of each thermometer to be precisely managed to obtain an impression of the and many other institutions. S~am after etched ~:. (Fig.3) This brass instrument is sl~,ctrum..Cxnne of the cokmrs were visible he arrived in Manchester, Dancer in~ribed with the name 'Abraham and by the aid of a faint light but disappeared developed a new dis.,~)lving device to Dancer'. With this apparatus Joule dunng the fixing prt~'essTM. tte recognised allow one image to be faded into another, establish~l values: for the mechanical the commercial i~tential of the new and re-designed the optical systems so equivalent of heat, and went on to outline medium and prepared light-~nsitive that the centres of both images were as his theory for the con~,rvation of energy. paper for.~fle. S~am after, however, Louis near to each other as i:avssible. In the early Dancer al.,~ supplied Joule with other Daguerre announced his daguerreotype 18~)s he may also have made the first apparatus, including a balance (which process in which the photcn,ensitive layer photographic lantern slides using the was probably made by Robin~m and was h~rmed on a silver plate. Dancer collodion pri~ess, l'rior to this, all slides Barrow) and several gaivanometers. turned to the new process, making his were hand-painted. own camera. This was similar to the Dancer al,~ worked ch~,lv with the camera d'w:uras he had .,~=pplied to arti.qs, In his later years, Dancer was confident sanitary chemist Robert Angus Smith but which he fitted with an achromatic that he had introduced photography to ( 1817- l~g4). Smith came to Manchester in oblect glass from a telescope. Manchester in 1841. Richard Beard, who lY~43 after completing his PhD with the had a licence to use Daguerre's process in German chemist Justus Ltebig, at After six weeks of hard work, during Britain, did not open his studio in the city (;ies.,~n ~'. Smith became assistant to Lwm which he was "nearly sufh~cated with the until November. After he moved to Playfair, Professor of Chemistry at the vapour of iodine', Dancer managed to Manchester, Dancer taught the new Manchester Rovai Institutkm. In 1863, pr~luce satisfactory photographs. He techniques of photography to his friends, Smith became the first Inspector then heard that some of Daguerre's some of whom he had met at the Literary apl~inted under the new Alkali Acts to photographs were being exhibited in and Philosophical Society. His pupils ensure that chemical firms complied with l.x)ndon and t(x~k one of his own for included John Dale, a chemist with the regulations to reduce emissions of toxic compari~m, the result of which was 'very firm R(~ert Dale & Company; Joseph chel~icals into the air, and became ~tisfying'. He next obtained a complete Sidebotham, a textile chemist, and James laminated by air and its compt~ition. set of apparatus from Daguerre and began Mudd, a textile designer who later became During the first half of the 19th century to photograph public buildings in a professional photographer. These disea~,~,e was thought to result from Liverpool. He also exhibited the people were interested in photography as 'miasmata', or l~i~ms, contained in the daguerreotype process to an audience of a pastime and some, including air. Smith carried out a long series of some 15(}(I people, during which he Sidebotham and Mudd, made various analyses in an attempt to identify these enlarged and photographed microscopic improvements to photographic pR~=sses. dl~,a-,e agents: in several investigations obg~cts such as a flea. He continued his he was a..,sisted by John Benjamin Dancer. interest with the new art when he came to in February 1853, Dancer produced his Smith looked to Dancer to make preparation,~ from ~mples collected at various,,.ites, where Smith had entrapped particles contained in the air by shaking c air ~mples with .,,mall quantitie~• of water. Dancer examined tht,.se preparations and identified their organic contents, in which he ob.~,rved fungal mycelium, hairs of animals and vegetable remains ~. Dancer's $ d~.-.~-riptions aw rare examples of his micr~.~t'opical skill, for as an instrument maker he published very little. I'|e was Fig.4 Diagram of at~tical system u.,~l in~ Dancer to produce his microphotographs in 1853. primarily a technician, providing L: mten~, source of light (arc, limelic,ht, or ~cu.,;ed image of Sun); C: condenser; N: reduced unrivalh'd craft .,.kills to support the ne~atizs,, emulsion auu~ from sm~rce; O: microscope ob/ectme; S: stage of mich,:cope; P: investigations of his friends in .q'nsitizs'plah.¢with itsemulsion tou~rds the l~¢ht source) on u,hich microphotograph is formed; Manchester's ,,~'ienttfic community. M: h~t~/ of micn~q-Ol~., u~'d simply ta check the focus of the z¢~, small ima[ce.

Bulletin of the ,Sc0¢ntific Instrument Sooty No. 29 (1991)

t first microphotographs. These were tiny investigator into optical phenomena, and simultaneously at the correct distance pictures on microscope slides which were his regard for Dancer indicates the quality apart. He then made improvements and, viewed through a microscope or viewer. of the Manchester instrument maker's three years later, took out a patent fiw the H.F.Talbot had succeeded in reducing work. Dancer also presented a dozen apparatus (Fig.5P". This was the first time photographs to a negative measuring microscopic copies of Winterhalter's he had protected any of his inventions in approximately 2" x 2~,~". However, Dancer paintings of the Royal Family to Queen this way. was the first person to reduce photographs Victoria. At the London Exhibition in 1862 to a microscopic scale. He had attempted he received an honourable mention for in 1855 Dancer, together with Sideh~tham, to produce 'microscopic photographs' his invention. Dancer did not develop Mudd and other enthusiasts, founded the with the daguerreotype process, but the any practical applications for his new Manchester Photographic Society. It size of the mercury particles involved technology, but its popularity exemplifies brought together professionals, amateurs meant that the pictures could not be the Victorians' fascination with the and dealers, many of whom already knew satisfactorily reduced, in 1852 F. Scott magical, minute world which the each other through the Literary and Archer introduced his collodion process, microscope could reveal. Philosophical Society. At the in which the photosensitive chemicals Photographic Society meetings members were dispersed in a collodion film on Dancer also made the first twin-lens discussed new techniques and displayed glass, and were of a finer grain size. stereoscopic camera. Stereoscopic their photographs. Equipment used at Photographers could obtain a much photographs consist of two pictures of a the meetings was often supplied by sharper image with this new process. subject taken at a certain distance from Dancer. Dancer once again attempted to produce each other in the same plane. These are very small photographs, and this time he mounted together on a card and, when From the late 1850s, sources indicate that succeeded. looked at through a viewer, produce a Dancer concentrated on his instrument three-dimensional effect. Brewster had making business. Three o[ his sons, Josiah, Dancer's technique was, first, to produce developed a new form of stereoscopic John and James, were opticians by 1861 a negative on glass. This was then viewer and showed it to Dancer, who was and may well have joined him in the projected the 'wrong' way through a so impressed with the three-dimensional workshop I~. His fourth son, William, microscope objective. At the focus of this forms of the subjects that he began to studied chemistry at Owen's College in lens he placed a glass microscope slide experiment with a camera. Manchester under Sir Henry Roscoe, and bearing a sensitised collodion film, on later became the County Analyst. By the which the final photograph was produced Before Dancer's invention, stereo- early 1870s Dancer's workshop was (Fig.4). Much the same technique is now photographs were usually taken with one powered by steam and equipped with used in commercial microfilming. camera. After the first exposure, the machinery suitable to make good quality camera was moved a certain distance instruments. He is known to have The microphotographs soon became very laterally and the second picture taken. employed eight men and perhaps four popular. Dancer produced photographs However, photographers did not agree boys2°. in about 1877 he acquired a big of many subjects including eminent on the exact distance between the two house in Ardwick, then a select scientists, the Lord's Prayer, and Niagara camera positions: Dancer demonstrated Manchester suburb, where he set up a Falls. Dancer's friend, Sir David Brewster, that the camera lens taking the picture larger workshop. exhibited some of the microphotographs should only be moved the distance of the in Florence and Rome and showed them average space between the human eyes. By 1870, however, Dancer had developed to the Pope. Brewster, Principal of St In 1853 he produced a bin(~ular camera diabetes and his sight began to fail. He Andrews University, was a leading with which both pictures could be taken underwent three operations on his eyes for glaucoma but, by 1878, his illness had caused his eyesight to deteriorate so much that he was prevented from attending to the business. The manufacture of microphotographs was taken over by two of his daughters, Elizabeth Eleanor and Anna Maria 21. Wedo not know why none of his sons took over the instr~tment making part of the business. Dancer may have dealt in second-hand instruments [or a brief period in 1885, but later that year he went to live with relatives in Birmingham = . He died in November 1887 and was buried in Brooklands Cemetery in Sale. The microphotograph negatives were sold in ltKl0 to Richard Surer of London.

Conclusions

This account of Dancer's career reveals features of the wider scientific community of the time. Firstly, we glimpse the open community of Manchester in mid-century that Dancer supplied with technical skills and apparatus. We see how this provincial Fig.5 Dancer's stereoscopic camera, as patented in 1856. Improvements to the 1853 maker's reputation depended upon prototype included a bubble level on top of the camera, aperture wheels, and a plate counter. personal contact with his clients. Many

Bulletin of the Scientific Instrument Society No. 29 (1991) 7 items were supplied on the basis of an nineteenth century. Cameras' exhibition at the Museum M individual specification. Indeed, on at Science and Industry in Manchester, least one occasion, we know that Dancer 3 C.P.Darcy, The Encouragement ,~ the accession number 1976.16. worked alongside, perhaps even under Fine Arts in lanca~ire, 17(d~-1800, Chetham thedirection of, one of hisclients--James Society, 1976. 18 Patent no 2064-1856. Pr~ott Jt.ale. 4 Manchester Courier, 12 May 1841, p. i. 19 Census return, 1861, for 14 Tipping With the advent of large institutionali.~d Street, Ardwick. laboratories for both teaching and 5 Jenny Wetton, 'Scientific Instrument research, the market changed. Dancer did Making in Manchester 1790-1870', 20 Census return, 1871, for sameaddre~. not run a business capable of responding Memoirs and Pn~'eedin~s (~ the Mancht~ter effectively to large orders of class-sets of Literarv and Philosophical Society 21 Censusreturn, 1881,for 75 High Street, apparatus. It is impt~ible to say whether, fforthct'~ming). Chorlton-on-Medkrk. Also letter from with investment and changed working Frank Ht~b to Library Association, arrangements, Dancer would have 6 B.Bracegirdle, 'J.J.Lister and the N.W.Group, 13th February 1961, in the develt~(I into a manufacturer td n~em Establishment of Histology', Medical L.L. Ardern Collection at Manchester teaching equipment. Dancer represents History, 1977, 21, 187-191. Central Library. the artificer-retailer of the mid-19th century instrument trade, active within 7 R.H.Nuttall, 'Microscopes for 22 ibid (7) and letter with Dancer's his local community, and respected Manchester', Chemistry in Britain, 1980, Autobiographical Sketch from J.P.Joule because of his knowledge and skill. 16, 132-136. to Dancer, 5th March 1885 (I).

What is disappointing is the lack of 8 W.C.William~m, Remini.~'ences of a Author's address: evidence concerning the financial side of Yorkshire Naturalist. Facsimile edition Museum of Science and Industry his business. We have no means of edited by Joan Watson and B.A.Thames, Liverpool Road knowing how wealthy Dancer became. 1985. Manchester M3 4JP His skills were probably not especially lucrative, and his circumstances were 9 Information about the Manchester prt~',ably not particularly comfortable at Mi~oscopical Society is given in the the end of his life. However, with no Memoirs of the Literary and Phih~phical account b(,~ks or company records, we Society from 1858 onwards. The have no means to document the Microscopical Society published annual development of the business. We do not reports from 1882 which are now held at know which years brought the best results, the Manchester Central Library. nor which gave cause for concern. 10 D.S.L.Cardwell, ]ames Joule -- a However, we can be sure ot the inventive Bh~raphy. Manchester University Press, genius of Dancer, which left us with 1989. microphotography. His undoubted skills as an instrument maker are made evident II ibid (I), p. 21. by the splendour of the objects in the c~dlections of the Museum of Science and 12 Now in the collections of the Museum Industry. in Manchester. of Science and Industry in Manchester, accession number 1909.5.1. The Museum Acknowledgements has a growing collection of scientific instruments, photographic equipment The research for this article was and microphott~,raphs signed by Dancer. undertaken during time allowed by the Museum of Science and Industry in 13 W.V.Farrar and A. Gibson, 'Robert Manchester. i should like to take this Angus Smith and Sanitary Service', Notes opportunity to thank Dr Stella Butler for and Records of the Royal Society, 1974, 28, her help in preparing this article. 241-262.

References 14 J.B.Dancer, 'Microscopical Examination of the Solid Particles ! John benjamin Dancer FRAS 1812- Collected by Dr Angus Smith from the 1887, an Autobiographical Sketch with Air of Manchester', Memoirs of the some Letters, Memoirs and Proceedings of Manchester Literary and Philo~phical the Manch~ter Literary and Philosophical Society,1871, 4, series 3. Societt/, 1965/6, 107, !-27. 15 J.B.Dancer, Catalogue of Microscopes, For other articles on Dancer, see also Manchester, 1873. Michael Hailett (ed), John Benjamin Dancer 1812-1887: Selected Documents and Essays, 16 J.B.Dancer, Autobioxraphical Sketch, City of Birmingham Polytechnic, 1979. page 9. How Dancer managed to do this is puzzling; presumably 'some of the 2 See D.S.L Cardwell, The Organisation colours' were those from the blue end of of Science in England, Heinemann, 1972, the spectrum. for a review of the institutional development of science during the 17 Now on display in the 'Collected

Bulletin ol the Scientific Instrument Society No. 29 (1991) The Society's Visit to the Netherlands, 13-17 May 1991

First Day: The Museum Boerhaave, Photo Credits & Information Leiden. 14th May 1991 A: Mike Cowham B : John Reid C : Peter Louwman Helen Turner D: Allan Mills E : Howard Dawes Hermann Boerhaave (1668-1738), F : Copyright Museum [h~,rhaave professor at the ancient University of Leiden, was known as "the greatest All were submitted as standard teacher of medicine in the whole of machine-finished gh~,sy colour Europe". It is therefore entirely fitting additionally making use of I~ks and prints except D and F, which were, that the new national museum of the graphics to relate scientific developments taken in black and white. history of science which bears his name to the broad historical canvas. should be housed in the hospital where he taught his students by example at the The Museum Boerhaave is in the heart of The tour of the Museum proper begins at patient's bedside. The converted building, the old town of Leiden, set in a maze of the start of the Renaissance, in a small originally a convent dating from the 15th narrow streets that may prove a puzzle to gallery dominated by an amusing series century, was enlarged around a ct~rtyard the stranger. It is to be hoped that the of hmr paintings of the physician as seen in the hallowing two hundred years. It municipality, with such a treasure house by his patients: first as an angelic ~viour, forms a gracious and versatile setting fi)r to offer visitors, will soon provide then as a professional, next as a mere the collections; thanks in part to the skill adt~|uate sign-[xvsting. The spacious man, and finally as a devil when he of craftsmen of past centuries, but al.,~) to entrance hall is simply arranged, with a submits his bill! "['he rin)m shows .,~me of the present-day planne~ and architects wide counter for business transactions, the t(n)Is of th(vse who first studied the who designed the necessary additions coat-racks, and toilets. It is worth noting natural world, particularly with the aim and the museum layout. here that, during its gestation period, the of curing bodily ills. The visitor is staff of the museum produced for .~le a transported back to a time when It was in 1928 that the museum's own series of excellent mont~graphs on aspects superstition held wide sway; but the history began. Originally a private of the collections. The majority of thtvse clouds were ready to lift, fi)r in the hmg hmndation which opened to the public in are available in English. gallery adjoining I~e enters the gulden age 1931 in a disused university laboratory of scientific -- and other -- discoveries in near Leiden railway station, it was made Ace,s to the galleries is via a gla~s-n~fed the 17th century. a national museum in 1947. passage, with the wall of the fi~rmer Accommodation in the original building h~rspital on one side and on the other the This was the periiM of the great voyages became cramped, and meanwhile there nt~v k,cture-n~(nn, where a twentv-minuk' to the New World. Sea-faring and land was strong pressure to restore and find an film about the museum is sl~own at surveying grew rapidly in importance, appropriate use fiw the Caecilia Hospital intervals (more of this later). L~minating with mathematical instruments noLMtM where I~,rhaave had taught. Extensive the end of this foyer is a full-size by map-makers and surveyors. We meet building work, followed by the reconstruction of the celebrated lhth- that remarkable family of Dutch establishment of the galleries in 23 rc~ms, century anatomy theatre of Leiden instrument makers the Sneewlns took eight years, and the new B~,rhaave University. This is a circular tiered (Anthony, Hendrik and Willem) and find Museum opened on 25 March I~'~1. The structure in w(~d, with seats for the a case of the superbly-made surgical Dutch Government provided the funds, students and a table in tbe centre (m which instruments of Cornelis ~)lingen (1641- DFI.26m, or al~mt £8m. dissections were performed. This model, i 057). His Mammh" ()l~'raticn der Clurur~ic extraordinarily ew~cative, was the brain- deseribed in ve~ practical terms the Stress is rightly laid on the aim of the child of the present Dirt~kWs predt~es~t~, iml~)rtance of design and construction in Director, Dr. Gerrit Veeneman, and the D~flf Ca~gelein. It is the three-dimensional the hx~ls u.,~ed bv a ~urgl~m -- particularly curators to create a museum of the history embodiment of the spirit of the a ship's surgeon on a long voyage. Travel of ~ience. It has been [n~inted out that one Renaissance that fl~und one of its greatest to new worlds al~ yieldtM treasurt.,s for of the characteristics of modern science is written manifestations in Vesalius' De the I~)tanist, inspiring the application for fi)rgetfulness of its past. This is a rea~m tlumani Corl~wis Fabrica, the starting-point systematic study to plants. Optical why most so-called science museums are of anatomical science. instruments, latt~:lnners k~ the ln,.qrun~,nt generally planned round the m(~lern ~ene, appeared at the very beginning of scientific disciplines, with departments On the occasion of the SIS visit this fl)yer the 10(I)s, ~} this gallery, al~ includt~ the of astronomy, physics, chemistry, and aim) hou.~d ten glass ca.,~s, in which were first microscopist, Antoni van on. The currently expressed aim of such displayed instruments lent for the Leeuwenhl,.k (ib'~2-1725), who u~,d tins' museums is to teach the principles of occasion by two Dutch member-colk~-k~, bead lenses, here on show, h}r the stud ie,, science by means of three-dimensional Peter Louwman and AIdert Klut. The of micnHJrganisms dt.'scribed in his k'tters objects, at least some of which can be former has a remarkable telescope to the Royal ~ciety of London Here, t~,~, handled. At the Museum Ek~erhaave the collection and he showed, among other are .,~me of the products of Holland's aim has been to show how the stud y of the treasures, a superb late 18th-century greates't natural phihv~)pher, Chri~tiaan natural world grew and gradually Japanese instrument with its box, and one Huygens (1b~-169~), mathematician, developed during the Renaissance and made and signed by Fran(;ois Baillou, physicist, astronomer and optician As subsequent peritxts, using as raw material optician to the Milanese court, dated 17Ol. well as writing an iml~rtant treati~" on an exceedingly rich and varied collection Aldert Klut's enthusiasm is particularly geometrical optics, he was skilled at of artefacts. The displays are arranged fi)r craftsmanship, as is fi~r example grinding lenses for teh.'~'opes, .,~me of chronologically, though within the rooms evident in the intricate professional which art, displayed here. similar instruments will be grouped instruments of the 19th century, such as together. Such an approach builds on the those u.,~-M by surveyors. He also showed So tta) are his clocks, for he al.,~) worked visitor's own knowledge of history, a group of watchmaker's tools. on the i~chronism of the pendulum

Bulletin o[ the Scientific In~rument ~L~clely No. 29 (19~I) lntert.~ting and vaned though this gallery mt~els and stuffed birds. Of particular much to support and further scientific is, it ~rv~ onl), as an intrt~luction to the interest are the mounted preparations for research. two it~tV rtKnns that ~xm~, ~,xt, dL,,piaying the micr(~cope by Ypelaar, master of this the Mu~um's greatest strength, the particular art, and the magnificent cabinet One of the most laminating displays, "Cabinet of Phvsics" of L~4den University. of the physician Hendnk de I~.mch,dating certainly for instrument buffs such as The late 17th and 18th centuries were the from the mid-18th century. The latter is members of the SIS, is the long corridor age of the lecture demonstration, when L~uipped not only with medicines, but devoted to the pnn:lucts of individual the teaching of physics by means of with all kinds of collectible items from the makers. Each maker, or group of makers, practical displays became popular natural world has a complete ca~: the craftsmen throughout Europe, and even in the New represented include the Englishmen, World in 1074, !~, Voider, Profes.,~w of The 18th century was the peri(~ of I~llond and Watkins & Hill; an imp~ntant I'hdo.,~phy at Leiden, ~w Robert I~wle .,~'ientific popularization; learned .,~cieties group of Dutch makers, such as Canzius, experimenting before the Royal ~cit'tv flourished, and the wonders revealed by Kleman and Logeman; the Paris firms of in London. and returned to urge his the k~-ture-demonstrators hmnd their way Hartnack, Oberhauser, and Nachet; and University to create a Tlwatrum ]>httsicum into people's homes. Static electricity the German, Zeiss. for the practical teaching of physics. This topped the bill, both for providing a show impetus eventually h~rt, fruit when and in its medical applications, fi)llowed After the concentration required by such Wilh,m 's Gravesande (IO88-1742) by optical devices such as the solar riches, light relief is provided by a series commissioned, from 1717, a range of micrtv~ope. The study of the heavens of quite extraordinary physiotherapy models and instruments for was al.,~ a pastime fiw many, as well as a machines. Devised by Gustaf Zander demonstration from Jan van serious study for the few, with tek~scopes (I 835- ! 920) and displayed with evocative Mus~henbroek (1087-1748). This was the and planetaria much in demand. It is the graphics, these curious machines mark pt.rit~ whet Leiden Unive~itv was the Age of Societies that is the subject of the beginning of planned exercise as mecca for all students interested in another large gallery, with emphasis on therapy. ! particularly liked the horse studying the natural world; whether it theamateur lntere,,t in ~,ciencethat did so riding machine, intended -- according to were medicine, botany, astronomy, mathematics or physics. On display in tl~e third and fourth galleries are, fi~t, the famous "Leiden Sphere", a planetarium used bv "s Gravesande to demonstrate the Copernican system; and then a range of Van Musschenbroek's teaching apparatus, the intricacy and craftsmanship of which can be studied closely from bridges that span the central display platform Smaller instruments and models are contained in wall ca~,.. These dt.~r~'e a special mention fiw their design, for they are mtmnted awav from the actual walls "on supports, thus ~dvlng two problems: the unevenness of old .,,tructures, and p~v,stble damage by damp.

Here we al.,~ meet Carl Linnaeus (1707- 1778) the Swedi.,,h ~)tanist whose key work on the classification of plant~, animals and minerals, Sy~tema Naturae, wa.~ first published during his three-year ~tav in Holland

As well as labels (all in English as well as Dutch) and introductory general descriptions for each gallery, touch television ~reens are provided These enable visitors to find out in greater depth about individual instruments. There art, al~ working m~K:lelsthat can be activated to demon.~trate some of the physical eth~cts. These aids are of great im~wtance, given the ignorance of science in the public at large and, even more, the fear that is at the r(x)t of this ignorance.

A series of small, intimate rt~)ms come next, once the attics of the alms houses which formed one side of the ht~pital courtyard The~e are a complete contrast to the preceding major galleries, and most attractive visually, displaying objects as varied as drug jars, wax anatomical Fig. 1 The reconstructed Anatomy Theatn,. [D] l0 Bulletin of the Scientific Instrument Society No. 29 (1991) ,..,_,.--

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i Fig. 2 I','tt'r L, mwma, with s,,m; prized exhibits fr, urt his colh'cti,,,. IDI Fig. 3 Ihc,scrcat I.cld+'n ,Ir,ltll, rt/ ,iJlicrc ,h',ttu+*tc, It, ,l+rrollndtn.q, I.'ll the label -- as "intestinal function circle from the new observatory. stimulus. Einthoven studied the function of tl~e human heart, and his electrocardiogram A rt~m full of 19th century, surgical is displayed. The excellent film made to instruments, and a display of papier introduce the visitor to the Museum, m~ch~ anatomical mt~lels designed for entitled "Sweat and Tears", tells us that mass-prt~luction, lead to the galleries Eindhoven used the local telephone showing yesterday's ,science -- inevitably service to record a patient's heartbeats on a tougher prop~vsition fur the non- a cardiograph. ,scientific visitor. The key figure here is Heike Kammerlingh Onnes (I 8~3-1926), Having encountered Leeuwenhoek's tiny Nobel prize winner, and Leiden bead micn~copes at the beginning of the University's main practitioner of "big tour, it is appropriate to find at the ve~ science". Big is certainly the operative end the prototype electron micr~vscope word for the huge apparatus he devi,,~J designed by J B le P~fle of Delft. to achieve the liquification of helium, and the origin of his nickname of "Mr Freezer" The Director estimates that three to fi~ur as the creator of the best-equipped low- hours are needed to view the collections temperature la[xwatory in Europe. The thoroughly; translate this into words, and t SIS group were fiwtunate to be given a a very, long article would result. So there Fig. 4 Astnmvmical ,tumlrant by Bl, leu, talk al:xmt Kammerlingh Onnes and his is only space here fiw a taster, hinting at ca.l~lO. IDI achievement bv the Museum's curator of the richness of the feast in store. Rich physics, Anne ~'an Helden. This certainly though it is, the Mu~um B~,rhaave is made more understandable the intricate not, and could not be, fully comprehensive c3 tangle of equipment that survives from in its coverage of the history of science. It Kammerlingh Onnes' ial:xwatory. It was is restricted by the collection it holds, and interesting to learn from the talk by Peter this means that its emphasis is on Dutch de Clercq on the history of the Museum scienceand Dutch instruments. But this is (see below) that this part of the collection al.~ the Museum's strength, fi~r it ks always owes its existence to Kammerlingh Onnes' easier to grasp and relate to the particular. a~sistant, C A Cromn~,lin, who persuaded The atmosphere of the succession of the University departments to give into period r~ms is almost that of a lived-in his care their obsolete apparatus. rather than a public space; an impression heightened by the charm of the old ()ther leading figures of the mtKlern building, the elegance of the fittings, and period whose equipment is on display the skilful lighting. The Museum's mapr are Frederik Kaiser (1808-1872) and achievement is that, through the Willem Einthoven (18~0-1927). KaLser was accumulation of individual stones, the the University's Professor of Astronomy broad pattern of scientific development who found it im~,ssible to do effective emerges: the bridge span leaps, complete research in the original observatory, and and clear, from the age of di~overy toour eventually achieved the building of a new own age of specialization. Fig. 5 The of&st pre~'n,ed t~',ttulum one in 1860 where he carried trot im[x~rtant clock: Sahunon Costcr's lo57 dt'siy, n studies on the properties of stars. On emph~uiuy, Christi41ml tluu,~eus' m~'utiou display are the master clock and meridian IFI

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Hulh.,tm ot the %tenhht In.,trum~.nt ~.lt,tv .No. 2".1 (1'4441) ] ~, The Museum Boerhaave, A typical expression was the foundation, in 1887, of the Nederland.~'h Natuur -en Past and Present Gem~kund~, Gm~res (Dutch Society of Natural and Medical Sciences). Modelled Peter de Clercq on, among others, the British Association for the Advancement of Science, it hoped A,t,tres~ t,, the Scu'ntih," Instrument ~,cu'ty to put Dutch science back (m the Eun~ean on 14 M,nt 1991 map where it had been in the days of Stevin, Huygens, Leeuwenhoek and 'The Mu~um Boerhaave was founded in Ek~erhaave. A recurrent theme in the 1'~28 and opened to the public three years proceedings of this society was the need later, in June 1931. in the sixty years since for a national museum for the history of then the museum ha.,, gone through great scitnlce, where "m,asures (d the past' cxmid changes. Originally a private foundation, stimulate the present generation to it became a national museum in ! 947. The emulate the achievements of the Dutch staff has grown from virtually zero to myself and others. If you buy an nice old pioneers. A strong advocate of this well over thirty. And we havemade the surveying instrument you prd'~ably don't museum was the physician E C van long-awaited move from a cramped take it out into the field but put it on the Leersum (1862-193~), one t~ the first Dutch build ing in the Steenstraat to the Caecilia mantlepiece to en,~y it as an antique. My historians of medicine. At the Society's Ht~pital where we are now. Tht~e of w~u question is: when and why did people meeting of ]907, held in Leiden, he who remember our old premises will start, as you and I do nowadays, to mounted an exhibition of Dutch books, appreciate how thrilled we were to be appreciate scientific instruments as manu~ripts, portraits and instruments. ~ given the opportunity to completely start historical rather than as lunctitmal t~ects? The printed catalogue~ lists almost four afresh here. You have seen how we have The answer is tx~und to be a mixture of hundred pieces of physical, chemical, chosen to till the exhibition space of,,~,me various elements. Sheer aesthetic pleasure astronomical and nautical apparatus, and 2tllO .,~luare meters, laid out over 2.1 n~ms in Itn,king at a piece of exquisite about the .same number of antique medical of very different size and character. craftsmanship is clearly imEx~rtant, but instruments. The scientific apparatus was Theref(we you may iudge the effect of there is more to it than that. Anthony mainly on loan from universities, from ~,me basic'choices made when we began Turner has touched on this matter -- the Royal Academy of Sciences in planning the new museum in 1983. what I call the rise of antiquarianism in Amsterdam and from Teylers Society in scientific instruments ~-- and we are now Haarlem; while most of the fifty-odd Thus, we opted for a chronological considering a conference on this theme, microscopes came from private owners. arrangement, which we feel dt~s more to be held here in early 1993. So what are The Leiden Exhibition of 1907 was a iu,qice to the history of ~ience than an the origins of the Museum I~,erhaave? magnificent parade of antique arrangement in subject galleries. It is only instruments, and Van Leersum i~ped that when you reach the later 19th century, The South Kensington Exhibition the government would provide the funds when the scientific community had reallv of 1876 to keep them together. Although he was begun to specialize, that we have allotted One crucial influence was the Special Loan di~ppointed in this, indirectly his plans entire rt,,ms to separate disciplines such Collection brought together in South did materialize as the torch was taken as physics and astronomy. We were also Kensington in 1876. The principal aim of over by someone who did carry it to the determined not to make the museum into this exhibition was to present a survey of finish line. This was Claude August a kind of hi_,,torv of science text-b(~k scientific equipment then on the market Crommelin (1878-1965), Founder and first illustrated bv o[~jects. That is why we and in use for research and teaching. But Director of the Museum I:k,erhaave (Fig. don't go back in time before the there was ai~ a section reserved for 2). In 1898 he had come to Leiden to study Rena|s~ance, or why you haven't met "Objects of Historic Interest" which were physics, and then in 1903 he became giants like Kepler or Newton or Einstein. "treasured as sacred relics". The assistant to Profes,~)r Kamerlingh Onnes And perhaps even more striking 'Historical Treasures' sent to South at the Physics Laborattn'y. I have no pr~x)f, con.~idering our fi~cus on the Netherlands, Kensington from various countries: but I suspect that it was Crommelin who we have even omitted l.orentz, arguably included the telescopes of Galileo and selected the historic instruments entered the greatt~t Dutch scientist after Huygens. Newton, and Pascal's calculating in the 1907 exhibition from the Physics The rea,.~m is quite simple: we just don't machine, but the Dutch entries were Lah,ratory. ! have elsewhere ~discussed have anything worth presenting for these equally important. Thus, Leiden Crommelin's activities from this point men, and it i~ historical objects that we University entered Christiaan Huygens' onwards, leading to the foundation of the wi~,h to exhibit, not concepts. planetarium and the object lenses that he present museum in 1928. I therefore let and his brother constructed for their the story rest here and sum up what we I could talk at length about what we have astronomical research. From 's have seen. For the Netherlands the doneand why, but I have decided to paint Gravesande's physical demonstration appreciation of old instruments as a dttterent background to your visit to the apparatus five large pieces were on show, historical treasures can he traced back Mu~,um I~.rhaave hv3ay, one which as well as his double-barrel air-pump (Fig. well into the 19th century. And when, at allows me to indulge in my own interest 1). There was al~ his heliostat, and the beginning of the 20th century, plans in institutional and h~:al history. I shall apparently this made such an impression were made to create a permanent, public fm, t discuss the origins of this museum that a replica of it was made, which until collection of old instruments, there was a and then talk about the history of its recently was on display at the Science definite nationalistic streak in them. The building. Museum. idea was that confronting young Dutch scientists with the products of eminent Antiquarianism The Leiden Exhibition of 1907 predecessors would appeal to their Although 1928 marks the beginning of That was l.ondon, 1876. The story now patriotic feelings and stir them to the histor~ of this mu.,~.um, its t,r,'hist,,~ takes us to Leiden. The end of the 19th comparable achievements. I wonder if can be traced further back. And in doing century saw the rise of a strongly people still think that science museums ~) we touch on a question that I often ask nationalistic movement in Dutch science. can play such a role?

14 Bulletin of the Scientific Instrument S~. No. 29 (1991) The Caecilia Hospital' adding the high building on the northern allowed the Caecilia Hospital k) fall into After this excursion into prehistory I now wing where we now have the Leiden decay. Plans to restore it and turn it into a turn to the second topic which I would Cabinet of Physics (Fig. 5). The coat-of- n~mument to the histtwy of m,~Jicine date like to tell you something about, and that arms of the regents of the hospital can still back to the 193(h. In the 1960s the idea is the Caecilia Hospital where we are be seen in the courtyard, over the entrance began to take shape that it should be today, if you had difficulty in finding to their meeting rooms. Finally, the small converted to house the Museum your way to the museum through the houses which now make up the eastern Boerhaave. In the 198(h thisdream finally small streets and alleys you will find wing of the complex (Fig. 4) originally came true. We have gone through a very. consolation in knowing that this finely- served to h(mse pensioners, who paid a exciting period, planning and arranging meshed structure dates back to the 15th lump sum to live there in a protected the new museum. The result is all around century. At that period several nunneries (although highly regimented) you. I hope that you have enjoyed it and huddled together here around the parish atmosphere, and to be provided with fuel will continue to be our guests for many church, the remainders of which (now and food. The restoration architect has years to come. sadly covered in dirt and graffiti) are still preserved the outline of these minute there right outside our front door. One of dwellings, creating the series of attics Notes and References these nunneries was the Caecilia Convent, where we have displayed our anatomical and next to it was the Agnieten Convent, and microscopical preparations. !. Anthony Turner, Early Scientific which gave its name to the streetrunning Instruments. Europe 1400-1800 (London parallelto the south wing of our museum. A new lease of life 1987), pp. 275-27~. 'A n~ae on the colle~ng With the coming of the Reformation to Shortly before 1800 the Caecilia Hospital of scientific instruments'. Leiden in the 1570s the possessions of the lost its academic function, when the then clergy fell to the city, which made good more highly differentiated clinical 2. Catah~ue of the Special Loan G~llection use of them to house the institutionsof teaching was distributed over other of Scientific Apparatus at the South the newly founded University -- a fine buildings elsewhere in Leiden. For a while Kensm~?ton Museum, L(ntdon 1877. See also example of recycling historical buildings. it remained in use as a municipal hospital, R W G Anderson, 'Were scientific Thus the Anatomy Theatre was but that too came to an end in the 1870s instruments in the nineteenth century constructed in an old church akmg the when a completely new hospital was different? Some initial considerations °, in Rapenburg canal near St. Peter's Church. constructed on the city ramparts. Sadly, P R de Ciercq, ed., Nineteenth Centu~. The Caecilia Convent also was given a Caecilia began to fall into a long-drawn- Scientific Instruments and Their Makers new function when around 1600 it was out decline, serving a variety of functions (Leiden/Amsterdam 1985), pp. 1-12. converted into a hospital with quarters totally unrelated to its pnn~t history. Thus for pensioners. The municipal authorities for a king time it housed the municipal 3. Bert Theunissen and Robert P W asked the advice of the medical professors workhouse, where unemployed people Visser, 'History of biology in the at the university, who recommended that sat at long tables performing menial tasks. Netherlands: a historical sketch', in the rooms for the 'pest patients' (those Luckily, the watch-dogs of history and Tractrix 2 (1990) pp. 141-157. with infectk~us diseases) should have high gtx)d taste were not slow in reacting. You ceilings, be well ventilated, and provide will remember that in 1907 the Dutch 4. Catalogus van de geschiedkundiqe kn" the isolation of the patients. The former Society of Natural and Medical Sciences tentoonslellin£ van natuuren xenee:,,kunde. chapel and the adjoining living quarters met at Leiden, where it could visit the te houden te Leiden 27 maart-lO april 1907, of the nuns were accordingly converted. historical exhibition organ~ed by the ter gelegenheid tun het elfde Nederland~h These are the lofty rooms with the oak physician E C van Leersum. in a rather Natuur- en Geneeskundig Gmgres, beurrkt beams now housing electrical and optical pompous opening speech, interlarded door E C van hcrsum, f M G de F~. fer, P C instruments etc. of around 18(}0 (Fig. 3), with quotations, Van Leersum discussed Molhu.v~n (Leiden 190'7). and the adjoining room for temporary the celebrated history of clinical teaching exhibitions. The wards were accessible in Leiden and then continued: 5. Peter de Clercq, The Leiden Cabinet of via an outside staircase jutting out into Physics (Communication 233 of the the courtyard, which also is still there Not far from here lies the old building Museum ik~erhaave) Leiden 1989, pp. I 1- (Fig. 4). where once, eager to learn, the 12. students gathered from "Ungaria, These two rooms are considered to be the Moscovia, Polonia, Germania, Dania, 6. Based on, among others, A M finest surviving examples of 17th-century Suecia, Helvetia, Italia, Gallia, Anglia Luyendiik-Eishout, 'The Caecilia Hospital hospital construction in the Netherlands. et unde non?" land from where not?] in Leiden', in Pnweedings of the XXIII They occupy a special place in medical to be trained.., to become practical International Gmgress on the History of history as it was here that the celebrated physicians. There Boerhaave, M~dicine, held in Lxmdon 2-9 September Leiden clinical teaching was conducted "magnus file medicorum universae 1972 (London, 1974), pp. 312-317. in the 17th and 18th centuries by a series Europae praeceptor" [that great of university professors, including teacher of physicians of the whole of 7. ECvanLeersum,'DeTent(xmstelling Herman Boerhaave himself. While in Europel, moulded his apostles .... wK)r de C,eschiedenis der Natuur- en around 1600 these lofty wards were elected to spread the blessings of Geneeskunde'. Address published by the created on the first floor, cells were created practical medical teaching to East and Vereeniging I-let Nederlandsch Natuur- on the ground floor for the insane. West. But let me dissuade you from en Geneeskundig Congres (1907), 13 According to the accepted ideas of the age visiting that sacred spot. its present pages; translated from p.4. these cells were dark and gloomy, and function would surely make you ironically parts of these have now been blush with irritation: they are now converted by our architect into the selecting peas and coffee beans there, r museum library reading room. Traces of (Fig. 6) the small hatches through which the insane were given their food are still visible Van Leersum was one of the first in what in the wall along the corridor. During the would gradually grow into a chorus of 17th century the hospital was enlarged by protest against the way the city had

Bulletinof the Scientificlnstrument Society No. 29 (1991) 15 t:ig. 2 t ,~ t~ootmch~t m the M..ct~m. 1~4S. Ill~'alr I~O~tl ~In the h,r~'~n~told, ~,l~m'd It+e+ !,m l=h~m, PdCI van Mu~,,t'ht,nbn~t.k Itxit, il'a. ii.t'd at t;nm0t~l~'~ Llmi~'r.iltl I,y h,tnom B~'rno.lli. 7-hc' air pure t, b+'himt him, cmt,h,.t~Ot,~ a m~'tal n't('it,~'r it'lth thn'~' plat il'llldOil",, tolloil'., lk~vh"~ ¢lr~t dll'~i~lt alld iell~ I~robal'lu t,mlt I,cla'cc~ Ii.(~ll ~l~ht 1l~7-1. Ii'1

! ~ I - t;,,~:'c.,~,~,h. ,h,~d'l, I,,~,,1 m~ l,t~.tt,, -~,

R~,.I', a+~ it a'a~ hen" that the cdcbnlted dmi~ al tcadtlng h~k I,hl(e. In tin' hm'gn~uttd ~1 ~'h'fliOll of ilt~/Yltltl('tll~ lrolt! a prOi'illt'hll ~til'~lllliC ~O¢i('tt/ Ilhe De~,etlh'r Colh'¢liotll i~Idmh'~ apt~lrolu~ 10r ,i¢ou~tioil ('xpt.ritn(,nt~; il'llh or~all t~i1~,~,deli~'en'd in 184.1 by Marlye cl Cic. of I'ari.. I. the I~tt Jk~In,umt h,u~'rs ,111 8 le~'l r~'/h'~ t0lg h,h..ot~, b~tilt aroumt 1;511, l'r,,l~il,ly I,~ All, on 5h'il", for the illtlllh'lir a.trottOttlt'r ]li(ObllS i'llll Ill' Wall of Am,/~'nl, m~. IFI

......

| I~ 4 I': d~':;,,i',i ,- ,H: ~',i-/- ',,r , I-I1,'1- to' 'HIH.~.III.I'IIItl I{ot'tll~i~t~'t" Illt'Olll'hl~'.ldlhd.t' h ',~,tl ~:'4 t,, lhc,,ht h,,.t,tt,d .',~r,l. t. lt~.t ;'t.tbh' o~t thc rt,~ht, lit the' I,,l( t~,~r,,totd, h~mOt g o;'cr the l't ":" t, ,m'~. lh ,tt.c. t. thc ~ Iho,l~ h'rt.ttt ,h,otc t,¢ the Pll'~lrt~llMan'kcrk, ~11~roh'.hott thtlrch I,Itilt z,t tile 1~,4JI. fhc ht.~,,h t,t~tl,ttlt)~ , w the h'tt t. the I "/'tit ~t'olttru cxto~.to~ ~t,~i~,l/olt.m g the I.vi&'~t t,d,t~tct ,,, I'ht~-~, - It I

1 t~ Htillt,tin t~t the .~l~t'ntlllt" In~lrumt,nl .~t-it'lv .%1~. 2~ (l'lttl) ! .1

t:il4, h /h,' It~,crhmlc.c I¢. ~.,l m the I .t?l i. "1 hi'l# ilrl' Ih)il ' ".l'/l'l till.7 lll'l#~ illld i i~ftl 'i' tll',lll , t/ll'rl'..."/! I

Fil4.7. /¢,~,m 4 i,,,fili,~ '> [;rllc.c.~ludc- a/,pm,lnt., lh,'< ,,r~'l~l l/if I.,'M,', t'~l/u,,'t ,'t/'/lie.i(.. At lily hir i'lh/Ihltl%'s lily l/lillHi' t~llrlrllil ill/till IIIhl/ll'trll. i'llll Mlls~llll'tll~rllt'l~ 1~11 t I. i.llll tlll'r Mii fl7151, 11-I Second Day: Delft and The instrument cim,,tructlxt bv F L I.,lta~rte in published in the BiHl,'tm!) to the p,me ,d The I I,lt41.1e in the Pith ct"nturv hut Liter •,t,lined 141,1',s,Idm~mi',hml4 "1 loud 14oed Hague. 15th May 1991 reputcxtl.v empl,ytxl to till indet,|il,, l~n I4ewil41 1t4ewichtl, w,,r't n,l,luw 14e/il lit" ,wri,d surveys. ("Ke~'p your eve,, on the Ivelt4ht") ion DaHu, I~,ls',inl4 hi' (but not hypassint4) llthl,r Alter a ple.l...mt 1il4ht lunl h o! ...indlvichl-- l:i~r the first ill thre~, d,lvs' visits tll instruments in the hwer, not,lblv .ind -.dl.id. we~t.l llll hlr Fhe I [.Igue. I ]ll'n' collecti~m,, within driving, di,,t,ince of heliotrt~pes by ( ;,lu~e, ,rod l~,rt r,t nd plu,,,! tve l.ncllllnh.red the unexi~l'ttt'd deh~ht I.eiden we ,issembh,d by the I)e V,ilk sil4n,lllinl4 i,imp bv the Ik,rlm ni,tker (',lrl lit the ]*,lllllr,lnl~l ~ill.~l,ll4. lirll, ill ,I nlerl' windmill, whence we tr,welhxt by cl~,lch li,lml~.rl4, we ml;ved im tl~ the second !,~.lire ill p.lnordnl,i ~, ,,llrvi~,inl~ , iltt,l~, J:ten to i)t, lft. "The ell,lob is run by ll;reul4de Delft c,lh,ction, the ()udht,id.,k,tmer v,m ihou~.h lhe link ml'l h.lni¢.ll lh'vile.. Io k' r~urs," ,)nm~unceJ the prol4r,~mme her likwe/en (Metndlll4ic,ll Mu,,eum id _~t.i1 llll I hi' p.lilll¢'d d l ime tel.re I hi' kll hli1 w himsic,llly, ",i ~,~! ,mien ,l', thi', me,ins the ~,rvice of Weight,, ,rod Me,l,,ure~). m.lchine~, lln the k..l~ h .it ~ he~ t,ninl~en. I*,y l"~,ur,." Ot, r i~'y ,it I~.,Ift Ttx'hnic,iI I h're wt, h,ld the,lssi%t,lnce i)f the cur,ltor there w.l~ wilh~.prl'.ld .il4rlx.ml.ni thai thi- L;niversitv w,ls double: twl~ distinct I lt, t ,rod R Muiilwiik i~f the N~xterl,md,, llptil-.ll e~.irdv~i~,in/,i i~,1.~ n~li Ill Ix' nu....i'd c,dlectiims for wh¢~,e pre~,rv,ltion we .%leetinstituut ( .~etht, rl,lnd,, %l~..t eth'cti~ek' ilJtlnlln.ltt.d by n.itllr.il were duly 14r,ltetul. Me,t,,urt, ments In,,titute). This t~.tv h,l,, .~kylil4hi. the .~l p,lnllr,lnl,i w,i,, p,llntl'd t,lken ,~ver iorm,tl resl'~msibiltv I,~r the in 11414iibY ih.ndrik l%'ilh.m %h'~d.l~. hi.. First we viewed the iti.,,h~rische (h.ld heidsk,tmer since priv,tti/,Ition ot the wih...Ind( ;t.or~ Itr~.linl.r. Ver/ameling (;elldesie; histllrical ~,rvice ~f Weight,, and Me,lsures in i,114,1. surve.vinl4 instrument,, ,im,lss(xt initi,lllv rhe I.l~l .limp..ll.~ ill Ihl. t I,i.lltlt'. V, .l'. the for tr,lining purp~,es since l~.,Ift hou.~,d Itetwel., 11.173when .I n.itilm.II inspt.ctl~r I'TT ~lu..~.um wherl' I IV %1 t .i..pcr ~, the he,ldquarters of the Dutch Geodetic iv.Is .tpt~)inted .rod I~i when the ir.lininl4 ~,hlIwt'd 11", ~i %.lrit't% ill itenl~, lit i']t'l irk ,il (.'ommi.~sion. The b,lckI4round was progr,lmme ce,l,,t~|, this collection once .Ipp.ir.liil'~ ~|"~i.lll~' I.iId lllll in their ~t.)n' de~,cribed by h~rmer cur,ltor !! (" l'iltlls, ,ll,iin ~ervtxt ped.t)4ol4ic ends. ,lltholll4h it .ind prll'cidl'X| dl.~.criptivt , nllil.., lhc .,,t,lnding in'for the prt~'nt one, ,%1 ] M nllw hlllds tither m.lieri.II .l~ well. The ~lu..t.llm'~ I)t' I)ion ttOlltlln prll~.l.tt Kremers. Alonl4 with the n~we preditl,iHe hr.l~s pl.lte by Adam Steii/d.lttxt IFt~ p.lrtilul.lrl)' illemor.ible: t~.rh.lp, tht' ].l.t levelling instruments we f,und a ...howinl~ twenty "hlllt" ntt...tsiire~ trim} ~.urviviilg i.x.lmplt., oomph.to leith it.. surprising numh.,r of r,lre and imlm~rt,lnt the Veneii.ln h{~t to the Am~ierd.lm i~,,t in~.lrumt.nliltion, ol .ill .illtOillOl~llt. |.ulit items, such ,is ,i prism,ltic refl¢x'tinl4 circle hi' I'.',lv ill: the french "p,tlm". ,lnd ,I in ll-I'l~ Ill ht.ite ¢.ll.le I.luli. b.v E Wemkekk'h tll the dt.'sign of F Kai.~'r. c;'lindric,iI 14r,tin me,tsure punch~xt lot Alonl4side it was ,i I,Irl4e refhx'ting circle d,ltes ln~m 17'.'t0 to 1141111, ,Ittr,lcted lhi, richly re~v,irdml4 d,i~ culnun.lted xn by i~,noir of the h.,tter-kn,~wn i~rd,i t.vpe. p,~rticul,lr ,mention I:~r the ¢ol4n¢~,centi. lhe .~.ielv'~ almuJl dinner, held ~ith The c~dlection is rich in such items ,is ~ t~ did the stand,lrds: the in,n meter ot ~illlt' pit111F. ,llld ,.t'relllOn% 111 i.illt'ol lht' pl,mimeters and rt, fltxtmg instruments, 114211-I l'13~i,the platin tim meter ot I 1,17lq-147, llnt'..trt.,.t,ltlr,lnt-, in the ~;~.'tht'rLind-. 1~.. including a pair of refhx'tinl4 dividers ,utd a m~lel ot the pl,ttmum-iridium lteukenhol im the lltlt..kirt ~, tit I i'lJt'n ..~t devi~xt by the first dirtx't,r of the R,w,iI meier -- the h.,st dividlxt nile in the rlx.il.il ill the nll'nu trill pn~b.iHv lhlul.ll. Ac,ldemyl Antoine I.ipkens 117214-114-i7). Netherl,lnds -- whi~, oril4m,iI is ,,till kepi the nunl|~tr oi nll.nllk.r ~, ivho p.irll~lp.llt. We all covettxt the l l,lth century surveyor's in the lai~r,ltorv. I~ltch triend,, ,ind m thi. event ill'i.t '.e.i r: iv.lrm i. i~h% ..~a~i..~.. kit by i~'ni,tmin Ayn.,s. One h~ls to picture colle,ll4ul.,s hlh,d in re,my u~t,fui dl,t,lils Mllllkl%.| >.llmon m dill vlnl.l~..ir, illniii ill many of these items as te,lehing iin items from 14,15meters ilm imi., ot which lltlck with l.indied llr.inl4t.. Irish rib ~h..ik instruments to a rel,ltivelv I,)te d,lte, for Anne v,ln lh, lden of the lt~,rh,l,ive ill .I wine ~..illte. ch.inlp.ll~lle L.ikl' .illd example. ,I combined .~,xt,mt and dr,lwinl4 Mti~,um reclll4ni/i~.t ,i mv,,terv obiect once plent)' of liquid reire~hmi.nl It ll-.l~..i

Bulletin ot the ~'~'i¢'ntith In~,trumen! .'~wtv ~o ~ (l~li 17> blatk-tie ot'¢ashm in more that attire. high-water mark for collevtion-ba,,tM ~,,l'ien~.'e nltl~at'tllll*+ ill our time. Toa~,ts were Ihe (. h,urman ,nterrt, pted prt~t'edmg~ drunk with great enthm, ia.,m to the to retltxt on the colltra..t bvtw~x,n the old I)lrector o! the Pn~,rhaave Mt|~,tml(ier|it %ltl",t'tllll B~'rhaave in It', previous Veeneman and his .,,tall, and al.~ to cram|x'd quarters in 5teenstraat and its Mevting,. %x'rvtarv ~tanhw Warren whtP, e reincarnation on the (.at'tllia i h~pital site. plan,, to attend tl~e mevtmg he had done Die had all t, xptxted to ~, m~presstx| by ~+ much to organi,,e were thwarted by a ea,,es ol "s (;rave,,ande ,I IIt~ ~t.n, ~, o! heart attack.,. We warmly thanked Mu,,,,~ henhrovk phih~phical apparatu,,, Mark Turner |or nobly .,depping into the by the len,-e,, and penduh, m ch~k,, and breach and .qlepherding our not t~,~ planetarit, n~ ott tu~gt.ns, by the sph,ndid unrt, lv ihxk thither and vim. rdics of the l.eiden t)b~,rxatorv, and m+ mtRh more. But ~t' were fll prepared tor the brt'athtaking quality of the display, ~h,ch in It', ",howc,l',t' desl~n, ItS lighting. it, well-lt,dged bilingual labt.l~., and it,, Fig. 4 '~tl.lrt I,tll,vt attctnpt, h, re, t.lt a overall lavotlt and i)rgani/,ltlon, .'.t'l a new m'w membt'r. 181

Fig. I .",o.1(t'aHt,' -.p, ~ii:,/,.: ln.t';,.:c~:t. In tile t;ct~h'.u .'~fl~.~'lltPt of the l¢,'llulcal tbln'cr.lttl,,' I ~,'ltt I "t I

Fig. 5 The I,ra,~ i,hlt¢ I,u Adam Sh'it:. ,tated Amsterdam 1760. comturing z,ariot¢~ local ,iC, l.iirc, ot the "ti~,t'. IA/

Fig. 2 .-DI iml+.;.ii .1, ,:JIM r~l till' (;,'ode,q/ 3.1.-cure / ~. /

¢

I:tR ~ I ,tl i,,,rh,1111. Krt>h'11 I II,l,l,t,,,tt I t,'lcu lltrltcr ,IPtd t;Iorta ChtfiUl takc,i I, reak at the Ncthrrl~llht< ,Vh'a.lm'ttlc, t. Itt.titute. 181

Fig. ~ Au ¢h'~a,t .tamtar,/ iv..,'l IAI

li~ Bulletin ot the ~c|entiti¢ Instrument ~.-le W No. 2~ (l~l) Third Day: Haarlem and Amsterdam. 16th May 1991

Gloria Clifton

Yet again the weather was decidedly wintry as we waited bv the De Valk windmill in I,elden to board our coach for the journey to ttaarlem. On the way Peter deClercg enthusiastically pointed out the oldt.,st ~ ~'cer club in the Netherlands, and as we entered Haarlem we were greeted (and delayed) by three demonstrations of lifting and swing bridge~ as h~ats made ! their way along the Spaarne.

leylers Museum overh~ks the river, and the magnificent nineteenth-century entrance hall created an immediate sense Fig. 7 kccI, Ito, r ¢}1¢,, o, t/,' i~'¢'l.¢hl . I,"ll of anticipation. We were ushered up to the gallery of the hall, where coffee was waiting, and then shown into the auditorium for an intr¢~Juction to the Museum by the Director, Mr E Ebbinge. fte explained that Tevlers was the first public museum in the Netherlands, and its buildings the earlit,,st to be designed specifically for that purpose. The original museum was de*,igned by Viervant and started in 17"79 As the coilet-tion grew during the nineteenth century an extension was needed, ~an architectural competition was held. it was won bv the Austrian Ulrich, who created a lavish building in a style unusual for the Netherlands. The Director described how the museum was created through the legacy of Pieter Tevler van der tlulst, a wealthy Haarlem "merchant who died without an heir in 1778. In his will he left instructions that his money should be u~ to create the Tevler Foundation; Fig. ls At tl,, I'a,or,,,a Mc,,da,¢. (211, ~o. rcto~,t:c tt,' "all, u,'ttc,,? ICI whose purp~,es should include the furtherance of religion, and the arts and ~iences, through the creation of two ~'ieties and bv means of collections. Shortly after the iou ndation ott he %~'ietv for ~'ienct~ and Arts it was Ioined bY Martinus van Manlm, a young d~'t~;r and ,,~'ienti,;t.

The story was then taken up by Dr. Martin van Hoorn, Curator of ~cientitic Instruments. Van Mature (17,~1-11~37) had been aplx~inted Curator of the natural history collection of the Dutch ~.'ietv of ,%,'ienct~, and from 1777, he alsa~ gave lectures on recent discoveries in physics, astronomy and geology. |te deslgntx| a huge electrostatic generator that was built by John Cuthbert~m of Amsterdam, and demonstrated with spectacular succt.'ss in 171.t4. The machine was acquired by Teylers Museum and van Manlm was appointed the first Director, with instructions to start a library and enrich the collection. It was he who founded the Physical Cabinet, which was further Fig. t.,Ioltiu x the ,~,,,al diutler. ICI enlarged by his successors. Throughout

Bulletin of the Scientific Instrument ~cietv No. 29 (iqql) ] ~4 the nineteenth century buth public k,ctures included fine pieces by Dutch, English, instruments used in the seventeenth and .,~'ientific ri,'~,arch continued at the French, and C,erman makers. century, including a cross-staff of 1682 Museum, but in 19ll~ the lalx~ratorv was which had been found on a farm in the separated fnnn the collections and in 1955 ~)n it was time to return lo Teylers north of Holland, an unsigned English it ck~M down. However, the Mu~um Mu~um quay to board the lx~at on which mlctumal of 1620, an hour glass, a compass remains as a remarkable example of an we were to have lunch while travelling and two Mercator gk~:~es. Our guide also eighteenth and nineteenth century along the river to the Museum de drew our attentkm to a very fine tellurium teaching collectk~n in its original building. Cruquius. The river journey was very by Willem Jansz Blaeu c.1634, and a pleasant -- and now we had the complete eighteenth-century Dutch cross- Inspired by this intrt~luction we set off to .satisfaction of holding up traffic while the staff. view the collections and were not swing bridge and two lifting bridges di~ppointed: ix)th the objects and their opened to let us Pass! As we rounded a The collections vividly demonstrate the setting were magnificent. We began our btnad the neo-C,~hic tower of tbe Cruquius imlx)rtance of wrecks for the study of visit in the library, where several of the Mu.,,eum can~, into view. We were greeted navigational instruments; for example, most hand.~mel~' illustrated b~,,ks had bv Erik Warners, a member of the Dutch there was on display a pair of dividers been specially put on display, including a R'oyal Institute of Engineers. He told us recovered from a Di~tch ship which .sank superb atlas with beautiful hand-coloured with great pride that in June the Museum off the Shetland Islands in 1653, the kind maps. The I'hvsical Cabinet is housed in would be visited by the American Society of item that is often very difficult to date. the original eighteenth-centu.ry Oval of Mechanical Engineers, who have Another interesting case displayed Rln~m, lined with curved cabinets from decided to make the Cruquius their examples of the instruments issued to its flt~r to gallery, full of instruments and International Landmark Number Seven. ships by the Dutch East India Company working n~dels of mechanical principles. in the eighteenth century, including the All were in splend id condition, and many The pumping station is the only survivor printed lists detailing the value of each were extremely impressive examples of of the three that were built to drain the item which the captain and mate had to their kind. There was a pair of large brass Haarlemmermeer using Cornish beam sign. A full-size replica of an East india para[xflic mirrors arranged with a watch engines, which are thought to be the Company ship is mt~wed alongside the for transmitting .~und, a substantial largest of their .type ever built. The engines museum, towerin,, over its surroundings. centrifugal machine, and a pair of were assembled on site and the pumps at magnificent 18-inch terrestrial and the Cruquius began operations in 1849, in the late 1870s the Dutch equipped the celestial gk~'~es bv Gt~)rge Adams in completing their task bv the summer of schooner Willem Barents for eight voyages specially-designed" free-standing cases. ! 852. They then remaine(I on stand-by for to the Arctic to conduct surveys, and the The neighbouring wall cabinets c~mtained fl(,~s until 1933. Three years later they Museum has a large display of the further astronomical ml~tels bv Adams, were lea.,~d to the Cruquius Foundation instruments taken on these expeditions. including a planetarium, lunanum and and opened to the public as a monument A magnetometer by Elliott Bros. of saturnium. Another impressive series, as to drainage technology. The Cruquius London was included. might be expected in the Netherlands, engine operated eight beams attached to were the locally-made m(~els (~ the types bucket pumps at a rate of five strokes a However, for many members the most of windmills u.,~-,d fi~r drainage works. minute, pumping the water into a canal interesting part of our tour was the visit to There were many other fine pieces bv that emptied into the sea at low tide. We the storertx~m in the attic of the museum. both Dutch and l~nglish makers. then looked at the associated exhibition, It was very well organized, with which included a m(~el of the pumping cupboards full of instruments and Next dl~r to the (.h,,al Room, in the station in its original state and a large numerous globes under Iampshade-style nineteenth-century part of the building, animated relief map showing the areas of dust covers. A number of unusual items was van Maru m's electrostatic generator. the Netherlands reclaimed by drainage. had been put out for closer inspection. Dr. van H(,)rn had explained that it was We also had the opportunity" to see two These included two sextants; one a tiny the larg~t machine of its type -- hut it films (with English commentaries) pocket instrument by J M Kleman & Zoon, was onh" when we saw it that some of us depicting the history of Dutch drainage the other an elaborately decorated realised the extent of the achievement it works and the setbacks from flooding. presentation piece for William Ill of the represented! A g(~)d example of the Netherlands on his silver jubilee. There importance of such collections in We were then shepherded back to our was also a protractor made on his own conveying an appreciation of the coach fl)r the drive to Amsterdam to visit dividing engine by Gerard Hulst van development of scientific inquiry. the Rijksmuseum Nederlands Keulen of Amsterdam. Willem M6rzer Ad;acent ca~,~es contain(~ some of the Scheepvaart (Maritime Museum). As time Bruyns explained that van Keulen had nineteenth-century additions to the was short the curator of scientific bought a Ramsden dividing engine and collection° including electrical devices and instruments, Willem Morzer Bruyns, gave used it to make sextants which he signed telephone apparatus. us an intrtduction and then guided us to 'Divided Cure Privilegio'. He then th(~e sectkms of the mu~um in which developed his own improved engine and ~me members of the party then t(n)k the instruments were displayed. There was a patented it. As a result his later divided opportunity to visit the collection of one case of recent acquisitions by Dutch instruments lack the 'Cum Privilegio'after of the members of the SIS, Aldert Klut, makers, including a very, fine brass and the signature. He also made the four- who had very kindly offered to show us elx)ny ~x:tant of abuut 1760 by J v Wijk. footed dividers invented by Le Guin: an round his hou~ in Haarlem. About a example presented to the Commissioners thou~nd instruments have taken over The remaining displays of instruments of hmgitude at Amsterdam in 1790 was almtvst every rtx)m of the house, and those were arranged by theme. One on display. who went were greatly impressed by the demonstrated the knowledge and wide range of the collection, by the well- instruments that enabled the Dutch tosail These objects were part of the Crone equipped workshop in the basement, and to the East Indies in the sixteenth century, collection of nautical instruments, and bv the warm ht~,pitality of Aldert and his including maps, [:x~ks (m navigation, and we were shown a detailed description in wife, who offered their guests ice-cold a mariners' astrolabe. Another showcase a volume entitled The Crone Library. by H geneva, coffee and cakes. The collection contained examples of navigation J M W Peters, published in 1989 by the

20 Bulletin td the Scientific Instrument S~K:iety No. 29 (1991) Mu~,um. Other items ~ particular inten,,st to English visitors were a .sector signt~ 'th'nrv Sutton fecit', brass adjustable dividers by Sis.~)n, and a fine sevente~,nth- century telescope stamp~ 'IO:ltOWE/ LON IX)N! / FECIT'.

Our visit ended with a grand finale in the form of a very enpyable reception organised by the Museum.

Fig. 1 Arthm MMdh'ton h'll, a tall stort/ at I ('td,'r, Ml~,c'm, I,~1

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"- BuS.tin {,I the ~tlt,n|lli~ In~lrumt,nt .¢~lt'ietv No. 20 (l~t)l) Fig. I N,,,. mark and Illltll('l~Ptla outside Fig. 2 Atr pump by van Musschenbr, x'k, 1700, sh,,a'm~ hi~ ,hara~t,'rt,tw ,ha~,,t,t/ ,l,'>t~n. the Uniwrsit~ Mu.~'um, Utrecht. IA] IDI Fourth Day: Utrecht and inch brass Hadley octant signed by the same maker. Tht.,se valuable astronomical Maartensdijk. instruments are joined by a 15 inch 17th May 1991 portable quadrant by Bird, which Jan Deiman, the Curator of Scientific Instruments, told me was acquired Utrecht second-hand by the University Deft,re 1800. Earlier instruments include a lovely Howard Dawes 5 inch diameter gilt brass astrolabe by George Hartmann dated 1525, and an The coach collected members from their unusual unsigned astronomical various hotels at 9.00am and proceeded compendium 4 inches in diameter. A ahmg the mokwway to Utrecht University, substantial Troughton Circle of 1816 had a journey of ai~,ut I hour 15 minutes. We suffered the not uncommon fate of being were received by Dr SCeefde Clercq, cousin transfiwmed into a massive spectr(~cope. of Peter, on the steps of the Museum. The permanent exhibition on the next Steef offered us coffee, and intrcxtuced us floor displayed a fine collection of Fig. 3 Ch,s,'q, t' (,f Mu..t It,'nt,n~'/~. ,h';'t, ,' to the museum collection by saying that it microscopes. A 6 feet high electrical ,m the atrtm mp. I B ] owed its origins to a collection of physical machine, signed In Cutht~'rtson ( inz, et fecit instruments, including an airpump and Amsterdam) 1791 dominated the next other instruments by Mus~henbroek, riK)m, where there is an interesting dated 1706. This collection was engraved brass plate (12in. x 18in.) bv subsequently transferred to the learned Adam Steitz, Amsterdam 1769, showing Physical Society founded in 1777. In 1815, the comparative lengths of the fin,t after the French occupation, the new King measures u.',~-'d in 20 cities. required that there should De added to the collection the cabinets of medical and Before lunch we made a brief visit to the z¢x)logical specimens at the University. Observatory, where we were received by However, until the death of the Curator Rob van Gent. This building is situated in in 1918 and the appointment of Dr van the Sonnenkx~rgh, one of the 3 fortresses Cittert, all trace of the original instruments of the city walls. The main interest here, had been l(vst. Van Cittert's discovery of apart from the site, was a 13 metre solar some IiX)0 instruments, hidden away in spectrograph, complete with coel,~tat, an attic, forms the bulk of the present dating from the 19,'~)s. university collection.

The collection is very fine, particularly of the instruments one might expect to find in a university. ! first visited the store rooms, and there found a magnificent 15 Fig. 4 .'~pl tpkrcdlbh" ,,torcr~mt t~l the inch quadrant signed Jonathan Sis.~,n. it Umpersit.v Museum, Utrechl. Ma~a ttamNu was complemented by an equally fine 24 re~iects with Ion Darius. IBI

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24 Ilulh'hnl,tlhl,%lvniitit In',lrilnll,nt%l~ll,tv Xo. 2q (l'lql) Fig. 7 A 5 in,h diam,'ter gilt bnlss astrolabe by G,'ar~,' t lartma,n. 1525. Front tiw,'. [ A /

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I'lulh*hn~,tthr"~|~,ntltl,, hv.,tlunmnt~.tl,t~, \o 2L~ (l~aII Maartensdijk A~ well a,, the oldt-,l, the mtJ,,t.un; al,,~ ha., some examples of vt'rv rt'tent Gloria Clifton inslrumenls. lhev mcludt, a W.llt.r bart~meh.r 12 melrt~ in overall ht.i~hl, i i } ; ' Alter lunch we returned to our coach for perii~ticall v evacuatt.d hv a v.ltutlm the ~,hort drive to ~,rt B

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Fig. I Bert tfi)lh" dcm,,..tr, ltc. a thlntdcr ,¢la..' ,turln~ t.. .~tr,,,I., t,,,l~ t,lll~ ,It th," ~r,,mtter Mum'urn. I BI Fig. 4 . Irtl.tl, ,l,'.l.U~ ,I,1,t .i~ll'l,l ,'ux',,i:';,'.' ch~lracttrl~" tile plate t,t tt11. tl.c t,l,t t~lrl,tPtvti'P IAI Bulletin of the ~'ientilic Instrument ~:ietv No. ~ ( I~lql ) 27 Mystery Object

A G R A N D CONCERT Of VOCAL and INSTRUMENTAl, M U S I C K. Ccompanied with the Harmony of a CU- A rious Machine of new Invention, called The ,'ltkcaiaa U,d. •ver.fityo or '7~t Afufit Pa,adif¢, now crated in the Great Room in Panton-t~rect, will be performed there next Friday Evening. The V'ocal, by Mrs. Arn¢ ; the Organ and Harpltchord by Mr. Ditard ; Fir~! Violin, by Mr./~r0.um i German Flute, by Mr. Bagy- eourr, and t/~c reef of the ln~r~mentl by the I~IE Hands from the O~,era The Dea,ty and Performances alone are worth the Notice of the Curio,s, being nor only entertah2in K but edifying, it contains an Orl~zn af~dan i-larl, fichllrd, an Orrcry and an Air-Pttmpl z Barome- ter and Thermomelcr, all'oa cur~ouJClock, which plays off theOr- gin, gives Motion to (evcral Painted FiBurc, , ihew, the Moon's Age and Phafes, and by a lbir of 13rafs Globcl f'olvcs ~veral P~ro- bl,~ms in A~tronomy and Geography i the Particular, of' which are (et forth in the Propo~ah, to be (ecn at mof~ of tEe noted Coffcc- houfes in Town. Propofals delivered grafis~ and Tickets to be bad at the above Place of Performance. and at lhe f'ollowbtg Phcr~, ~iz. Mr. Edmonds',, near Dock-Head~ Southwark i Mr. Curlewcs's at London-ltone i Mr. Martyr's, Joyner to the Royal.Hofpital at Greenwich ; Mr. Meighan, Bookftller, at Gray'J Inn Gate ; a,td at the following Coffee-houfe,, viz. the Temple- Exchange Coffee-houfe in Fleet-/~reet i GrifChy's be- hind the Royal-Exchange ; Will's faci,g the Admiraltyl King's- Arms facing the Cuf*om-houfe i Brown's in Spring-Garden,, Charing- Crofs ; Grofvenor's , facing the Chapel in Audley-flreet i Will's near ~he Royal-Exchange ; Will's facing Lincoln's.Inn Gate ; Tam'~ in Ruffel-flrret. Covcnt.Garden i and the .[crufalem in F zchange-Allcy. N.B Every Ticket entities the Bearer to Two Concert~, or to Fo, r Entcrtai,mentl of the Machine's Performantcl, each of which will begin ac Four o'Clock every Evening, except Wed~fdays and F,id,ys ; alfo to a Chance of poffefftng the Machine, and ~531. per Annum Clear Rent in Londoo, as mentioned in the Propofals. The Coace~ will begin precifely at Seven o'Clock.

Scientific Instruments in Performance

.'sir.

I ,'nch~, a copy of an adverti~,ment in the Lo,,l.m l)adz/I)o.~t ,m,t (~'n,'ral A,h~'rtiser for Wednt,'sdav .%o~ emtx,r ;~th 1738. ]hi., 'Grand Concert' ix promi~.d to be 'not only entertaining but edifying', but the origin of the ~'ientilic in~,truments to ~, demonstrated remains ,'i mystery. Can anyone help?

I ,,hould like to thank l)r Rl~,amond Mc(;uim,,,~s, Director of the Register of Musical I)ata in [x)ndon .Ne~~,pa|x,rs 1~1-II'q~) tor supplying this reference.

Amta McComw// IA.hlOn

2~ Bulh,tm ot the.%'.,ntlt|c In~,trument ~,'tetv No. 2q (1~1) Letters to the Editor

Some People and Places in Irish Another 19th century machine shop Science and Technology Sir, Sir,

In his much-appreciated review of our Two articles in recent issuesof the Bulletin of precision astronomical telescopes. bi~ok More Peopleand Places in Irish Science reminded me of related illustrations. These three images are our only record of & Technology (Bulletin No. 28 page 29), the inside of the workshop which John Reid records that, while he was 'The Manufacture of Precision Brass prt~uced some of the world's best willing to part with his £5 note, he was not Tubing' (Bulletin27) prompted me to recall observatory instruments between able to find a copy of the earlier volume a photograph I discovered some years September 1865 and the early 1920s. Some People and Places in Irish Science and ago. It is reproduced here. It shows the Technok~,c,.V. workshop of the instrument makers When Troughton and Simms was Troughton and Simms, situated on acquired by Thomas Cooke and Sons of i am pleased to report that thislatter work Troughton Road, Charlton, in south-east York, the interior of the York workshops has now been reprinted in paperback form London. The scene is described as was featured heavily in their catalogueof and is available from the Royal Irish 'Machine Shop 1890" or 'Astronomical 1923. Morrison-Low's article 'Women in Academy, 19 Dawson St, Dublin 2, at Inst. Making...about 1880',depend ing on the Nineteenth Century Scientific IR£6.85 or Stg£6.30. The volume which whether you kx~k at the frontor the reverse Instrument Trade in Britain' (Bulletin 28) was reviewed is available at the same of the originalprint. The photograph once reminded me that one o( those illustrations price for the paperback, and at ]R£11.85 belonged to Miss Gladys Pope of features women. They can be seen at the or Stg£10.90 for the hardback. All prices Ramsgate, Kent, who presented it to the workbench, alongside men, inspecting include postage and packing. Local History section of the libraryclose optical components during manufacture. to where the workshop once stood. Her Women are not featured in the We are in the process of deciding on the father worked in the factory for some photographs of other areas of the factory. contents of a third volume, which will years until 1912 or 13. Together with views give brief details of people who were showing two other corners of the factory Carote Stott born in lreland but carried out their major it is a fascinating record ot the manufacture Sheffield work outside our shores. These include such well-known names as Robert Boyle, John Tyndall, and Lord Kelvin. However, the editors would be pleased to learn from your readers of others of Irish birth whom they consider to have made major contributions to the progress of science and technology, in the last volume we included a couple of instrument makers (Thomas Grubb and Yeates and Son), and it might be possible to do this again if suitable candidates and authors are drawn to our attention.

If readers can give such help, and indeed volunteer to contribute, do please get in touch with the undersigned as ,soon as possible, and we shall add the ideas to those from which the volume will be produced.

R.Charles Mollan Science & Arts Officer Royal Dublin Society :-o Ballsbridge,Dublin 4

Bulletin of the Scientific instvument Soci~ No.29 (1991) 29 W.E.Metford rifle,the Lee-Metford, which was in use The supporters (the lion and unicorn) are until the 1930s. Mr.Gibbs, Gunsmith in also interchanged, and each is given its Sir. Park Row, is the proprietor and sole national thg to hold: the crms of S~.Gern~ manufacturer of the Metford Sl~)rting tor the English lion, and the saltine cross Your repL~ of the Society's BristolMeeting Rifle which has won four gold medals. of St.Andrew for the Scottish unicorn. (Oct(~er 1990, No.27) had reference to Together with some other W.E.Metford. I have since found more I watched an interesting series on embellishments, these modifications information alx)uthim from localsources television ararat the National Gun make the arms used today by royal and reproduce it for your readers: Association and the sporting rifle. warrant holders in Scotland rather more Apparently the Gibbs Metford riflewas complex than the standard version used I. J.LatimerAnnalsofBristo11887-1900 very successful.The Gibbs firm stillexists by their counterparts in England since (1888 p.9) but is now in Bath. 1837.

The Small Arms Commission, appointed Terence/.Bryant Also, it has been brought to my attention by the Government to select a magazine Bristol that one member of the Adams family-- rifle for the use of the army, selected in Dudley -- did use the royal arms on his September a barrel invented by William Royal Arms Update stationery, in the early 19th century. The Ellis Metford of Bristol and a magazine Whipple Museum has one of Dudley's invented by Mr.Lee (American). It was Sir, bills, dated 1808, with an engraved determined to give each inventor a royalty heading incorporating the pre-1801 on the weapon, known as the Lee-Metford in my article on the use of the royal arms shields of the King's and the Prince of Rifle. by instrument makers (No.28, pp. 2-7) 1 Wales's arms set against a background of should have mentioned that in Scotland a mathematical instruments. Though 2. Temple Local History Group No.1 / modified version is now used, in which obsolete at the date of the bill, the arms 86 p.10 the English and Scottish quarters are depicted were correct when Dudley interchanged to give precedence to the received his royal appointments in the Metford, born in Taunton and lived in latter, in "The Royal Arms as Used in 17903. Elm Lane, Redland, Bristol. Metford Road Scotland" the lion rampant within a in Redland named after him. Made double border occupies the first and fourth John R.Millburn significant improvements in rifle design. quarters, while the three lions passant- Aylesbury Was co-joint inventor of the improved guardant of England occupy the second. Bucks

Book Reviews

Opinions expressed by reviewers are their own, and do not necessarilyreflect the views of the Editor or the S(~ety.

The Editor wauld be pleased to hear from members willing to review new and forthcoming books in our general field of interest. If author, title and publisher (and, if possible, ISBN number) are cited, then it may be possible far the Editor to obtain a review copy gratis from the publisher. The comcntion is that the revieucr keeps the book -- but you've got to read it and write a fair review for the Bulletin!

The University of Adelaide Historical Committee was set up to oversee the This miscellany contains a few surprises, Collections: Scientific Apparatus. cataloguing and preservation of the a few interesting historical pieces, and a P.C.Runge, University of Adelaide University's cultural material which, few puzzles. For instance, the Magdeburg Foundation, August 1986, 61 pp., illus. No sensibly, included a separate project on hemispheres by William Ladd must have price stated. 'Apparatus of Significance to the been quite ancient when they were Development of Science and Research at acquired in 1937; this firm's organ pipes The University of Adelaide has joined the the University'. The latter forms the sub~ct were purchased in ! 892! By far the largest small but growing band of enlightened of this catalogue. In all some 326 groups of instruments came from Physics universitiesthat have taken the trouble to instruments are listed by Department or and Physiology. The latter department produce catalogues of their historical Laboratory in brief entries, consisting of purchased many instruments from collections. In the past antique (read the object's name (in alphabetical order), C.F.Paimer in London. Particularly obsolete) instruments were usually followed by the new accession number, noteworthy is their Brodie Starling long cannibalised to make new equipment, but year of acquisition (where this can be paper kymograph with Du Bois Reymond this practice has now largely ceased determined from the old records), the type induction coil, I~ng units, frog heart not least becauseof the enormous changes original inventory number, and a short chamber, stimulating electrodes and that have taken place in modern description, in fact, this publication should clamp. It is a type of recorder that has instrumentation. The useless remains be classed a hand-list rather than a fully- delighted generations of physiologists, were commonly sold to a scrap merchant, fledged catalogue, but is not any the less but will be less popular with private although in at least one instance they useful for that. At times the reader's collectors because of its sheer bulk. This were buried in a large hole dug in front of appetite is whetted but subsequently particular model was made about 1925 the laboratory, it is interesting to frustrated because of the terse and remained in use well into the 1970s. contemplate what future archaeologists descriptions, but at least the compiler has will make of this burial site! not gone beyond her compe/ence by being An unusual item is the Miessner Rhyth- over-ambitious. O-Phone with records which belonged to At Adelaide University a Heritage the composer Percy Grainger (1882-1961).

30 Bulletin of the ScientificInstrument Society No. 29 (1991) Several items were used by famous In his works on the astrolabe there are instruments. For a Muslim the scientists associated with Adelaide chapters devoted to these stars, but a determination of the direction of Mecca, University: a ceramic culture vessel used different number of them are listed, and marked by the qibla in the mosque, was by Lord Florey (1889-1968) in his penicillin Kunitzsch finds many rather confusing essential, and numerous devices were research at Oxford; a fine bridge descriptions of the stars and their produced to aid its discovery. Hana galvanometer made for Sir William Henry coordinates. Chidiac describes one such in the Bragg (1862-1942) by Arthur Lionel possession of the Institut. This is a Rogers; and surface tension apparatus of In the Byzantine tradition Ptolemy's semicircular plate like a modern fused silica made for Sir Mark Oliphant Almagest held pride of place, but there protractor, fitted with an alidade carrying (1901-). Rogers, who was Sir William's was nevertheless a profound current of a compass. The calibration of the rim is laboratory assistant, was a fine craftsman Islamic influence dating from at least the singular in that it shows a vernier judging by his instruments that have tenth century. The famous Brescia subdivision of the scale into 6 parts, a survived. astrolabe dated 1062, as well as feature not discussed by Chidiac. To my translations in the 13th and 14th centuries knowledge this technique is not used in Among the prized possessions must be from Arabic and persian, testify to this. scales of medieval Islamic instruments, the Shortt free pendulum clock that has Regine Leurquin's contribution in this and although the present object is not been carefully restored. It is an early model volume is focused on an account of the dated its points of similarity with other (no. 19) and was acquired by the Physics astrolabe in the Tp{l}t~ko~ 'A(~povolal~ instruments of the 18th century are Department in 1928. During the fifties of Theodore Meliteniotes. This late stressed. and sixties it was used by the Australian fourteenth century work is encyclopedic General Post Office to provide standard in character, ranging from an account of Christine Naffah describes an 18th century time. An instrument that caught my eye is the astrolabe in Book I to 'Persian Ottoman cylindrical sundial included in the intoximeter with a Los Angeles Police Astronomy' in Book III. The astrolabe the collection of the Institut; a study based Department Alcoholic Influence Report which he describes is unusual in that the partly on unpublished work by A.Turner from 1950. Perhaps it should have been stars are not fixed in the rete but in an and F.Maddison. The description is quite used before the entry was typed on the intermediate plate which may be moved detailed in some ways, but we are not deep sea thermometer by 'Negrettis to simulate precession (according to given all the relevant dimensions. For Lambra', used by Sir Douglas Mawson Ptolemy's rate!), thus allowing the example, one would like to know the during his Antarctic expedition of 1911- instrument to be used for any date. • length of the gnomon, as well as parts of 14. Presumably the compiler meant the the scale. Neither are we told for what well-known London firm of Negretti and R.Torode has tried to set up a procedure latitude the instrument would be suitable, Zambra! to fix the date of construction of an nor can I work it out from the photographs. astrolabe. He measures the positions of Willem Hackmann the stars on the rete, so finding their Marcel Destombes, who died in 1983, Museum of the History of Science, Oxford longitudes. Since the longitudes increase bequeathed to the lnstitut his fine linearly with time on account of collection of Islamic instruments. The precession, the age may be inferred. He legacy is briefly surveyed here by Jeanne Astrolabica No.5. Etudes 1987-1989. has gone to great trouble to determine the Mouli6rac, the descriptions of 22 selected Editdes par A.J.Turner, Paris 1989, 126 pp., stars' positions, much more to be sure instruments being accompanied by very lnstitut du Monde Arabe/Socidtd than the original makers! The longitudes clear photographs in colour. It includes 3 lnternationale de l'Astrolabe. £25. would have been taken by the maker globes, 12 astrolabes and 2 quadrants. from some currently accepted handbook, The earliest object is an astrolabe mater This volume of the periodical Astrolabica together with its model of precession. dated A.H.706 (A.D.1306-7); however the includes communications given at Such models varied a good deal, for rete installed with it is dated A.H.1097 meetings in 1987 and 1989, held at the besides a simple linear increase they might (A.D.1685-6). Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris. The have used accession and recession Institut has, as I know from an enjoyable (Zarqala) or a combination of the two The whole volume is well produced, with visit there, a large number of Islamic such as the Alfonsine trepidation. The excellent photography. The scientific astrolabes and other instruments, rates of motion in the linear models varied, content is however rather thin and beautifully displayed. Naturally, the six with values ranging from one degree per disappointing. papers published here are concerned with century (Ptolemy) to one degree in 66 Islamic instruments. years (al-Batt~n/). Torode ignores the Raymond Mercier historical background and treats the Paul Kunitzsch discusses the astrolabe positions as if they had been observed at stars as found in the work of the most the time, for he has assumed only the important Arabic author on the subject of modern figure for the average rate of the fixed stars, 'Abdu'l-Rahm~n al-S~fi precession (one degree in 71.6 Julian (d. A.D.986). He also wrote lengthy years). The other parts of his paper, too, treatises on the astrolabe that are known show a rather amateur approach; why in several versions, one of which is an give a derivation of the very familiar imperfect Arabic edition as yet conversion between equatorial and untranslated. Kunitzsch is distinguished ecliptic coordinates, let alone one which by his wide-ranging scholarship in the uses plane projections? Certainly the field of Arabic star names, and no one is Islamic sources which produced these better qualified to discuss al-S~fi's work. instruments were familiar with the He makes the point here, in a short formulae used to solve spherical triangles. contribution, that 44 stars were selected for the astrolabe according to al-S~fi's The other three articles -- which are in Book on the Constellations; references to French -- are not concerned exclusively these are scattered throughout the work. with the astrolabe, but include other

Bulletin of the Scientific Instrument Society No. 29 (1991) 31 Instrumental Events

Edinburgh, Scotland holding a meeting at the Science Museum, an exceptional opl:n)rtunity created by Exhibition Road, London SW7at 18:30for Europalia Portugal -- a series of The Royal Museum of Scotland has 18:45at which SIS members are welcome. exhibitions all over Belgium on re~)pened its gallery Historic Scientific The speaker will be Will Andrewes, the Portuguese art, craft and science. Instruments to ca.l 9~J to the public. Many Curator of Historical Scientific of the objects are newly labelled in the Instrumentsat Harvard University,USA. 23-7.5 September 1991, London light of recent research. This very There will be a nominal charge for coffee. important collection of instruments can For further details telephone Mrs Rita To celebrate the bicentenary of the birth be found at Chambers Street, Edinburgh Shenton on 081-894 6888. of Michael Faraday a series of one-day EHI IJF. Tel: 031-225 7534. Opening times conferences has been arranged by the are Mondav to Saturday 10:00 to 17:00. 8 August, 1991 until early January Science Museum, the Royal Institution, Sunday 14:i~0 to 17:00. Admission free. 1992, Sydney, Australia the Institutionof ElectricalEngineers and the Instituteof Physics. The venues and Cambridge, England Randwick & District Historical Society speakers are: will be presenting an extensive collection The Whipple Museum, Free Schtad Lane, of sc2entific instrunumts from the 17th to 23 September -- Royal Institution,21 has a newly arranged displayof .standards, 20th century, together with a display of Albemarle Street, London WI. Tel: 071- mainly of the nineteenth century. These original maps, charts & engravings mainly 4t~ 2~2. Speakers win be ~)t Wl ~berry have ~-,en returned by the Council to the relating to voyages and discoveries in the of Oxford, Prof. AD Buckingham of University, who were responsible for Southern Hemisphere, at the Heritage Cambridge, Prof. Lord Porter of Imperial maintaining standards fnan the medieval Centre, "Sandgate", 28 Belmore Rd College, Prof. PG de Gennes of the College pe~d until the middle of the last century. Randwick. Opening times are Tuesday to de France, Prof. Peter Day of the Institute Open Monday to Friday, 14:00 to 16:00, Saturday 10am-4pm, Sundays 2pm-4pm Laue Langevin, and Sir John Cadogan of admission tree. (Usually closed on Mondays but BP Research. Topics to be covered will arrangements can be made for overseas include Faraday's work at the RI, Until December 1991, London visitors.) Admission free. Phone 398 9063 chemistry, magneto - optics, or 349 4260. (Rand wick is an inner suburb electrodynamics and electro-chemistry. To celebrate the bicentenary of the birth 5 miles from downtown Sydney, with a of Michael Faraday, the discoverer of regular bus service alm(~ to "Sandgate's" 24 September -- Prof. Charles Taylor electro-magnetic induction, London front door.) Faraday's i~cture Den~mstratkms in Physic. Electricity is sponsonng an exhibition at A k~cture-derntmstrationat 10:30 repeated the Science Museum, Exhibition Road, 9-13 September 1991, Bologna at 14:30at Imperial College. Prof.Sir Brian London SWT. Organised in association Pippard Faraday and the Electricians at with the Royal Institution it will display The Eleventh Symposium of the 18:00, Science Mu~um. Free tickets from original apparatus, interactive models of International Union of the History and the organizers: The Institute of Physics, his crucial experiments, and explain how Phik~)phy of Science will be based at the 47 Belgrave Square, I.xmdon SW1. Tel: modern appliances have been developed Dipartimento di Fisica dell'Universltli di 071-235 (X)I6. Fax: 071-259 6002. from his work. Opening times are Minxiay Bologna. The theme will be "l'he meaning to Saturday 10:00 to 18:00, Sunday ! l:lX1 of historical scientific instruments and 25 September -- Institution of Electrical to 18:00. Admission £3.50. their contemporary aspects: restoration, Engineers, 2 Savoy Place, London WC2. catakguing, research uses, theoretical and Speakers will be Dr. Brian Bowers on Until June 1992, Cambridge practical aspects, educational purposes, Michael Faraday, Prof. BV Jayawant: historical diffusion and trade, exhibition, "Loadstones to load carriers, electro-magnetic An unusual exhibition A Decade of etc." The registration feeof 120,000 Italian suspenshm and levitation", Prof. RS Muller: Accessions: An Exhibition of Selected lira (about £55, $1 I0), which is payable in Formidab/e partners: micro-electronics and Acqmsltions Made by. the Whipt& Mu~um, Bologna, will cover coffee, lunch, the micro mechanics, Dr. 1 Ross: 1980-1990 is being staged by the Whipple reception and symposium dinner, Telecommumcatums in the era of photonics Museum of the History of Science, Free entrance to museums and a visit to Ferrara. and Sir FrancisGraham-Smith FRS: L/near Schtnd Lane, Cambridge, CB2 3RH, tel: For infi)nnation contact Prof. G. Dragoni, polarization and Faraday rotation in pul~r tP,.23 334~5. This fascinating retrospective Museo di Fisica, Via Irnerio 46, 1-40126 radh~ emisshms. The proceedings will be will be open Monday to Friday 14:00 to Bologna, Italy. Tel: 39-51 351099. Fax: 39- published. Details telephone 071-240 1871. 16:00, admission free. 51 247244. 25 September 1991, London 5-7 July 1991, Cambridge 12-14 September, Leiden Christie's, 8 King Street, St. James's, The British ~ciety fi)r the History of A symposium Scientific Relations London SWI is holding an evening of Science, the Newcomen Society and the Between Britainand the C(mtinent During British Society for the History of lectures and demonstrations by Paolo the 17th and Early 18th Centuries will be Brenni and WD Hackmann relevant to Mathematics is organising a meeting on held at the Museum Boerhaave. Details the Nicholas Webster Collection of Physical I~boratories at Cambridge. Details from Dr M Fournier, PC) BOx 11280, 2301 are available form the organizer, Dr. Laboratory and PhilosophicalApparatus. EG Leiden, The Netherlands. Co~g at 18.'00,this will be foiit~xed Andrew Warwick, St. Johns College, by a reception. Further details telephone Cambridge. There will also be a section 22 September - 22 December 1991, 071-839 9060. devoted to Michael Faraday: details from Charleroi, Belgium Dr. JM Wheeler, 131 Richmond Road, Cambridge CB4 3IX3. 19-20 October 1991, Liverpool and Genius ex Machina. The Coimbra physical Manchester cabinet will be on exhibition at the Palais 18 July 1991, London des Beaux-Arts, Plage du Mandge, The Society is holding a meeting in Charleroi, Belgium. Open from 10:00 to The Antiquarian Horological Society is museums in Liverpool and Manchester. 18:00 every day except Monday. This is There will be lectures as well as an

32 Bulletin of the ScientificInstrument S(~ety No. 29 (1991) opportunity to see instruments (such as 10 May 1992, London June Rochester, Kent tht~se belonging to Dalton and Joule) that 1992, are not normally on display. Details will The Twelfth International Antique The 1992 Annual General Meeting of the appear here when available. Scientific & Medical Instrument Fair will ~ciety will be held in R(whester, Kent, be held at the Portman Inter-Continental where we will have the opportunity to 27 October 1991, Lr,taon Hotel, Portman Square, London WI. 10:00 examine the Elliott Collection which is to i 6:30. Details from the organizer: Peter being organised by Ron Bristow. Further The Society will be one of the exhibitors at Delehar, 146 Portobello Road, London details will appear when available. the Eleventh International Antique W1 2DZ. Tel: 081-866 8659. Scientific & Medical Instrument Fair to be Compih'd by. Peter Delehar held at the Portman Inter-Continental From 11 May 1992, Portugal Hotel, Portman Square, London W1 on Sunday 27 October 1991, 10:00 to 16:30. The &~iety is proposing to visit collecthms Admi~ion £2. Details from the organizer. of scientific instruments in Portugal, Peter Delehar, 146 Portobello Road, departing on the day after the above Fair. London Wl 2DZ. Tel: 081-866 8659. I~tails will appear when available.

Classified TELESCOPES WANTED: Buying fine quality telescopes. Reflector and refractor, tripod mounted, fltx~r standing, table MR NICOLA TESLA mount and early hand held. Of great interest are cased and pr~ntation examples. Anthony Catania, PO I~x 903, Redmond, Wa. 98052 USA. WANTED WANTED: pre 1895 electric lamp holders or bulbs or hx~ks or Transformers, Coils & catalogues on electric domestic lighting. C M Miller, 920 Federal Other Apparatus E., Seattle, WA, 98102 (206) 329 8511.

B Llewellyn I0 Llsgar Terrace London W 14 8SE tel: 071 603 6257 fax 071 602 3375

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Bulletin of the Scientific InstrumentSociety No. 29 (1991) 33 DEREK HOWARD /

A selection of Fine Antique Chelsea Antiques Market Microscopes from our large 245-253 Kings Road range of Scientific Instruments. Chelsea. London SW3. No catalogues. Telephone 071-352 4113

ALAIN BRIEUX 48, rue Jacob, 75006 Paris TEL. (1) 426021 98

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RARE SCIENTIFIC, MEDICAL and SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS

BOOKS OF DOCUMENTATION BOUGHT -- SOLD -- APPRAISED

M Bt, lh,tm of the .~.'ienti|K" Instrument ~)ciety No. 29 (1991) Speciality-Aucti0ns [~I "l'heSt:James's House 4742 West "01d Technology" Chicago, Illinois ' ' 60646 USA Auction your "goodies" overseas now - and make your money 4~ on the strong exchange values! Sell ml "world's leading market for Technical Antiques" (,,Antiques & Auction News., Pa/USA).

On offer in the 30 Nov. '91 sale: '°The Astronomer" I'h¢ only ~n~t" km~n mu~Kal aulomala a~ll ,~it'nlnfic Insl r~ mcnP,. By J. Phallh~i,~. Parl~. c. llg7ll. 7 Im)~¢mcnls + mu.~l~.d I~x. 110 ¢m (4.V) high. A w~m aad aC~-ta~ hl~oCeal o~ im~e. J SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS, CLOCKS, EPHEMERA, After our succcs~full sale of .~,:icnlific In~lrLlmt.nls ~,ilh hi,heM sale', ART WORK, MAPS,AND BOOKS RELATING TO THE prices and o~er ~0°/,, ~les quota ~c'rc ha)king for our nc.'xt autumn HISTORY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY & v, inter ~Ics [or importan! items and entire collections of Visit us at our new location Immediately off !-94 (Edens) at the Peterson exit. (312) 545-O011 "Scientific Instruments" Philosophical, physical, chemical, medical, pharmaceutical. and ,~lrvre~ing inqtrvments. If you're h~)kingfor ~mclhmg ~pcclal~ if ~otn'~c,~.nclhing for sale. please contact u~. We're happ.~ Io ad~ n,." )ou. ,213~ 372-6149 .~~l~l~ P.O. Bo~ g16 Consignments are welcome at any time. 1213~ 372-5969 . . Redcmdo Beach. ("alifl*rnia 9027? Write or lax for in|ormation, catalogue sub~'rlpfion and "l:as~ ship- ping instructions" for o~cr,,ca, cons0gncr L,~~. Sc~ence& gechnolog.y Results of our last speciality auction:

Science & Technology f f I ~ Book Catalog $2.00 ~'~" ~1 ~,,. (. Imm

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Rosskampstr. 69 B 3000 Hannover 81 Breker - The Specialists Tel. 051 !-83 57 24 By appointment Tel. -.4q.221-387(140 Fax *'~ ~'* ~"~ Im USA: Please comact our U.S. rel~e~encali~e in NJ. ai: Tel. (201) ~)7-U3~1 • Fax (21)1) ~)74|3ql

Bulletin of the Scientific Instrument Society No. 29 (1991) 35 Paul Hamilton

Always an interesting selection of Antique Scientific Instruments available

Chelsea Antiques Market 253 Kings Road

Chelsea Ct',tre

Free and rare 6 " reflectin¢, telescope, si~ned London SW3 "IOttN WATSON FECIT" circa 1820

KALEIDOSCOPES E=~ Sclcm,|KInstrun~m WANTED Catalogues TESSEI~CT issued quarterly Buying fine nineteenth-century I~o~ I~il kaleidoscopes made of brass/wood/leather lla,t mx,,-on-Hud~n by Brewster, Bate, Carpenter, others. N,'~ York 10706 19141 4";N-2 $94 GRAND ILLUSIONS Mamn Roemgk 26 Barton Hill, Fast Hampkm. Connedlcut 0M24, U~A Phone 203-267-RM2

Bulletin of the Scientific Instrument Society No. 29 (199|) Table of Contents Appropriate material will be referenced in Physics Abstracts

Editorial and Announcements ...... 1

Reports of Exhibitions ...... Louwman, MOrzer Bruyns 2

John Benjamin Dance. Manchester Instrument Maker ...... Jenny Wetton 4

The Society's Visit to the Netherlands, 13-17 May 1991 ...... Turner, de Clercq, Darius, Clifton, Dawes 9 Mystery Object ...... 28

Letters to the Editor ...... Mollan, SCott,Bryant, Millburn 29

Book Reviews ...... Hackmann, Mercier 30 Instrumental Events ...... 32

Advertisements ...... 33

The Scientific Instrument Society Membership The Scientific Instrument Society (SIS) was formed in April 1983 to bring together people with a specialist interest in scientific instruments, ranging from precious antiques to electronic devices only recently out of production. Collectors, the antiques trade, museum staff, professional historians and other enthusiasts will find the varied activities of SIS suited to their tastes. The Society has an international membership. Activities Regular evening meetings are held in London, as well as occasional one-day and week-end conferences in attractive provincial locations. Speakers are usually experts in their field, but all members are welcome to give talks. Special 'behind-the-scenes' visits to museums are a useful feature. Above all, the Society's gatherings are enjoyable social occasions, providing opportunities to meet others with similar interests. The SIS Bulletin This is the Society's journal, published four times a year and sent free to members. It is attractively produced and illustrated, and contains informative articles about a wide range of instruments as well as book and exhibition reviews, news of SIS activities, and meetings of related societies. There is a lively letters page, and 'mystery objects' are presented. Another feature is a classified advertisement column, and antique dealers and auction houses regularly take advertising space, so that collectors may find the Bulletin a means of adding to their collections. How to join The annual subscription is due on 1 January. New members are asked to pay a joining fee in addition to the annual subscription.

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i