MDMD(1): Questions

[Matthew P Wiener]

Note--I don't have my copy of M&D with me.

>MDMD(1) Questions

>5.13 `Second-Street'?

I presume this is Second Street here in Philadelphia.

For general reference to Philadelphia geography:

Numbered streets in this area run north-south, with the lower numbers
closer to the Delaware river.  There is no "First Street".  We have
where that should be a "Front Street" instead, and what I presume is a
more recent addition, even closer to the river, "Christopher Columbus
Boulevard", fka "Delaware Avenue".

The major east-west streets are (from north to south) Vine, Race, Arch,
Market, Chestnut, Walnut, Locust, Spruce, Pine, Lombard, South.  The
last numbered street before the Schuylkill river is 24th.

Just about all the places here of major fame and interest vis-a-vis the
USA's founding are clustered tightly around the 5th and Chestnut area.

>12.18/20 `Mr Dollond' `Mr Eldicot' `Sector by your Mr Bird' any idea
>who these are?  Also what is a Sector?

Mr Bird is John Bird, an astronomer and in many ways, Dixon's principal
mentor and sponsor.  He made the sector used by M&D.

A sector, more fully called a zenith sector, is a telescope meant to view
only the zenith (ie, the point in the sky straight above you).  To do this,
the telescope is part of a larger contraption, complete with built in plumb
line to maintain verticality and and a circular sector with micrometer at
the bottom for precise measurements of angle, and some cross hairs--usually
several--so that one can time when key stars cross the zenith itself.

Th Bird-M-D sector was lost in a fire sometime late 19th century.  I have a
picture captioned "Ellicott's Zenith Sector, made by David Rittenhouse about
1785", courtesy of the Smithsonian.  Perhaps this is Mr Eldicot?  I would
then guess Dollond and Eldicot are surveyers, perhaps those who first made
an attempt at the line, or some related work complementary to M&D.

>27.8 `Hawke' `Quiberon Bay' reference to war against French in Canada
>perhaps?  Anyone know the full details

Quiberon is a tiny village located at the end of a longish peninsula, defining
a bay (Quiberon Bay) to the side, on the west coast of France.  It is southeast
of Brest (the city at the western corner of mainland France).  Admiral Hawke
defeated the French navy there in an important Seven Years War battle.

>28.8 `Paoli's revolt' ???

In Corsica, 1734, named after the instigator.  Interestingly enough, there's a
town called Paoli, about 15 miles west of Philadelphia.  (Out past the better
known Villanova and Bryn Mawr--its chief claim to fame is being at the far end
of the locally important "Paoli local" train line).  I had naturally assumed
this was some reference to the Paoli out here, so looked it up.  At the moment,
I have no idea if there is any connection between the two.

>38.36 `Fox's Advice' John Fox?

Fox's of possible M&D relevance are:

	Charles James Fox, MP, colonial advocate (led Stamp Act repeal) (18C)
	George Fox, founder of the Quakers, friend of William Penn (17C)
	Henry Fox, MP, negotiated Treat of Paris ending 7-Y War (18C).
	John Foxe, author of the famed BOOK OF MARTYRS (16C)

>41.1 `I have not yet begun to fight' `There's something wrong with our
>damn'd ships today, Chatfield' real or made up? Sources?

"I have not yet begun to fight" is one of the most famous lines in all of
American military history, allegedly said by John Paul Jones, captain of the
Bonhomme Richard, while his ship was sinking and the British had flagged him
a surrender request.  He banged his ship against the British ship, and then
colonial marksmen forced the British to surrender.

Don't know about the Chatfield bit though.
--
-Matthew P Wiener (weemba at sagi.wistar.upenn.edu)    If Apple owned
 NBC, they would sue Nike for comedy-interface copyright violation.