FIVE IMPORTANT AUTOGRAPH LETTERS ON ASTRONOMY FROM CARL RUMKER TO JOHN LEE

This lot comprises 5 autograph letters from Carl Rumker (from Hamburg or Aylesbury) to John Lee (in the UK), both astronomers of repute. The letters are dated from 1840 till 1850 and are in English. In addition, the lot contains two autograph astrological charts (Ephemirides) in Rumker's hand. Circa 8 closely written pages in a very legible and articulate script, mainly concerning astronomical matters and observations and a third astrological chart in the text of one letter. Several letters refer to various comets and the letter dated Sept. 10, 1850 refers to "the new planet Victoria". In one letter, Rumker asks Lee to alert the astronomers at the Cape of Good Hope to a comet which might be visible there. In another, he sends his observations of planets and comets which he hopes will get to Lee in time for the next meeting of the Royal  Astronomical Society. Two of the letters from 1849 refer to "a consideration to colonise Ireland with German immigrants" and Rumker considers emigrating to Ireland and asks Lee for advice and help re buying a farm there. The letters are all written with integral address and seal and two with Penny red stamps on the blank verso. Scans of the letters are provided to provide full details of the archive.

A very interesting correspondence of serious astronomical interest. Mainly in very good condition with occasion slight damage or loss from the opening of the seals.

Carl Ludwig Christian Rümker (28 May 1788 – 21 December 1862) was a German astronomer. In 1821 Rümker went to New South Wales as astronomer at the observatory built at Parramatta by Sir Thomas Brisbane. James Dunlop was second assistant. Rümker was awarded the silver medal of the Royal Astronomical Society together with £100, for his re-discovery of Comet Encke on 2 June 1822 and also received the gold medal of the Institut de France. Rümker returned to Europe in 1830 and took charge of the new Hamburg Observatory after the death of Johann Georg Repsold in 1830. His chief work was concerned with the cataloguing of stars: a preliminary catalogue of the stars of the Southern Hemisphere was published in 1832 at Hamburg, and from 1846 to 1852 he published his great catalogue of 12,000 stars. His emigration to Ireland seems not to have materialised. The lunar massif Mons Rümker is named after him. 

John Lee LL.D (28 April 1783 – 25 February 1866), born John Fiott, was an English Philanthropist, astronomer, mathematician, antiquarian and barrister. Between 1830 and 1839, Lee built an astronomical observatory in the south-west corner of Hartwell House. Lee helped found the Royal Meteorological Society in 1850 and was its president from 1855-1857. On 14 May 1824, Lee was elected as fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society and was its president between 1861 and 1863. He became a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London in 1828 and a Fellow of the Philological Society in 1831. Lee was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1831 and the first president of the Numismatic Society of London in 1836.[1][2]In 1863 at the age of 80, he was made a barrister of Gray's Inn and a Q.C. the following year. The lunar crater Lee is named after him.

Planet Victoria referred to in the one letter is now known to be an Asteroid.