Ans^{d <1>}

Lacock Abbey near Chippenham
August 8^th 1827

Dear Sir,

On Thursday the 2^d I left at your house at Slough a box containing the articles sent by Utzschneider. ^<2> I was sorry not to find you at home.

Owing to a discrepancy between your Memorandum and the articles sent, I had great difficulty in determining which of them were yours, and which mine, but I separated them to the best of my judgment. M^r Utzschneider seems rather to have consulted his convenience than strictly to have adhered to your order, as the lenses he has sent are biconvex & biconcave instead of plano convex & concave. I hope they will do as well. I tried the lenses of shortest focus, and was pleased to find that they made by their union, a glass with parallel surfaces, without either convexity or concavity; which shews very accurate workmanship. The Prisms I think you will be satisfied with. the glass does not seem to have degenerated yet.

The expense of carriage &c is as under

	£	s	d
Expenses in Germany	1··	10··	6
do in London	1··	6··
Duty	1··	1··	6
	3 ··	18··

Of which your share will be one half, or £1··19··0

Utzschneider’s bill is the following

		Florins
2 prisms of Flint glass	–	60
2 do of Crown glass	–	54
2 large Reflecting prisms	–	84
4 small do	–	152
3 achromatic Object Glasses of 17” [illegible] aperture	–	58½
2 simple Object Glasses of 3'.16 diameter	–	20
12 lenses	–	24
Packing &c.	–	2½
		455 <3>

Of which your share is

1 prism of Flint Glass	–	30
1 do Crown glass	–	27
1 large Reflecting Prism	–	42
2 small do	–	76
3 Object glasses	–	58½
2 do	–	20
12 lenses	–	24
Packing one half.	–	1¼
		278¾

Taking the £ sterling at 12 florins; which it is pretty nearly in general, tho’ the exchange varies,

the above amounts to	£ 23	··4··	7
Expences, as above,	1	··19
Total	25	··3··	7

which may be paid to my banker, Hammerley & C^{o <4>} Pall Mall.–

I shall be happy to hear that the prisms answer your expectation,

& am, Dear Sir, Yours very truly
H. F. Talbot

J.F.W. Herschel Esq^re
Slough
near Windsor

---

Notes:

1. In Herschel’s hand. [See Doc. No: 01576].

2. Joseph von Utzschneider (1763–1840), German instrument maker. [See Doc. No: 01527].

3. Notes have been made in Herschel’s hand to the side of each of these, dividing the amount further and converting it to sterling currency for each item.

4. Hammersley & Company, bankers, London.