NavList:
A Community Devoted to the Preservation and Practice of Celestial Navigation and Other Methods of Traditional Wayfinding
Re: Newton and Halley
From: George Huxtable
Date: 2007 Nov 21, 20:13 -0000
From: George Huxtable
Date: 2007 Nov 21, 20:13 -0000
Mike Daly added the following, to his posting 3927- Charles H. Cotter, "The Mariner's Sextant and the Royal Society" Notes and Records of the Royal Society of London, Vol. 33, No. 1 (Aug., 1978), p. 31: "There is no evidence, however, that Newton's instrument materialized, let alone that it was tested at sea." And I replied, I'm not sure what view Mike is pushing here. Is he really trying to convince us, against all the evidence, that Newton's quadrant never even existed? Whether Mike Daly thinks that or not, that quotation undermines Cotter as any sort of witness, because by 1983, Cotter has dropped any such claim for its non-existence. In Navlist 3966, Mike Daly asked for the source of what I had written above; which is a fair question. The Cotter work I was referring to was his "History of the Navigator's Sextant", of 1983, which I had referred to before. But Mike's enquiry sent me back to check it, and indeed, at second reading, I now find those exact same words, on page 107. I was wrong. Sorry about that. Cotter remained consistent. On request, I will happy to attach scans of the relevant 3 pages from Cotter. George. contact George Huxtable at george@huxtable.u-net.com or at +44 1865 820222 (from UK, 01865 820222) or at 1 Sandy Lane, Southmoor, Abingdon, Oxon OX13 5HX, UK. --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ To post to this group, send email to NavList@fer3.com To , send email to NavList-@fer3.com -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---