Credit: ©The Royal Society
    Image number: RS.15141

    Diagram on gunnery

    Date
    July 1685
    Creator
    Unknown, Artist
    Object type
    Archive reference number
    Manuscript page number
    p5
    Material
    Dimensions
    height (page): 235mm
    width (page): 352mm
    Subject
    Description
    Edmond Halley's diagram for illustrating a rule of gunnery, shown to William Molyneux when they met in London. This was given to George Tollet (d. 1719) by Molyneux's father, Captain Samuel Molyneux. Tollet was a self-taught teacher of mathematics in Dublin and one of the earliest members of the Dublin Philosophical Society.

    This figure is the same as the one earlier at Cl.P/1/20/003, which is copied at LBO/10/180 and LBC/10/222.
    Transcription
    'Calculation'
    Transcribed by the Making Visible project
    Object history
    At the meeting of the Royal Society on 22 July 1685, ‘ There were read some papers communicated by the Dublin Society; [...] The rest of the papers being a problem about gunnery sent by Mr. Halley to Mr. William Molyneux, and two problems of Mr. Tolet relating to the same subject, and requiring calculation, were referred to Mr. Cluverus to examine, and make a report at the next meeting, when they should be farther considered of’ (Birch 4:421-22). See also 29 July 1685 (Birch 4:422-23), which does not specifically mention Tollet's demonstration on gunnery.

    At the meeting on 18 November 1685, the minutes of the Dublin Society between 6 July and 10 August 1685 were read, which included the item, ‘July 6, 1685. Mr. Tolet brought in a proposition in gunnery, sent from Mr. Edward Halley, with its construction and rule, but without a demonstration. He shewed the construction to hold true in all cases, but deduced another rule from thence’ (Birch 4:431).
    Related fellows
    George Tollet (1679 - 1714, British) , Mathematician
    Edmond Halley (1656 - 1742, British) , Astronomer
    William Molyneux (1656 - 1698, British) , Science writer
    Associated place
    <The World>
       > Europe
          > Ireland
    Powered by CollectionsIndex+/CollectionsOnline