Foundations for "International Cooperation in the Field of Hydrography": Some Contributions by British Admiralty Hydrographers, 1795-1855

Great Britain established its Hydrographic Office in 1795 with a remit to produce charts for the use of its Navy. As time progressed and Hydrographers to the Admiralty Board changed so did the remit of the Hydrographic Office. As a facet of the steady development of Office activities there was an underlying theme of international cooperation, which resulted in British Hydrographers entering into correspondence and agreements with their international counterparts. Some of those activities are examined in this paper to hopefully redefine the International Hydrographic Bureau’s statement that ‘International cooperation in the field of hydrography began with a Conference held in Washington in 1899.Gran Bretaña fundó su Servicio Hidrográfico en 1795 con un mandato para producir cartas para su uso por la Marina. El tiempo ha pasado y del mismo modo que los Hidrógrafos del Consejo del Almirantazgo han cambiado, así ha sucedido con el mandato del Servicio Hidrográfico. Como faceta del desarrollo estable de las actividades del Servicio había un tema fundamental de cooperación internacional, cuyo resultado fue que los Hidrógrafos Británicos iniciaron un intercambio de correspondencia y acuerdos con sus homólogos internacionales. En este artículo se examinan algunas de esas actividades, esperando definir de nuevo la declaración del Bureau Hidrográfico Internacional según la cual ‘la cooperación internacional en el campo de la hidrografía empezó con una Conferencia celebrada en Washington en 1899.La Grande-Bretagne a établi son Service hydrographique en 1795 avec pour mission de produire des cartes devant être utilisées par sa Marine. Par la suite, cette mission se modifia à mesure que les hydrographes du Conseil de l’Amirauté se renouvelèrent. L’une des facettes du développement régulier des activités du Service hydrographique fut le thème fondamental de la coopération internationale qui incita les hydrographes britanniques à entrer en correspondance et à passer des accords avec leurs homologues internationaux. Quelques unes de ces activités sont passées en revue dans l’article qui suit, avec pour dessein de redéfinir la déclaration du Bureau hydrographique international d’après laquelle la coopération internationale dans le domaine de l’hydrographie a commencé lors de la conférence tenue à Washington, en 1899

The limits of social mobility: social origins and career patterns of British generals, 1688-1815

Late eighteenth-century Britain was dominated by two features of economic life that were a major departure from previous eras, the economic growth of the Industrial Revolution and almost constant warfare conducted on a previously unprecedented scale. One consequence of this was the rapid expansion, diversification and development of the professions. Sociologists and economists have often argued that economic development and modernisation leads to increasing rates of social mobility. However, historians of the army and professions in the eighteenth-century claim the upper levels of the army were usually isolated from mobility as the highest ranks were dominated by sons of the aristocracy and landed elite. Some claim social status was more important for career success in the late eighteenth-century army compared to its earlier counterpart, which if true may have led to declining rates of social mobility for the upper levels of the army. This PhD thesis investigates the limits of social mobility during this period by examining the social origins and career patterns of the highest professional rank in the army, generals. This study finds that generals were not isolated from social mobility. Modernisation did lead to increasing rates of social mobility among generals. However, mobility was limited in some respects. The rates of social mobility for generals were much lower than ordinary officers. In addition, most moves up the social hierarchy were fairly shallow. Generals usually came from relatively high levels of society and hence they were generally only moving from a high social position to a slightly higher one

Bibliography of Books Printed Before 1800

The library of the Arctic Institute of North America, in Montreal, includes in its collection 87 books published 1599 to 1798. They are here fully described and listed alphabetically by author

Allan Ramsay: Romanticism and Reception

Provides a review and interpretation of Allan Ramsay\u27s career and reputation, and of scholarly and critical response to his work, exploring the foundational nature of his contribution to the language of Scottish literature, reaching a wider audience, for Scots, his dominant role in the history of Scottish song, and the pivotal role of his writing, especially his ballad-opera The Gentle Shepherd, in the formation of Scottish romanticism, and of the wider romantic movement