Promises his vote for the presidency at next week's Royal Society election to Newton, whom he would make 'Perpetual Dictator' of the Society, and asking Newton how he should vote for the councillors and officers

Author: John Chamberlayne

Source: MINT 19/2/334-5, National Archives, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, UK

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<334r>

Petty France Westm^r 25 Novemb. 1713

Honored S^r

I beg the Favor of you to mark the inclos'd List for me between this & Munday next, just as you intend to do your own both for the New Councelors & New Officers all but one, whom I desire to choose Freely, & whom I would make Perpetual Dictator of the Society, if that depended only on the vote of

You most faithful Humble Serv Iohn Chamberlayne

D^r Wallis in his Arithmetica Infinitorum published A.C. 1655 squared a series of Curves & proposed that if the series of their areas could be interpoled in the middle places the interpolation would give the Quadraturs of the c|C|ircle. And in his opus Arithmeticum published A.C. 1657 cap. 33 Prop. 68, he reduced the fraction $\frac{1}{1}$ $\frac{1}{1 − R}$ into the by perpetual divisio{n} into the series A + AR + AR² + AR³ + &c

M^r Newton \A.C. 1675/ {in}|up|on considering how to interpole this series fell into an infinite series {after}{of {illeg}} which gives the Arc whose sine is assumed at the request of M^r Leibnitz he has explained at large in his Lette{r} {illeg} dated 24 Octob. 1676 & long since printed by D^r Wallis

{Vicount} Brounker {illeg}squared the Hyperbola &c

{illeg}|M^r| Mercator – – – – Demonstration thereof {terminorum infinita{illeg}}

M^r Mercator|This| tract contained a general method of squaring Curi{illeg} linear figures by infinite se{illeg}|r|ies. For M^r Newton had improved his invention into a general method but M^r Mercator proceeded no further then to the squaring of the Hyperbola by the division of D^r Wallis tho he lived many years after. Neither did M^r Gregory think of improving it \into a method/ till he had notice of {illeg} what M^r Newton had done.

The {illeg}\Analysis\Analysis// is the Compendium menioned in M^r Newtons Letter o{f} 24 Aug Octob^r 171 1676, {illeg}|&| the first piece printed in the Commercium It was sent to M^r Collins in Iuly 1669 as appears by the dates &c

& pursuing the method of interpolatione he found also the Quadrature of all curves whose Oridnates were {illeg}|the| dignities of binomialy affected w^th indices affirmative or negative whole fract or surd: as at the request of M^r Leibnitz he has

<334v>

M^r Vpon all w^ch it may not be amiss to make the following observatione|s|. First that Thus M^r Leibnitz put in for the Demonstr coinvention of those {he} four species [tho he [had received them all from M^r Newton & had not {yet an} \together/ w^th the method of {illeg}ing them & did not yet understand that methods\as M^r Newton represented to {illeg} in his next Letter/ &] tho the method was \of f{illeg} them was/ sent him at his own request, & he did not yet understand it.|, & he did not yet understand it. For in y^e same Letter he desired M^r Newton to explain it further. is words are sed decideraverim|

That he had received all these four series, M^r Newton explained to him in his answer dated 24 Octob \1676/ in these words Credo Cl. Leibnitium dum posuit serium. –––––– signorum varielate multiplicaretur ^{illeg} And to this M^rLeibnitz made no reply.

That M^r Leibnitz did no{illeg}|t| yet understand the {moerse} method of series by w^ch the{illeg} \said/ four series above\{illeg}/ were to be found app{ear} by his own words {illeg} subjoyned in y^e same letter {illeg} dated 26 Aug. 1676 sed desideraverim, saith he, < insertion from the top of f 334r > & pursuing the method of interpolatione he found also the Quadrature of all curves whose Ordinates were {illeg}|the| dignities of binomialy affected w^th indices affirmative or negative whole fract or surd: as at the request of M^r Leibnitz he has < text from f 334v resumes >

That the \making &/ selling\selling/ of blancht Copper for sale or making it for sale is forbidden by law upon pain fo death because of its fitness to \be used in/ counterfeit/ing\ \the/ silver money: & {illeg} for the same reason \it may be dangerous to encourage the making of/ an {illeg} artificial metal w^ch toucheth like gold. should should especially since {illeg}|th|is |metal| is {illeg} already \sold/ at ten shillings a Pound for making sword hilts & other uses instead of Gold\utensils ware/ in imitation of gold. And money made < insertion from the left margin of f 344r > of this metal & melted down with a little fine Gold may make a composition still more dangerous for counterfeiting the Gold moneys. < text from f 334v resumes >

That {illeg} \in the coinage of the Copper money now current/ a{illeg}|n| hundred Tuns per an at the and of years {is} the coinage caused \occasioned/ great complaints in Parliament so as to cause {illeg}|t|he vol of coinage to be stopt for a year & after another {{illeg}|hund|}red Tunns were coine{{illeg}|d|} the nation was overstockt for the next four or five years & therefore six hundred Tunns may be deemed sufficient for stock this Engla all England, whereof there are already current between\about/ five or six hundred Tunns or \perhaps/ above

That this|e| secret of making this metal being known only to the Petitioners, it has no known intrinsic value or market price: whereas co{illeg}|p|er money should be made of a metal whose market price among Merchants is known : wh & should \be/ coined as neare as can be to that|is| price including the charge of coinage.

|And| That copper money half the common people are not nice & curious in taking copper money but may be imposed upon by money made of Princes metal instead of the metal here proposed: & that the cutting of a pound weight into 32 pence were\may/ be a great temptation to counterfeit such money.

{Tha} All w^ch reasons incline us to prefer \in coinage of/ good copper {to} according to intrinsic value of y^e metal. But we submit o^r opinions to yo^r Lord^ps great wisdom. And

<335v>

Her M^ty having authorised the Council of y^e R.S. to appoint Visitors of the R. Observatory of Greenwich & We being appointed accordingly, &

Gentlemen

Vnderstanding that \a/ Letter dated {14}|12| Dec. 1{illeg}7 1710, was \by her M^ts order/ sent to your \board/ by my Lord Bolingbrook by her Maj^ts order; signifying her M^ts pleasure that you should do {take} receive & take notice of such {f|R|}epresentations as the President {&} or Vice President {illeg} of the R.S. together w^t & such {others} as the Council of the said Society should appoint Visitors of the Royal Observatory at Greenwich\the said Visitors/ should make to your Board concerning Her Ma^ts Instruments in the said Observatory, & that you should order them to be repaired erected or changed as there shall be occasion or purchased for {h} Her M^ty if they \do/ not already belong the Observatory: We being authorised appointed Visitors of|And her Ma^ty having sent the Society according such orders to take of the Observatory| We having received such Orders from her Ma^ty the Said Observatory take the {hourly} to represent to you |first| you \you the things following./ that in the great {illeg}|R| of y^e Observatory up one pair of stairs there are two Clocks w^ch S^r Ionas Moor caused to be made for the Observatory as we understand by the inscription upon them, but w^ch are claimed by M^r Flamsteed as a gift given him by S^r Ionas the y Moor the younge{r} If they not belong to the Observatory, we desire that If they be not the Queens we desire that they may be purchased as necessary {f} to y^e Observato{r}y.

In the same Room there is a \brass/ Quadrant of four foot Radius belonging to M^r Flamsteed. And such an inst{ru}ment is necessary for observing the altit{u}des \of the starrs/. It is not ver\well/ divided, but if can be divided anew we desire that it may be purchased for the Observatory, or else that a new one be made.

In the same Rome there is wanting also a Telescope of about feet Radius w^th a Micrometer

In the Garden there is a house w^th a {illeg}{all} Sextant a wall Quadrant & a clock \therein/. The house House should be removed {4}|6| or {illeg}|8| feet\yards/ further from the brow of the hill that the ground may not sink under it.

<335r>

The sextant is grown rusty & should be cleaned & new {fixed} & there should be a new wall Quadrant if the old one being much worn by long usage, And the clock i & belonging to M^r Flamsteed. The clock is also M^r Flamsteeds & {illeg} better clock would be more usefull.

If you please to appoint\give order to/ an able workman, We will some {a} to repair these Instruments & make new ones where they are wanting, \& to ano{illeg}|ther| k{illeg} about\workman to{illeg} take care of/ removing the house in the Garden/ some of us will go with them to Greenwich & shew them what is wanting to be done. And at the same time {illeg} directions may be given to a bricklayer about removing the house in the Garden We are

Gentlemen

Yo^r most humble servants

In obedience to yo^r Lord^ps Order of Reference upon the annexed Petition of Memorial of M^r Charles Tunnah & M^r William for coyning an {hundr}\in ten years/ a thousand Tunns of half pence and farthings of an artificual metal w^ch toucheth like ordinary gold, \&/ cutting a pound weight into Averdupois into 32 pence: We humbly represent