Credit: ©The Royal Society
    Image number: RS.16199

    Pneumatic engine

    Date
    14 July 1662
    Creator
    Christiaan Huygens (1629 - 2006, Dutch) , Natural philosopher
    Object type
    Archive reference number
    Manuscript page number
    p4
    Material
    Dimensions
    height (Page): 195mm
    width (Page): 150mm
    Subject
    Description
    Drawing of a pneumatic engine in a letter from Christian Huygens to Robert Moray.

    A figure of a glass phial with a long neck inverted in a glass vessel, for conducting Torricellian experiments in an air pump. This was the apparatus used by Christian Huygens, as described in his letter of June 1662 to Robert Moray. This original letter was translated and read at the meeting of the Royal Society on 30 July 1662.

    There are copies of this figure at EL/H1/11/005, LBO/1/036 and LBC/1/040.
    Object history
    At the meeting of the Royal Society on 30 July 1662, ‘The translation of Monsieur Huygens’s letter of July 14, 1662, to Sir Robert Moray by the amanuensis, was read by him, and ordered to be entered in the letter book’ (Birch 1:102).
    Related fellows
    Christiaan Huygens (1629 - 2006, Dutch) , Natural philosopher
    Robert Boyle (1627 - 1691, British) , Natural philosopher
    Associated place
    <The World>
       > Europe
          > Netherlands
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