Alexander George Findlay
Alexander George Findlay | |
---|---|
Born | 1812 London, England, United Kingdom |
Died | 1875 (aged 62–63) Dover, England, United Kingdom |
Nationality | English |
Occupation(s) | Geographer, hydrographer |
Alexander George Findlay (1812–1875) was an English geographer and hydrographer. His services to geography have been compared with those of Aaron Arrowsmith and August Heinrich Petermann.[1]
Life
Findlay was born in London, 6 January 1812, a descendant of the Findlays of Arbroath, Forfarshire. His grandfather was a shipowner there, who moved his business to the River Thames. Findlay's father, Alexander Findlay was one of the original fellows of the Royal Geographical Society.[1]
The son Alexander George Findlay devoted himself to the compilation of geographical and hydrographical works. On the death of John Purdy, the hydrographer, in 1843, he took a leading position. In 1844 he was elected a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, and was a member of its council and committees. His researches in meteorology attracted the attention of Robert FitzRoy.[1]
On the death of Richard Holland Laurie of Laurie & Whittle, the London geographical and print publisher, in 1858, Findlay took over the business. In 1885, when Van Keulen of Amsterdam, founded in 1678, was dissolved, it became the oldest active firm in Europe for the publication of charts and nautical works.[1]
Findlay died at Dover on 3 May 1875.[1]
Works
Findlay's atlases of Ancient and Comparative Geograph were known internationally. In 1851 he completed the revision of Richard Brookes's Gazetteer, and the same year published his first major work, on the Coasts and Islands of the Pacific Ocean, in 2 vols. of 1,400 pages.[1]
Findlay issued six large nautical directories, which have proved invaluable to the maritime world. They included The North Atlantic Ocean, The South Atlantic Ocean, The Indian Ocean, Indian Archipelago, China, and Japan, The South Pacific Ocean, and The North Pacific Ocean.
He also wrote a paper on the connection of Lake Tanganyika with the Nile, accompanying it by a comparative series of maps relating to the northern end of the lake. Findlay served on various committees appointed by the
Findlay's publications came to 10,000 pages. He contributed several papers to the Journal of the Royal Geographical Society, the Transactions of the Royal United Service Institution, and the Transactions of the Society of Arts. At the time of
References
- Archive Alexander Findlay, Royal museum of central Africa
- ^ a b c d e f g h This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Stephen, Leslie, ed. (1889). "Findlay, Alexander George". Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 19. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
- ^ Alexander G. Findlay. "A Directory for the Navigation of the Pacific Ocean: With Description of Its Coasts, Islands, Etc. from the Strait of Magalhaens to the Arctic Sea (1851)". Retrieved 8 August 2014.
- Attribution
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Stephen, Leslie, ed. (1889). "Findlay, Alexander George". Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 19. London: Smith, Elder & Co.