358
EINSTEIN-BESSO ON
THE
MERCURY
PERIHELION
of
a
lecture Einstein held
in
Vienna
on
23
September 1913.[58]
This reference
and
the
complete
absence of material
in
Einstein's hand
on [pp.
45-53] support
the
supposition
that these
pages
are a
later addition
by
Besso.
Early
in
1914,
Einstein
wrote to Besso:[59]
"Here
you finally
have
your manuscript
package.
It is
really
a
shame if
you
do
not
bring
the
matter to
completion."[60]
When
it
is
assumed that
"your manuscript package"
refers
to the
manuscript
under
discussion,
the
following
scenario
suggests
itself. Besso
left the
manuscript
with Einstein when
he
departed
Zurich
in
June
1913.
Einstein retained
the
manuscript
for the
rest
of the
year,
maybe adding
some
material.
Early
in
1914,
he
finally
sent it to Besso,
urging
the
latter
to
complete
the
work.
Besso then added
several
pages
to
the
manuscript.
Most
likely,
these
pages
date from
early 1914,
but
they may
be
from
as
late
as
November
1915.
Einstein
never saw
the
manuscript again.
On Besso's death
it
was
found
among
his
papers.
On the basis of
this scenario,
the
manuscript
can
be
divided into
two
(maybe three)
parts: a part
written
by
Einstein and Besso
in
close collaboration
in
June
1913
(perhaps
with
some
additions made
by
Einstein
during
the
rest
of
1913)[61]
and
a
part
written
by
Besso
perhaps
in Gorizia,
between
January 1914
and November
1915.
Once
this general
scenario
is
accepted, a fairly
reliable classification of
all 53
pages
of
the
document
can
be
given:
Part One
(June
1913):
1-4
(Einstein),
5
(Besso),
6-7
(Einstein),
8-9
(Besso),
10-
13
(Einstein),
14-25
(Besso), 26 (Einstein), 27 (Besso), 28-30, 32 (Einstein),
33 (Einstein
and
Besso),
34-40
(Einstein),
41-42
(Einstein and Besso) with the
exception
of
some
of Besso's
contributions,
43-44
(Einstein).
Part
Two
(January
1914-November
1915):
31 (Besso),
some
of Besso's contribu-
tions
to
41-42
(Einstein
and
Besso),
45-53
(Besso).
The
Einstein material
on [pp.
41-42] may
very
well date from after Besso's
departure
from Zurich
in
June
1913,
in
which
case
all Besso material
on
these
pages
would
belong
to
Part
Two.
[Pp.
36-40]
and
[pp.
43-44]
may
likewise contain
(or
may
all
be)
additions
Einstein made
some
time between
June and December
1913. In
that
case,
the
(minor)
contributions from
Besso
to
these
pages
would
belong
to
Part Two.
[58]See
Einstein 1913c
(Doc.
17).
It
is not
clear which
source
Besso used for
this
paper.
In
a
letter
to
Einstein of
28
June
1916,
Besso
once more
referred
to
the Vienna lecture.
It is
apparent
from this
letter that Besso had
a
copy
of
galley proofs ("Druckbögen")
of the
reprint
of the
Vienna lecture in GDNA
Verhandlungen
1914.
[59]Einstein to
Michele
Besso,
after
1
January
1914
(Vol.
5,
Doc.
499).
[60]"Hier
erhältst
Du
endlich
Dein
Manuskriptbündel.
Es ist
sehr
schade,
wenn
Du die Sache
nicht
zu
Ende führst."
[61]The
main
reason
for
stressing
this
possibility is
that
it
would
explain
certain similarities
in content
and notation between
the
manuscript
and the Vienna lecture
(Einstein
1913c
[Doc.
17]).
Under the
proposed
scenario,
it
is not unlikely
that Einstein consulted the
manuscript
while
preparing
the lecture and added material
in
the
process.
This could
explain
the
striking similarity
between
an equation
in
the
manuscript
and
an
equation
in
the Vienna lecture
(see
[p. 37],
note
172).
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