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Doc. 45.] SWEDENBORG TO ERICUS BENZELIUS. 227
What I hear from the learned, I note down at once in my
journal; it would be too long to copy it out and to com
municate it to you. Between the mathematicians here and the
English there is great emulation and jealousy. Halley,56
of Oxford, told me that he was the first who examined
the variation of the pendulum under the equator; they keep
silence about this here; the astronomers here also maintain
that Cassini’s paper was written before Halley made his
expedition to the Island of St. Helena, and so forth.
It is seldom that mathematical works are published here,
and if you come a few months after, they are not to be
had. All mathematicians take their papers to the Diaria
publica Academic Scientiarum (the public Journal of the
Academy of Sciences), and do not trouble themselves further
about publishing and keeping a copy of them . I find in the
book-shops in this country a much smaller number of
mathematical works for sale than in England and Holland.
I have also been a good deal in the libraries, with the
exception of the Royal Library. I ordered Brander in
England to send the microscope which was written for, to
Sweden for the Library ; it will probably cost from three
to four pounds. It will be forwarded to you by some
opportunity.
I suppose my books and other things, which Alstryn
took to Sweden, have been forwarded from Gottenburg to
Upsal. During my stay in Holland I was most of the time
in Utrecht, where the Diet met, and where I was in great
favour with ambassador Palmquist,61 who had me every day at
his house; every day also I had discussions on algebra with
him. He is a good mathematician, and a great algebraist.
He wished me not to go away ; and, therefore, I intend next
year to return to Leyden, where they have a splendid observa
tory, and the finest brass quadrant that I have ever seen ; it
cost 2000 new guilders. They are continually making new
observations. I will ask permission from the university to
take observations there for two or three months, which I shall
easily obtain; Palmquist said the same.
In Leyden I learned glass -grinding; and I have now all
the instruments and utensils belonging to it.
15 *
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