Oeuvres complètes. Tome IV. Correspondance 1662-1663

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N^o 1138.
R. Hooke à R. Boyle.
[? juillet 1663]¹⁾.

La lettre a été publiée dans ‘Boyle's Works, Vol. V.’

Right Honourable,

J did expect and hope, that you would have been in London before this; nor are your friends at Gresham college less sollicitous after your return; J being asked by every one almost, when you would be here. There was but little done this last Wednesday²⁾, because of some papers which were read, which took up almost all the time. The one was sent in from Sir Paul Neile³⁾, being an account of his way of making, ordering and bottling of cyder, and his judgment of the cause of the fermentation of it, &c. wherein indeed were very many new observables, though several of them were contradicted by Mr. Waller⁴⁾ and some others; Sir Paul being very much against the fermenting of cyder very much; and Mr. Waller and some others of the contrary opinion. There was likewise read a relation sent from the coast of Coromandell in the East-Indies, by a person of credit, and one, who had lived a governor there above eleven years. The sum was this, that for three or four months, in the summer time, the wind did all day, from eight in the morning to four in the afternoon, blow so extremely hot from the land, that the people are hardly able to endure it, but are fain to sit in tubs of cold water, up to the neck, to preserve themselves from being stifled; that every night the wind blows directly contrary, namely, from the sea, with as great an excess of cold. But this is not so strange, because it happens in several other parts of the world; but what he added further is sufficiently strange to an European, videlicet that their way to preserve their drink cold in this extremity of heat, was to put it up in their earthen vessels (what form they are of J know not) and expose the bottle, hung by a stake, or the branch of a tree, to the scorching sun and suffocating winds; for by that means they find the contained liquor, at four in the afternoon, exces-

1) Cette lettre a été écrite après la séance du 8 juillet 1663 (V. st.) et avant celle du 16 juillet (V. st.); dans ‘Boyle's Works’ on trouve en tête de la lettre: about July 1663.

2) Dans la séance du 8 juillet 1663 (V. st.).

3) Sur Sir Paul Neile, voir la Lettre N^o. 280, note 1.

4) Edmond Waller naquit le 3 mars 1605 à Coleshill (Hertford) et mourut à Beaconsfield le 21 octobre 1687: on le trouve sur la liste des premiers membres de la Société Royale, telle qu'elle a été arrêtée dans la séance du 20 mai 1663 (V. st.). Il était poète et, quoique marié à une bourgeoise, Mary Bresse, fréquenta la cour; sous Cromwell il fut depouillé de ses biens; Charles II les lui restitua.

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sively cold, and extremely pleasant and refreshing; nor would the relator himself, nor any that he had heard of, venture to give a reason for it.

We made a trial of Monsieur Zulichem's experiment, where indeed it succeeded so far, that with the pumping, that was used about it, the water would not descend, though J am very confident, if the pump had been longer plied, the event would have been much otherwise; and we shall this next week⁵⁾ try with a pipe of five or six foot long, whether it will remain suspended or not. We have lately⁶⁾ likewise tried two other experiments: the one was, there were two boltheads full of water inverted into restagnating water, out of which, when the air was extracted, there remained in each a small bubble at the top: into the place of one of the bubbles of extracted air as much common air was put, and then both of them set aside and observed. The event was, that both the bubbles vanished into the water, but that of the common air remained longest. Since that⁷⁾, we exhausted the air out of one of those boltheads, and put common air in the place of it; then the other was filled with common water, and a bubble of air, equal to that in the other, was put into it, and it was found, that the air was vanished into the exhausted water, but that the other remained almost intire in bulk.

J am taking order about the engraving of my microscopical pittance, which J hope will be very well done. J this week observed a creature newly come out of the egg, which by comparing it with the biggest old one J have seen of that kind, J found to be above 130000 times less than the bulk it was likely to come to, if it survived; of which, J believe, we shall not find many other examples in nature. J have now procured the new Jamaica nuts; and had J not been advertised, that your return would be either this Saturday, or the following Monday, they had been sent you by,

Right honourable,
your honour's most affectionate most
faithfull and most humble servant
Rob. Hooke.

J have sent a small bag of the nuts, understanding by Mr. Wh's letter, that you will not be here till Thursday. The two foot perspective J also sent, the box

5) Dans la séance du 16 juillet 1663 (V. st.) on donna ordre de préparer de ces tubes, mais l'expérience ne fut faite, avec succès, que le 19 août.

6) Dans la séance du 17 juin (V. st.). Voir la Lettre N^o. 1128.

7) Dans la séance du 8 juillet (V. st.).

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was delivered to the carrier the last week before he went away. Mrs. Kuffler is very earnest to know, when you will give order about the engine, and seems to be a little angry, and wonders you should be worse than your word, and such kind of speeches; though J had given her the reason, why you could not do it before you went hence.