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Navigational Enterprises in Europe and its Empires, 1730–1850 pp 89–110Cite as

Palgrave Macmillan

Patriotic and Cosmopolitan Patchworks: Following a Swedish Astronomer into London’s Communities of Maritime Longitude, 1759–60

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Part of the book series: Cambridge Imperial and Post-Colonial Studies Series ((CIPCSS))

Abstract

On 15 July 1759, Bengt Ferrner was a long way from home. The Swedish astronomer was touring Europe and had just arrived in London. In his travel journal, he professed to being shocked and bewildered by the chaotic city life: the area around Leadenhall Street, where he arrived, was nothing like he had imagined the city. Ferrner — a man who repeatedly praised orderly and well-arranged structures in his journal — considered the streets crowded, intricate and hard to navigate. He likened the King’s Arms tavern, where he disembarked, to a den of thieves.1 Nonetheless, he would stay in Britain for over a year and soon took an interest in the city’s scientific communities as well as its theatre, music and industry.

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Notes

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Authors
  1. Jacob Orrje
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Royal Museums Greenwich, UK

    Richard Dunn (Senior Curator for the History of Science) (Senior Curator for the History of Science)

  2. University of Kent, UK

    Rebekah Higgitt (Lecturer in History) (Lecturer in History)

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© 2015 Jacob Orrje

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Orrje, J. (2015). Patriotic and Cosmopolitan Patchworks: Following a Swedish Astronomer into London’s Communities of Maritime Longitude, 1759–60. In: Dunn, R., Higgitt, R. (eds) Navigational Enterprises in Europe and its Empires, 1730–1850. Cambridge Imperial and Post-Colonial Studies Series. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137520647_6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137520647_6

  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-349-56744-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-137-52064-7

  • eBook Packages: Palgrave History CollectionHistory (R0)

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