Science, Utility and Maritime Power: Samuel Bentham in Russia, 1779-91

by Roger Morriss

Overview

During the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, Samuel Bentham influenced the technology and administrative ideas employed in the management of the British navy. His influence stemmed from his passion for science, his desire to achieve improvements based on a belief in the principle of Utility, and his experience gained over eleven years in Russia. Regarded then by the Navy Board as a dangerous maverick, this book reveals the experiences, creativity and thinking that made him a major figure in British naval development.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781472452009
Publisher:	Ashgate Publishing Ltd
Publication date:	02/28/2015
Series:	Corbett Centre for Maritime Policy Studies Series
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

Dr Roger Morriss is a senior lecturer in history at the University of Exeter. He is interested in most aspects of European maritime history and teaches British maritime and naval history. His research interests are focussed on British naval administration in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, particularly naval logistics. He has published several books, including The Foundations of British Maritime Ascendency 1755-1815 (2010), Naval Power and British Culture, 1760-1850 (2004) and The Channel Fleet and the Blockade of Brest 1793-1801 (2001), and is the current General Editor of the Navy Records Society, a position he has held since 2000.

Table of Contents

Preface; Introduction. Part I Science: North-West Europe: reconnaissance; Russia and Poland: the maritime resources; Siberia: minerals, trade and river transport. Part II Utility: Proposals for state service; State employment, private interests; Experiments, industry and commerce. Part III Maritime Power: The construction of experimental vessels; Naval armament and war in the Liman; River navigation and shipbuilding in Siberia. Conclusion: Samuel Bentham in Russia; Appendices; Bibliography; Index.

Editorial Reviews

'This is a very important book for students of Anglo-Russian naval, commercial and technical relations in the age of Catherine the Great, one that will repay readers who are ready to push the evidence in different directions.' Strife Journal

From the Publisher