Memoirs of the life of David Rittenhouse, LLD. F.R.S., late president of the American Philosophical Society, &c. : $b interspersed with various notices of many distinguished men : with an appendix, containing sundry philosophical and other papers, most of which have not hitherto been publishedBarton, William
History
Memoirs of the life of David Rittenhouse, LLD. F.R.S., late president of the American Philosophical Society, &c. : $b interspersed with various notices of many distinguished men : with an appendix, containing sundry philosophical and other papers, most of which have not hitherto been published
Mr. Francis de Zach (Astronomer to the duke of Saxe-Gotha,) in the
explanation and use of his table, No. 38, entitled, “Correctio horæ
meridianæ prodeuntis ex altitudinibus correspondentibus Solis,”
says—“Tradit Clarissimus DAV. RITTENHOUSE, in Transactionibus
Americanis (vol. 1. p. 155. edit. 2.), Methodum novum correctionis
horæ meridianæ, absque tabulis, ex solâ observatione deducendæ; sed
requiruntur, ad hoc, duorum dierum subsequentium altitudines quatuor
æquales: id est, sub eadem altitudine manè et vesperi factæ, ad
assequendam ex his, correctiones meridiei, Regulæ Clariss. Authoris
sunt sequentes:” Mr. de Zach then lays down Dr. Rittenhouse’s Rules,
which will be found in the Transactions of the American Philosophical
Society, already referred to; and adds—“Exempla hoc perspicuum
reddent:” he next states two examples, from which he deduces proofs of
the accuracy of Dr. Rittenhouse’s method. See “_Tabulæ Motuum Solis,
novæ et correctæ, ex Theoriâ Gravitatis et Observationibus
recentissimis erutæ, &c. auctore Francisco de Zach_:” printed at
Gotha, in 1792.
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6. Account of the Terrestrial Measurement of the difference of Longitude
between the Observatories of Norriton and Philadelphia; drawn up by the
Rev. Dr. Smith, in behalf of Mr. Lukens, Mr. Rittenhouse and himself,
the committee appointed by the Am. Philos. Society, for that purpose,
agreeably to the request of the Astronomer-Royal of England. Dated, Aug.
17. 1770.
7. The second volume, printed in the year 1786, contains—An Explanation
of an Optical deception. Read, March 3. 1780.
8. An Account of some Experiments on Magnetism; in a letter from Mr.
Rittenhouse to John Page, Esq. of Williamsburgh. Read, Feb. 6. 1781.
9. A letter from David Rittenhouse, Esq. to John Page, Esq. in answer to
one from Mr. Page;) concerning a remarkable Meteor, seen in Virginia and
Pennsylvania, on the 31st of Oct. 1779. Read, May 2. 1783. (N. B. Mr.
Rittenhouse’s letter is dated Jan. 16. 1780.)
10. Observations on a Comet lately discovered; communicated by David
Rittenhouse, Esq.[328] Read, March 19. 1784.
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Footnote 328:
This Comet was observed by John Lukens, Esq. of Philadelphia, on the
20th of January, 1784. This respectable practical astronomer
communicated his discovery of it to Dr. Rittenhouse the next day, on
the evening of which, (“assisted by Mr. Lukens and Mr. Prior,”) he
ascertained the then apparent place of this comet. Dr. Rittenhouse’s
communication to the society, on this subject, gives also the apparent
place of the comet on the 17th of February, being the last time the
weather permitted him to see it: the result of his intermediate
observations is also stated.
-----
11. A new Method of placing the Meridian Mark; in a letter to the Rev.
Dr. Ewing, Provost of the University. Read, November. 1785.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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