St. Nicholas’ Rectory, near Cardiff,
August 28th, 1880.
Dear Mr. Calver,—The 12 inch surpasses all my expectations. It has the perfection in figure of the incomparable 10 inch of yours, which was its immediate predecessor, and, in grasp of light, the difference in favour of the 12 inch over the 10 inch, a most brilliant mirror, is simply astounding.
You may equal the 12 inch—I am sure you will, whenever you make one—but you will not easily beat it. Mr. Sadler, the well-known and most accurate observer, has himself worked with it, and writes of it to me as follows:—“The 12 in. is considerably superior in light grasping power to H2’s 20 ft. reflector, and the figure is a much finer one.”
Your skill and kindness has placed me in the front rank among amateur observers, as far as the possession of optical means is concerned.
I was afraid that the German Stand would not prove so convenient as the “Berthon Equestrian Stand,” but I find it is and far more so. The German Stand is, for anything above 6 in., decidedly more solid and dependable, and far simpler in any case. The merit of the “Berthon Equestrian” form is that it requires a smaller observatory.
Very sincerely yours,
(Signed.)
From W. S. Franks, Esq., F.R.A.S.