William Roxburgh

Book excerpt: Born in the mid 18th century, William Roxburgh was brought up in the centre of the Edinburgh Enlightenment, with all the patronage an intellectual curiosity that this entailed. After joining the East India Company as an Assistant Surgeon on one of their ships, he joined the staff of the General hospital at Madras. Soon he was Company Naturalist, describing many species for the first time which inspired some beautiful watercolour drawings by Indian artists, copies of which were sent to Sir Joseph Banks at Kew. Arising from his scientific work, he was appointed the first paid Superintendent of the Calcutta Botanic Garden in 1793, where he continued his previous experimental work as well as looking into the introduction of a wide range of crops. Always looking for ways to improve the lot of native workers, to reduce the impact of frequent famines, he suggested labour-intensive methods by developing local skills and introducing suitable plants could be used for food. With important work also on the botany of the Cape of Good House as well as St Helena, and significant contributions to the fields of meteorology, zoology and geology, Roxburgh's obituaries referred to him as the 'greatest botanist since Linnaeus.' This is the first full biography of 'The Founding Father of Indian Botany.' Beautifully illustrated throughout with archival material, botanical drawings and photographs, some published here for the first time, this joint publication with the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh is a must for historians, botanist and general readers alike.