Letter 3505

[fol. 241] Rome 18 September 1728 Sir Some few weeks ago I received your favour of ye 10th July last, whereby you are pleased to acquaint me with the satisfaction expressd by the Royall Society on my behalf upon the severall philosophicall matters I had sent them over from these parts, which I shall continue to do when occasion offers, entreating you in the mean time to assure them that I am very proud of the honour they do me by there consideration, & very thankfull for that they have done unto Dr James Beccari having chozen him Member of so Illustrious a Body, & he will himself very soone return them his own thanks by a letter to Dr Rutty R.S. Secretr. which happening to come time enough I shall enclose herein. I am now charged with the desire of the most learned Dr Eustachius Manfredi of being also aggregated to our Society in which thing I need not make any Apologie, his qualifications being a more then sufficient recommendation, wherefore I hope your next will afford the pleasure of this due gratification nemine penitis discrepante. Monsigr Bianchini is gone to ye waters of San Casciano to convalidate himself the more as he has done for these three years, upon account of a fall he made into a vault of the Domus Aurea Neronis viewing those antiquities to compose the great description of it, which he has undertaken, where he broke the bone of one of his thighs, butt has found allwaies great releif by those waters that spring out near the Mountain of Radicofani, & as he comes back some time next month I hope then to receive of him his new maps of Venus, & shall by first good opportunity send it over. Here enclosed you will find a short account I have lately gott from Leghorne of the great fish caught thereabouts, whereof some teeth have been also sent unto me, which I shall forward to you with other matters that I am Collecting for the perusall of the Society. I have lately received Sr Isaac Newtons Cronologie, the Phil. Trans. to no. 400, & Dr Rutty’s Treatise of Urinary Passages &c. very faithfully transmitted to me by Mr Green’s freinds at Legh’e whereby I am highly courted by all the learned here as well as by my correspondents about Italy to gett information of the contents of the works, wherein I satisfie them to ye great [fol. 242] honour of our Nation & improvement of sciences in these parts. As to Dr Rizzetti’s book against Sr Isaac Newton I have from Dr Eustachio Manfredi the following account which I give you in his own words, whereas you understand very well the Italian. Qui si sonofatte nella pubblica specula quasi tutte quelle principali sperienze che si leggono tanto nell’Ottica del sig’r Cau’r Newton, quanto nell’operetta del sig’r Dottore Desaguliers, e quando i prismi sono stati di tutta perfezione, some alcuni che abbiamo accuti nelle mani, venuti dall’Inghilterra, il successo ha sempre corrisposto alle dottore e a principi Newtoniani, sopra l’Eterogeintà del lume del sole, e la diversa refiangibilità , ed immutabilità di ciarcun raggio di diverso colores. Credo che un giovine studente, di gran talento, che ha fatto questi esperimenti sotto la direzione del sig’r Dr Francesco Zanotti, suo Maestro, e che ne ha difaso in pubblico alcune Tesi, stenderà in una dissertazione il comprendio di quanto ha osservato per riferirlo a questa nostra Accademia dell’Instituto dell scienze; a cis seguendo ella ne varà inteso a vus tempo. By all which it seems that Rizzetti having made use of Prisms made at Venice, which are not of so pure a Cristall as ours, has been led into the many mistakes he has asserted for convincing proofs, which will have rendered him ridiculous for ever, & established the more that veracity which he pretended to confute. I must desire you sir to present my service to Mr Will. Derham, & transmitt to him ye enclosed observations of Dr Eustachius Manfredi after being perused by ye R.S. unto whom ye Dr had chiefly designed them. As I am writing I receive ye enclosed for Dr Rutty from Dr Becarri, who promises to send me very soone his Meteorol. Obs. of ye years 1727 & 1728 which I shall forward with the other things, & entreat you in ye mean time to thank with my respects said Dr Rutty for his curious, & very learned work, which I have read over with vast pleaure. I begg your pardon for the prolixity of the present & remaine your most Obedt & most humble servant Thomas Dereham