Science, Utility and Maritime Power: Samuel Bentham in Russia, 1779-91

During the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, Samuel Bentham influenced the technology and administrative ideas employed in the management of the British navy. His influence stemmed from his passion for science, his desire to achieve improvements based on a belief in the principle of Utility, and his experience gained over eleven years in Russia. Regarded then by the Navy Board as a dangerous maverick, this book reveals the experiences, creativity and thinking that made him a major figure in British naval development.

About the Author

Dr Roger Morriss is a senior lecturer in history at the University of Exeter. He is interested in most aspects of European maritime history and teaches British maritime and naval history. His research interests are focussed on British naval administration in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, particularly naval logistics. He has published several books, including The Foundations of British Maritime Ascendency 1755-1815 (2010), Naval Power and British Culture, 1760-1850 (2004) and The Channel Fleet and the Blockade of Brest 1793-1801 (2001), and is the current General Editor of the Navy Records Society, a position he has held since 2000.