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1.1 the Weather Observations of Surgeon Menzies J 1.1 THE WEATHER OBSERVATIONS OF SURGEON MENZIES J. Malcolm Walker * Royal Meteorological Society, Reading, UK 1. INTRODUCTION 2. VANCOUVER’S VOYAGE Born in Scotland at Styx (or Stix) House near In the autumn of 1790, Menzies was appointed Aberfeldy in Perthshire (baptised on 15 March naturalist aboard the sloop Discovery for a 1754), Archibald Menzies was educated at the voyage of exploration commanded by George local Parish School in Weem and thereafter Vancouver, an experienced seafarer who had became a gardener at nearby Castle Menzies. served as a midshipman under Captain Cook He moved some years later to Edinburgh, where and now been assigned three tasks by the he studied botany at the Royal Botanic Garden British Admiralty: to explore the Pacific coasts of and trained as a surgeon at the city’s University. North America which were still uncharted; to find After taking his degree in medicine in 1781, he a North-West Passage or disprove its existence; practised for a short time in Caernarvon before and to oversee the return of the British territory entering the Royal Navy as an assistant and property which had been taken over by the surgeon. He served aboard the Nonsuch under Spanish at Nootka. Captain Truscott and on 12 April 1782 witnessed The original intention was that Menzies would be Admiral Rodney’s victory over the Comte de a supernumerary, serving only as naturalist. By Grasse in the Battle of the Saints off Dominica. the time Discovery sailed, however, on 1 April He joined HMS Assistance in early 1783 and 1791, he had been engaged additionally as an served for three years on the Halifax Station, assistant surgeon; and, in September 1792, where he was able to pursue his interest in when the surgeon aboard Discovery became so botany. From Halifax on 30 May 1784, he wrote ill that he had to return home, Menzies was the first of his many letters to Sir Joseph Banks, appointed in his place. Vancouver commended the President of the Royal Society and unofficial his services, stating in the preface to his journal Director of the Royal Gardens at Kew. With the of the voyage that not one man died of ill health letter, he sent seeds he had collected that year, under his care. some near New York, others in the West Indies. For the voyage, Menzies was given (by Banks) He was formally introduced to Banks in England detailed and extensive instructions (reproduced in August 1786 and for a few weeks occupied by Balfour, 1945). He was to investigate as fully himself in studying the great man’s herbarium at as possible the natural history of the countries Sir Joseph’s house in London. He also visited visited, enumerate all trees, shrubs, plants, Kew Gardens, where the seeds he had sent grasses, ferns and mosses by their scientific from Halifax were now growing. names as well as the language of the natives, Menzies did not remain in England for long, for and, in view of the prospect of sending out he was appointed surgeon aboard the Prince of settlers from England, ascertain whether plants Wales in September 1786 and set off soon cultivated in Europe were likely to thrive. He was afterwards on a fur-trading voyage of discovery to dry specimens and collect seeds; and any to the north-west coast of America. During this curious or valuable plants which could not be voyage, of almost three years, he completed his propagated from seeds were to be dug up and first circumnavigation and devoted his spare planted in the glass frame provided for the time to botany. He returned home with many purpose aboard Discovery. seeds and plants for Kew and during the voyage Menzies was required to keep a regular journal sent more than a hundred specimens to Banks, of all occurrences, together with a complete complete with descriptions of the localities where collection of specimens of animals, vegetables they had been found, identities so far as he and minerals, as well as clothes, arms, could establish them and details of habitats. implements and manufactures of the native peoples. His work on the voyage was consider- ed by the British government one of the most * Corresponding author address: J. Malcolm Walker, important objectives of Vancouver’s expedition. Education Resources Manager, Royal Meteorological Society, 104 Oxford Road, Reading, RG1 7LL, UK Vancouver and Menzies were usually on good e-mail: [email protected]. terms, though conflicts sometimes arose, the The weather observations of Surgeon Menzies Page 1 of 5 most serious being in 1795, when Vancouver They discarded many old papers and records of moved to have Menzies court-martialled. the Society. On this occasion, the dispute centred on the These documents came into the possession of a welfare of plants in the glass frame, which was London bookseller who offered to return them to situated on the quarter deck. The man Menzies the Society, thinking that they may have been considered responsible for looking after the discarded unintentionally. No interest was, how- plants failed to cover the frame during a rain ever, shown in recovering them, whereupon the storm (which occurred on 27 July 1795). Many bookseller offered them for sale, the purchaser plants perished and Menzies was understand- being the Harry Ransom Humanities Research ably less than best pleased. The plants had Center of the University of Texas at Austin. been collected with great difficulty and were at Not until the late 1980s, when a catalogue that time irreplaceable. Menzies accused the prepared by the bookseller came to light, did the man of negligence but Vancouver, an irascible full extent of the Society’s loss become known. man at the best of times, flew into a rage, The papers and records dated back to the late pointing out that he had authorised the attend- 18th century and included material relating to the ant’s employment on other duties. United Kingdom’s earliest meteorological socie- The quarrel escalated rapidly, with past dis- ties, both called the Meteorological Society of agreement heaped upon past disagreement. London, one founded in 1823, the other in 1848 Eventually, Vancouver demanded in writing that (see Walker, 1993). They also included the early Menzies hand over his journals, charts and papers and records of the present Society, drawings. In so doing, he was, in fact, well within founded in 1850. his rights, because he had been instructed by For the Royal Meteorological Society, the story the Admiralty before the voyage began that he had a happy ending, because the Harry Ransom should impound all journals and logs prepared Humanities Research Center generously sold by the officers, petty officers and gentlemen on the material back to the Society in 1993. board Discovery (Olson, 1993). Menzies had not known of this at the beginning of the voyage but Among the material recovered was an envelope had come to know of it and become so concern- which contained, in the words of the bookseller’s ed about it that in April 1795 he had written thus catalogue: to Banks: “When the journals of the voyage &c Memoranda as to temperature etc. made by are demanded by Captain Vancouver, I mean to Dr Alex [a mistake for Archibald] Menzies seal up mine, & address them to you, so that I during Vancouver’s historic voyage round the hope you will receive them”. world 1791-5. Menzies accompanied Van- couver on this voyage as naturalist, and the When ordered to hand over the material, Men- plants collected by him were arranged in the zies refused to surrender anything other than the sheets containing these notes. Sick Book and consequently found himself under The envelope was addressed to Dr H.R. Mill, a arrest for insolence and contempt. As soon as giant of geography and meteorology in the early he could, Vancouver reported the matter to his 20th century. superiors; and on 21 September he received orders for the court-martial. At the beginning of The words in the catalogue had been taken October, however, when Discovery returned to verbatim from a note attached to the memoran- the Thames, reason prevailed. Menzies apolo- da. It continued as follows: gised, and on 24 October Vancouver withdrew The sheets were given to me by Mr William his demand for a court-martial. On 3 November, Carruthers, Keeper of Botany in the British Menzies was officially discharged as surgeon of Museum, May 1894. Discovery. The note was signed by C.E. Fagan and dated June 11th 1907; and Fagan gave as his address Irreplaceable meteorological records might have “Natural History Museum, London: SW”. been lost for ever had Menzies obeyed Van- couver’s order to hand them over. But they came When the sheets were inspected on their return close to being lost for another reason. from Texas, they were found to contain hun- dreds of tiny fragments of the plants they had 3. THE METEOROLOGICAL CHARTS OF once pressed. These fragments were lost when ARCHIBALD MENZIES the sheets were photocopied. When the Royal Meteorological Society moved The observations began on 1 April 1791, the day its headquarters from London to Bracknell in Discovery sailed from England, and consisted of 1972, the staff did not carry out a thorough ‘sort readings of barometric pressure, temperature and retain’ operation of the Society’s archives. measured by a “thermometer exposed” and The weather observations of Surgeon Menzies Page 2 of 5 temperature measured by a “thermometer imm- be 48°02′S 166°35′E. From New Zealand, ersed”, plus reports of wind direction, wind Vancouver sailed on across the Pacific to Tahiti, strength and current weather.
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