Thanks Tanay for giving such nice details of important indian collectors and authors. This will surely enrich our database.
-- Dr. Gurcharan Singh Retired Associate Professor SGTB Khalsa College, University of Delhi, Delhi-110007 Res: 932 Anand Kunj, Vikas Puri, New Delhi-110018. Phone: 011-25518297 Mob: 9810359089 http://people.du.ac.in/~singhg45/ On Fri, May 28, 2010 at 9:24 AM, tanay bose <[email protected]> wrote: > SIR WILLIAM ROXBURGH > > > > ROXBURGH, WILLIAM, a physician and eminent botanist, was born at Underwood > in the parish of Craigie, on the 29th June, 1759. His family was not in > affluent circumstances, but they nevertheless contrived to give him a > liberal education. On acquiring all the learning which the place of his > nativity afforded, he was sent to Edinburgh to complete his studies, which > were exclusively directed to the medical profession. After attending for > some time the various classes at the university necessary to qualify him > for this pursuit, he received, while yet but seventeen years of age, the > appointment of surgeon’s mate on board of an East Indiaman, and completed > two voyages to the East in that capacity before he had attained his > twenty-first year. An offer having been now made to him of an advantageous > settlement at Madras, he accepted of it, and accordingly established himself > there. Shortly after taking up his residence at Madras, Mr Roxburgh turned > his attention to botany, and particularly to the study of the indigenous > plants, and other vegetable productions of the East, and in this he made > such progress, and acquired so much reputation that he was in a short time > invited by the government of Bengal, to take charge of the Botanical > gardens established there. In this situation he rapidly extended his fame > as a botanist, and introduced to notice, and directed to useful purposes > many previously unknown and neglected vegetable productions of the country. > Mr Roxburgh now also became a member of the Asiatic Society, to whose > Transactions he contributed, from time to time, many valuable papers, and > amongst these one of singular interest on the lacca insect, from which a > colour called Lac Lake is made, which is largely used as a substitute for > cochineal. This paper, which was written in 1789, excited much attention at > the time, at once from the ability it displayed, and from the circumstance > of its containing some hints which led to a great improvement on the colour > yielded by the lacca insect. > > In 1797, Mr Roxburgh paid a visit to his native country, and returned > (having been in the mean time married,) to Bengal, in 1799, when he > resumed his botanical studies with increased ardour and increasing success. > In 1805, he received the gold medal of the Society for the Promotion of > Arts, for a series of highly interesting and valuable communications on the > subject of the productions of the East. He had again, in this year, returned > to England, and was now residing at Chelsea, but in a very indifferent > health; he, however, once more proceeded to Bengal, and continued in his > curatorship of the Botanical Gardens there till 1803, when, broken down in > constitution, he finally returned to his native country. In this year he > received a second gold medal for a communication on the growth of trees in > India, and on the 31st of May, 1814, was presented with a third, in the > presence of a large assembly which he personally attended, by the duke of > Norfolk, who was then president of the Society of Arts. > > Soon after receiving this last honourable testimony of the high respect in > which his talents were held, Mr Roxburgh repaired to Edinburgh, where he > died, on the 10th of April in the following year, in the 57th year of his > age, leaving behind him a reputation of no ordinary character for ability, > and for a laudable ambition to confer benefits on mankind, by adding to > their comforts and conveniences; which objects he effected to no > inconsiderable extent by many original and ingenious suggestions. > > REFERENCE : > http://www.electricscotland.com/history/other/roxburgh_william.htm > > > MORE READING: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Roxburgh > > > > > Tanay > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "efloraofindia" group. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > [email protected]<indiantreepix%[email protected]> > . > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/indiantreepix?hl=en. > -- Dr. Gurcharan Singh Retired Associate Professor SGTB Khalsa College, University of Delhi, Delhi-110007 Res: 932 Anand Kunj, Vikas Puri, New Delhi-110018. Phone: 011-25518297 Mob: 9810359089 http://people.du.ac.in/~singhg45/ -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "efloraofindia" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/indiantreepix?hl=en.
