Entd LB Suppl 1 p.109
Trin: coll: Dublin July the 15th 87
Honoured Sir
you may justly think me unworthy of the many favours I have received from you & especially of your last valuable present of the Transactions, which I received from Mr Norman in your name, since I have thus long continued without making any acknowledgment, And indeed being unable to make any sutable return, I was ashamed to trouble you with bare thanks, till meer gratitude compelld me. I read with extream satisfaction your most ingenious discourses of gravity, of the motion of Projects, & the easy demonstrative solution of Mr Anderson's usefull proposition in gunnery; also your rule concerning the various heights in the Barometer, much advanc'd beyond anything that Gregory had offerd, & the account of the true reason of the falling & rising of the Mercury, which is the only thing that ever gave me satisfaction in that point; likewise your Historicall account & Physicall cause of trade winds, so much to the improvement of naturall Philosophy. All which are so extraordinary in their kind, that they will justly acquire to you the title of the most acute philosopher, as you had long before that of the best astronomer of our time or nation.
The jealousy, suspitions & prospect of troubles in this kingdome have such unhappy influence on our Philosophicall endeavours, that little of late worth communicating has been done amongst us; we have erected an observatory in the colledge, tho our Apparatus of instruments is but small yet, An accurate brass quadrant of 3 feet radius with all the new meridian altitudes of the sun, especially at the late solstice, we have exactly enough setled the Latitude of this place, not half a minute differing from what is commonly said; we have likewise by severall methods made & prov'd a meridian Line: And shoud be ready & willing to proceed in any observations, had we assistance & directions from skillfull experienced men, as yourself.
Severall minerall waters have of late been discovered near us, at Wexford they are supposed to equall (if not surpass) those at Tunbridge, & many successfull cures have been done by them. Some horns of prodigious bigness found at great depth in the earth have been sent to us, one (which I have by me) was a good yard & 1/2 long, & above a foot broad before it broke, and by the branches must have been a stags horn.
From Cavan we have an account of a dumb man, who (like him at Haerlem) fasted 40 days, only every day he drank a cup of water.
In looking over a Sheet of Mr Newton's excellent book (which I heer by your means is publishing) I observd that he affirms the whole use & efficacy of engines & mechanical inventions to consist in increasing the power or by diminishing the velocity, upon which I shewd Mr Molyneux & other freinds the contrivance of an engine (the hint I remember I had from some of the acta Erudit:) which as it infinitely facilitated the raising any weight, so likewise it proportionatly increased the veolicty of its motion. But I shall tire you (Sir) with such triviall remarks. The bearer is Dr Mullen, a worthy ingenious man, & a very usefull member of our society.
I am
(Honoured Sir) your most obliged humble
servant St. George Ashe