Revisiting science and colonialism

In his December 2022 commentary (page 10), Suman Seth reflects on the historical interconnection between scientific development and colonialism. A fascinating document whose mere existence illuminates that relationship in the 19th-century British empire is A Manual of Scientific Enquiry; Prepared for the Use of Her Majesty’s Navy: and Adapted for Travellers in General (1849). The book was edited by astronomer John Herschel and can now be found online. It includes sections by such notable scientists as Charles Darwin, who writes on geology, and George Airy, who discusses astronomy. Among the other topics it covers are ethnology, statistics, and magnetism. Armed with its guidance, the officers of the empire could make themselves scientifically useful while ranging the globe.