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Biographical data

 

Tenison-Woods, Reverend Julian Edmund

 

(Source: Flora Malesiana ser. 1, 1: Cyclopaedia of collectors)

(Source: Flora Malesiana ser. 1, 5: Cyclopaedia of collectors, Supplement I)

 

Born: 1832, Southwark, London, England. Died: 1889, Sydney, Australia.

 

career:

Was educated at Oxford, and in 1854 appointed Professor at the Naval Cadet College, Toulon (France). He went to Tasmania in 1855, and was ordained priest in 1857. His special interest was geology, and in 1883 he was invited by the Governor of the Straits Settlements to report on the mineral resources of that region; H.M.S. ‘Pegasus’ was specially detached for this service. Woods explored Java, Siam, Borneo, Malacca and the Philippine Islands. He returned to Australia in 1886 or 1887.

Author of numerous papers, mainly published in the Proc. Linn. Soc. N.S.W.1

 

Collecting localities:2

Leaving Sydney (June 1883); stop at Brisbane, travelling in SE. Queensland for 2 months; sailing from Brisbane (Aug.); E. Java: Banjoewangi; via Bajuramatti (= Badjoelmati) to Soembravardoe (= Soemberwaroe), Asoembagus (= Asembagoes), Kapongan, Sitoebondo, Klampokan, Besoeki; via Dringu to Proboling(g)o; Passerowan or Passueran (= Pasoeroean); by railroad to Malang, visiting the vicinity; Tusari (= Tosari), Mt Tengger, Sand Sea, Bromo Crater; back to Malang, and by train to Sourabaya; visiting the vicinity; by train to Madioen; Centr. Java: Seragen, Solo (temples); Djokjakarta (ruines); Boro Budor, Magelang, Ambarawa, Samarang; by steamer to W. Java: Batavia, touching at Pekalongan, Tegal, Cheribon, and Pamaroukan (= Pamanoekan); visiting Buitenzorg, Soekaboemi, Parakan Sala(k) Estate; early in Oct. by steamer from Batavia to Ban(g)ka (Muntok); Riouw Archipelago: P. Bintang; Malay Peninsula: Singapore (Oct.), leaving the latter place (Oct. 28) for Malacca; Penang (leaving Nov. 10); Perak (for a long time Taiping was made the central point of his activities, so probably in this period collecting with Scortechini), visit to Mt Bubu3 with Scortechini; Jan. 1884 laid up with fever; Febr. starting on a boat expedition into the interior,4 leaving Kuala Kansa, descending the river; by land to Possin, Pappau, Lahat, Goping (tin mines); down Kinta River to the Kampar River, ascending the latter; from Kuala Diepang to Telok Anson (Perak); Krian River; starting from the mountain garden at Arang Para (May 20, 1884), staying on Mt Bubu (23-27), visiting the Kenas River, and returning to Arang Para; some weeks at Pangkor; Selangor; Pahang (mid-1884); Malacca (Oct.); starting (end Oct.) from Penang in H.M.S. ‘Pegasus’ (Capt. Bickford) for a cruise in Bornean and Sulu seas, in N. Borneo touching at: Labuan, Brunei, Gaya, Kudat, Sandakan (Nov. 12), and in the Philippines: the Sulu Archipelago (Jolo) and the Cagayanes Islands.5 At Manila (Luzon) he left H. M.S. ‘Pegasus,’ moving to H.M.S. ‘Flying Fish’ (a government survey vessel). According to Mr C.T. White he visited Taal Volcano early in 1885 (I doubt this); Hongkong and Japan (June-July); again in China and Japan in Oct.-In 1886 he made travels in the Philippine Islands, collecting on Taal Volcano (Lake of Bombon) in Luzon (end of March 1886);6 he also visited the Moluccas and Talise (N of Celebes).

 

collections:

His collection was sent to Scortechini (see there), so the bulk probably went to Herb. Calcutta [CAL] with that of the latter. There is very little known about the amount etc. of his collections; from Taal Volcano (Luzon) he brought back more than 100 plants, augmented through the kindness of friends, who had collected in the same locality, to more than 230 species; in the Philippines he collected Fungi, lichens, mosses, fishes and molluscs besides.

Mr C.T. White informed me that Wood’s legatee and executrix got in touch with F. von Mueller who offered £ 40 for his Herbarium of Indian, Japanese, and Australian plants; this was probably accepted and Mr White presumes that the bulk of the specimens are in Herb. Melbourne [MEL]. In Herb. Brisbane [BRI]: a number of plants from Hongkong, Japan, and Australia.

 

literature:

(1) J.E. Tenison-Woods: ‘History of the discovery and exploration of Australia’ (1865, 2 vols), and other books; ‘Malaysian essays no 4. On the vegetation of Malaysia’ (Proc. Linn. Soc. N.S.W. 2nd ser., vol. 4, 1889 (1890), p. 9-106, pl. 1-9), and many non-botanical papers in the same periodical.

(2) J.E. Tenison-Woods: ‘A journey through Java’ (20 letters in Sydney Morning Herald 1884); ‘An exploration in Perak’ (7 letters in l.c.) (non vidi).

(3) J.E. Tenison-Woods: ‘Journey to the summit of Gunong Bubu’ (Journ. SIT. Br. Roy. As. Soc. no 14, 1884, p. 275-285).

(4) cf. extracts from a letter to MacLeay in Proc. Linn. Soc. N.S.W. 9, 1884, p. 383-386.

(5) J.E. Tenison-Woods: ‘Geographical notes in Malaysia and Asia’ (Proc. Linn. Soc. N.S.W. 2nd set., vol. 3, 1888 (1889), p. 557-650).

(6) J.E. Tenison-Woods: ‘On the volcano of Taal’ (l.c. 2, 1887 (1888), p. 685-810, pl. 18-19; with catalogue of plants p. 739-804; cf. also Peterm. Mitt. 1888, p. 246).

 

biographical data:

Proc. Linn. Soc. N.S. W. 2nd set., vol. 4, 1889 (1890), p. 1301-1309, incl. bibliogr.; Ann. But. 3, 1889/90, p. 494-495, incl. incomplete bibliogr.; Biogr. Index Britten & Boulger in Journ. But. 29, 1891, p. 375, and in 2nd ed. by Rendle, 1931; Maiden in Journ. Austr. Ass. Adv. Sci. Adelaide Meeting 1907, p. 22-23, and in Journ. & Proc. Roy. Soc. N.S.W. 42, 1908, p. 82; Austral. Encyclop. 1926; Catholic Encyclop. 15, p. 702 (portr.); Rev. G. O’Neill: ‘Life of the Rev. Julian Edmund Tenison-Woods (1832-1889)’ (Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane 1929, w. several photogr. ) (non vidi).