Enlightenment Geography: The Political Languages Of British Geography, 1650–1850

Enlightenment Geography Studies in Modern History General Editor: J. C. D. Clark, Joyce and Elizabeth Hall Distinguished Professor of British History, University of Kansas Titles include: Bernard Cottret (editor) BOLINGBROKE’S POLITICAL WRITINGS The Conservative Enlightenment Philip Hicks NEOCLASSICAL HISTORY AND ENGLISH CULTURE From Clarendon to Hume William M. Kuhn DEMOCRATIC ROYALISM The Transformation of the British Monarchy, 1861–1914 Kim Lawes PATERNALISM AND POLITICS The Revival of Paternalism in Early Nineteenth-Century Britain Nancy D. LoPatin POLITICAL UNIONS, POPULAR POLITICS AND THE GREAT REFORM ACT OF 1832 James Muldoon EMPIRE AND ORDER The Concept of Empire, 800–1800 W. D. Rubinstein and Hilary Rubinstein PHILOSEMITISM Admiration and Support for Jews in the English-Speaking World, 1840–1939 Lynne Taylor BETWEEN RESISTANCE AND COLLABORATION Popular Protest in Northern France, 1940–45 Studies in Modern History Series Standing Order ISBN 0–333–79328–5 (outside North America only) You can receive future titles in this series as they are published by placing a standing order. Please contact your bookseller or, in case of difficulty, write to us at the address below with your name and address, the title of the series and the ISBN quoted above. Customer Services Department, Macmillan Distribution Ltd, Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS, England Enlightenment Geography The Political Languages of British Geography, 1650–1850 Robert J. Mayhew Lecturer in Human Geography Institute of Geography and Earth Sciences University of Wales Aberystwyth First published in Great Britain 2000 by MACMILLAN PRESS LTD Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS and London Companies and representatives throughout the world A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. ISBN 978-1-349-41906-7 ISBN 978-0-230-59549-1 (eBook) DOI 10.1057/9780230595491 First published in the United States of America 2000 by ST. MARTIN’S PRESS, LLC, Scholarly and Reference Division, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010 ISBN 978-0-312-23475-1 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Mayhew, Robert J. (Robert John), 1971– Enlightenment geography : the political languages of British geography, 1650–1850 / Robert J. Mayhew. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references (p. ). ISBN 978-0-312-23475-1 (cloth) 1. Great Britain—Historical geography. 2. Great Britain—Politics and government. 3. Geography—Great Britain—History. 4. Great Britain—Intellectual life. 5. Political geography—History. 6. Enlightenment—Great Britain. I. Title. DA600 .M295 2000 911'.41—dc21 00–027247 © Robert J. Mayhew 2000 Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2000 978-0-333-79186-8 All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication may be made without written permission. No paragraph of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted save with written permission or in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, or under the terms of any licence permitting limited copying issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency, 90 Tottenham Court Road, London W1P 0LP. Any person who does any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages. The author has asserted his right to be identified as the author of this work in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. This book is printed on paper suitable for recycling and made from fully managed and sustained forest sources. 10 09 9 08 8 07 7 06 6 05 5 04 4 03 3 02 2 01 1 00 Contents List of Illustrations vii Acknowledgements viii 1 Effacing and Recovering the History of Geography 1 2 The Sphere of Geo