On this day, Scottish physicist and astronomer, James Dinwiddle, began to keep a journal that he wrote till December 15 that year. He was then a resident of Calcutta.

Dinwiddle studied at Edinburgh University. In 1792, he was asked to go to China to lecture on physics and demonstrate British astronomical achievements at the imperial court.

Later on, he became a professor of mathematics, natural philosophy and chemistry at the College of Fort William, Calcutta. He left Calcutta in September 1806 and returned to London, where he continued his work.

The journal touches upon a range of topics, such as observations on “Dr. Black’s Analysis of the Iceland waters” and “Extract from the report of the Committee for improving the manufacture of powder at Bombay”.

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