La correspondance entre Henri Hureau de Sénarmont et Quintino Sella - The Correspondence between Henri Hureau de Sénarmont and Quintino Sella

Abstract

The unpublished correspondence between Henri Hureau de Sénarmont (1808-1862) and his student at the École des Mines (Paris) Quintino Sella (1827-1884) is reported and briefly noted. Their epistolary extends between 1852 and 1858 and consist of 31 letters, of which only 10 are addressed by Sella to his master Sénarmont. As well as illustrating the scientific characteristics of the two mineralogists, it offers a panorama of the academic environment of that period in Europe. The published documents are available in the archives of the Fondazione Sella (Biella), except seven letters of Sella that belongs to Mr. Christophe Dubois. In particular, Sénarmont improved optical microscopy by introducing new accessories and pioneered modern optical studies of minerals.