Barometer

Mahogany Internal V-Shaped Marine Barometer
Nairne & Blunt, London, England, ca 1780
Gift of Joel Barlow
1976.24.09

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Mahogany Internal V-Shaped Marine Barometer Nairne & Blunt, London, England, ca 1780 Gift of Joel Barlow

In the early 1770s, Edward Nairne constructed the first successful marine barometer by constricting the glass tube between the cistern and register plate. The instrument was suspended from gimbals mounted within a freestanding frame to provide additional stability. Nairne's first marine barometer was sent on James Cook's second voyage to the South Pacific between 1772-1775. This example may have been used on Cook's ill-fated third voyage.

For more information, e-mail collections@MarinersMuseum.org.

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