Adams's New Patent Portable Telescope
This is a superb 8-draw telescope made by Dudley Adams in or around 1820. The signiture runs from the eyepiece towards the barrel which helps to indentify this telescope as being an early 19th century example. It reads:
ADAMS'S
New Patent Portable Telescope
No. 60 Fleet St, LONDON
Adams was working at this address between 1796 and 1826. The patent that is refered to was made on 7th March 1815 and refers to his new system of allowing a collapsable eyepiece so that the telescope became much more compact. The eyepiece design employed here is a Ramsden which gives very good astronomical views as well as the terrestrial views that it was designed for. For example this fine telescope can show many mountains, valleys, and craters on the Moon, Venus's phases as well as Saturn's rings (just) on a clear night.
The telescope measures 28" when fully extended and only 5 6/16" closed. The objective lens is 1 1/2" in diameter.
Dudley Adams' brother, George Adams (junior) was also a high quality instrument maker. Below you can see one of a pair of compasses that he made
for HMS Victory. Dudley Adams was apprenticed to his brother in 1777, one year before HMS Victory was commisioned. The centre of the compass reads:
Made by G. Adams, Fleet Street London. Instrument Maker. to His Majesty.
You may also notice the words G. Knight Invt. George Adams was employed as an agent to Dr. Gowin Knight who in 1745 invented a method of making strongly
magnetic steel bars, and then developed a steel compass needle which retained its magnetism for much longer than the old soft iron kind. Click on the images for a larger view.
