Dr. Kubassek János szerk.: A Kárpát-medence természeti értékei (Érd, 2004)

Dr. Miklós Kázmér: Dr. Edward Browne's visit in the mining towns of Lower Hungary in 1669

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— DR. MIKLÓS KÁZMÉR DR. EDWARD BROWNE'S VISIT IN THE MINING TOWNS OF LOWER HUNGARY IN 1669 WARD BROWNE, an English medical doctor visited the copper mine of Herrengrund \Ç (Spania Dolina, Úrvölgy; Zvolen county) in Lower Hungary during his travels in I669. His observations were published in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. An annotated Hungarian translation is published here. Minerals collected by BROWNE have been preserved in British collections. Contemporary scientific description of the specimens by NEHEMIAH GREW and JOHN WOODWARD provide insight into mineralogical thinking of the late 17th century. Cyravelling as related to the evolution of sciences is an attractive, although probably not new, aspect of research. MA^CZAK and TEUTEBERG (1982) introduced the term Reiseforschung

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. A recent symposium (WYSE JACKSON, 2004) extensively discussed the reasons for and results of geological travel. A literary scholar, KOVÁCS (1985,1988) published mostly diaries of students and noblemen travelling abroad, emphasizing their obeyance of the rules of travel handbooks. Unfortunately, observations of foreign travellers in Hungary remain less known. While several modern treatises discuss their activities through the centuries (e.g. TARDY, 1982 and GÖMÖRI, 1994), these compilations are mostly for the general reader. There seems to be a lack of studies evaluating their influence on science, history, ethnography, or politics. A recent volume of essays (RÓZSA, 1999) on ROBERT TOWNSON, and English polymath and his travels in Hungary in 1793 set a standard for subsequent studies. TOWNSON'S observations in the fields of geology, mineralogy, botany, entomology, and O 20.9 — O ABSTRACT TRAVELLING AND SCIENCE