Andrew Sinclair (13 April 1794 – 26 March 1861) was a British surgeon who was notable for his botanical collections. He served as New Zealand's second Colonial Secretary.

Early life

Sinclair was born in Paisley, Renfrewshire,

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

on 13 April 1794, son of John Sinclair, a weaver, and of Agnes Renfrew. He studied medicine at Glasgow University College from 1814 to 1816 and then trained as a surgeon for a year at

Hôpital de la Charité Hôpital de la Charité (, "Charity Hospital") was a hospital in Paris founded in the 17th century and closed in 1935. History In 1606, Marie de Médicis invited the Brothers Hospitallers of St. John of God to come to France. The Abbot of Sai ...

in Paris. He completed his tertiary education at the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

, from where he graduated as

Doctor of Medicine Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated M.D., from the Latin language, Latin ''Medicinae Doctor'') is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the M.D. denotes a profes ...

(M.D.) in 1818.

Royal Navy

Sinclair entered the navy as an assistant surgeon in 1822 and became a surgeon in 1829. Between 1823 and 1833, he served on , stationed mainly at the

Cape of Good Hope The Cape of Good Hope ( af, Kaap die Goeie Hoop ) ;''Kaap'' in isolation: pt, Cabo da Boa Esperança is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula in South Africa. A common misconception is that the Cape of Good Hope is t ...

and in the

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ea ...

. Much of his spare time was taken up with collecting

botanical Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek wo ...

and

zoological Zoology ()The pronunciation of zoology as is usually regarded as nonstandard, though it is not uncommon. is the branch of biology that studies the animal kingdom, including the structure, embryology, evolution, classification, habits, and dis ...

samples, many of which he sent to the

British Museum The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...

. He took further lectures in medicine and in 1835 joined on a surveying expedition to the South American coast, under the command of Captain

Frederick William Beechey Frederick William Beechey (17 February 1796 – 29 November 1856) was an English naval officer, artist, explorer, hydrographer and writer. Life and career He was the son of two painters, Sir William Beechey, RA and his second wife, Anne ...

, and afterwards of Sir

Edward Belcher Admiral Sir Edward Belcher (27 February 1799 – 18 March 1877) was a British naval officer, hydrographer, and explorer. Born in Nova Scotia, he was the great-grandson of Jonathan Belcher, who served as a colonial governor of Massachusett ...

. Sinclair collected plants in California,

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

, Central America and

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

, which he continued to send to the British Museum or the

Kew Gardens Kew Gardens is a botanical garden, botanic garden in southwest London that houses the "largest and most diverse botany, botanical and mycology, mycological collections in the world". Founded in 1840, from the exotic garden at Kew Park, its li ...

. During this period, he gained a reputation as an important collector. He returned to England in 1839 because of declining health.

Convict ships

When Sinclair regained his health, he started work as a surgeon on

convict ship A convict ship was any ship engaged on a voyage to carry convicted felons under sentence of penal transportation from their place of conviction to their place of exile. Description A convict ship, as used to convey convicts to the British coloni ...

s to Australia and had opportunities of collecting at several Australian ports. In 1841, he visited the

Bay of Islands The Bay of Islands is an area on the east coast of the Far North District of the North Island of New Zealand. It is one of the most popular fishing, sailing and tourist destinations in the country, and has been renowned internationally for its ...

on , arriving on 26 October. He met the party of Captain

James Clark Ross Sir James Clark Ross (15 April 1800 – 3 April 1862) was a British Royal Navy officer and polar explorer known for his explorations of the Arctic, participating in two expeditions led by his uncle John Ross, and four led by William Edwa ...

who were on their way to their to an

Antarctic The Antarctic ( or , American English also or ; commonly ) is a polar region around Earth's South Pole, opposite the Arctic region around the North Pole. The Antarctic comprises the continent of Antarctica, the Kerguelen Plateau and other ...

expedition. He joined missionary

William Colenso William Colenso (17 November 1811 – 10 February 1899) FRS was a Cornish Christian missionary to New Zealand, and also a printer, botanist, explorer and politician. He attended the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi and later wrote an accou ...

(himself an avid botanist) and

Joseph Dalton Hooker Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker (30 June 1817 – 10 December 1911) was a British botanist and explorer in the 19th century. He was a founder of geographical botany and Charles Darwin's closest friend. For twenty years he served as director of t ...

(assistant surgeon for Ross and one of the founders of geographical botany) on several botanical expeditions in the Bay of Islands. He presented a fine collection of shells and insects to the British Museum so that staff were encouraged to start the first systematic catalogue. He returned to Scotland in 1842. Sinclair arrived in September 1843 in

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

on the convict ship ''Asiatic''. On his return journey, he took his discharge in Sydney, as this was the end of his term. There he met

Robert FitzRoy Vice-Admiral Robert FitzRoy (5 July 1805 – 30 April 1865) was an English officer of the Royal Navy and a scientist. He achieved lasting fame as the captain of during Charles Darwin's famous voyage, FitzRoy's second expedition to Tierra de ...

, who was on his way to New Zealand as

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

elect. The two men struck a rapport and FitzRoy offered Sinclair a free journey to

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...

, then the

capital of New Zealand Wellington has been the capital of New Zealand since 1865. New Zealand's first capital city was Old Russell ( Okiato) in 1840–41. Auckland was the second capital from 1841 until 1865, when Parliament was permanently moved to Wellington after a ...

, where they arrived on 23 December 1843.

Colonial Secretary of New Zealand

Bethia Featherston, Andrew Sinclair and Jessie Crawford

The affairs in New Zealand were in a much worse state than FitzRoy had been led to believe. The colony was bankrupt, it had just experienced its first settler-Māori conflict, more conflict was brewing in the Bay of Islands, settlers had lost trust in the Government, and discontent amongst Māori was common. FitzRoy immediately summarily dismissed

Willoughby Shortland Commander Willoughby Shortland RN (30 September 1804 – 7 October 1869) was a British naval officer and colonial administrator. He was New Zealand's first Colonial Secretary from 1841, after having arrived in New Zealand with Lieutenant Gover ...

, who as Colonial Secretary had been acting Governor since

William Hobson Captain William Hobson (26 September 1792 – 10 September 1842) was a British Royal Navy officer who served as the first Governor of New Zealand. He was a co-author of the Treaty of Waitangi. Hobson was dispatched from London in July 1 ...

's death in September 1842. FitzRoy did not want to appoint anybody connected to any political faction to the position of Colonial Secretary and urged Sinclair to take on that role, who at first declined quoting his inexperience in administrative matters, but eventually agreed to save the Governor from an embarrassing situation. Sinclair was appointed as Colonial Secretary on 6 January 1844, and was called to the Legislative Council on 8 January. Sinclair served as Colonial Secretary under FitzRoy (until 18 November 1845),

George Grey Sir George Grey, KCB (14 April 1812 – 19 September 1898) was a British soldier, explorer, colonial administrator and writer. He served in a succession of governing positions: Governor of South Australia, twice Governor of New Zealand, Go ...

(18 November 1845 – 3 January 1854), acting Governor

Robert Wynyard Robert Henry Wynyard (24 December 1802 – 6 January 1864) was a New Zealand colonial administrator, serving at various times as Lieutenant Governor of New Ulster Province, Administrator of the Government, and was the first Superintendent ...

(3 January 1854 – 6 September 1855) and

Thomas Gore Browne Colonel Sir Thomas Robert Gore Browne, (3 July 1807 – 17 April 1887) was a British colonial administrator, who was Governor of St Helena, Governor of New Zealand, Governor of Tasmania and Governor of Bermuda. Early life Browne was born o ...

(from 6 September 1855). His post ended after twelve years when New Zealand obtained responsible government and the first Premier

Henry Sewell Henry Sewell (7 September 1807 – 14 May 1879) was a prominent 19th-century New Zealand politician. He was a notable campaigner for New Zealand self-government, and is generally regarded as having been the country's first premier (an office ...

took on the role of Colonial Secretary himself on 7 May 1856. During his term, he struggled with the tension between settlers and the Governor. He is credited with training staff who formed the core of an effective civil service for New Zealand. Sinclair was regarded as 'honest, upright, scrupulous and laborious'. His political career is described as unremarkable.

Later life

Sinclair retired on a pension to Scotland and also spent time in Europe. He held discussions on scientific issues with

Charles Darwin Charles Robert Darwin ( ; 12 February 1809 – 19 April 1882) was an English naturalist, geologist, and biologist, widely known for his contributions to evolutionary biology. His proposition that all species of life have descended fr ...

Thomas Henry Huxley Thomas Henry Huxley (4 May 1825 – 29 June 1895) was an English biologist and anthropologist specialising in comparative anatomy. He has become known as "Darwin's Bulldog" for his advocacy of Charles Darwin's theory of evolution. The stori ...

and

Richard Owen Sir Richard Owen (20 July 1804 – 18 December 1892) was an English biologist, comparative anatomist and paleontologist. Owen is generally considered to have been an outstanding naturalist with a remarkable gift for interpreting fossils. Owe ...

. He became a fellow of the Linnean Society in 1857. He returned to New Zealand in 1859 to collect in the

South Island The South Island, also officially named , is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand in surface area, the other being the smaller but more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman ...

and on

Stewart Island Stewart Island ( mi, Rakiura, ' glowing skies', officially Stewart Island / Rakiura) is New Zealand's third-largest island, located south of the South Island, across the Foveaux Strait. It is a roughly triangular island with a total land ar ...

material for a supplement to Hooker's ''Handbook of the New Zealand flora''. He made arrangements with Sir

Julius von Haast Sir Johann Franz Julius von Haast (1 May 1822 – 16 August 1887) was a German-born New Zealand explorer, geologist, and founder of the Canterbury Museum in Christchurch. Early life Johann Franz Julius Haast was born on 1 May 1822 in Bo ...

to explore Mount Cook, but was drowned on 26 March 1861 endeavouring to cross the flooded

Rangitata River The Rangitata River is one of the braided rivers that helped form the Canterbury Plains in southern New Zealand. It flows southeast for from the Southern Alps (New Zealand), Southern Alps, entering the Pacific Ocean northeast of Timaru. The riv ...

. Richard Stringer and Sinclair had one horse between them. Their plan was to ride the horse through the river and send the horse back to the second man. Sinclair rode to an island in the middle of the river and tried to send the horse back, but it carried on to the opposite side. Sinclair swam after it, but drowned. He was buried at Samuel Butler's

Mesopotamia Station Mesopotamia Station is a high-country station in New Zealand's South Island. Known mainly for one of its first owners, the novelist Samuel Butler, it is probably the country's best known station. Despite popular belief, Butler was not the stati ...

nearby. Sinclair had never married. His zoological specimens, chiefly

sponge Sponges, the members of the phylum Porifera (; meaning 'pore bearer'), are a basal animal clade as a sister of the diploblasts. They are multicellular organisms that have bodies full of pores and channels allowing water to circulate through t ...

s and zoophytes, were mostly presented to the British Museum, and his plants to Sir William Hooker, who commemorated him in the tropical American genus of

Asteraceae The family Asteraceae, alternatively Compositae, consists of over 32,000 known species of flowering plants in over 1,900 genera within the order Asterales. Commonly referred to as the aster, daisy, composite, or sunflower family, Compositae w ...

, '' Sinclairia''. His plants were mainly described in Hooker and Arnott's ''Botany of Beechey's Voyage'' and Bentham's ''Botany of the Voyage of the Sulphur''. 16 New Zealand plants were named to commemorate Sinclair including ''

Meryta sinclairii ''Meryta sinclairii'', the puka or pukanui, is a large-leaved evergreen tree endemic to New Zealand that grows to about 8 m tall, with the distinctly tropical appearance typical of the genus. There are about 27 species of ''Meryta'', all small ...

'', which is a popular street tree in coastal areas. He contributed ''Remarks on Physalia pelagica'' to the ''Tasmanian Journal of Natural Science'', Vol. i (1842), and a letter ''On the Vegetation of Auckland'' to Hooker's ''Journal of Botany'', Vol. iii (1851).

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sinclair, Andrew 1794 births 1861 deaths People from Paisley, Renfrewshire New Zealand public servants Botanists with author abbreviations Accidental deaths in New Zealand Deaths by drowning in New Zealand Members of the New Zealand Legislative Council Alumni of the University of Edinburgh 19th-century British medical doctors Members of the New Zealand Legislative Council (1841–1853) Colonial Secretaries of New Zealand New Zealand naturalists