GAJS.COM Web Catalogue James Watt

JAMES WATT WRITES SIR JOSEPH BANKS AND
MENTIONS CHARLES COULOMB

WATT, JAMES. (1736-1819). Scottish inventor and mechanical engineer. Autograph Letter Signed, “James Watt”. One full page, quarto. No place, no date. Very fine condition. To British naturalist SIR JOSEPH BANKS. Watt writes:

“Dear Sir, When I received your letter of the 30th, Messrs. Les Comissaires were with me; thinking it the shorter way I immediately communicated the article to M. Coulomb. They were exceedingly sorry that Doctor Farquharson should have the trouble of going to Plymouth merely to meet them, and somewhat embarrassed what to do about the Marquis who is their interpreter. They however proposed to have him in Plymouth town where he has been before, and I believe they will take great care to give no offence, as they never once asked to see the manufacturers of this town, and accordingly saw none of them, at least through any means, or that I know of. They propose to be at Plymouth the 11th in the evening and went from hence this morning. They expressed a very high sense of their obligations to you and promised to write you yesterday, which made me delay writing sooner myself. I am always happy in finding occasions to be of any service to you however small and remain with the highest esteem and respect Dear Sir, most sincerely, your obedient servant, James Watt.”

Sir Joseph Banks accompanied British explorer Captain James Cook on his first Pacific voyage, which was commissioned to record the movements of the planet Venus, as well as to search for a habitable continent widely believed to exist near the Antarctic region. Banks, a naturalist, gathered many plant and animal specimens from the various stopping points on Cook’s route, including Tahiti, Australia and New Zealand. Banks helped establish botany as a science and was appointed President of the Royal Society in 1778, a position he held until his death in 1820. Watt’s letter to Banks also mentions Charles Coulomb, a French physicist who conducted research with magnetism, friction and electricity. In 1777, he invented the torsion balance for measuring the force of magnetic and electrical attraction.


JAMES WATT WRITES SIR JOSEPH BANKS AND MENTIONS CHARLES COULOMB WATT, JAMES. (1736-1819). Scottish inventor and mechanical engineer. Autograph Letter Signed, “James Watt”. One full page, quarto. No place, no date. Very fine condition. To British naturalist SIR JOSEPH BANKS. Watt writes: “Dear Sir, When I received your letter of the 30th, Messrs. Les Comissaires were with me; thinking it the shorter way I immediately communicated the article to M. Coulomb. They were exceedingly sorry that Doctor Farquharson should have the trouble of going to Plymouth merely to meet them, and somewhat embarrassed what to do about the Marquis who is their interpreter. They however proposed to have him in Plymouth town where he has been before, and I believe they will take great care to give no offence, as they never once asked to see the manufacturers of this town, and accordingly saw none of them, at least through any means, or that I know of. They propose to be at Plymouth the 11th in the evening and went from hence this morning. They expressed a very high sense of their obligations to you and promised to write you yesterday, which made me delay writing sooner myself. I am always happy in finding occasions to be of any service to you however small and remain with the highest esteem and respect Dear Sir, most sincerely, your obedient servant, James Watt.” Sir Joseph Banks accompanied British explorer Captain James Cook on his first Pacific voyage, which was commissioned to record the movements of the planet Venus, as well as to search for a habitable continent widely believed to exist near the Antarctic region. Banks, a naturalist, gathered many plant and animal specimens from the various stopping points on Cook’s route, including Tahiti, Australia and New Zealand. Banks helped establish botany as a science and was appointed President of the Royal Society in 1778, a position he held until his death in 1820. Watt’s letter to Banks also mentions Charles Coulomb, a French physicist who conducted research with magnetism, friction and electricity. In 1777, he invented the torsion balance for measuring the force of magnetic and electrical attraction. For more details or to buy this item, please contact us. $4,500
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