[Letter to George F. Fitzgerald from Thomas Preston],
Title
[Letter to George F. Fitzgerald from Thomas Preston],
Creator
Date
Publisher
Identifier
GFF 11/18
Subject
Description
Handwritten letter from Thomas Preston to George F. Fitzgerald. Preston wrote from his home in Bardowie, Orwell Park, Rathgar, County Dublin. He thanks Fitzgerald for sending a cheque for £25, which he intends to send to Yeats [possibly referring to William Butler Yeats] “to help to redress his account.” He requests to hear about Lord Rayleigh’s ideas. He criticises Nicholson’s “letter to Nature” and describes his position as “preposterous.” He states that he will reply with a letter himself. He refers to Pieter Zeeman’s academic ideas. He expresses hope that Fitzgerald’s “little boy” will get over measles and concludes that there is no news of Galway. 4pp.
Transcription
“My dear Prof. Fitzgerald,
Many thanks for your cheque which arrived safely, good for £25. If you could manage to keep on sending them till the total reaches £200 or £300 I should be solvent again! I am sending this one to Yeats to help to redress his account but of course that will not clear up the balance still remaining due to him.
I would like very much to hear more of Lord Rayleigh’s idea about [Echelon] – I do not understand exactly how he proposes to work it.
Nicholson I think does not improve his position by his letter to Nature. You say he still adheres to his law as being approximately true – which is preposterous nonsense. I am writing a short reply to Nature now to say that we might as well assert that all stones were the same size as that Mr Zeeman [widening] is “the same for all lines and instances”!!! That is really the point of issue in the interference method – it does not seem capable (yet) of acting as a measurer. And Nicholson should find out what is wrong with it.
I hope your little boy has “passed” measles with honours! We have not “presented” any for examination in that respect yet!
No word of Galway so far.
Yours very sincerely,
Thomas Preston.”
Transcription
“My dear Prof. Fitzgerald,
Many thanks for your cheque which arrived safely, good for £25. If you could manage to keep on sending them till the total reaches £200 or £300 I should be solvent again! I am sending this one to Yeats to help to redress his account but of course that will not clear up the balance still remaining due to him.
I would like very much to hear more of Lord Rayleigh’s idea about [Echelon] – I do not understand exactly how he proposes to work it.
Nicholson I think does not improve his position by his letter to Nature. You say he still adheres to his law as being approximately true – which is preposterous nonsense. I am writing a short reply to Nature now to say that we might as well assert that all stones were the same size as that Mr Zeeman [widening] is “the same for all lines and instances”!!! That is really the point of issue in the interference method – it does not seem capable (yet) of acting as a measurer. And Nicholson should find out what is wrong with it.
I hope your little boy has “passed” measles with honours! We have not “presented” any for examination in that respect yet!
No word of Galway so far.
Yours very sincerely,
Thomas Preston.”
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
Preston, Thomas, 1860-1900, “[Letter to George F. Fitzgerald from Thomas Preston],,” RDS Digital Archive, accessed June 17, 2025, https://digitalarchive.rds.ie/items/show/633.