Joseph Ritchie
Doctor Joseph Ritchie (c. 1788 – 20 November 1819) was an English surgeon, explorer and naturalist. His primary interest lay in the natural sciences, though he is best known for playing a minor role in the British exploration of Africa.
Life
In 1818, Ritchie was directed by Sir
Richie was distinctly unsuited to exploration.[1] He was "deeply self-centered, morose and uncommunicative".[1] After arriving in Murzuk, he cut himself off from locals and even his own people. He was reserved, took little interest in the people and places he saw, took few notes, and generally spent much of his time indoors studying mathematics.[1] Instead of stocking food and trade goods before departing Tripoli, Richie squandered the limited expedition funds on profligate items. After Ritchie died, George Lyon opened the crates they hauled through the desert and found things like 600 pounds of lead, a camel-load of cork for preserving insects, and two camel-loads of brown paper for pressing plants.[1] Lyon sold what he could and was able to make it back to Tripoli, alive.
In 1831,
References
- ^ a b c d e f g Bovill, E. W. (1968). "Ch. 4: Mission to the Fezzan". The Niger Explored. London: Oxford University Press.
- ^ "Ritchiea R.Br. ex G.Don | Plants of the World Online | Kew Science". Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 20 May 2021.
- Lee, Sidney, ed. (1896). . Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 48. London: Smith, Elder & Co.