Letter 2332

P.J. van der Elst to Hans Sloane – June 10, 1719


Item info

Date: June 10, 1719
Author: P.J. van der Elst
Recipient: Hans Sloane

Library: British Library, London
Manuscript: Sloane MS 4045
Folio: f. 214



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Transcription

Van der Elst informs Sloane of a gentleman from Anvers who discovered something extraordinary. It will lead to ‘la perfection de la Navigation’. He told the man to inform the Royal Society at London, which would give him a prize for discovering ‘des Longitudes’. Van der Elst has examined machines that calculate longitude and knows the secret to their formulation. He has instruments that aid in reading the weather while at sea and a clock.




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