The Meteorological Observations of Jovellanos at Bellver Castle (Mallorca, Spain)

The development of meteorology in Spain began in the 18th century, similar to other European countries. Anduaga [1] has shown that three communities fostered the first systematic meteorological observations [2]. Firstly, astronomical observatories in Cádiz and Madrid promoted such observations. Additionally, the medical community made notable efforts in this regard, and lastly, the Economic Societies of Friends of the Country propelled meteorological studies related to agricultural activities.

Gaspar Melchor de Jovellanos (5 January 1744 – 27 November 1811) is a major figure of the Age of Enlightenment in Spain. He is well-konw as statesman and author. Until now, no one has highlighted Gaspar Melchor de Jovellanos's interest in atmospheric sciences despite his evident connection with the Economic Societies of Friends of the Country and agronomic sciences. I began reading his correspondence (Complete Works, volumes II-IV [3]) hoping to find numerous references to weather or climate, and the initial results were rather disheartening. However, I continued consulting his diary (Complete Works, volumes VI-VIII) and found an extensive collection of meteorological comments.

The surprise was immense when I saw in one of the last notebooks of his diary, the twelfth, a complete set of systematic meteorological observations made during his stay at Bellver Castle in Mallorca for almost a year (which practically coincides with the year 1806). Therefore, the aim of this study is twofold: I will demonstrate Jovellanos's immense interest in meteorology and describe in detail the thermometric and barometric records obtained by Jovellanos at Bellver Castle [4].

[1] Anduaga Egaña, A. (2012) Meteorología, ideología y sociedad en la España contemporánea (Madrid: CSIC).

[2] Domínguez-Castro, F., Vaquero, J.M., et al. (2014) "Early Spanish meteorological records (1750-1850)". International Journal of Climatology 34, 593-603.

[3] Jovellanos, G.M. (1984-2022) Obras completas, 15 volumes (Gijón: KRK Ediciones).

[4] Vaquero, J.M. (2023) "Las observaciones meteorológicas de Jovellanos en el castillo de Bellver" Revista Española de Física 37(3), 22-27.