The Early Years of Anglo-American Co-operation in Science

Abstract

In the pre-revolutionary period the Royal Society was the main agency serving the scientific interests of the American colonist. The American Fellows of the Royal Society communicated papers to Philosophical Transactions and by corresponding with their colleagues in Britain helped to keep in touch with European developments. At the same time the information and specimens which they sent, or brought to England, helped to satisfy the curiosity of their colleague about the New World. Through the efforts of scientists like Benjamin Franklin, Maskelyne and Joseph Banks some communication was maintained during the War of Independence and co-operation was rapidly restored after it. Nevertheless, American science was profoundly changed by the war and, in spite of some temporary set-backs almost certainly benefited from the revolution. The article also deals with James Smithson and his Institution, and finally with the present flourishing state of Anglo-American co-operation in science.