During the mid-nineteenth century, British naval expeditions navigated the world as part of the most extensive scientific undertaking of the age. Between 1839 and the early 1850s, the British government orchestrated a global surveying of the Earth's magnetic phenomena: this was a philosophical enterprise of unprecedented state support and geographical extent. But to conduct this investigation relied on the use of immensely delicate instruments, known as ‘dipping needles’. The most celebrated of these were those of Robert Were Fox, designed and built in Cornwall. Yet these devices were difficult to physically maintain and ensuring accuracy throughout a magnetic experiment was challenging. In 2020, Crosbie Smith and I took an original Fox dipping needle on a voyage from Falmouth to Cape Town, retracing the routes of survey expeditions, including James Clark Ross's 1839–43 Antarctic venture. The article offers an account of our experiences, combined with historical reports of the instrument's past performances. It explores the instrumental challenges involved in nineteenth-century global experimental investigation. The great problem for the British magnetic survey was of coordinating standardized experimental measurements over vast expanses of space and time. As this article argues, this was very much a question of instrumental management, both of dipping needles and of human performers.

在 19 世纪中叶，英国海军探险队在世界范围内航行，这是当时最广泛的科学事业的一部分。从 1839 年到 1850 年代初，英国政府策划了对地球磁现象的全球调查：这是一项得到前所未有的国家支持和地理范围的哲学事业。但进行这项调查依赖于使用极其精密的仪器，称为“浸针”。其中最著名的是在康沃尔设计和建造的 Robert Were Fox。然而，这些设备很难在物理上维护，并且在整个磁性实验中确保准确性具有挑战性。2020 年，我和克罗斯比·史密斯（Crosbie Smith）从法尔茅斯（Falmouth）到开普敦（Cape Town）的航程中，带着原始的福克斯浸针，追溯了勘测探险的路线，包括詹姆斯克拉克罗斯在 1839-43 年的南极探险。这篇文章描述了我们的经验，并结合了该乐器过去性能的历史报告。它探讨了 19 世纪全球实验调查所涉及的工具性挑战。英国磁测量的最大问题是在广阔的空间和时间上协调标准化的实验测量。正如本文所论证的，这在很大程度上是一个工具管理问题，无论是浸针还是人类表演者。英国磁测量的最大问题是在广阔的空间和时间上协调标准化的实验测量。正如本文所论证的，这在很大程度上是一个工具管理问题，无论是浸针还是人类表演者。英国磁测量的最大问题是在广阔的空间和时间上协调标准化的实验测量。正如本文所论证的，这在很大程度上是一个工具管理问题，无论是浸针还是人类表演者。