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31508C.BAR
ADIE & SON, EDINBURGH.  AN ATTRACTIVE MAHOGANY BAROMETER WITH THERMOMETER AND GADROONED TOP AND BOTTOM.  CIRCA 1835.

An extremely attractive mahogany barometer by these famous Scottish makers. The case, of typical thin but bow fronted form, has a gadrooned top and a gadrooned bottom with a small finial. The top has a brass finial.

The barometer scale is signed for the makers ‘Adie & Son, Edinburgh,’ has a sliding vernier scale on the right and engraving for the weather state on the left. Below this is a bone adjusting ring for the vernier scale.

Mounted on the front of the barometer is a mercury thermometer. This has a silvered and engraved scale signed for the maker and with foliate engraving round the long bulb.

Length: 40" (102 cms.)

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Alexander Adie was born in 1775 and was apprenticed in 1789 to his uncle John Miller who was one of Scotland's leading instrument makers during the eighteenth century. They became partners in 1804 and traded as Miller and Adie until 1822 even though Miller died in 1815. Alexander was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 1819 for research and inventing 'an improved air barometer' (sympiesometer) for which he obtained a British Patent No. 4323 in 1818.

Alexander was located at 15 Nicholson Street, Edinburgh from 1822 to 1828 and 58 Princes Street between 1828 and 1835. In 1835 his son John joined him in partnership and their instruments were signed Adie and Son.