Joseph Jonville, also known as Eudelin de Jonville (1756–1837) was a French diplomat and naturalist, who was also the first Surveyor General of Ceylon, from 1800 to 1805. Joseph Marie Eudelin Mervé de Jonville was born on 2 September 1756 in

Cairo Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa, the Arab world and the Middle East: The Greater Cairo metro ...

, Egypt, the son of Thomas François Mervé de Jonville (1706-1778) and Therese Françoise née Lambert (1732-1773). Jonville spent his childhood in

Smyrna Smyrna ( ; grc, Σμύρνη, Smýrnē, or , ) was a Greek city located at a strategic point on the Aegean coast of Anatolia. Due to its advantageous port conditions, its ease of defence, and its good inland connections, Smyrna rose to promi ...

, where his father was the French Consul then in

Toulon Toulon (, , ; oc, label= Provençal, Tolon , , ) is a city on the French Riviera and a large port on the Mediterranean coast, with a major naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, and the Provence province, Toulon is th ...

, when his father retired. Jonville was appointed vice-consul in

Nafplio Nafplio ( ell, Ναύπλιο) is a coastal city located in the Peloponnese in Greece and it is the capital of the regional unit of Argolis and an important touristic destination. Founded in antiquity, the city became an important seaport in the ...

(

Morea The Morea ( el, Μορέας or ) was the name of the Peloponnese peninsula in southern Greece during the Middle Ages and the early modern period. The name was used for the Byzantine province known as the Despotate of the Morea, by the Ottoman ...

), then in

Rosetta Rosetta or Rashid (; ar, رشيد ' ; french: Rosette ; cop, ϯⲣⲁϣⲓⲧ ''ti-Rashit'', Ancient Greek: Βολβιτίνη ''Bolbitinē'') is a port city of the Nile Delta, east of Alexandria, in Egypt's Beheira governorate. The Ro ...

, Egypt. He retired in 1784. The French Revolution saw him emigrate to

Nice Nice ( , ; Niçard: , classical norm, or , nonstandard, ; it, Nizza ; lij, Nissa; grc, Νίκαια; la, Nicaea) is the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative c ...

, a number of cities in Italy, and finally

Corsica Corsica ( , Upper , Southern ; it, Corsica; ; french: Corse ; lij, Còrsega; sc, Còssiga) is an island in the Mediterranean Sea and one of the 18 regions of France. It is the fourth-largest island in the Mediterranean and lies southeast of ...

. In October 1798, he embarked for India on an English ship. The expedition led by the first British Governor, Frederick North, explored

Ceylon Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

(Sri Lanka), Jonville was responsible for studying its botany. Jonville was first hired to survey the colony's cinnamon plantations. North however also instructed Jonville to "inquire into, and collect, whatever regards the natural philosophy, the natural history, and the meteorology of this island ... Likewise ... the customs, usages, history, and even languages of the country." On 2 August 1800 he was appointed the first Surveyor General of Ceylon holding that office until 1805. He was succeeded by George Atkinson. He wrote in French a manuscript, ''Quelques notions sur l'île de Ceylan'' (''Some notions on the island of Ceylon''), that he sent in 1801 to England asking his brother to have it printed, which never occurred. In July 1805, he left Ceylon for England where he led the life of a scholar. He died in London on 21 January 1837, at the age of 80.

References

{{Surveyor General of Sri Lanka J 1756 births 1837 deaths Sri Lankan people of French descent People from British Ceylon British people in colonial India