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Djvu Document BULL. BOT. SUKV. INDIA 1'01. 3, NO. 1 : pp. 1-10, 1961 WILLIAM CAREY : HIS ACTIVITIES IN BOTANICAL AND HORTICULTURAL RESEARCHES IN INDIA K. S. SRINIVASAN Cnrator. Indrrstrial Section. Botanical Survey of India, Calcutta INTRODUCTION William's father was a weaver. When young William "Some are born great ; some achieve greatness ; and was just six years old, Edmund was chosen by the some have greatness thrust upon them". So wrote a people of his place as master of the Paulerspury School great genius in one of his greatest literary compositions. and as a parish clerk, in sympathetic consideration of The heroic story of William Carey-a record of marvel- Edmund's great exertion for getting a living for his lous achievements of a Philanthropist and a Missionary widowed mother 'to whom he ~ was most devoted. in his forty years of struggle among opposing factors to During his early education, young William acquired apply the true spirit of Christianity and propagating of b good knowledge of Arithmetic, Scripture, Latin and the Gospel among the Heathens-is, perhaps, one of the Greek. Books especially on Science, History and Travel, best examples of "greatness achieved" through an incre- had a great attraction for young William. Even from dible record of human endeavour, discipline, persever- his boyhood, William Carey had an innate passion for ance and courage, by which he came out to be not only flowers, plants, insects and birds. His deep interest in one of the pioneer Baptist Missionaries in India, but the study of these groups made him to be so familiar also one of the finest personalities of his day, winning with them that William Carey came to be recognised the hearts of people everywhere. However, there was soon by his associates as a "biologist" which found nothing mysterious or unusual about WiIIiam Carey. expression in his fellow-mates "Take it to Bill Carey ; He was an ordinary man giving extraordinary per- he will tell you all about it". He acquired some knowledge of drawing also to be helpful in his Natural formance. History studies. In presenting this account, we revive our acquaintance Mary Carey, WiIliam Carey's younger sister by five with this most memorable character, who dedicated his years has given a picturesque and interesting account life to the objects of his mission, where he was free to do what he liked and what he ought. Dr. William of William Carey's zeal for Natural History in the Carey's literary, biblical and missionary achievements following words. "The room that was wholly appro- are internationally famous. This being so, few are, priated to his use was full of insects stuck in every perhaps, aware of Dr. Carey's bent towards Natural corner, that he might observe their progress. Drawing History and Science. The following is an account of and painting he was fond of, and made considerable progress in these arts. Of birds and all manner of Dr. Carey's activities in BotanicaI and Horticultural Re- insects, he had numbers. When he was from home. searches in India. the birds were generally committed to my care. Being The revolutionary 18th. Century witnessed England five years younger, I was indulged by him in all enjoy- and other European Countries under the grip of Mate- ments. Though I often used to kill them by kindness, rialism, Romanticism, Empiricism and Rationalism. yet, when he saw my grief, he always permitted me the Politically, the war between England and its Colonies, pleasure of serving them again and often took me over and the Colonial expansion of England in differentparts the dirtiest roads to get at a plant or an insect. His of the world marked the major incidents. Spiritually, natural fondness for a garden was cherished by his the "Christian England" was void of belief, a greater uncle, Peter and he often had his nephew with him not number of men and women of the upper class having having a child of his own". lost faith in Holy Scriptures, while the lower and middle William's uncle, Peter was a gardener. He was pri- classes remained quite unaffected by Rationalism. marily responsible to create in the mind of young Socially, the general conditions were deplorable with immorality, corruption and demoralisation rampant. William a passion for Botany and he also widened the outlook of the youth by telling him of peoples from Side by side, a strenuous fight for Reformation Was waged by gifted men endowed with courage and overseas, and this left a forcible impression in the mind of William Carey. As a boy of fourteen, William Carey conviction. took up to gardening with an inimitable zeal. He was, however, forced to give it up within two years of his CHILDHOOD & EARLY LIFE first enterprise, as his very sensitive skin, which could It was in such times that William Carey was born not stand the exposure, rendered him unfit for strenu- to Edmund Carey and Elizabeth Wills in Paulerspury ous outdoor work. At the age of sixteen, therefore. in Northamptonshire on the 17th. August, 1761. William Carey was entrusted to the care of Clarke 4 BULLETIN OF THE BOTANICAL SURVEY OF INDIA [VO~.3 Nichols of Piddington, a shoe-maker, although his During the early periods of the 18th. Century, the father had realised that in doing so he was depriving Danish-Halle Mission did much to the understanding of himself of an apprentice in hand-weaving in his son, Hindu Literature, Geography and Mythology of South and that his paying the shoe-maker for William's India through the efforts of men like Ziegznbalg, apprenticeship under him would .bring on a heavy Walter, Widerborg and others. When C. S. John, strain on his very meagre financial resources. However, subsequently landed at Tranquebar, he found a whole Edmund reconciled with this position, as the hand- collection of manuscripts on palm leaves by his pre- weaving profession then was threatened by new decessors, which included Medicus Malabaricus and machines, and shoe-making became a leading craft. In many more relics of botanical observations and re- these circumstances, William Carey set out to Piddington searches in different sciences. About 1768, John Gerard to become a "~obbler*~.Once a fortnight young William Koenig, a pupil of the great Linne came to India as a used to walk eight or ten miles to Northampton with "his physician to the Danish Settlement in the Carnatic, and wallet full of shoes on his shoulders and then return with with a main mission of making improvements in a fresh supply of leather". This turn of events, although Natural History of the Country. He resided for several brought on an impediment to his intellectual improve- years at Tranquebar. The labours of Koenig, Heyne, ment, his strong desire to acquire knowledge remained Martin, Klein, and Rottler added considerably to the quite unabated. William Carey did not leave off his love knowledge of Botany and agriculture of the region. The 'for Botany, which became more and more apparent as Mission Garden at Tranquebar had a nursery of useful he grew up. trees, native and foreign. The Hon. Court of Directors of the East India Company, gave encouragements to WILLIAM CAREY BAPTIST their servants sent abroad, to dedicate their leisure hours to useful researches.. Dr. William Roxburgh was Com- Great changes came on William Carey subsequently pany's Medical officer and their Botanist in Carnatic. when he was only eighteen years old. When he was in Dr. Roxburgh entered into service at ,Madras in 1766, his early twenties, he acquired the friendship of Rev. and his contributions were also noteworthy. Thus South Andrew Fuller, who was Baptist Minister at Kettering India came under the active exploration of the Danish and later the great champion of the Mission. The book Missionaries and the servants of the East India Com- on Cook's Voyages, which was issued then, had also pany. While in North India, although something in these a profound influence on William Carey. The latter con- directions was done, still much remained to be veyed to him the moral and spiritual degradation of the accomplished. heathens and created in him an urge for the immediate need to design the forcible method of communicating the WILLIAM CAREY MISSIONARY Gospel to the Heathen world. With this end in view, William Carey soon set to work at his missionary enter- Devotion to the Service of God, and a venturesome prises and he embodied his convictions in a pamphlet, spirit, made William Carey to volunteer to come to working under most wretched living conditions, for while Bengal as a missionary to the Hindus. Under most diffi- compiling it, he was practically on the verge of starva- cult and trying circumstances, William Carey sailed to tion, passing many weeks without food and with but India in a Danish vessel "Kron Princessa Maria" and scanty bread. on the I lth. November, 1793, William Carey landed in At last success was on his way. In 1789, on an invita- Calcutta with an upheaval of a missionary task before tion from the Church at Leicester, William Carey moved him. to that town. Two years later, at a meeting of ministers at Clipstone, at which discussions centered round FIRST YEARS IN BENGAL missionary aspects, William Carey put forth forcibly his Pecuniary difficultiesassumed proportions for William idea of formation of a Society to propagate the Gospel Carey to make a living in Calcutta. It will be remem- among the Heathens. Carey's indomitable will and bered that whether as a boy or a shoe-maker or a i-istable influence caused a Society to be formed "to preacher, William Carey took delight in gardening and carry the message of Salvation to some portions of that he was most familiar with every beast, bird, insect heathen world", with a committee of five members with and tree in the Midlands of England.
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