Letter to George F. Fitzgerald from Sir Oliver Lodge
Title
Letter to George F. Fitzgerald from Sir Oliver Lodge
Creator
Date
Identifier
GFF 2/40
Subject
Description
Handwritten letter from Sir Oliver Lodge, 21 Waverley Road, Liverpool, to George F. Fitzgerald, dated 21 October 1889. Lodge discusses the ideas of Vaughan Pendred and the topic of ether, and he disagrees with Fitzgerald's criticisms of Lodge's models. 2pp.
Transcription:
"My dear Fitzgerald,
I forget I told you that the BA knocked me up and I am only getting right again now.
You [m?] about Browns 10- it was included in the 5.16- you sent me and in the ofc receipted sent in. The paper was sent as a voucher. Everything is square to date.
I wish indeed you had been at N'carth to lighten us up and to give us more about [c?] ether or to draw more from W.T. on the subject. Fancy you wasting 25 good sheets on Pendred! He is hopeless but his nonsense unfortunately does no discredit to a large number of British [E?]. There are heaps who think similarly and the great [h?] of them are ignorant which may pride themselves upon the fact. Hence I think Pendred is doing service by his outspoken representation of the book which is current; and if corrected the correction should be public. Your [?] ether is very nice. I am sorry you disliked my models so much but I am not altogether surprised. I don't greatly harken after them myself except as a step and better than nothing and I feel the force of most of your remarks. I don't understand why you say I mix up mechanical and elastic force though. None of my models show mechanical force that I remember.
Is Liverpool never on your way from Dublin to London? We would amply like to put you up.
Yours muchly,
OJL"
Transcription:
"My dear Fitzgerald,
I forget I told you that the BA knocked me up and I am only getting right again now.
You [m?] about Browns 10- it was included in the 5.16- you sent me and in the ofc receipted sent in. The paper was sent as a voucher. Everything is square to date.
I wish indeed you had been at N'carth to lighten us up and to give us more about [c?] ether or to draw more from W.T. on the subject. Fancy you wasting 25 good sheets on Pendred! He is hopeless but his nonsense unfortunately does no discredit to a large number of British [E?]. There are heaps who think similarly and the great [h?] of them are ignorant which may pride themselves upon the fact. Hence I think Pendred is doing service by his outspoken representation of the book which is current; and if corrected the correction should be public. Your [?] ether is very nice. I am sorry you disliked my models so much but I am not altogether surprised. I don't greatly harken after them myself except as a step and better than nothing and I feel the force of most of your remarks. I don't understand why you say I mix up mechanical and elastic force though. None of my models show mechanical force that I remember.
Is Liverpool never on your way from Dublin to London? We would amply like to put you up.
Yours muchly,
OJL"
Source
RDS Library & Archives GFF collection of letters
Rights
Copyright RDS Library & Archives. Publication, transmission or display is prohibited without formal written approval of the RDS Library & Archives.
Relation
RDS Science Archive
Format
Manuscript
Language
English
Type
Coverage
1870-1901
Collection
Citation
Lodge, Oliver, Sir, 1851-1940, “Letter to George F. Fitzgerald from Sir Oliver Lodge,” RDS Digital Archive, accessed December 5, 2025, https://digitalarchive.rds.ie/items/show/1300.