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

Sir Roderick Murchison's life and work is investigated in this study as a bargain struck between science and the forces of imperialism in mid-Victorian Britain. It illuminates the broader, and still present, intimacy between science and government. More than any contemporary, Murchison (1792-1871) emerged as the eminent Victorian who "sold" science to the Imperial government, on the grounds of utility as much as prestige. By the end of his life the map of the world and its powers looked ver...