Fwd: RE: "Sun-glass", 1817; antedates OED2 sense (b)

[Joel S. Berson]

Compliments to Jim, and the benefits of cross-fertilization:
JSB

>From: [an OED editor]
>To: "Joel S. Berson" <Berson at att.net>
>Date: Thu, 21 Aug 2014 12:43:49 -0400
>Subject: RE: "Sun-glass", 1817; antedates OED2 sense (b)
>
>This is a fantastic find; thank you so much for passing it on! Not 
>only is it an antedating, but the entry previously lacked contextual 
>evidence for this sense (I agree with your interpretation of 1806).
>
>I've put the quotation in the revision file for this entry, so that 
>it can be integrated at revision.
>
>Best wishes,
>[name]
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Joel S. Berson
>Sent: Thursday, August 21, 2014 10:00 AM
>To: [OED editor]
>Subject: "Sun-glass", 1817; antedates OED2 sense (b)
>
>I wonder some'optician did not think it a  good speculation to 
>construct Sunglasses for the observation of the late eclipse. Mr. 
>Benjamin Martin did so for that of 1764,--the beautiful 
>annular  eclipse; and the sale even then was great. His was a dense 
>red Sun-glass, set as  in the centre of a backgammon-man, of about 
>half-a-crown diameter.  But they might  be variously fitted
>up---with dark green glass, to give a pale green image; strong 
>yellow for a light yellow; deep violet for a purple; deep violet and 
>dark green combined, for a pure white  image.
>
>1817 Jan. 1.  The Monthly Magazine: Or, British Register.  Vol. 
>XLII.  Part II for 1816 (Vol. 42, No. 6).  Page 499/2.
>
>"sun-glass" antedates OED2 sense (b) "a shade-glass".  The 1804 
>quotation is for (a) "a burning glass"; the 1806 quotation is 
>ambiguous out of context, but I think an "Indian" with Lewis and 
>Clark would have prized a burning glass.
>
>Discovered by Jim  Chevallier.
>
>Joel

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