| RefNo | MS/821/2/9 |
| Level | Item |
| Title | Diary of Sir Charles Blagden |
| Creator | Blagden: Sir Charles (bap.1748 d.1820); British physician and secretary of the Royal Society |
| Date | 23 March-16 May 1794 |
| Description | Daily diary entries commencing [p.1, 23 March] 'Gave character of servant to Mr. Darrell'. He refers to a story about the Duke of Queensberry 'woman saying he almost ravished her; that [he] would give £1,000 to make the town believe it' [p.1 24 March]. 'Sir Joseph Banks very civil', Blagden refers to a paper on natron in Egypt [p.2, 26 March] and records the Duchess of Devonshire losing £8,000 at Pharoah [Faro]. Various conversations at the Royal Society including [Alexander] Aubert 'about Club' [p.2, 27 March] and again at the Royal Society [p.3, 29 March] making experiments to ascertain proof of spirits. A note on Dr. [Joseph] Priestley and Dr. [Samuel] Johnson, contradicting [James] Boswell [p.4, 30 March]. Blagden meets Mr. Wilson at Lord Amherst's who said that Mr. Brown [William George Browne] had gone from Cairo on his way to Abyssinia, with a discussion on pyramid construction and materials [pp.4-5, 30 March]. Blagden goes to Mr. [George] Cholmondeley who asked for a repeat of an experiment [p.5, 31 March]. Various social gatherings follow, then Blagden goes to the Royal Society with Sir Joseph Banks where mixtures of spirits were tried with Clarke's hydrometer [p.7, 7 April], Some talk about Sir William Hamilton's book [p.8, 11 April]. A visit from Mr. Giddy [Davies Giddy, later Gilbert] and a letter about floods of rain in Jamaica [p.8, 13 April]. A conference with Mr. [George] Gilpin about excise tables and Blagden's excise report [p.9, 14 April]. Brief notice of Giddy having one of the best libraries in Cornwall [p.10, 19 April]. More discussion of tables of spirits at Sir Joseph Banks's breakfast [p.11, 24 April] with subsequent notice of the state of Vesuvius. Blagden at Sir Joseph Banks's 'settled with him the inscriptions on Ct. Rumford's plates' [p.12, 26 April]. Blagden then has multiple busy social engagements for which he gives brief notices, with persons present, concluding [p.16, 16 May]. |
| Extent | 16p. |
| Format | Manuscript |
| PhysicalDescription | Ink on paper |
| AccessStatus | Open |
Fellows associated with this archive
| Code | PersonName | Dates |
| NA8132 | Blagden; Sir; Charles (1748 - 1820); physician | 1748 - 1820 |