Thesis advisor: David Northrup / Henry Beaufoy MP (1750-1795) was one of the primary founders and first secretary of the Association for Promoting the Discovery of the Interior Parts of Africa. The Association sponsored several expeditions to the Western Sudan and North Africa during the late 1780's and 1790's including the famous Mungo Park expedition of 1795-97. Beaufoy, as a Member of Parliament, was a key figure in the nonconformist movement as well as an ardent supporter of abolition. His work in recruiting and directing the Association's explorers helped set the stage for nineteenth century British involvement in Africa. The history of the Association's early expeditions and Beaufoy's mix of humanitarian and commercial motivations in founding the Association provide revealing witness to the nature of British interest in Africa at the end of the eighteenth century. / Thesis (BA) — Boston College, 2004. / Submitted to: Boston College. College of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: History. / Discipline: College Honors Program.

Using part of James Cook’s first voyage of discovery in which he explored the Australian coast, and Joseph Banks’s 1772 voyage to Iceland as case studies, this thesis argues that late eighteenth-century travelers used scientific voyages to present audiences at home with a new understanding and scientific language in which to interpret foreign places and peoples. As a result, scientific travelers were directly influential not only in the creation of new forms of knowledge and intellectual frameworks, but they helped direct the shape and formation of the Empire. The thesis explores the interplay between institutional influence and individual agency in both journeys. As a result, it will argue that the scientific voyages that were most influential in the imperial process were those directed and funded by the state.

В данной работе представлена биография и процесс инициации британского ботаника Джозефа Бэнкса в научно-исследовательском пространстве. На основании фрагментов заметок Бэнкса о своем опыте путешественника и естествоиспытателя на о. Таити проведена реконструкция обстоятельств, в которых натуралист реализовывал свою экспедиционную и научно-исследовательскую деятельность. Новизну исследования определяет то, что научная деятельность натуралистов и расширение Британской империи рассматриваются в комплексе, как взаимосвязанные процессы. Такой подход позволяет углубить и расширить понимание империи как государственно-политического образования, так и формирующийся в этот период естественно-научной картины мира, основанной на идее подчинения человеком природы. Взаимное пересечение научно-культурного и политического контекстов данной эпохи позволяет говорить о феномене «имперской ботаники». Использованный в тексте перевод фрагментов путевых заметок Бэнкса выполнен автором данной работы и представляет собой первую публикацию трудов Бэнкса на русском языке. На примере деятельности Бэнкса по изучению о. Таити были выявлены исследовательские практики натуралистов в контексте складывания Британской империи. Также в работе дана характеристика степени развития естественнонаучного знания и отдельно ботаники как науки в Британской империи во второй половине XVIII – первой четверти XIX вв., описаны цели и состав участников первой кругосветной экспедиции Дж. Кука. / This study is devoted to Joseph Banks’ biography and process of his initiation in a scientific research community. The reconstruction of circumstances in which naturalist realized his expedition’ and scientific-research activity was based on parts of Banks’ journals. Banks described his experience of traveler and scientist. The study is novel in that it scientific researching of naturalists and expansion of British Empire are contemplated as interrelated processes and a whole phenomenon. This approach let intensify and develop our understanding of empire as state and a new scientific view of the world, which was based on idea of human’s submit of nature. Mutual interconnection between scientific culture’ and political contexts of the period let say about the phenomenon of botany of empire. The author of this study made translation of parts of Banks’ journal. It is the first publication of Banks’ works on Russian language. Using the example of Banks’ exploring of Tahiti practices of naturalists in the context of making British Empire were found out. Also the study contains the characteristic of level of development of natural history’ knowledge and especially a botany as a science in British Empire in the second part of 18th – first quarter of 19th centuries, as well as description of aims and membership of James Cook’s first round-the-world expedition.