In the Musée des arts et métiers in Paris you can see this clock, a Cadran Universel made by Janvier in 1800:
This has a fixed outer dial containing a series of towns and cities around the world, arranged according to their longitude. Paris is at the top at 0 degrees (and London has been squeezed in as small as possible just above it and to the right, not yet at 0 degrees longitude!).
This circular list of geographic locations gives an intriguing picture of the world as seen from Paris in 1800. I’ve put together a quick list of a few of the places mentioned, with the Paris-based and my estimates of the London-based longitudes, to see how many can be identified:
| 7.5 (5.5) Gibraltar ESPA – Gibraltar |
| 15.0 (13.0) I Lancerote Can. – Lanzarote |
| 22.5 (20.5) Hola ISLANDE – ? |
| 30.0 (28.0) Thule T’AUST – Thule Islan (Morrell Island) in South Sandwich Islands |
| 37.5 (35.5) Olinde Bresil – Olinda, Brazil |
| 45.0 (43.0) Rio Janeiro Br |
| 52.5 (50.5) Para ?? AM. |
| 60.0 (58.0) I Burgeo – Bridgetown, Barbados |
| 67.5 (65.5) C de la Reselution |
| 75.0 (73.0) La Conception A M |
| 82.5 (80.5) Fanal & Savanna |
| 90.0 (88.0) N Orleans |
| 97.5 (95.5) Vera-Cruz |
| 105.0 (103.0) Zacalula ? Tamazula in Mexico? |
| 112.5 (110.5) S Joseph CALIF – San Jose ? |
| 120.0 (118.0) I. S. Paul |
| 127.5 (125.5) C. Flatterie – Cape Flatterie, near Seattle |
| 135.0 (133.0) I Pitcairn – Pitcairn Island |
| 142.5 (140.5) I Cumberland |
| 150.0 (148.0) I Milea . Ounab |
| 157.5 (155.5) ? – obscured by the hands |
| 165.0 (163.0) ? – obscured by the hands |
| 172.5 (170.5) I de Navigateurs |
Conspicuous by their absence are most of the major US cities. In 1800, these were either unimportant or deliberately ignored, apart from New Orleans and Savannah.
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