Letter 3789

[fol. 72] Shilston July 16th, 1730 Honrd Sr When Mr Sheperd ye Bearer hereof was in London last I prsumd to trouble you wth three or four sheets containing some Magnetical Experimts made mostly by others, as well as my self, & among them 2 or 3 which I apprehended now, because I never heard or read of them. In my Letter I beg’d ye Favour of a Line from one of your Secretary’s (who are Strangers to me) to let me know what the Royal Society thought of them tho they should Judge them to be of little Moment. I also promis’d, if so commanded to send ye best Directions I could for making a Machine wch within ye Time of 24 Hours will plainly show to yr naked eye yt ye Magnetical Poles in respect of ye surface of the Earth have mov’d [and] how much. The Civilitys yr Honr was pleas’d to show to my above named Friend encourages me to renew my Request, concluding yr Answer to my first is miscarried. I’m attempting also to find the Lunar Distance by a Method not depending on ye Parallax, but ye Work wanting a few Approximations I can’t yet send it: By wt I have wrought I find it above 238000 Eng: Miles but defective, wch Defect, as I guess, may exceed 2000 Miles, & if so, ’tis pretty near wt other make it by ye Parallax. If a Thing of this Nature will be acceptable, please to lay ye Commands on Honrd Sr Yr Honrd most obedient Humble servant Servington Savery Ere this can be deliver’d I hope to be in Exon at ye Revnd Mr John Enty’s, where, if I’m favour’d wth an Answer, please to order it to be directed.