Details

He was born on the island of St Helena in the South Atlantic Ocean. His father, Lieutenant G.W. Melliss, was an officer of the St Helena Artillery. After training as an engineer, and serving as an officer in the Royal Engineers

Royal Engineers

The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually just called the Royal Engineers , and commonly known as the Sappers, is one of the corps of the British Army....

, he was appointed as government surveyor in St Helena from 1860-1871. In 1871, because of government cutbacks, he was made redundant and returned to London, where he subsequently formed the firm of J.C. Melliss and Co.

In 1875 he published the work for which he is best known: "St. Helena: A Physical, Historical and Topographical Description of the Island, including the Geology, Fauna, Flora and Meteorology".

Joseph Dalton Hooker

Joseph Dalton Hooker

Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker OM, GCSI, CB, MD, FRS was one of the greatest British botanists and explorers of the 19th century. Hooker was a founder of geographical botany, and Charles Darwin's closest friend...

 named the genus Mellissia

Mellissia

Mellissia is a genus in the family Solanaceae with a single species, Mellissia begoniifolia , that is endemic to the island of Saint Helena...

in his honour.

To commemorate the book's centenary in 1975, the St. Helena Post Office published a series of stamps.

Further information

Melliss's son, H.J. Melliss, joined his father's company (later named "Melliss and Partners" following a partnership with H.R. Smart). He worked for the company until 1955.

External links

• Melliss LLP Consulting Civil and Structural Engineers at www.melliss.com and look under the Melliss LLP company history page