On Race, Rights and Resources:
Adam Afzelius in London and Sierra
Leone, 1789 - 1799
Hanna Hodacs
(University of Warwick & The Center for History of Science, KVA, Stockholm)
h.hodacs@warwick.ac.uk
Westward Science: On Social Mobility and the
Mobility of Science (1760-1810)
(Swedish Research Council, Vetenskapsrådet).
Swedish naturalists in London 1760-1810
1.
Daniel Solander (1733-1782), to London 1760.
2.
Johan Jacob Ferber (1743–1790) to London 1769.
3.
Andreas Berlin (1746-1773) to London 1770.
4.
Henric Gahn (1747-1816) to London 1771.
5.
Anders Sparrman (1748-1820) to London 1776.
6.
Jonas Carlsson Dryander (1748-1810) to London 1777.
7.
Carl Petter Thunberg (1743-1828) to London 1778.
8.
Carl von Linné d.y. (1741-1783) to London 1782.
9.
Pehr Afzelius (1760-1843) to London 1785.
10. Olof Swartz (1760-1816) to London 1786.
11. Adam Afzelius (1750-1837) to London 1789.
12. Samuel Torner (1762-1822) to London 1793.
Adam
Afzelius
(1750-1837)
Carl Bernhard Wadström 1746-1799
Carl Frederik von Breda. “Carl Bernhard
Wadström och negerprinsen Peter Pannah,”
August Nordenskiöld 1753-1792
London naturalist network:
Joseph Banks, John Edward
Smith, Thomas Foster, Thomas
Marsham, John Sims, William
Withering etc.
Swedenborg network:
Carl Bernhard
Wadström, August
Nordenskiöld, Jöran
Ulrich Silverhielm, James
Strand etc.
“three persons who came from a much more interior
part of that continent, and from the conversation he
had with them by means of an interpreter, he found
the assertions of Swedenborg confirmed. Mr. A.
assured me that the countenances of these men were
beautiful and calmely (very different from the
negroes on the coast), their voices were sweet and
sonorous, their gestures and manners mild and
engaging, and that they had frequent and open
communication with the spiritual world and its
inhabitants; even at the time Mr A. was with them
they declared they saw angelic spirits, which it
seems was not uncommon case with these men.”
“In the afternoon went to Dumbia or Dumboja, where we saw a white Negro called
by the Natives, Fangsee. It was a woman, whose skin was rather whiter than ours
but mottled with brown spots, and whose features and shape besides were like the
black’s – Her parents were both black – She had one brother of the same colours
as herself and another quite black – She had a child with a black man which also
was black now sucking his mother – she was very ugly and old and her skin hard
and rough as a crocodile. How could any man fall in love with such an horrid
creature.”
Adam Afzelius, Diary, 29th of March 1796
“Being desirous to see in what manner the slave traders behaved in examining the
Salves they were going to buy the Doctor begged Capt. Mighee to shew us, which
he willingly undertook going rank from rank and examining them from head to
bottom often in a very indecent manner particularly the women and mentioning
Picture, (prime), possible and bad. And still he had the impudence after having
gone through them all, to say that as he would not hurt their modesty in presence
of strangers, he had now only slightly looked at them”
Adam Afzelius, Diary, 8th of March 1796