In particular I recall an exchange of letters between Florence Nightingale
in London and Quetelet in Brussels, which took about 3 days. Even now is our
post as good? (Possibly FN had a fleet of little chasques to do her bidding!)
JOHN BIBBY
> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-historia-matematica@chasque.apc.org
> [mailto:owner-historia-matematica@chasque.apc.org]On Behalf Of Julio
> Gonzalez Cabillon
> Sent: 30 August 1998 15:22
> To: Samuel S. Kutler
> Cc: historia-matematica@chasque.apc.org
> Subject: Re: [HM] chasque
>
>
> Dear Sam,
>
> Some time ago I asked a friend of this list a simple question, and as a
> long prologue to his one-line-answer he addressed, in part, the passage
> quoted below. From the style of his wording you might be able to guess
> who he is, I presume!
> Here goes:
>
> The 17th century mathematicians' networks, eg those centred around
> Collins in London and Mersenne in Paris, may have been efficient,
> but they were rather slow! For the most famous example, between
> Newton and Leibniz: Collins wrote to Leibniz via Oldenburg inearly
> in April 1675; Leibniz, a reply to Oldenburg dated May 2 1676, for
> forwarding to Newton, which was done in mid May; Newton replied to
> Leibniz on June 13 1976 (the epistola prior), to be sure after much
> work on it, and Oldenburg passed it on 26 July 26; Then Leibniz to
> Newton via Oldenburg and Collins on 17 August, which arrived at
> Newton in early September; and then Newton replied, the epistola
> posterior, again after much drafting and re-drafting, on 24 October
> 1676 - the whole exchange taking 18 months. (I don't guarantee that
> those dates are correct. I've extracted them, possibly with errors,
> from Whiteside's edition on Newton, vol IV, 666ff.)
>
> What a long animadversion on a simple request for ...
>
> a meaning of a word! :-)
>
> CHASQUE (or CHASQUI) =: A South American
> Indian post-boy or foot messenger.
>
> There is much 'historia' in this word, but NOT of mathematical content,
> I'm afraid!
>
> Mis mejores saludos desde Montevideo,
> -- Julio
>
>
> At 08:04 AM 30/08/1998 -0400, Samuel S. Kutler asked:
>
> | In our list name:
> | What is the meaning of *chasque*?
> |
>