James Stuart (1802 – 26 May 1842) was an

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

surgeon and medical official in

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

and

Norfolk Island Norfolk Island (, ; Norfuk: ''Norf'k Ailen'') is an external territory of Australia located in the Pacific Ocean between New Zealand and New Caledonia, directly east of Australia's Evans Head and about from Lord Howe Island. Together with ...

, as well as a noted illustrator of natural history.

Family

Born in

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

in about 1802, Stuart was the son of Thomas Stuart, allegedly the illegitimate son of Thomas Smyth, MP for

Limerick City Limerick ( ; ga, Luimneach ) is a western city in Ireland situated within County Limerick. It is in the province of Munster and is located in the Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region. With a population of 94,192 at the 2016 c ...

.Jonathan Spurrell, ''In Search of Thomas Smyth, Mayor of Limerick'', Irish Family History, vol. 25 (2009). His uncle was the Indian Army officer Charles "Hindoo" Stuart, a notable Indophile. One of his eight brothers was the diplomat Major Robert Stuart, and

Robert Stuart King Canon Robert Stuart King (4 April 1862 – 4 March 1950) was an English international footballer and Anglican clergyman. Family King was the sixth and youngest child of Rev. Walker King, Rector of Leigh-on-Sea, and Juliana Stuart. His brother ...

, the footballer and clergyman, was his great-nephew.

Medical career

Stuart arrived in Australia in June 1834 and remained there until his death eight years later. In a letter to his sister Margaret, he recounted his journey "by the ship Jessie from Liverpool, which place we left in December 1833 and after encountering very stormy weather we were obliged to put into Falmouth. We left the latter place in February and after a fine passage we put into Talbot Bay at the beautiful Town of the Cape of Good Hope. From this we sailed to Hobart Town and thence to Sydney, nothing remarkable occurring on the passage except that we were sometimes in danger from the drunkenness and consequent incapacity of our Captain". He served as colonial assistant surgeon in

and

.''Dictionary of Australian Artists: Painters, Sketchers, Photographers and Engravers to 1870'', James Stuart
Retrieved 19 May 2020 He took charge of the sick who arrived at Sydney on board the emigrant ship ''Minerva'' on 24 January 1838. Of the 198 steerage passengers, 86 contracted typhus, 14 of whom died during the passage.Champion, Shelagh; & Champion, George. (1938). The Ship ''Minerva'' in quarantine, 1838. From 1838 to 1840 Stuart was assistant surgeon on Norfolk Island, and by 1841 he was the acting medical officer in charge of the

North Head Quarantine Station The North Head Quarantine Station is a heritage-listed former quarantine station and associated buildings that is now a tourist attraction at North Head Scenic Drive, on the north side of Sydney Harbour at North Head, near Manly, in the North ...

in Sydney.New South Wales state library, James Stuart
Retrieved 19 May 2020.

Illustrations

Stuart was a keen natural historian and illustrated many species of mammals, birds, insects, fish and plants during his time in Australia. Many of the drawings were bequeathed to

William Sharp Macleay William Sharp Macleay or McLeay (21 July 1792 – 26 January 1865) was a British civil servant and entomologist. He was a prominent promoter of the Quinarian system of classification. After graduating, he worked for the British embassy in Pari ...

and later given to the

Linnean Society of New South Wales The Linnean Society of New South Wales promotes ''the Cultivation and Study of the Science of Natural History in all its Branches'' and was founded in Sydney, New South Wales (Australia) in 1874 and incorporated in 1884. History The Society succe ...

. They are now held by the New South Wales state archives and the

Mitchell Library The Mitchell Library is a large public library and centre of the City Council public library system of Glasgow, Scotland. History The library, based in the Charing Cross district, was initially established in Ingram Street in 1877 following a ...

Death and legacy

Stuart died suddenly at Lake Innes House in

Port Macquarie Port Macquarie is a coastal town in the local government area of Port Macquarie-Hastings. It is located on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, Australia, about north of Sydney, and south of Brisbane. The town is located on the Tasman Sea co ...

, New South Wales, on 26 May 1842. Two earlier bouts of typhus, presumably contracted from incoming disease-ridden ships, may have hastened his death. William Sharp Macleay named the

brown antechinus The brown antechinus (''Antechinus stuartii''), also known as Stuart's antechinus and Macleay's marsupial mouse, is a species of small carnivorous marsupial of the family Dasyuridae. The males die after their first breeding season, and the specie ...

(''Antechinus stuartii'') after him in 1841.

Family

Medical career

Illustrations

Death and legacy

References

Further reading