[PW] 1764 Gentleman's Magazine

[DRPayne at stkate.edu]

Thank you so much for finding this! I think that this should be enough
information for me to locate a copy through World Cat.

I suspect that this is the article that Pynchon referenced (although the
novel does refer to it as a letter). Based on what you told me about this
poem (combined with some other research), I believe that Bliss, the
Astronomer Royal in December, 1764, was old and ill enough that there must
have been rampant speculation concerning his eminent demise. I am curious
to see if this poem touches on some personality clashes in the scientific
community of the day.

I appreciate the assistance and research from everyone who looked into
this!

-----project-wombat-bounces at lists.project-wombat.org wrote: -----

To: "Project Wombat" <list at project-wombat.org>
From: "Graeme Rymill" <grymill at library.uwa.edu.au>
Sent by: project-wombat-bounces at lists.project-wombat.org
Date: 09/03/2007 10:40PM
cc: DRPayne at stkate.edu
Subject: [PW] 1764 Gentleman's Magazine

In my Library's print copy of the Gentleman's Magazine there appears a
poem on page 594 of the December 1764 issue. The poem is entitled:

GREENWICH HOY!
Or, the ASTRONOMIC RACERS

It mentions possible candidates for the vacant position of Astronomer
Royal, either directly in the case of Bevis and Short or more discretely
in the case of "affluent professor B__ts" and "Rev. M_sk_l_n".

According to the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography "The royal
warrant appointing him director of the Greenwich observatory was dated 8
February 1765."

Graeme Rymill
University of Western Australia Library