Everything about Jacob Metius totally explained
Jacob (
Jacobus; sometimes
James)
Metius (after
1571,
Alkmaar -
1628, Alkmaar), was a
Dutch instrument-maker and
optician. He was born in
Alkmaar and was the brother of
Adriaan Adriaanszoon (simply called
Metius). A specialist in grinding
lenses, he claimed to have invented the
telescope. Not much of him is known besides the fact that in October
1608, the
States General discussed his patent application for a device for "seeing faraway things as though nearby," consisting of a convex and concave lens in a tube, and the combination magnified three or four times.
(External Link
) He applied for his patent only a few weeks after
Hans Lippershey.
Metius informed the States General that he was familiar with the secrets of
glassmaking, and that he could make an even better telescope with the government's support. When Metius perceived that the States General was reluctant to review his claim, he prohibited anyone from seeing his telescope.
In his
Mathematical and Philosophical Dictionary (
1795),
Charles Hutton writes:
» "In 1620, James Metius of Alcmaer, brother of Adrian Metius who was professor of mathematics at Franeker, came with Drebel to Middleburg, and there bought Telescopes of
Jansen's children, who had made them public; and yet this Adr. Metius has given his brother the honour of the invention, in which too he's mistakenly followed by
Descartes."
(External Link)
The States General voted Jacob Metius a small award, although it ended up employing Lippershey to make binocular versions of the telescope. At his death, Metius’ tools were destroyed according to his wishes in order to prevent anyone from claiming the honor of inventing the telescope.
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