Scientist of Empire
Sir Roderick Murchison, Scientific Exploration and Victorian Imperialism

A life of the eminent Victorian who 'sold' science to the imperial government.

Robert A. Stafford (Author)

9780521528672, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 18 July 2002

308 pages, 7 colour illus.
22.9 x 15.2 x 1.8 cm, 0.46 kg

"Stafford...argues his thesis convincingly and well, and Scientist of Empire will no doubt light the way for others to venture into the cultural history of science on a surer footing." Suzanne Zeller, Victorian Studies

Sir Roderick Murchison (1792–1871) was a giant of the imperial age. His career was tied intimately to the expansion of the political, economic and scientific realm of the British Empire. A founding father of geological science and geographical exploration, he was both President of the Royal Geographical Society and Director-General of the Geological Survey. His identification of the Silurian system in geology - and subsequent prediction of the location of economic riches - are as notable as his patronage of David Livingstone and other figures of Victorian exploration. More than any contemporary, Murchison emerged as the eminent Victorian who 'sold' science to the imperial government, on the grounds of utility as much as prestige. Robert Stafford uses this study of a man's life and work to investigate the bargain struck between science and the forces of imperialism in mid-Victorian Britain. This illuminates the broader, and still present, intimacy between science and government.

List of illustrations
Preface
Introduction
1. The King of Siluria
2. The antipodes
3. The Americans
4. The Middle East
5. The Indian empire and Central Asia
6. The Far East
7. Africa
8. The architect of imperial science
List of abbreviations used in the notes and bibliography
Notes
Bibliography
Index.

Subject Areas: History of science [PDX]