Contemporary account from 1777

 

Date: 1777
Author: Thomas Bugge, professor of mathematics and astronomy at the University of Copenhagen
Title Dagbøger fra rejse 2. august til 1. december 1777 til Tyskland, Holland og England
About: Soon after Bugge was appointed professor of mathematics and astronomy at the University of Copenhagen in January 1777, he travelled to Holland and England to acquaint himself with the state of astronomy and instrument making in those countries. He kept an extensive journal of his travels and findings, which is preserved in the archives of Det Kongelige Bibliotek and can be consulted online, the relevant pages being: 72 recto – 72 verso & 86 verso – 91 recto. An English translation was published in 2010 under the title: An Observer of Observatories: The Journal of Thomas Bugge's Tour of Germany, Holland and England in 1777 (Aarthus University Press).
Images: Numerous, including site plan, view of Flamsteed House from the river and various clocks and instruments.



Click here to view the original manuscript (from Det Konelige Bibliotek)