Thomas Edmondston

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Thomas Edmondston

Thomas Edmondston (born September 20, 1825 in Baltasound , Unst , † January 24, 1846 in Súa, Ecuador ) was a Scottish naturalist . Its official botanical author abbreviation is " Edmondston ".

Edmondstons main work is a flora of the Shetland Islands, which appeared 1845th His place in the same year appointment as professor at the Anderson's University of Glasgow he could not compete because it shortly replace the naturalist on board under the command of Henry Kellett standing HMS Herald was offered. Shortly after his stay on the Galápagos Islands , during which he collected several new plant species, Edmondston died from an inadvertently triggered bullet.

Live and act

Education and training

Thomas Edmondston was the eldest son of the doctor Laurence Edmondston (1795–1879) and his first wife, the author Eliza MacBrair (1801–1869). He was born on the island of Unst on his uncle Thomas Edmondston's Buness estate. When Edmondston was just under seven years old, the family moved into their own house called "Halligarth" on the Buness estate. His parents now began to teach him systematically. Edmondston later received irregular evening lessons from the schoolmaster of Unst's Parish School for three years before attending that school regularly.

On September 3, 1836, Joseph Dalton Hooker was impressed by the boy, who was not yet quite eleven, who showed him a list of the native flora that he had compiled. An expanded list, which emerged the following year, took 1839 Hooker's brother William Dawson Hooker (1816-1840) in his Notes on Norway . End of July 1837 saw the botanist Gilbert McNab (1815 to 1859), the third son of William McNab (1780 to 1848), in Edmondstons Herbarium with Arenaria norvegica subsp. norvegica a plant whose occurrence in the British Isles was previously unknown. In 1838 Edmondston accompanied John Goodsir (1814-1867) and Edward Forbes on their excursions to some of the neighboring islands. Shortly after this visit, Edmondston embarked on his first stand-alone botanical excursion. It took him from Lerwick to Sumburgh on the southern tip of the island of Mainland , via Yell back to Unst and lasted three weeks.

Edmondston spent the summer of 1840 in Edinburgh with his mother and uncle . Here he came into personal contact with numerous naturalists, including Robert Graham (1786-1845), John Hutton Balfour , William MacGillivray , Robert Jameson and William Jackson Hooker . In the winter semester of 1841/1842 Edmondston studied together with his brother at the University of Edinburgh . He studied Latin with James Pillans (1778–1864), chemistry with Thomas Charles Hope and natural history with Robert Jameson. On December 9, 1841, the Botanical Society of Edinburgh accepted him as a member.

Botany lectures

In 1843 Edmondston began giving botany classes at Lerwick, which were very popular. He also wrote articles for the newly formed magazines The Phytologist. A Popular Botanical Miscellany and, to a lesser extent, The Zoologist. A Popular Miscellany of Natural History . In 1844 he shifted his lecturing activities to Elgin and Forres . In the fall of 1844, Edmondston Aberdeen settled down to attend lectures at the University of Aberdeen . While botanizing in the Eastern Highlands , he happened upon Hewett Watson , who tried in vain to advertise him for the position of curator of the Botanical Society of London .

In January 1845, 19-year-old Edmondston was appointed professor of botany and natural history, as well as ex officio curator of the museum at Anderson's University in Glasgow . His lectures on geology were scheduled to begin on May 12th. The botany lectures should begin six days in advance. On May 2, 1845, however, Edmondston received a letter from Forbes that a naturalist was still being sought for the imminent journey of the HMS Herald under the command of Henry Kellett and that he would recommend him for this post. Edmondston accepted and left the port of Plymouth on June 26, 1845 aboard the HMS Herald .

Journey with the HMS Herald

Via Madeira and after a day's stay in Tenerife , the HMS Herald passed Fernando de Noronha on August 7, 1845 and reached the island of Raza off the coast of Brazil eleven days later . The onward journey from Rio de Janeiro began on August 28th, reached the Falkland Islands on September 3rd and left Port Stanley on September 30th. After the passage from Cape Horn , the land off Valdivia was sighted on November 9th . The journey to Valparaíso continued via Concepción on November 12th . Here Edmonstone went on excursions to Quillota and the surrounding area. After the HMS Herald had been re-equipped , the sails were set again on December 4th. After a stopover in the port of La Ligua , the further route of the HMS Herald led to Callao , from where the journey continued on December 24th. After a short stopover in Paita, the HMS Herald anchored in the Gulf of Guayaquil on December 31, 1845, only to set out for the Galápagos Islands the following day .

The rock of Súa

On December 6, 1845, the HMS Herald reached the Galápagos Islands. Together with John Goodridge , Edmondston collected 41 species of plants over the next ten days on the islands of Española , Floreana , San Salvador and San Cristóbal . On January 22, 1845, the HMS Herald anchored  about two and a half miles from the coast in the Bay of Súa, into which the Río Súa flows and is not far from the city of Atacames . On January 24th, a number of crew members, including Edmondston, explored the bay's coastal area. While boarding the boats for the return, a shot went off from an inadvertently parked rifle, which hit Edmondston in the head and killed him instantly. The following day Thomas Edmondston was buried on the shores of Súa Bay.

Honors

Edmonstonia pacifica is now synonymous with Tetrathylacium macrophyllum

In 1853, Berthold Seemann named the genus Edmonstonia from the willow family (Salicaceae) in honor of Thomas Edmondston . Today it is a synonym of the genus Tetrathylacium .

Fonts (selection)

Books

  • A flora of Shetland: Comprehending a list of the flowering and cryptogamic plants of the Shetland Islands, with remarks on their topography, geology, and climate . G. Clark & ​​Son, Aberdeen 1845 (on- line ).
    • Flora of the Shetland Islands . In the extract by Dr. Hatchet . In: Flora or Allgemeine Botanische Zeitung . New Series, Volume 5, Number 23, June 21, 1847, pp. 361-369 ( online ).

Magazine articles

The Phytologist. A Popular Botanical Miscellany
  • Additions to the Phaenogamic Flora of Ten miles around Edinburgh . In: The Phytologist . Volume 1, Number 19, 1843, pp. 405-407, pp. 455-457 ( online ).
  • Note on Hierochloe borealis . In: The Phytologist . Volume 1, number 21, 1843 p. 491 ( online ).
  • On the Hygrometric Qualities of the Setae of Mosses . In: The Phytologist . Volume 1, number 21, 1843 p. 491 ( online ).
  • Notice of a new British Cerastium . In: The Phytologist . Volume 1, Number 22, 1843, pp. 497-500 ( online ).
  • Correction of an error in Mr. Edmonston's List of Edinburgh Plants . In: The Phytologist . Volume 1, 1843, p. 522 ( online ).
  • Note on the Formation of a Herbarium . In: The Phytologist . Volume 1, Number 27, 1843, pp. 675-676 ( online ).
  • Note on drying plants for the herbarium . In: The Phytologist . Volume 1, Number 27, 1843, pp. 676-677 ( online ).
  • Note on Cerastium latifolium . In: The Phytologist . Volume 1, Number 27, 1843, pp. 677-678 ( online ).
  • Remarks on Botanical Classification . In: The Phytologist . Volume 1, Number 30, 1843, pp. 759-760 ( online ).
  • Shetland localityfor Cynosurus echinatus . In: The Phytologist . Volume 1, number 30, 1843, p. 772 ( online ).
  • Note on Veronica triphyllos . In: The Phytologist . Volume 1, 1844, p. 904 ( online ).
  • Villarsia nymphceoides . In: The Phytologist . Volume 1, 1844, pp. 904-905 ( online ).
  • Carex hoemiinghausiana . In: The Phytologist . Volume 1, 1844, p. 905 ( online ).
  • Note on Cetraria sepincola . In: The Phytologist . Volume 1, 1844, pp. 905-906 ( online ).
  • Remarks on Dr. Ayres' opinion of the Vaucheriae . In: The Phytologist . Volume 1, 1844, pp. 906-907 ( online ).
  • Note on Equisetum umhrosum . In: The Phytologist . Volume 1, 1844, p. 907 ( online ).
  • Further Remarks on Botanical Classification . In: The Phytologist . Volume 1, Number 37, 1844, pp. 977-982 ( online ).
  • Notes on British Mosses . In: The Phytologist . Volume 1, Number 39, 1844, pp. 1033-1036 ( online ).
  • A few parting notes . In: The Phytologist . Volume 2, 1845, pp. 182-184 ( online ).
  • Extract of a letter from the late Mr. Edmondston to Mr. Sidebotham . In: The Phytologist . Volume 2, 1846, pp. 590-591 ( online ).
  • Extract from a letter from the late Mr. Edymondston to the Rev. Mr. Hove, by whom it is communicated . In: The Phytologist . Volume 2, 1846, pp. 606-608 ( online ).
The Zoologist. A Popular Miscellany of Natural History
  • Note on the capture of the Sea Eagle (Haliaetos albicilla) in Shetland . In: The Zoologist . Volume 1, 1843, pp. 36-39 ( online ).
  • Note on the Northern Diver . In: The Zoologist . Volume 1, 1843, p. 365 ( online ).
  • The Fauna of Shetland . In: The Zoologist . Volume 2, 1844, pp. 459-467 ( online ).
  • Additions to the Birds of Shetland . In: The Zoologist . Volume 2, 1844, pp. 551-552 ( online ).
  • Note on the Voracity of Dytiscus marginalis . In: The Zoologist . Volume 2, 1844, pp. 701-702 ( online ).
Others
  • List of Plants observed in the Island of Unst, Shetland, during the summer of 1837 . In: William Dawson Hooker: Notes on Norway . 2nd edition, G. Richardson, Glasgow 1839, pp. 111-117 ( online ).
  • List of Phanerogamous Plants, together with the Cryptogemic Orders Filices, Equisetaceæ, and Lycopodiaceæ, observed in the Shetland Islands . In: Annals and Magazine of Natural History . Volume 7, 1841, pp. 287-295 ( online ).

literature

  • DE Allen: Edmondston, Thomas (1825-1846). In: Henry Colin Gray Matthew, Brian Harrison (Eds.): Oxford Dictionary of National Biography , from the earliest times to the year 2000 (ODNB). Volume 17: Drysdale-Ekins. Oxford University Press, Oxford 2004, ISBN 0-19-861367-9 , ( oxforddnb.com license required ), as of 2004, accessed February 4, 2013.
  • Laurence Edmondston: The young Shetlander, or Shadow over the Sunshine: Being life and letters of Thomas Edmondston . Mold & Tod, Edinburgh 1868 ( online ).
  • Roger Perry: Thomas Edmondston in the Galapagos Islands . In: Notícias de Galápagos . Volume 32, 1980, pp. 23-25 ​​( PDF ).
  • Biographical Sketch . In: CF Argyll Saxby (ed.): Edmonston's flora of Shetland: Comprehending a list of the prevalent wild-flowers, horse-tails, club-mosses and ferns of the Shetland Isles . 2nd edition, Oliphant, Anderson & Ferrier, Edinburgh / London 1903, pp. 11-34 ( online ).
  • Frans Antonie Stafleu , Richard Sumner Cowan: Taxonomic literature. A selective guide to botanical publications and collections with dates, commentaries and types. Volume 1: A – G, 2nd edition. Utrecht 1976, ISBN 90-313-0225-2 , p. 723 ( online ).
Contemporary obituaries
  • Death of Mr. Thomas Edmondston . In: The Phytologist . Volume 2, 1845, p. 580 ( online ).
  • Thomas Edmondston . In: Bonplandia . Volume 1, 1853, pp. 4-5 ( online ).
  • Obituary, Mr. Thomas Edmondston . In: Annals and Magazine of Natural History . Volume 18, Number 117, 1856, pp. 138-142 ( online ).

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Laurence Edmondston: The young Shetlander, or Shadow over the Sunshine: Being life and letters of Thomas Edmondston . Mold & Tod, Edinburgh 1868, p. 37 ( online ).
  2. ^ Laurence Edmondston: The young Shetlander, or Shadow over the Sunshine: Being life and letters of Thomas Edmondston . Mold & Tod, Edinburgh 1868, p. 32 ( online ).
  3. ^ Laurence Edmondston: The young Shetlander, or Shadow over the Sunshine: Being life and letters of Thomas Edmondston . Mold & Tod, Edinburgh 1868, p. 68 ( online ).
  4. ^ Laurence Edmondston: The young Shetlander, or Shadow over the Sunshine: Being life and letters of Thomas Edmondston . Mold & Tod, Edinburgh 1868, pp. 77 ff. ( Online ).
  5. ^ Laurence Edmondston: The young Shetlander, or Shadow over the Sunshine: Being life and letters of Thomas Edmondston . Mold & Tod, Edinburgh 1868, p. 132 ( online ).
  6. ^ Sixth, Seventh, and Eighth Annual Reports and Proceedings of the Botanical Society. Sessions 184142, 18-42, and 1843-44 . Edinburgh 1844, p. 6 ( online ).
  7. ^ Laurence Edmondston: The young Shetlander, or Shadow over the Sunshine: Being life and letters of Thomas Edmondston . Mold & Tod, Edinburgh 1868, pp. 227-228 ( online ).
  8. ^ Laurence Edmondston: The young Shetlander, or Shadow over the Sunshine: Being life and letters of Thomas Edmondston . Mold & Tod, Edinburgh 1868, pp. 231-232 ( online ).
  9. ^ Peter M. Jørgensen: Catalog of the Vascular Plants of Ecuador . History of Collecting . (accessed February 10, 2013).
  10. ↑ Berthold Seemann (Ed.): Narrative of the voyage of HMS Herald during the years 1845-51, under the command of Captain Henry Kellett… being a circumnavigation of the globe, and three cruizes to the Arctic regions in search of Sir John Franklin . 2 volumes, Reeve & Co., London 1853, pp. 63-64 ( online ).
  11. ↑ Berthold Seemann (Ed.): Narrative of the voyage of HMS Herald during the years 1845-51, under the command of Captain Henry Kellett… being a circumnavigation of the globe, and three cruizes to the Arctic regions in search of Sir John Franklin . 2 volumes, Reeve & Co., London 1853, pp. 64-67 ( online ).
  12. ^ Berthold Seemann: The botany of the voyage of HMS Herald: under the command of Captain Henry Kellett, RN, CB, during the years 1845-1851 . Lovell Reeve and Co., Part 3, 1853, pp. 98-99, plate 18 ( online ).

Web links

Commons : Thomas Edmondston  - Collection of images, videos and audio files
personal data
SURNAME Edmondston, Thomas
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Scottish naturalist
DATE OF BIRTH September 20, 1825
PLACE OF BIRTH Baltasound
DATE OF DEATH January 24, 1846
Place of death Súa, Ecuador