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James Likely : 1854 HANDWRITTEN MANUSCRIPT DIARY AND STUDY OF ASTRONOMY OF JAMES LIKELY

32mo - over 4" - 5" tall. This is an amazing diary that has so many wonderful qualities. Dated 1854, the original owner's name is James Likely. There is also the name Mary Likely written on the back inside cover. This is not really a handwritten diary of our gentleman's daily routine, but actually a journal full of his thoughts on the universe, religion, our bodies, animal life and other miscellaneous subjects. There are almost 100 pages of script and a few wonderful drawings too. The first part of the diary is all about the celestial universe; Jupiter, Saturn, the Sun, the different stars and our Earth. He's drawn a picture of Saturn and also one of the earth and the orbit of the sun. It's so interesting to see someone's view about the universe over 150 years ago. Research suggests Mr. Likely is from New Hampshire from references made about "Tollage for crossing Windsor Bridge during the year ending May 1859". Here are snippets: "This book is intended to be the repository of Biblical subjects with their proofs and conclusions and astronomical calculations and experiments [that being written in the front of this diary]..The discovery of Herschell was in the year 1811. The pressure of air upon earth is 12,048,468,800,000,000,000 pounds or 5,000 billions of tons. The sun is a million of times larger than earth and sends forth light at the rate of 2000,000 miles a minute. The earth flies round its aces (axis) at the rate of 1000 (?) an hour. Flies through space at the rate of 60,000 miles an hour….Captain Flinders in one of his voyages saw in a stream which passed before him for an hour and half all covered with ____ the stream was from 50 to 80 yards deep and 300 yards or more bread (broad?) taking his reckoning for it. It would amount to 151 millions and a half and another travels in a different direction seen (much more on that)…..The star Lyra for example is supposed by Sir W. Herschel to be 32,275,000 miles in diameter or 38 times the diameter of the sun and…..The earth is a globe whose diameter is nearly 8,000 miles and it's circumference about 25,000 and consequently it's surface contains nearly two hundred millions of square miles and…..The light of the sun is equal to 6500 candles at a foot distance while the moon would be as one candle at 1 ½ feet, Venus at 421 feet and Jupiter at 1320 feet, that this immense luminary appears so small to our eyes in owing to it's vast distance…." There is so much more, not just about the universe but also about the other topics. His handwriting is very beautiful and easy to read. The diary measures about 4" x 6 ½" and the cover (especially the outside spine) is a bit rough and very worn. as far as condition but the inside pages look great.. Illustr.: Jas. Likely. Manuscript. Book Condition: Good. Binding: Cloth

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