Charles Telfair
Encyclopedia
Charles Telfair was an Irish
botanist
.
and later qualified as a medical doctor. In 1797 he joined the Royal Navy
and was soon appointed as ship's surgeon, visiting Mauritius and Réunion
with the Navy in 1810. He returned to Mauritius
in 1816 and established botanical gardens in Mauritius and Réunion. Having worked in several Government offices in Réunion, he was appointed personal secretary of Mauritius Governor Robert Farquhar
. Telfair improved the education and housing of estate slaves, and found less strenuous occupations for elderly slaves. He was honorary curator of the botanical garden at Pamplemousses from 1826 to 1829. His old colonial château has now been turned into a restaurant, watercolours of local flora painted by Telfair’s wife Annabella Chamberlain, adorning the walls.
The Charles Telfair Institute in Mauritius, formerly known as DCDM Business School, was renamed after Charles Telfair.
, François Liénard and other local naturalists convened an 1829 meeting at which the Société d’Histoire Naturelle de l’Ile Maurice was founded. Desjardins, who had already set up his own museum at Argy
in the Flacq
district, left for Paris in 1839, intending to write a natural history of Mauritius, but unexpectedly died there in 1840. His widow donated his entire collection to the Society. Bouton, inspired by the gesture, added his collection of plants, and Adrien d'Épinay
his library. The nascent museum opened to the public in 1842 as the Muséum Desjardins, in Port Louis, with Bojer acting as the first curator. The Mauritius government provided the accommodation, and half the curator's and taxidermist's salaries.
Telfair is credited with having introduced bananas to Mauritius from China in 1826. Three years later he sent the plants to England where a Mr Barclay of Burryhill showed them to Lord Cavendish
, the 6th Duke of Devonshire, whence came the Cavendish banana
. Joseph Paxton
, his head gardener, cultivated the plants successfully in greenhouses. He is commemorated by the genus Telfairia
, Telfair's Skink
and Echinops telfairi
. In 1819 Telfair was made a member of the Légion d'honneur
in recognition of his services.
From 1825 to 1848, John Newman was head of the Royal Botanic Garden at Pamplemousses. He regularly corresponded and exchanged specimens with notable figures in the botanical world, including William Jackson Hooker
. The gardens displayed plants from Madagascar
, Australia
, the East Indies
, China
and South Africa
. Some of these plants were illustrated in a report from Newman to the Colonial Office in 1829, including Bignonia telfairia from Madagascar. He named it after Annabella Telfair (d. 23 May 1832 Port Louis
), a botanical artist, plant collector and wife of Charles Telfair, whom she had married in 1818. Some of her illustrations appeared in Curtis Botanical Magazine between 1826 and 1830, while her letters to Hooker are preserved at Kew. Telfair's collections were donated to the Zoological Society of London
, but were dispersed and effectively lost when sold in 1855.
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
botanist
Botany
Botany, plant science, or plant biology is a branch of biology that involves the scientific study of plant life. Traditionally, botany also included the study of fungi, algae and viruses...
.
Early life and career
Telfair was the son of a Belfast schoolmaster. He studied chemistry under Joseph BlackJoseph Black
Joseph Black FRSE FRCPE FPSG was a Scottish physician and chemist, known for his discoveries of latent heat, specific heat, and carbon dioxide. He was professor of Medicine at University of Glasgow . James Watt, who was appointed as philosophical instrument maker at the same university...
and later qualified as a medical doctor. In 1797 he joined the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
and was soon appointed as ship's surgeon, visiting Mauritius and Réunion
Réunion
Réunion is a French island with a population of about 800,000 located in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar, about south west of Mauritius, the nearest island.Administratively, Réunion is one of the overseas departments of France...
with the Navy in 1810. He returned to Mauritius
Mauritius
Mauritius , officially the Republic of Mauritius is an island nation off the southeast coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about east of Madagascar...
in 1816 and established botanical gardens in Mauritius and Réunion. Having worked in several Government offices in Réunion, he was appointed personal secretary of Mauritius Governor Robert Farquhar
Robert Townsend Farquhar
Sir Robert Townsend Farquhar, 1st Baronet was an influential British merchant of the early nineteenth century who served as a colonial governor and Member of Parliament.During his lengthy service for both the East India Company and the British government,Farquhar gained a reputation as an...
. Telfair improved the education and housing of estate slaves, and found less strenuous occupations for elderly slaves. He was honorary curator of the botanical garden at Pamplemousses from 1826 to 1829. His old colonial château has now been turned into a restaurant, watercolours of local flora painted by Telfair’s wife Annabella Chamberlain, adorning the walls.
The Charles Telfair Institute in Mauritius, formerly known as DCDM Business School, was renamed after Charles Telfair.
Botanical interests
A number of naturalists were actively collecting in Mauritius in the early 19th century. In 1826 Telfair persuaded two local collectors, Julien Desjardins and Louis Bouton, to donate their collections to form the nucleus of a proposed colonial museum. As this offer met with no response from the Governor, Telfair, together with Bouton, Desjardins, Wenceslas BojerWenceslas Bojer
Wenceslas Bojer was a notable naturalist and botanist.He was born to Simon Bojer and Barbara Staub....
, François Liénard and other local naturalists convened an 1829 meeting at which the Société d’Histoire Naturelle de l’Ile Maurice was founded. Desjardins, who had already set up his own museum at Argy
Argy
Argy is a commune in the Indre department in central France....
in the Flacq
Flacq
Flacq is a district of Mauritius, situated in the east of the island. The capital is Centre de Flacq. It is the largest district, having an area of 298 km², and as of 2000 has a population of 126,839....
district, left for Paris in 1839, intending to write a natural history of Mauritius, but unexpectedly died there in 1840. His widow donated his entire collection to the Society. Bouton, inspired by the gesture, added his collection of plants, and Adrien d'Épinay
Adrien d'Épinay
Antoine Zacharie Adrien d'Épinay , the son of Antoine Jean d’Épinay and Marie Marthe Barbe Blanc, was a lawyer and politician from Mauritius who at the beginning of the 19th century helped found the Société royale des Arts et des Sciences de l'île Maurice, the Bank of Mauritius and the first...
his library. The nascent museum opened to the public in 1842 as the Muséum Desjardins, in Port Louis, with Bojer acting as the first curator. The Mauritius government provided the accommodation, and half the curator's and taxidermist's salaries.
Telfair is credited with having introduced bananas to Mauritius from China in 1826. Three years later he sent the plants to England where a Mr Barclay of Burryhill showed them to Lord Cavendish
William Cavendish, 6th Duke of Devonshire
William George Spencer Cavendish, 6th Duke of Devonshire KG, PC , styled Marquess of Hartington until 1811, was a British peer, courtier and Whig politician...
, the 6th Duke of Devonshire, whence came the Cavendish banana
Cavendish banana
The Dwarf Cavendish banana is a banana cultivar originally from Vietnam and China. It became the primary replacement for the Gros Michel banana in the 1950s after crops of the latter were devastated by the Panama disease. The name 'Dwarf Cavendish' is in reference to the height of the pseudostem,...
. Joseph Paxton
Joseph Paxton
Sir Joseph Paxton was an English gardener and architect, best known for designing The Crystal Palace.-Early life:...
, his head gardener, cultivated the plants successfully in greenhouses. He is commemorated by the genus Telfairia
Telfairia
Telfairia is a small genus of flowering plants in the squash family which are native to Africa. They include Telfairia occidentalis, the fluted pumpkin, which is an important vegetable in Nigeria and other African nations. It is also known as the oyster nut, a common name it shares with its...
, Telfair's Skink
Round Island skink
The Round Island skink or Telfair's skink , is a species of skink endemic to Round Island . Other members of the genus Leiolopisma occur on New Caledonia and New Zealand but the Round Island skink is closely related to the two extinct Mascarenes taxa, L. mauritiana from Mauritius and L. ceciliae...
and Echinops telfairi
Lesser Hedgehog Tenrec
The Lesser Hedgehog Tenrec is a species of mammal in the Tenrecidae family.It is the only species in the genus Echinops and is named in honour of Charles Telfair.-Distribution and habitat:It is endemic to Madagascar...
. In 1819 Telfair was made a member of the Légion d'honneur
Légion d'honneur
The Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
in recognition of his services.
From 1825 to 1848, John Newman was head of the Royal Botanic Garden at Pamplemousses. He regularly corresponded and exchanged specimens with notable figures in the botanical world, including William Jackson Hooker
William Jackson Hooker
Sir William Jackson Hooker, FRS was an English systematic botanist and organiser. He held the post of Regius Professor of Botany at Glasgow University, and was the first Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. He enjoyed the friendship and support of Sir Joseph Banks for his exploring,...
. The gardens displayed plants from Madagascar
Madagascar
The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, the East Indies
East Indies
East Indies is a term used by Europeans from the 16th century onwards to identify what is now known as Indian subcontinent or South Asia, Southeastern Asia, and the islands of Oceania, including the Malay Archipelago and the Philippines...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
and South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. Some of these plants were illustrated in a report from Newman to the Colonial Office in 1829, including Bignonia telfairia from Madagascar. He named it after Annabella Telfair (d. 23 May 1832 Port Louis
Port Louis
-Economy:The economy is dominated by its port, which handles Mauritius' international trade. The port was founded by the French who preferred Port Louis as the City is shielded by the Port Louis/Moka mountain range. It is the largest container handling facility in the Indian Ocean and can...
), a botanical artist, plant collector and wife of Charles Telfair, whom she had married in 1818. Some of her illustrations appeared in Curtis Botanical Magazine between 1826 and 1830, while her letters to Hooker are preserved at Kew. Telfair's collections were donated to the Zoological Society of London
Zoological Society of London
The Zoological Society of London is a charity devoted to the worldwide conservation of animals and their habitats...
, but were dispersed and effectively lost when sold in 1855.
Publications
- From Belfast to Mauritius: Charles Telfair (1778–1833): Naturalist and Product of the Irish Enlightenment in Eighteenth-Century Ireland
- Michel, L. 1935. Conference sur Charles Telfair. Trans. Royal Society of Arts & Sciences of Mauritius C3 :19-48.