Abstract This article analyses to what degree Benjamin Robins's discoveries in his book New Principles of Gunnery , 1742, affected the British mathematical, military, and educational world of the mid‐eighteenth century. While it drew praise and critique from Europe, especially from the notable mathematician Leonhard Euler, his mathematical theories were not quickly adopted in Britain. This article will highlight the analysis by the professors at the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich, and how that affected the education of cadets at the academy. Furthermore, this article will investigate whether Robins had any influence on the efficacy of British artillery in combat during the Seven Years War, particularly in its campaigns in Germany.
Abstract This article traces evolving Chinese perceptions of Britain in the years leading up to the Macartney Embassy by examining not only imperially commissioned court compilations and published writings but also records formed in the course of key real‐life encounters. Over time, Britain was disentangled from being labelled as part of Hongmao Guo [red‐haired countries] and increasingly recognized as a distinct polity of strong power. This gradual differentiation was accompanied by raised caution against potential collusion between Chinese subjects and foreign powers, as well as growing concerns of a military nature. By foregrounding the Chinese‐language materials, this article attempts to show how the Chinese actively constructed a narrative about Britain and thereby to complement current studies in the field that have been largely shaped by the English‐language perspective.
Abstract There is a growing body of scholarship on the history of religious toleration; nevertheless, historians have largely treated toleration as a matter of governmental policy and legal principle. This article broadens that account by examining John Wesley and George Whitefield's vision of evangelical unity across denominational lines. Articulated in a theological vocabulary of fellowship, catholicity and mutual burden‐bearing and oriented towards revival and evangelism, their vision extended beyond toleration understood merely as a legal or political arrangement. In this respect, I argue, it represented a distinctive model of pluralism that departed not only from older forms of latitudinarianism but also from the more radical anti‐establishment arguments for toleration advanced across the Atlantic. This article expands our understanding of religious pluralism and toleration in the eighteenth century to encompass toleration not only as a matter of government policy or legal principle but also as an ecclesiastical attitude and practice.
