[Letter to George F. Fitzgerald from Thomas Preston],

[Letter to George F. Fitzgerald from Thomas Preston],

GFF 11/27

Handwritten letter from Thomas Preston to George F. Fitzgerald, written on 19 June 1898 from the Hotel Metropole, London. He writes that he has enclosed the scientific paper sent by Fitzgerald. He doubts that its “new” statements are “true” because he believes that the quantity used is too small for an accurate conclusion. He thinks that the authors rushed to the conclusion that the magnetic effect is parallel to the pressure effect when he found that no parallel existed in his own experiments. He will return to the question in September. He cannot say that “reversed polarisation” is not a fact but suspects that it may have been caused by “bad apparatus,” “bad experiments”, or the “vivid imaginations” of the Americans “perhaps caused by the war” [probably referring to the then-ongoing Spanish-American War]. 4pp.

RDS Library & Archives GFF collection of letters

Copyright RDS Library & Archives. Publication, transmission or display is prohibited without formal written approval of the RDS Library & Archives.

RDS Science Archive

Manuscript

English

1870-1901