JOURNAL 



OF THE 



ROYAL MICROSCOPICAL SOCIETY. 



APRIL, 1908. 



TRANSACTIONS OF THE SOCIETY. 



V. — Francis Watkins' Microscope. 

 By Edward M. Nelson. 



(Read November 20, 1907.) 



Mr. J. Scott Underwood has kindly sent for inspection an old 

 Microscope signed " Fra. Watkins, Charing Cross, London." One 

 point of interest in this instrument is its sumptuous construction ; 

 the limb, body, foot, and all the fittings, down to the handle of its 

 box, are of solid silver. 



Silver Microscopes are not unknown, I have myself seen three 

 besides this one. Watkins appears to have been an Anglo-French- 

 man; he published a book in French entitled " L'Exercice du Micro- 

 scope," 12mo, London. A copy of this work is in the Society's 

 library, and the date of the hall mark upon the Microscope is the 

 same as that of the publication of the book, viz. 1754-5. 



A reference to fig. 26 shows the general construction of this 

 Microscope. It has a folding tripod foot, from which rises a 

 vertical pillar ; * to the top of this pillar an inclinable limb is 

 attached by a compass joint ; this limb carries the body, the stage, 

 and the mirror. To discover how much is original in this Micro- 

 scope it is necessary to examine some of those which pre-date it. 

 In the " New Universal Double " Microscope, by George Adams, in 

 1746 f (fig. 27), we find a folding tripod foot with a vertical pillar : 

 the body is attached to this pillar and the mirror to the foot. For 

 focusing the " Universal Double " Microscope the coarse -adjust- 



* The folding tripod foot with vertical pillar was first used by Edmund 

 Culpeper (at y e Crossed Swords in Moore fields), as a stand for Wilson's "screw 

 barrel " Microscope, circa 1730. 



t Micrographia Illustrata. Adams, 1746. Plate iii. It is stated that the 

 Microscope is made either of brass or of silver. 



April 15th, 1908 L 



