William John Hamilton (1805-1867), English geologist and eldest son of William Richard Hamilton (1777-1859), was born in London on July 5, 1805. Educated at the Charterhouse and at the University at Goettingen, he paid particular attention to modern languages and history. Since the German university, established in 1737, had been founded on the principles of the natural sciences, Hamilton's studies included these disciplines as well.

Upon leaving university in 1827, Hamilton served as attaché in Madrid and, briefly, in Paris, returning to England in 1829, at which time his interest in the sciences began to grow dominant. Studying geology under Roderick Impey Murchinson, he became a fellow of the Geological Society in 1831. After being introduced by Murchison, Hamilton and Hugh Strickland undertook a geological tour of the Levant, after which Hamilton continued on his own through Armenia and across Asia Minor, making careful topographical observations and keeping a full diary of geological matters. His two-volume, author-illustrated, work entitled "Researches in Asia Minor, Pontus, and Armenia, with some account of their antiquities and Geology" (1842) was presented to the Royal Geographical Society, which awarded it its founders' medal.

Hamilton's father, William Richard Hamilton (1777-1859), famous in his own right as an antiquarian and diplomat, was the founder of the Royal Geographical Society. As the secretary to Lord Elgin, he was instrumental in the acquisition of both the Elgin Marbles and the Rosetta Stone and through his efforts, became a trustee of the British Museum. His chief work, Aegyptiaca, appeared in 1809.

William John Hamilton continued to publish papers on such subjects as the rocks and minerals of Tuscany, the agate-quarries of Oberstein, and the geology of the Mayence Basin and of the Hesse Cassel district. He was chosen president of the Geological Society in 1854, having long been one of its most active members. He subsequently made various excursions in France and Belguim, and was re-elected president of the society in 1865. Resigning his post in 1866, Hamilton spent a year abroad returning to England shortly before his death on June 27, 1867. He left a son, Robert William, by his first wife, and three sons and four daughters by his second wife, Margaret, daughter of Henry, thirteenth viscount of Dillon, whom he had married in 1838.

The William John Hamilton papers consist of correspondence from Hamilton to his parents and two of his siblings, describing his experiences at the University at Goettingen during 1825-1827. His letters include vivid descriptions of his professors, their lectures and readings, his holiday travels on the continent, and the day-to-day of a student's life and diversions. Often, his letters reflect the political and cultural events of the period.

Hamilton commented regularly upon his professors, including Johann Friedrich Blumenbach (physical anthropolgist); Karl Otfried Muller (Archeology); Johann Friedrich Ludwig Hausmann (Minerology, presaging Hamilton's eventual interest in geology); and Karl Christian Friedrich Krause (Philosophy of Law). Although he is occasionally critical of some of his professors, Hamilton's letters include serious and detailed discussions of his coursework.

The diversions available to students in his class occupied a similarly prominent place in Hamliton's letters. There are fetes, picnics, concerts, and horseback riding at Goettingen's famed riding school. His friends include two "young Rothchilds" and Thomas Lovell Beddoes, a Charterhouse acquaintance who was already a published writer. On his holiday jaunts, Hamilton reported on society in Dresden, Weimer, and Leipzig, including one encounter with the German philosoph and poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Hamilton's future interest in geology is exhibited in his description of a walking tour through the Hartz Mountains.

Ever alert to the political issues of the day, anticipating a diplomatic career, Hamilton expressed himself regularly on the Corn Laws, Catholic Emancipation, and international trade. His family life is reflected as well, with notes about various siblings' activities and studies.

The collection concludes with two letters from Madrid dated 1828, which report on Hamilton's proposal to Professor Muller to translate his latest three-volume work and his final efforts to prepare a review of it instead. The translated message from Muller presents the argument that his own work is not yet of sufficient "maturity" for translation.

Provenance

Purchased in May, 1984, from Wyngate Manuscripts, Bethesda, Md.

Preferred citation

Cited as: William John Hamilton Papers, American Philosophical Society

Processing information

Recatalogued by Ann Reinhart, May 2003.

Alternate formats available

The Hamilton Papers have been microfilmed (Film 1474).

Related material

Hamilton, William John, Biographical Notices of Edward Forbes and Others. Call no.: 505 Am3j Ser.2, v.20.

Early American History Note

This manuscript collection falls outside the geographic scope of the Early American guide (British North America and the United States before 1840). It may be of interest to scholars interested in global history, international relations, imperialism, or the U.S. in the world.

• Universität Göttingen.

• Germany -- Description and travel
• Great Britain -- Politics anjd government -- 19th century

• Beddoes, Thomas Lovell, 1803-1849
• Blumenbach, Johann Friedrich, 1752-1840
• Hamilton , William John, 1805-1867
• Hamilton, Juliana Udny
• Hamilton, William Richard, 1777-1858
• Hausmann, Johann Friedrich Ludwig, 1782-1859
• Krause, Karl Christian Friedrich, 1781-1832
• Müller, Karl Otfried, 1797-1840

• Archaeology -- Study and teaching -- Germany
• Beyond Early America
• Geology -- Germany
• Mineralogy -- Study and teaching -- Germany
• Universities and colleges -- Germany-Curricula