Short, James, 1710-1768 (Scottish mathematician and manufacturer of optical instruments)

Scope and Contents Autograph letter signed from Colin Maclaurin addressed to James Stirling "at Leadhills", dated 6 December 1740, discussing the French expedition to Peru ("Mr Short writes that an unlucky accident has happened to the French mathematicians in Peru. It seems they were shewing some French gallantry to the natives’ wives, who have murdered their servants, destroyed their instruments and burn’t their papers"), and Short's observation of the satellite of Venus before summarising "all that I have...