John MacCulloch, F. R. S., at Addiscombe: The lectureships in chemistry and geology

Abstract

The eminent Georgian scientist John MacCulloch (1773—1835) is remembered today chiefly as a practical geologist but his many publications show that he also made notable contributions in such fields as chemistry, medicine and natural history; indeed his wide scientific competence seems to have been a significant factor in his election to Fellowship of the Royal Society, for it is noted on his certificate of application that he was ‘very conversant with various branches of science’. Elsewhere it is recorded that MacCulloch ‘was as willing to impart information as he was eager to acquire it’ and in this context his activities as a teacher in the East India Company’s Military Seminary at Addiscombe deserve study: first, because the later part of his life, during which he taught geology, is poorly understood; and secondly, since his last two geological books were affected by his teaching commitment at Addiscombe. In this paper MacCulloch’s connexion with the college is investigated using hitherto unpublished manuscript records and some of his geological work is re-assessed in terms of the facts revealed.