Print preview Close

Showing 11 results

Archival Description
James Dinwiddie fonds Series
Print preview View:
Ascending

Early Experiments

This sous-fond contains journals written by James Dinwiddie in which he recorded his early experiments. Written circa 1774, the journals contain observations on air and balloons and electricity as well as philosophical queries.

Journal of W.J. Proudfoot

These are journals written by W.J. Proudfoot, the grandson of James Dinwiddie. Proudfoot's journals record daily events in both his personal and professional life. Included is a notebook with a biography of his father, James Proudfoot, who was Dinwiddie's son-in-law. Proudfoot also wrote a story of a watch owned by Dinwiddie and passed onto Proudfoot through his father. The entry culminates with the trial of the man who stole the watch and the rumours of the watch's possible fate.

Journals

James Dinwiddie's personal journals cover 1776 to 1812, covering the time he spent in China with the British expedition as well as his subsequent years in Calcutta and return to England and Ireland. In the journals, Dinwiddie records daily events such as with whom he dined or visited, where he travelled, and any lectures he gave or attended.

Lecture Notes

This collection contains notes for lectures both given and attended by James Dinwiddie. The topics range from optics to trigonometry to natural history to agriculture. The notes were recorded between 1783 and 1811.

Miscellaneous

Series contains a range of material related to Dinwiddie's scientific interests including notes on fireworks, a list of industrial manufacturers in England, and a newspaper clipping of a letter written by Joseph Priestly. In addition, the section holds documents from Dinwiddie's time abroad such as a translation of Malay laws. Also included is Dinwiddie's university degree from Edinburgh.

Notebooks of James Dinwiddie

This sous-fond contains James Dinwiddie's notebooks which include his notes from lectures at the Royal Institution of Great Britain as well as records of meteorological and chronological observations from his voyage to China. The material covers the period of 1776 to 1813.

Royal Institution

This sous-fond contains a series of documents related to the Royal Institution of Great Britain including notices of meetings, meeting minutes, and ballot lists as well as a royal act increasing the powers of the institution. The papers include two bound journals of Dinwiddie's notes on lectures given at the institution on topics ranging from astronomy, chemistry, and biology.

Scientific Journals

James Dinwiddie's scientific journals were written between 1776 and 1805. The collection includes several volumes of "Queries and Hints", a journal that provides questions and answers to various topics in science. Dinwiddie also included volumes of "Queries and Hints" in music and fermentation. Individual journals exist for other topics including astronomy, magnetism and electricity, and optics.