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The Botanic Garden

Erasmus Darwin · 1791

A 1791 poem by Erasmus Darwin, a fellow member of the Lunar Society, which praised steam power and described Watt's engine, showing how contemporaries celebrated his invention.

Darwin, Watt's fellow Lunar Society member, praised Watt's steam engine in verse, showing contemporary celebration of his work.

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Title page of The Botanic Garden, a poem in two parts. Text reads: THE BOTANIC GARDEN; A Poem, in Two Parts. PART I. Containing The Economy of Vegetation. PART II. The Loves of the Plants. With Philosophical Notes. London, printed for J. Johnson, St. Paul's Church-Yard, MDCCXCI. Entered at Stationers Hall.
Erasmus Darwin, The Botanic Garden, 1791.

About this source

What it is

The Botanic Garden is a two-part poem written by the naturalist and poet Erasmus Darwin, published in 1791. It combines verse about scientific and technological discovery with notes explaining the science behind it.

Why it matters

Darwin was a member of the Lunar Society, a group of scientists and inventors that included James Watt. In this poem Darwin praised what he called "unconquer'd Steam" and described Watt's steam engine, showing how people of the time viewed Watt's invention as a wonder worth celebrating in poetry, alongside other scientific discoveries.

Look closer

  • Why might a poet choose to praise a machine using language usually used for heroes?
  • What does it tell us that Watt's invention was discussed among poets and naturalists, not just engineers?
  • What does celebratory language like this leave out about the realities of industrial change?

This book is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of James Watt on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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