Nathaniel Pearce

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Nathaniel Pearce in local costume accompanied by an Abyssinian, 1806

Nathaniel Pearce (born February 14, 1779 in East Acton , Middlesex , † August 12, 1820 in Alexandria ) was a British adventurer , Africa traveler and travel writer .

Life

Activity as a seaman

Pearce was educated in private schools, but because of his incorrigibly savage character, he left school and began training as a carpenter in London . However, he soon got hired as a seaman , returned and began the next training as a leather salesman. Pearce then suddenly enlisted in the Royal Navy and initially served on the HMS Alert .

In May 1794 the Alert was raised by the French Unité on the coast of Ireland and Pearce was brought to France as a prisoner of war . He escaped from prison twice and was then imprisoned in Vannes . From there, too, he was able to break out with a group of young aristocrats. They were captured and brought back; the French escapists were shot and Pearce was warned that the same would happen the next time he tried to escape, despite his prisoner-of-war status. Nonetheless, he escaped again, this time successfully, and was able to reach the English fleet in a small boat. Pearce was put back into service with the Royal Navy on the HMS Bellerophon . After six months, however, he deserted and made his way to London. With the help of his father, he was able to hire an East Indiaman from the British East India Company . He tried to flee in Malaysia and China and was flogged as a punishment . At the Cape of Good Hope he revealed himself as a deserter and was taken in by the HMS Scepter of the Royal Navy. He proved himself on the ship and got the offer to be trained as a midshipman , which he turned down. While the ship was in India for repair work, Pearce deserted with other sailors. Rumor has it that the Maratha who were at war with the British ( Second Marathenkrieg 1803-1805) should hire every defected Englishman as an officer. On the way to Pune , the group realized that there was little truth in the rumors. The group therefore changed their plan and tried to reach Goa to get on a Portuguese ship. However, the deserters were arrested by the resident and sent back. The men were flogged but were able to resume their duties on the ship.

HMS Scepter sinks off the Cape of Good Hope, November 1799

On November 5, 1799, the scepter sank in a storm on the Cape of Good Hope ; Pearce almost drowned in the process, but was lucky and was one of the few survivors. These were taken up by the HMS Lancaster , Pearce was integrated into their team and served there for several years.

Pearce was admitted to hospital in Bombay in 1803 because of some old injuries . When he got better, he wanted to leave the hospital without permission. There was a scuffle with a guard , Pearce fatally injured and arrested. Fearing that he would be charged with manslaughter, he fled. He met an old friend from the British East India Company who was now the helmsman on the Antelope . The ship belonged to Abyssinia - Expedition of George Annesley and Henry Salt . Pearce signed on to the Antelope ; the ship first sailed to Mangalore to accommodate the expedition members. In March 1804 the expedition left India for the Red Sea and arrived in Mocha in April . Because of irreconcilable differences of opinion between Annesley and the captain of the Antelope , the expedition members split up in the Red Sea and the ship left Mokka on July 9 for India. Pearce had previously disembarked fearing he would be arrested again in India and was forced to convert to Islam in Mocha . Pearce went to see Annesley, explained his situation and the circumstances of the forced conversion, and Annesley promised to take Pearce back on board on his new ship. Since disruptions by the Muslims in Mocha were feared, Pearce was only allowed to come secretly on board the Panther the night before the departure . On January 2, 1805, the Annesley and Salt expedition set sail again.

Stay in Abyssinia

Plan of Aksum, 1805
Pearce's house at Chalacot, 1814

The Panther reached Massaua on June 20, 1805 , but it was another month before the overland expedition could continue. Pearce was there because he had a basic knowledge of the Arabic language .

The expedition reached the courtyard of Ras Wolde Selassie in Hintalo in the province of Tigray on August 28 and was able to win his trust. Pearce accompanied Salt to Aksum , where he assisted him for several days in surveying and mapping the ruins. While Annesley and Salt left Abyssinia in November, Pearce stayed in the service of Ras at his own request. Salt saw that Pearce could be useful to the British in Abyssinia; Pearce had the ability to learn languages ​​quickly and so could serve as a translator in the future. In addition, his clear written expression was an advantage for the gathering of information. The British African Association made a fund available to Salt to provide financial support to Pearce on the condition that it could collect information.

At first, hostile forces tried to drive Pearce away from the court of Ras; in the autumn of 1807, however, he had consolidated his position there. In 1808 he married Turinga, the daughter of a Greek trader and an Abyssinian. Pearce suggested various commodities that could be sold in Abyssinia. When these were brought to the coast by the British East India Company at the end of 1809, he organized the transport inland. There was a dangerous situation in which he shot a looter.

Pearce received Salt's second Abyssinia expedition on February 10, 1810 in Massaua. On March 15th they were received by the Ras in Chalacot . In April Pearce accompanied Salt on the approximately 200 km long boat trip on the Tekeze . On May 2nd the expedition left again; Pearce accompanied them to Adua .

With the death of Ras Selassie on May 28, 1816, military clashes began which shook the country. When Salt, meanwhile Consul General in Cairo, learned of the civil war in Abyssinia, he invited Pearce and his wife to his home. Pearce left in October 1818 and reached Cairo on January 24, 1819, where he became Salt's property manager . To enable Pearce to return to Great Britain, Salt, with the help of influential people, ensured that the note about Pearce deserting the Royal Navy was cleared. Turinga, Pearce's wife, died in early May 1820. After the death of his wife, nothing kept him in Africa. Salt provided Pearce with letters of recommendation to help him get started in the UK. Pearce was preparing to cross the ship in Alexandria, but he developed a high fever , fell into delirium, and died on August 12.

The artifacts collected by Pearce were given to the British Museum . In his will, Pearce bequeathed all the papers and records to Salt, who was to publish them. Salt could not finish this task before his death. It was only Salt's friend, the British painter John James Halls , who published Pearce's reports in 1831.

Fonts

literature

  • Anke Fischer-Kattner: Traces of the encounter. European travelogues about Africa 1760 to 1860 . Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Göttingen 2015, ISBN 978-3-525-36081-1 [2]
  • Patrick Richard Carstens: The Encyclopædia of Egypt during the Reign of the Mehemet Ali Dynasty 1798-1952 . FriesenPress, 2014, ISBN 978-1-4602-4899-7 [3]
  • Deborah Manley, Peta Rée: Henry Salt. Artist, traveler, diplomat, Egyptologist. Libri, London 2001, ISBN 1-901965-04-X [4]
  • Bernard Barham Woodward:  Pearce, Nathaniel . In: Sidney Lee (Ed.): Dictionary of National Biography . Volume 44:  Paston - Percy. , MacMillan & Co, Smith, Elder & Co., New York City / London 1895, pp. 149 - 150 (English).
  • Charles Frederick Partington (Ed.): The British Cyclopædia of Biography , 1838 [5]
  • John James Halls: The Life and Correspondence of Henry Salt. 2 volumes. Bentley, London 1834 ( online ).
  • George Annesley: Voyages and Travels to India, Ceylon, the Red Sea, Abyssinia, and Egypt: In the Years 1802, 1803, 1804, 1805, and 1806 Volume 3, F., C., and J. Rivington, 1811 [6 ]

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Woodward: Pearce , 1895.
  2. ^ William James : The Naval History of Great Britain, from the Declaration of War by France in 1793 to the Accession of George IV. London 1826. Volume 1, p. 391 [1] .
  3. ↑ Manley, Rée: Henry Salt , 2001, pp. 23-24.
  4. ^ Manley, Rée: Henry Salt , 2001, p. 18.
  5. ↑ Manley, Rée: Henry Salt , 2001, pp. 21-22.
  6. ↑ Manley, Rée: Henry Salt , 2001, pp. 22, 24.
  7. ↑ Manley, Rée: Henry Salt , 2001, pp. 26-27.
  8. ↑ Manley, Rée: Henry Salt , 2001, pp. 29-30.
  9. ↑ Manley, Rée: Henry Salt , 2001, pp. 31-33.
  10. ^ Manley, Rée: Henry Salt , 2001, p. 31.
  11. ^ Manley, Rée: Henry Salt , 2001, p. 42.
  12. ^ Woodward: Pearce , 1895.
  13. ^ Carstens: The Encyclopædia of Egypt during the Reign of the Mehemet Ali Dynasty 1798–1952 , 2014, p. 538.
  14. ^ Manley, Rée: Henry Salt , 2001, p. 46.
  15. ↑ Manley, Rée: Henry Salt , 2001, pp. 48-53.
  16. ↑ Fischer-Kattner: Traces of Encounter , 2015, p. 240.
  17. ↑ Manley, Rée: Henry Salt , 2001, pp. 186-187.
  18. ↑ Fischer-Kattner: Traces of Encounter , 2015, p. 241.
  19. ↑ Patricia Usick: The Sphinx Revealed: A forgotten record of pioneering excavations . In: The Egypt Society of Bristol, News Update Volume 22, November 2007, p. 5 ( digital ).
  20. ^ Carstens: The Encyclopædia of Egypt during the Reign of the Mehemet Ali Dynasty 1798–1952 , 2014, p. 538.
personal data
SURNAME Pearce, Nathaniel
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British adventurer, African traveler and travel writer
DATE OF BIRTH February 14, 1779
PLACE OF BIRTH East Acton , Middlesex
DATE OF DEATH August 12, 1820
Place of death Alexandria