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Henry Smeathman

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102:, an Afro-European slave trader who helped him settle and explore by taking him in through negotiating terms with other members of the local ruling elite (referred to as "kings" or "chiefs" by the traders in the region). In exchange for gifts, Smeathman was given permission to settle on the islands, and he was also given help in his research. He relied on the locals to assist him in constructing a house and he bartered with them in order to obtain local resources. This dependence came about due to the lack of European settlement in his location of residence. Shortly after his arrival, Smeathman contracted a case of what he described as 154:
chances for strangers to settle down. He wrote frankly about his African wives and seemed to view them as a necessary commodity in comparison to his books. Though he wrote about spending very little amounts of money on his wives, he also denounced the slave traders for having too many wives and for treating their wives poorly.
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On 21 July 1772, Smeathman married his first wife, an African woman who was the daughter of "the King of a Country up the River Sherbro," and at one point may have had three wives simultaneously. Marriage with local women, especially daughters of influential persons, was one of the most significant
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to ship out his specimens. Smeathman relied on assistance from indigenous people in his collections and research, particularly with the examination of termite mounds, but was often reluctant to accept their entomological knowledge. He initially encountered problems with preserving his specimens
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arrived at Sierra Leone on 12 December 1771. Smeathman was given some key contacts in West African coast including Afro-European slave trading families, presumably from Drury, Fothergill or Banks. With these contacts, Smeathman was first granted permission to stay in the
106:. Though he claimed that he had cured himself with Dr. Fothergill's advice and his medical books that he had brought along, he suffered from symptoms of the disease until his death from a fever, which was fifteen years after initial exposure. 125:, his botanist assistant, also frequently socialized and played golf with slave-trading merchants and agents. In fact, Smeathman seems to have regarded slave traders as 'gentlemen' and tried to refashion himself as one of them. 510: 196:
After he returned to England, Smeathman drew up a proposal for the resettlement of the "Black Poor" community in Sierra Leone, which he presented to the
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during oceanic transport, but discovered that placing boxes of specimens atop opened rum barrels effectively prevented their destruction.
584: 574: 197: 569: 476: 205: 98:, where he settled on 17 December 1771, and stayed for more than three years. Upon arrival, Smeathman presented himself to 494: 438: 579: 469:
Black Poor and White Philanthropists: London's Blacks and the Foundation of the Sierra Leone Settlement 1786 - 1791
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while en route to England. Hence, Smeathman supplemented this work with a further four years spent in the
193:. Smeathman also sold a number of enslaved Africans in the Caribbean which he purchased in Sierra Leone. 114: 41: 186: 393:"Henry Smeathman, the Flycatcher: natural history, slavery, and empire in the late eighteenth century" 487:
Henry Smeathman, the Flycatcher: Natural History, Slavery, and Empire in the late Eighteenth Century
117:, Smeathman relied on individuals involved in slave-trading networks, such as British slave-trader 439:"The National Archives | Exhibitions & Learning online | Black presence | Work and community" 541:, showing where the biological samples he collected are held, and the science they have enabled 564: 559: 215: 166: 99: 8: 420: 364: 306: 137: 53: 490: 472: 424: 412: 368: 356: 310: 298: 515: 404: 348: 290: 158: 527: 408: 61: 392: 519: 243:
Plan of a Settlement to be Made near Sierra Leone, on the Grain Coast of Africa
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Smeathman made his voyage to Africa aboard a trade ship called the
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Although his voyage was sponsored in large part by anti-slavery
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Some Account of the Termites, which are Found in Hot Climates
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Smeathman travelled and gathered specimens throughout the
82: 334: 276: 169:; however on both these occasions his spouse died. 546: 177:Smeathman departed Sierra Leone in 1775 via a 514:(online ed.). Oxford University Press. 341:Journal of Colonialism and Colonial History 283:Journal of Colonialism and Colonial History 204:. The plan resulted in the founding of the 198:Committee for the Relief of the Black Poor 161:, Smeathman married first the daughter of 471:. Liverpool: Liverpool University Press. 466: 390: 172: 511:Oxford Dictionary of National Biography 547: 335:Starr Douglas; Douglas, Starr (2008). 277:Starr Douglas; Douglas, Starr (2008). 44:, along with two other members of the 231:. Phil. Trans. Roy. Soc. 71: 139–192, 121:, for support and assistance. He and 508:Douglas, Starr. "Smeathman, Henry". 330: 328: 326: 324: 322: 320: 272: 270: 268: 218:, was among Smeathman's associates. 206:Sierra Leone Colony and Protectorate 81:, which was transporting barrels of 507: 391:Thomasson, Fredrik (2 April 2020). 13: 585:18th-century English slave traders 14: 596: 575:18th-century English male writers 501: 431: 317: 265: 181:. However, he was delayed in the 140:estuary. In addition, he visited 16:British entomologist (1742–1786) 460: 236:Elocution and Polite Literature 165:and later the daughter of King 72: 489:. Liverpool University Press. 384: 375: 256: 1: 409:10.1080/0144039X.2020.1752477 249: 40:In 1771 the Quaker physician 29:, best known for his work in 570:18th-century English writers 528:UK public library membership 187:American War of Independence 148: 64:, specifically its insects. 7: 467:Braidwood, Stephen (1994). 443:www.nationalarchives.gov.uk 33:and colonial settlement in 10: 601: 485:Coleman, Deirdre (2018). 381:Braidwood S. (1994) p. 7 262:Braidwood S. (1994) p. 6 221: 580:History of Sierra Leone 397:Slavery & Abolition 67: 60:peninsula studying its 520:10.1093/ref:odnb/93969 234:Smeathman, H. (1785?) 555:English entomologists 240:Smeathman, H. (1786) 227:Smeathman, H. (1781) 173:Departure from Africa 216:apostles of Linnaeus 100:King James Cleveland 535:Smeathman's profile 185:by illness and the 22:(1742–1786) was an 353:10.1353/cch.0.0029 295:10.1353/cch.0.0029 202:British government 138:Sierra Leone River 54:Marmaduke Tunstall 526:(Subscription or 478:978-0-85323-377-0 592: 531: 523: 482: 454: 453: 451: 449: 435: 429: 428: 388: 382: 379: 373: 372: 332: 315: 314: 274: 263: 260: 159:John C. Lettsome 600: 599: 595: 594: 593: 591: 590: 589: 545: 544: 525: 504: 479: 463: 458: 457: 447: 445: 437: 436: 432: 389: 385: 380: 376: 333: 318: 275: 266: 261: 257: 252: 224: 175: 167:James Cleveland 151: 136:River, and the 115:John Fothergill 75: 70: 62:natural history 42:John Fothergill 20:Henry Smeathman 17: 12: 11: 5: 598: 588: 587: 582: 577: 572: 567: 562: 557: 543: 542: 532: 503: 502:External links 500: 499: 498: 483: 477: 462: 459: 456: 455: 430: 403:(2): 423–424. 383: 374: 316: 264: 254: 253: 251: 248: 247: 246: 238: 232: 223: 220: 212:Andreas Berlin 174: 171: 150: 147: 123:Andreas Berlin 96:Banana Islands 74: 71: 69: 66: 15: 9: 6: 4: 3: 2: 597: 586: 583: 581: 578: 576: 573: 571: 568: 566: 563: 561: 558: 556: 553: 552: 550: 540: 536: 533: 529: 521: 517: 513: 512: 506: 505: 496: 495:9781786940537 492: 488: 484: 480: 474: 470: 465: 464: 444: 440: 434: 426: 422: 418: 414: 410: 406: 402: 398: 394: 387: 378: 370: 366: 362: 358: 354: 350: 346: 342: 338: 331: 329: 327: 325: 323: 321: 312: 308: 304: 300: 296: 292: 288: 284: 280: 273: 271: 269: 259: 255: 245: 244: 239: 237: 233: 230: 226: 225: 219: 217: 214:, one of the 213: 209: 207: 203: 199: 194: 192: 188: 184: 180: 170: 168: 164: 160: 157:According to 155: 146: 143: 139: 135: 131: 126: 124: 120: 116: 112: 107: 105: 101: 97: 92: 88: 84: 80: 65: 63: 59: 55: 51: 47: 46:Royal Society 43: 38: 36: 32: 28: 25: 21: 509: 486: 468: 461:Bibliography 448:20 September 446:. Retrieved 442: 433: 400: 396: 386: 377: 344: 340: 286: 282: 258: 241: 235: 228: 210: 195: 176: 156: 152: 142:Bunce Island 127: 119:Miles Barber 108: 90: 87:West African 78: 76: 73:Sierra Leone 58:Sierra Leone 50:Joseph Banks 39: 35:Sierra Leone 19: 18: 565:1742 births 560:1786 deaths 89:coast. The 549:Categories 530:required.) 250:References 179:slave ship 132:area, the 31:entomology 27:naturalist 425:214566353 417:0144-039X 369:161651515 361:1532-5768 311:161651515 303:1532-5768 208:in 1787. 191:Caribbean 183:Caribbean 149:Marriages 134:Kamaranka 539:Bionomia 200:and the 163:King Tom 130:Sherbro 111:Quakers 104:malaria 85:to the 24:English 524: 493:  475:  423:  415:  367:  359:  309:  301:  48:, Sir 421:S2CID 365:S2CID 347:(3). 307:S2CID 289:(3). 222:Texts 113:like 491:ISBN 473:ISBN 450:2020 413:ISSN 357:ISSN 299:ISSN 68:Life 52:and 537:in 516:doi 405:doi 349:doi 291:doi 91:Fly 83:rum 79:Fly 551:: 441:. 419:. 411:. 401:41 399:. 395:. 363:. 355:. 343:. 339:. 319:^ 305:. 297:. 285:. 281:. 267:^ 37:. 522:. 518:: 497:. 481:. 452:. 427:. 407:: 371:. 351:: 345:9 313:. 293:: 287:9

Index

English
naturalist
entomology
Sierra Leone
John Fothergill
Royal Society
Joseph Banks
Marmaduke Tunstall
Sierra Leone
natural history
rum
West African
Banana Islands
King James Cleveland
malaria
Quakers
John Fothergill
Miles Barber
Andreas Berlin
Sherbro
Kamaranka
Sierra Leone River
Bunce Island
John C. Lettsome
King Tom
James Cleveland
slave ship
Caribbean
American War of Independence
Caribbean

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