Journal of Robert Mylne, recording a visit to Paris with James Watt, 1839.

Robert William Mylne (1816-1890), engineer and geologist, visited Paris between April and May 1839 with James Watt (1769-1848), engineer and manufacturer. The main focus of the visit as recorded in the journal is the regular negotiation with Francois Arago, leading to the publication of Arago’s ‘Eloge’ to James Watt, the elder, later that year. Also recorded are Mylne’s own investigations and proposals regarding the Paris Water Works and the Seine, and other background observations on Parisian life, including the Paris riots and the Paris 9th Exposition.

On 16 May 1839 Mylne and Watt were part of a larger group, including Roderick Murchison and Sir John Robison, who visited Louis Daguerre and the journal includes a first-hand description of Daguerre’s recent invention, the detail of which had yet to be made widely-known.

Mylne developed a substantial practice as a consulting water engineer, and in 1856 published the first comprehensive geological map of London. He later became a fellow of the Geological Society of France in recognition of his advice on the construction of the Canal du Midi.