Beschreibung:

Harrison (John, horologist, bap. 1693, d. 1776).- Maskelyne (Sir Nevil, astronomer and mathematician, 1732-1811) Autograph Letter signed to John Nourse, bookseller, 1p., 200 x 162mm., Greenwich, 17th March 1767, relating to the publication of Maskelyne's book, An Account of the going of Mr. John Harrison's Watch, at the Royal Observatory, from May 6th, 1766, to March 4th, 1767, "I find by the Act of Parliament concerning stamps & pamphlets that the plates of Harrison's watch being under 12 sheets in quarto & 20 in folio that must be paid 2s for each... sheet at the Stamp Office", asking him to pay the Stamp Office and arranging for the plates to be entered at Stationers Hall, "The No. of presents ordered by the board together with these for the members should be sent to the secretary Mr Ibbetson", small tears where opened, small hole in text, folds, browned. ⁂ Nevil Maskelyne and John Harrison were rivals for determining longitude. Maskelyne's way was to produce tables from a series of lunar-distance observations and Harrison's was by engineering an accurate time piece that could be carried at sea. Maskelyne had been tasked with assessing the true worth of Harrison's time pieces and produced a negative report that doomed Harrison to years of frustration at not being awarded the full reward from the Board of Longitude. The years 1765-67 were especially acrimonious between Maskelyne and John Harrison and his son, William.