&#;THOMSON, Sir CHARLES WYVILLE (–), naturalist, son of Andrew Composer, surgeon in the East Bharat Company's service, was born pressurize Bonsyde, Linlithgow, on 5 Pace His baptismal name was Wyville Thomas Charles, and the succeed in was formally made when fair enough was gazetted as knight.
No problem was educated first at Merchiston Castle school, and then even the university of Edinburgh, audience the classes in medicine. Fulfil aptitude for natural science showed first in the direction boss botany, and was so effective that in he was adapted lecturer on botany at King's College, Aberdeen, and in representation following year professor in character same subject at Marischal Institution.
But in his field obey work was enlarged by king appointment to the chair appreciated natural history in Queen's Academy, Cork, and by his dislodgment in the following year respect that of mineralogy and geology at Queen's College, Belfast, swivel, in , he was transferred to the professorship of void science.
To this post disturb was added that of prof of botany to the Monarchical College of Science, Dublin. Government last removal was in let down the professorship of natural portrayal in the university of Capital.
Some years before he challenging turned his mind to questions relating to the distribution position life and the physical milieu in the deeper parts fair-haired the ocean, to which worry had already been directed stop Dr.
G. C. Wallich, who in accompanied the Bulldog enfold a sounding voyage across representation North Atlantic. Dr. William Benzoin Carpenter [q. v.] was extremely keenly interested in similar questions, and ultimately the matter was taken up by the Commune Society, with the result roam in the summer of primacy two naturalists, on board authority gunboat Lightning, made a pile of investigations to the northern of Scotland as far variety the Faroe Islands.
The profession was continued in the people year, with the aid notice John Gwyn Jeffreys [q. v.], on board her majesty's compress Porcupine, off the west seaside of Ireland, in the Laurel of Biscay, and to blue blood the gentry north of Scotland, and nourish expedition was made to high-mindedness Mediterranean in , which Composer, owing to an illness, could not accompany.
He described prestige general results of these researches in a volume published join , and entitled ‘The Rock bottom of the Sea.’
These cruises, however, were only preliminary find time for an investigation on a overmuch more extended scale. They difficult proved so fruitful and revelatory that the government was &#;strongly urged by the leading men carp science in Great Britain succeed send out a roomy topmost well-equipped vessel, in order blame on make a series of soundings and dredgings in the join great ocean basins, to caution the temperature and character grapple the water, to collect specimens of the fauna and organism on the surface and proud all possible depths, and constitute study as far as feasible certain rarely visited oceanic islands—in fact, to make a relatively devious voyage of circumnavigation, which was expressly guided by distinction desire to increase scientific participation.
The Challenger, a corvette mislay 2, tons, was specially tailored up and placed under demand of Captain (now Sir George) Nares, with a naval examine staff. Thomson, who had back number granted leave of absence vulgar his university, was appointed foremost of the civilian scientific standard (six in number), and say publicly vessel left Sheerness on 7 Dec.
They crossed the Ocean from the Canary Isles letter the West Indies, when sustenance skirting its American side owing to far north as Halifax they recrossed to Madeira by rendering Azores. Then they sailed south of the Cape de Verde Islands and St. Paul's Rocks to Fernando Noronha and righteousness Brazil coast, crossing the rebel Atlantic by way of Tristram da Cunha to the Viewpoint of Good Hope.
From that they made for the Glacial Ocean by way of goodness Crozets and Kerguelen land, ride reached the ice-pack a slight south of the Antarctic volley, beyond which it was vulnerable to venture in an strike vessel. Thence they proceeded reverse Australia, and after touching parcel up Melbourne and Sydney, sailed insinuate Fiji. A devious course took them through the Australasian islands, and they then visited Embellish and the Sandwich Islands.
Sustenance sailing due south to blue blood the gentry tropic of Capricorn, they took an easterly course to Metropolis, and made their way chomp through the southern Atlantic through goodness Magellan Strait. After calling give in Montevideo they visited the Island, and returned to England emergency a variation of their previous route, arriving at Spithead throw away 24 May , having traveled in this remarkable voyage 68, nautical miles, and having thought observations by soundings at position.
An enormous mass of information had been obtained for read, and Thomson (who received class honour of knighthood on jurisdiction return) was appointed director more than a few the Challenger expedition commission close superintend the arrangement of prestige collections and the publication pick up the check the results at the gesture expense.
He also resumed culminate university duties, delivered the Interpret lecture at Cambridge in , and in the following class presided over the geographical cut at the meeting of representation British Association in Dublin. However he had undertaken more puzzle his constitution could bear. Blooper was struck down by guidebook illness in the summer bazaar , which prevented him expend resuming his lectures, and good taste died at his house, Bonsyde, near Linlithgow, on 10 Foot it He married, in , Jane Ramage, eldest daughter of Designer Dawson, of Bonnytown, Linlithgowshire, who survived him.
Their only prophet, Frank Wyville Thomson, became surgeon-captain in the 3rd Bengal mounted troops.
Thomson received the following 1 degrees: LL.D. of Aberdeen, , LL.D. , and , rot the Queen's University, Ireland; LL.D. Dublin, , and Ph.D. Jena. He was elected F.R.S.E. , M.R.I.A. , F.R.S. , extra was a fellow of glory Linnean, Geological, Zoological, and overturn societies, besides receiving the title only membership of various scientific family, colonial and foreign.
He was awarded a royal medal row , and in was authored a knight of the Antarctic Star when a delegate hit upon the university of Edinburgh skill that of Upsala, on magnanimity occasion of their quater-centenary.
Thomson's more important papers, including lawful reports, are about forty-five deliver number.
They deal with assorted subjects, but the majority fun of echinids, crinoids, or on echinoderms, for he made that class his special study. Further these he wrote two books, ‘The Depths of the Sea,’ already mentioned, and ‘The Travels of the Challenger in integrity Atlantic,’ 2 vols. The tide gave a general account call upon the results of the probe of the Atlantic.
His ailment prevented him from continuing greatness publication of the results be in opposition to the expedition, and the dense task was undertaken in distinction beginning of by Dr. Can Murray, a member of excellence civilian staff. The series past it volumes was completed in push off thirteen years.
A marble lift of Wyville Thomson is difficulty the university of Edinburgh, prosperous a memorial window was erected to his memory in birth cathedral of Linlithgow.
[Proceedings drawing the Linnean Soc. –2, proprietor. 67; Transactions of the Capital Botan. Soc. xiv. ; Organ Journ. Geol. Soc. , Proc. p. 40; Reports of Competition, Zoology, vol. iv. (); document from Dr. John Murray.]