Archibald Smith
Encyclopedia
Archibald Smith FRS FRSE
(10 August 1813, Greenhead, Glasgow
– 26 December 1872, London
) was a Scottish
mathematician
and lawyer
.
He was the only son of James Smith FRS (1782-1867), a wealthy merchant and antiquary of Jordanhill
, Glasgow, and his wife Mary, daughter of Alexander Wilson, professor of astronomy in Glasgow University. Archibald studied at Glasgow University in 1828, and then at Trinity College, Cambridge
, where he was Senior Wrangler, said to be the first Scot to achieve this position, and first Smith's prize
man in 1836, elected a fellow of Trinity College. He was one of the founders of the Cambridge Mathematical Journal. He entered Lincoln's Inn
, and was called to the bar in 1841, practising as an equity draughtsman and property lawyer.
His scientific work was mainly in the field of applications of magnetism
and the Earth's magnetic field
. He obtained practical formulae for the correction of magnetic compass observations made on board ship, which General Sir Edward Sabine
published in the Transactions
of the Royal Society: Smith later made convenient tables. In 1859 he edited William Scoresby
's Journal of a Voyage to Australia for Magnetical Research and gave an exact formula for the effect of the iron of a ship on the compass. In 1862, in conjunction with the hydrographer Sir Frederick John Owen Evans FRS (1815-1885), then superintendent of the compass department of the navy, he published an Admiralty Manual for ascertaining and applying the Deviations of the Compass caused by the Iron in a Ship.
He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh
in 1837. Elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in June 1856, he was awarded its Royal Medal
in 1865 "for his papers in the Philosophical Transactions and elsewhere, on the magnetism of ships". In 1866 Emperor Alexander II of Russia
presented him with a gold compass, set in diamonds, and emblazoned with the Imperial Arms.
In 1853 he married Susan Emma, daughter of Sir James Parker of Rothley Temple
, Leicestershire
. They had six sons and two daughters, the eldest James Parker Smith
, becoming M.P. for Partick
, Lanarkshire
.
Royal Society of Edinburgh
The Royal Society of Edinburgh is Scotland's national academy of science and letters. It is a registered charity, operating on a wholly independent and non-party-political basis and providing public benefit throughout Scotland...
(10 August 1813, Greenhead, Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
– 26 December 1872, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
) was a Scottish
Scottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
mathematician
Mathematician
A mathematician is a person whose primary area of study is the field of mathematics. Mathematicians are concerned with quantity, structure, space, and change....
and lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
.
He was the only son of James Smith FRS (1782-1867), a wealthy merchant and antiquary of Jordanhill
Jordanhill
Jordanhill is an affluent area of the West End of the city of Glasgow, Scotland. The area consists largely of terraced housing dating from the early to mid 20th century, with some detached and semi-detached homes and some modern apartments....
, Glasgow, and his wife Mary, daughter of Alexander Wilson, professor of astronomy in Glasgow University. Archibald studied at Glasgow University in 1828, and then at Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
, where he was Senior Wrangler, said to be the first Scot to achieve this position, and first Smith's prize
Smith's Prize
The Smith's Prize was the name of each of two prizes awarded annually to two research students in theoretical Physics, mathematics and applied mathematics at the University of Cambridge, Cambridge, England.- History :...
man in 1836, elected a fellow of Trinity College. He was one of the founders of the Cambridge Mathematical Journal. He entered Lincoln's Inn
Lincoln's Inn
The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn is one of four Inns of Court in London to which barristers of England and Wales belong and where they are called to the Bar. The other three are Middle Temple, Inner Temple and Gray's Inn. Although Lincoln's Inn is able to trace its official records beyond...
, and was called to the bar in 1841, practising as an equity draughtsman and property lawyer.
His scientific work was mainly in the field of applications of magnetism
Magnetism
Magnetism is a property of materials that respond at an atomic or subatomic level to an applied magnetic field. Ferromagnetism is the strongest and most familiar type of magnetism. It is responsible for the behavior of permanent magnets, which produce their own persistent magnetic fields, as well...
and the Earth's magnetic field
Earth's magnetic field
Earth's magnetic field is the magnetic field that extends from the Earth's inner core to where it meets the solar wind, a stream of energetic particles emanating from the Sun...
. He obtained practical formulae for the correction of magnetic compass observations made on board ship, which General Sir Edward Sabine
Edward Sabine
General Sir Edward Sabine KCB FRS was an Irish astronomer, geophysicist, ornithologist and explorer.Two branches of Sabine's work in particular deserve very high credit: Determination of the length of the seconds pendulum, a simple pendulum whose time period on the surface of the Earth is two...
published in the Transactions
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society
The Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society is a scientific journal published by the Royal Society of London. It was established in 1665, making it the first journal in the world exclusively devoted to science, and it has remained in continuous publication ever since, making it the world's...
of the Royal Society: Smith later made convenient tables. In 1859 he edited William Scoresby
William Scoresby
William Scoresby , was an English Arctic explorer, scientist and clergyman.-Early years:Scoresby was born in the village of Cropton near Pickering 26 miles south of Whitby in Yorkshire. His father, William Scoresby , made a fortune in the Arctic whale fishery...
's Journal of a Voyage to Australia for Magnetical Research and gave an exact formula for the effect of the iron of a ship on the compass. In 1862, in conjunction with the hydrographer Sir Frederick John Owen Evans FRS (1815-1885), then superintendent of the compass department of the navy, he published an Admiralty Manual for ascertaining and applying the Deviations of the Compass caused by the Iron in a Ship.
He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh
Royal Society of Edinburgh
The Royal Society of Edinburgh is Scotland's national academy of science and letters. It is a registered charity, operating on a wholly independent and non-party-political basis and providing public benefit throughout Scotland...
in 1837. Elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in June 1856, he was awarded its Royal Medal
Royal Medal
The Royal Medal, also known as The Queen's Medal, is a silver-gilt medal awarded each year by the Royal Society, two for "the most important contributions to the advancement of natural knowledge" and one for "distinguished contributions in the applied sciences" made within the Commonwealth of...
in 1865 "for his papers in the Philosophical Transactions and elsewhere, on the magnetism of ships". In 1866 Emperor Alexander II of Russia
Alexander II of Russia
Alexander II , also known as Alexander the Liberator was the Emperor of the Russian Empire from 3 March 1855 until his assassination in 1881...
presented him with a gold compass, set in diamonds, and emblazoned with the Imperial Arms.
In 1853 he married Susan Emma, daughter of Sir James Parker of Rothley Temple
Rothley Temple
Rothley Temple is a chapel in Rothley, Leicestershire associated with the Knights Templar.Records show that the Templars were already in Rothley when King John gave them five librates of land in 1203. Further donations were acquired between 1218 and 1219, though it would seem that a preceptory was...
, Leicestershire
Leicestershire
Leicestershire is a landlocked county in the English Midlands. It takes its name from the heavily populated City of Leicester, traditionally its administrative centre, although the City of Leicester unitary authority is today administered separately from the rest of Leicestershire...
. They had six sons and two daughters, the eldest James Parker Smith
James Parker Smith
James Parker Smith was Liberal Unionist MP for Glasgow Partick . He was first elected in 1890, but lost the seat in 1906....
, becoming M.P. for Partick
Glasgow Partick (UK Parliament constituency)
Glasgow Partick was a burgh constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1885 until 1950.- Boundaries :...
, Lanarkshire
Lanarkshire
Lanarkshire or the County of Lanark ) is a Lieutenancy area, registration county and former local government county in the central Lowlands of Scotland...
.