| Description: |
Notebook 20 cm x 16 cm, bound in dark brown leather, 86 intact folios including end-papers, some blank, a few pages torn out. Containing notes in several hands c. 1846-1885?:
ms notes in ink and pencil by Thomas Sims and possibly another hand on experiments with photographic paper and chemicals, engraving and Daguerrotype.
Diagrams and notes in A. R. Wallace's hand on physics, including hydrostatics hydraulics and pneumatics, heat, and optics, c. 1846, some dated, possibly notes for lectures given by A. R. Wallace at what was to become in 1848 the Mechanic's Institute, at Neath
Notes in blue ink in Thomas Sims'? hand listing birds, including Humming Birds, received from Stephens in January 1850
A poem titled "The Light of Days to Come" by Herbert Wallace, not in his hand but probably that of Thomas Sims
Logarithms, mathematical calculations, geometrical diagrams and notes written from the back of the book towards the front in A. R. Wallace's hand
A list of birds with colours of body and iris and some prices, in (Herbert Wallace's hand?).
An undated press cutting reporting a soiree at the Royal Geographical Society at which an original map of the Rio Negro by Mr Wallace was exhibited, pasted in.
Index to sections : The folio numbers were added to the book in square brackets in pencil on the front of each folio, by me. In the index below I have used "back" rather than "dorse" for the back of a folio. "f. (no:)" implies the front. The writer's own titles or first lines are noted in quotation marks, with dates where given. P J Lucas, April 2003. f. 4: Start of notes probably for Neath Mechanics Institute, in A. R. Wallace's hand, undated, beginning "1. Hydrostatics, Hydraulics and Pneumatics…"
f. 13, back: "Pneumatics" f. 14. Back: "Weight of atmosphere" f. 15, back: "Elasticity of air" f. 17, back: "Heat" dated Friday Mar 27 1846 f. 24, back: "Heat" continued, Friday May 1st (1846?) f. 26, back: "Heat" continued, Friday May 8, 1846 f. 27, back: "Heat" continued, Friday May 15 (1846?) f. 30, back: "Heat" continued, Friday may 29, 1846 f. 32: "Heat" continued, Friday June 5th 1846 f. 35: "Optics" f.45 (top of page): Note headed "142 Tocontine - 131 Mexiana - 63 Mexiana" re birds received from Stephens, January 1850. In blue ink, probably Thomas Sims' hand. f. 45 (bottom of page) - f. 48: "W Blanquert Everard's Improvements in Photography", notes on glacial acetic acid and various photographic glazing solutions, in Thomas Sims's hand. f. 48, back, notes on photographic developing techniques? in Thomas Sims' hand, dated "Wednesday Octr 16". f.49-f 52: Notes in Thomas Sims' hand on photographic techniques, including formula for silver iodide paper, recipe for "Electrical and chemical apparatus cement" (f. 50, dated Tuesday May 13th 1851), "Bright electro-silver plating", experiment with gun-cotton (dated London Dec 20th 1852) and "The method of obtaining pictures for the dissolving (sic) views". f. 54: List (of photographs in the style of famous artists?) in Thomas Sims' hand: "Sent to Mr Abrahams Dec 3, (1885?) | 3 Rembrandts | 1 Gerard Dow | 1 Last Supper | 2 Madonna's (sic)". f. 54, back: Notes in Thomas Sims' hand: "Acetic Acid in the Nitrate of Silver Bath Â…. T.S. March 7th 1853" continued "April 18th I began a few experiments with starchÂ…" f. 56: "A list of photographs for dissolving views made for Mr Vignoles" In pencil, possibly Thomas Sims' hand but not typical, a list of 7 subjects including "Masonry" and "Fount[ain] of Peles". f. 56, back: Notes in pencil headed "Facts connected with Fluric (sic) engraving", apparently in a hand other than Thomas Sims'. Not in Fanny Sims' hand (compared with a letter written by her). f. 56, back - f. 61, back: continuation of notes on fluoric acid in ink and pencil, in the same hand as the beginning, with marginal notes possibly in Thomas Sims' hand. f. 62: "Electrical experiments with photographs - Collodion reduced by heat" in ink in two different hands, one (at the bottom) possibly Thomas Sims'. f. 62, back: "Baths if Nitrate of Silver" in pencil in two different hands, as above. f. 63. "The Light of Days to Come" poem [signed] "Herbert Wallace" but not in his hand; apparently in the hand of Thomas Sims'. f. 64-f. 75 are blank. About four folios have been torn out between f. 63 and f. 64. These were not included in the numbering. f. 75, back: Press cutting, upside down relative to top of page, reporting a Soiree at the Royal Geographical Society, undated. (See description field for more detail). f. 85: Notes possibly in A. R. Wallace's older hand or another's (Violet Wallace?) " A good paper on the Honey Bee may be seen in the new series of the Transactions of the Entomological Society of London Vol. II part the fifth. | Rankes History of the Popes translated from the German by Sarah Austin London 184(0?)" f. 86 (white side of end paper) Mathematical calculations, possibly in A. R. Wallace's hand. f.84-f. 78: (upside down and back to front relative to the rest of the book) contain logarithms, mathematical calculations, geometrical diagrams, and three pages of short notes, mostly crossed through, each headed "Geology Coal Measures", in ink and pencil, probably in A. R. Wallace's hand. f. 77 (both sides): a list of birds in an unknown hand (resembling Fanny and Thomas Sims' but not absolutely typical of either) beginning "6 pale blue Taneges [sic: Tanagers?] Iris Olive eats fruits", some with prices, e.g. "4 Galles de [Segea?] eyes brilliant orange 15/- . . . 2 small parrots Iris orange 5/-." Place: Amazon Neath Glamorganshire Wales |
