Arnold, Joseph

JOSEPH ARNOLD & SIR STAMFORD RAFFLES

Joseph Arnold was born at Beccles, Suffolk on 28 December 1782, the 4th son

of Edward Arnold, prosperous tanner, and his wife Hannah - latter died

before JA was 4 yrs old, which probably contributed to his shy, serious and

taciturn adult character. Was educated at Sir John Leman's Free School at

Beccles under headmaster Robert Davey, where he excelled and was decided

that he should pursue a medical career - to that end, he was therefore

apprenticed to a local surgeon and apothecary, Dr. William Crowfoot

(1751-1820), plus was taught classical languages by Rev. John Lang

Girdlestone, fellow of Caius College, Cambridge and a master of Sir John

Leman's School. In 1802, JA enrolled at Edinburgh University, where he

graduated M.D. in 1807 with thesis entitled 'De Hydrothorace', a study of

disease characterized by effusion of fluid into the plural cavities, and

more commonly known as dropsy of the chest. JA showed an early interest in

botany, and during his stay in Scotland zealously applied himself to its

study; then, after attempting unsuccessfully to settle as a physician, he

followed example of some of his forebears and joined the Royal Navy as a

means of both advancing his career and of pursuing his botanical interests

abroad.

His initial posting on 24 April 1808 was as assistant surgeon aboard

Nelson's old flagship, HMS 'Victory', which first operated in the Baltic

with the British and Swedish squadrons and later helped to evacuate the

peninsular army after the Battle of Coruna (16 Jan 1809). JA served aboard

the 'Victory' until 19 Feb 1809, when - after brief period of convalescence

from typhus at Haslar Hospital in Portsmouth - he was appointed as surgeon

to HMS 'Hindostan', commanded by Nelson's signal officer at Trafalgar,

Captain John Pasco. [Curious links between Nelson and JA continue: in Parish

Church of St. Michael, Beccles, where JA baptised and where his monument can

be found, took place marriage of Nelson's parents, Nelson's father being

sometime curate of the church. Nelson's mother, Catherine Suckling, was also

for a time a resident of Beccles, as were her relations, two of whom, Rev.

Horace Suckling and Captain Suckling, received JA warmly at their homes in

Beccles on his return from Australia at end of 1810].

Pasco's HMS 'Hindostan' was under orders to convoy the storeship 'Dromedary'

(under Captain Pritchard) which was carrying Lieutenant-Colonel Lachlan

Macquarie and his 73rd Regiment to Sydney to replace Governor William Bligh

and the rebellious New South Wales Corps. The ships sailed from Portsmouth

on 22 May 1809 and, after calling at Madeira, st Jago, Rio de Janeiro, and

the Cape of Good Hope, reached Port Jackson on 28 Dec 1809. JA then spent

six months in New South Wales, where he made a study of the flora and

insects. On the return voyage from Sydney (June-Oct 1810), via Cape Horn and

Rio, the 'Hindostan' was commanded by Captain Bligh himself, who promised JA

that if he would call upon him in London he would introduce him to Sir

Joseph Banks (this offer apparently not taken up). On arrival in England in

October 1810, the 'Hindostan' was paid off, and JA was able to have

Christmas dinner with his family at Beccles for first time in 4 yrs.

However, in Jan 1811 he was ordered to Portsmouth to assist at Haslar

Hospital, full of patients suffering from malignant fever, treatment of

which - by excessive and indiscriminant bleeding - JA severely condemned. A

month later he joined the frigate HMS 'Alcmene' (under Captain Graham) and

subsequently served aboard HMS 'Hibernia' and HMS 'America' at various

stations in the Mediterranean and the Adriatic until the end of the

Napoleonic Wars. During these yrs he examined the crater of Vesuvius, and

the excavations at Pompeii and Herculaneum, investigated the rock and a

cavern at Gibraltar, visited museums, and collected an assortment of natural

curiosities. With the dismantling of the fleet in 1814 his ship was laid up,

but late in the same year he was placed in medical charge of the female

convict ship 'Northampton' (Captain J.O. Tween), the first

surgeon-superintendent to be appointed to an Australian convict transport.

The ship sailed from Portsmouth on New Year's Day 1815, carrying 110 women

convicts - only 4 of whom died during voyage (this amazing, and in large

part due to JA).

JA appointed to convict ship through his friendship with Alexander McLeay

(1767-1848), Secretary of the Transport Board, and later Colonial Secretary

of NSW: McLeay was important member of the Linnean Society of London, and a

noted entymologist who is said to have possessed finest insect collection in

England. (McLeay proposed JA a member of the Linnean Society on 1 Nov 1814,

and was elected on 17 Jan 1815). JA collected insects for McLeay during stop

at Rio de Janeiro (Feb-March 1815) which he added to on arrival at Sydney in

June 1815, but within month of his arrival he embarked as a passenger aboard

the Whitby merchantship and convict transport 'Indefatigable', and arrived

at Batavia (now Jakarta), Java in September 1815. Here it was supposed to

load a cargo of pepper and coffee for London but 7 weeks later it caught

fire and sank in the harbour, with loss of most of JA's possessions,

including many valuable books and his large collections.

At Java, having lost everything and with little money, JA experienced

considerable difficulty in obtaining another passage back to England, and

was obliged to spend altogether more than three months in Java. Was lucky in

that he found old school friend and fellow surgeon from Beccles, Charles

Assey, there serving as Secretary to the British colonial govt and to

Raffles, Lieutenant-Governor of Java (11 September 1811-12 March 1816):

Assey introduced JA to Raffles, and the latter invited JA to stay with him

at the Government House at Buitenzorg (Bogor), and at a country retreat at

Tjisarua, where JA was able to botanize and pursue his natural history

researches. Here he also met Thomas Horsfield, naturalist in Java (1801-19)

working for Raffles and then living at Surakarta.

JA finally secured passage home in the 'Hope', which sailed from Batavia on

13 Dec 1815 and arrived back in London in May 1816, having lost three boxes

of live exotic plants selected by JA for Sir Joseph Banks to rats and gales.

By way of compensation, JA sent Banks the folliculus of a tree frm the

interior of NSW which had been given to him in Australia by George William

Evans. Despite dead plants, JA now introduced to Banks, through whom he also

met Robert Brown, which would have fateful bearing on rest of his career.

Back in England JA stayed at his brother's house in Beccles, and during the

following year he made frequent visits to house at Yarmouth of his friend

the banker Dawson Turner (1775-1858) - famous for his interest in

cryptogamic botany, his collection of autographs, and his six talented

daughters, eldest of whom - Maria - was then newly married to William (later

Sir) Jackson Hooker, the botanist. Introvert JA apparently loved going to

this house, where he was welcomed by lively daughters and became close

friends with Jackson Hooker - also met during Yarmouth visits young Charles

Lyell, who still Oxford undergrad but studying the geological features of

Norfolk coastline. (Dawson Turner would later do more than anyone else to

perpetuate JA's memory, arranging for a memorial to be erected to him in

Beccles Parish Church, and later by printing a brief 'Memoir').

Despite all this, JA still restless, and so jumped at chance in mid-1817

when heard of an opening as naturalist on Raffles's staff (Raffles just

appointed governor of Sumatra) at Benkulen in west Sumatra: Raffles had

asked Banks to use his influence with the Directors of the East India Co. to

have a naturalist appointed to Sumatra and in ensuing discussions JA's name

suggested, probably either by Robert Brown or McLeay. Nevertheless,

Directors were apparently unwilling to establish such a post at Benkulen

(poss. cos already existed a post of Botanist and Superintendent of East

India Co's Spice Plantation in west Sumatra filled by Sir John Lumsdaine) -

this reason why JA's name does not appear in any official capacity on the

Fort Malborough establishment in 1818, and would seem that he accompanied

Raffles under designation of naturalist but ine ffect as his personal

physician, with particular duties towards Lady Raffles who was then

pregnant.

Having secured whatever position it was, JA came to London in August 1817 in

order to study botanic materials in library of Sir Joseph Banks in Soho

Square, greatly aided by help of Brown. He then sailed in the 'Lady Raffles'

from Portsmouth with the Raffles in October 1817, but was delayed for almost

a month at Falmouth, before sailing from there on 20 Nov 1817. On the long,

non-stop voyage to Sumatra, during which he assisted at the birth (15 Feb

1818) of Lady Raffles' first child, JA employed good deal of his time

instructing Raffles and his wife in botany and other natural history

subjects. Raffles being himself a keen amateur naturalist: in Penang and

Malacca (1805-10) he had devoted much time to collecting plants, insects and

quadrupeds, and in Java he had intended to continue this, but his official

duties meant that he instead was forced to encourage the work of others,

notably that of Horsfield. In Sumatra, however, he meant it to be different:

apart from hustling the Dutch and colonial authorities in Batavia and

attending the annual loading of one or two ships with pepper, had little to

do except explore the country and investigate its flora and fauna. Is no

doubt that during his second administration Raffles was a more dedicated and

better informed naturalist than previously, and this in part at least was

due to JA.

The 'Lady Raffles' reached Benkulen on 19 March 1818, shortly after which

Raffles threw himself into reforming the abuses of the East India Company's

system of administration, while JA made a botanical study of the surrounding

area. Was soon joined by US botanist Dr Horsfield at Benkulen.

In May 1818, party which included Raffles, his wife and JA went on an

excursion from Fort Marlborough (departing 9 May) along coast to the

district of Seluma, then on to Manna, and finally 50 miles inland to Kauer,

the country of the Passumah tribe, seldom seen by Europeans and regarded as

"a most dangerous race". Latter part of journey was extremely arduous and

quite dangerous: they had to cross mountain ranges 3-5,000 ft high and in

some places higher, and were only a very few passes through the mountains.

Walked from before dawn to 9 pm on precipitous paths, and slept in jungle

etc. Was during this journey that they discovered (19 May) the gigantic

parasite known to the natives as the Devil's Betel Box: one of Malay

servants alerted JA to it in the jungle, and JA cut flower and took it to

show Raffles and wife. It was found to measure from the extremity of the

petals rather more than a yard, and was estimated to contain a gallon and

half of water: weight of whole flower was 15 pounds. Raffles described it

thus (cos far more succinct than JA's description): "It appears at first in

the form of a small round knob, which gradually increases in size. The

flower-bud is invested by numerous membranaceous sheaths, which surround it

in successive layers, and expand as the bud enlarges, until at length they

form a cup round its base . . . The inside of the cup is of an intense

purple, and more or less densely yellow, with soft flexible spines of the

same colour; towards the mouth it is marked with numerous depressed spots of

the purest white. . . The petals are of a brick-red with numerous pustular

spots of a lighter colour. The whole substance of the flower is not less

than half an inch thick, and of a firm fleshy consistence." (Benkulen, 1820)

JA first reported finding and description of gigantic flower in letter to

Dawson Turner dated 9 May 1818, written at Pulau Lebar on the Manna River.

This flower, which issues parasitically from the lower stems and roots of

the shrub Cissus, was subsequently given the name 'Rafflesia arnoldi' by

Robert Brown (in paper delivered before the Linnean Society of London in

1820), in honour of both Raffles and JA.

Soon after finding the flower near Pulau Lebar, the party crossed another

mountain (5,000 ft) and reached the Passumah country, and here found

vegetation and reception they had not expected - vegetation, like Java,

suddenly luxuriant and brilliant, and Passumah tribe handsome, hard-working

and hospitable. During stay, Raffles entered into treaty with chiefs

offering protection of British Govt, so entirely successful.

Party started back for Manna on 24 May by a different route - marched 30

miles through jungle, then took raft downstream to Manna in about 7 hrs.

Ultimately, they arrived back at Benkulen on 3 June, to great astonishment

of other colonists, who could not believe their journey. However, by date of

return, JA feeling ill with beginnings of fever - presumably malaria - and

by end of month was violently ill: nevertheless, he insisted on delivering

first child of Captain Thomas Otho Travers on 3 July 1818, and 5 days later

he sailed aboard the 'Lady Raffles' for Padang, along with Raffles, Lady

Raffles, and Thomas Horsfield, who had come around from Java to accompany

Raffles on an exploratory journey into the Menangkabau highlands of central

Sumatra. By this time, JA showing some signs of improvement, and during

voyage he rallied sufficiently to take an interest in the large botanical

and zoological collections brought by Horsfield from Java, which had been

packed in such a way that Raffles could look at them before being stowed for

voyage that was to take them to London in 1819. Despite their proximity, is

no record of what Horsfield thought of JA or vice versa.

Although JA did improve, by end of journey at Padang on 13 July 1818 he was

clearly v. unwell again, and so did not join Raffles and his party 3 days

later when they set out on the famous journey into the Menangkabau

highlands. Was still well enough to vaccinate some children at Padang

against smallpox on 15 July, but shortly afterwards there was recurrence of

violent fever and he died on 26 July (aged 37), so Raffles and party greeted

by news of his death on their return on 30 July, and that he had already

been buried, as demanded in the tropics, 2 days earlier. Raffles v. upset,

and wrote of "how deeply we deplore his loss. He had endeared himself to

Lady Raffles and myself, by his most amiable disposition and unassuming

manners. He formed part of our family; and I regret his loss as that of a

sincere friend. To the best disposition he added a most cultivated mind . .

. devoted to science and the acquisition of knowledge, and aiming only at

usefulness."

One oddity which several of his friends and acquaintances mention, is JA's

preoccupation with his own death. Apparently not possible to have a

conversation with him without him referring to it - and its supposed

imminence - at least once, and friend Captain Travers stated that from first

attack of fever after the Passumah journey he immediately abandoned all hope

of recovery. JA apparently lived in constant fear of death (strange on

considering risky life he chose), described himself as having a morose

disposition, and left money before trip with Dawson Turner for monument to

be erected in Beccles Parish Church should he not return. Was Turner who in

fact claimed that JA was not in fact morose, but his proof not convincing -

can a man, Turner asked, "be justly branded morose, who, on his last visit .

. . after passing some time at his garden with his family and with the

present Sir Charles Lyell, and cutting his name for a momento upon the wall,

picked up a key of the garden that had been lost, and holding it up to the

party, said, 'This shall be my companion to Sumatra, and this shall be

buried with me in my grave.'?" However, despite this, those who knew him

intimately always declared JA to be most amiable, and that under v. cold,

morose exterior (mostly shyness and seriousness) had an entirely honest and

warm heart.

Moreover, JA also remembered as a good and experienced doctor who generally

inspired confidence in his patients, and had genuinely enquiring mind.

However, is difficult to assess JA's abilities as a naturalist, as he

published virtually nothing in his lifetime, his entomological and other

collections from South America and Australia were lost in the ship fire of

1815, while 10 yrs later, by a strange coincidence, his Sumatran pocket book

and other notes retained by Raffles suffered a similar fate when the ship

'Fame' was engulfed by fire off Benkulen in 1825. (On that occasion Raffles

also lost the best of his natural history collections and drawings, and the

papers of JA's successor Dr William Jack, much more accomplished botanist

than JA). Thus he is remembered above all for his discovery of the gigantic

flower, Rafflesia arnoldi, in 1818, a few weeks before his death.