José Correia Da Serra
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José Francisco Correia da Serra (6 June 1750 – 11 September 1823) was a Portuguese
abbot Abbot is an ecclesiastical title given to the head of an independent monastery for men in various Western Christian traditions. The name is derived from ''abba'', the Aramaic form of the Hebrew ''ab'', and means "father". The female equivale ...
,
polymath A polymath or polyhistor is an individual whose knowledge spans many different subjects, known to draw on complex bodies of knowledge to solve specific problems. Polymaths often prefer a specific context in which to explain their knowledge, ...
, philosopher, diplomat, politician and scientist. In some circumstances, he was also known as ''
Abbé ''Abbé'' (from Latin , in turn from Greek , , from Aramaic ''abba'', a title of honour, literally meaning "the father, my father", emphatic state of ''abh'', "father") is the French word for an abbot. It is also the title used for lower-ranki ...
Correa.'' The plant genus Correa, native to
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
, is named in his honour.


Biography

Correia da Serra was born at
Serpa Serpa (), officially the Municipality of Serpa (), is a Municipalities of Portugal, municipality in the Districts of Portugal, district of Beja District, Beja in Alentejo region, southern Portugal. The population in 2011 was 15,623, in an area of ...
, in
Alentejo Alentejo ( , , ) is a geographical, historical, and cultural region of south–central and southern Portugal. In Portuguese, its name means "beyond the Tagus" (). Alentejo includes the regions of Alto Alentejo Province, Alto Alentejo and Bai ...
, in 1750, and was educated at Rome, where he took
holy orders In certain Christian denominations, holy orders are the ordination, ordained ministries of bishop, priest (presbyter), and deacon, and the sacrament or rite by which candidates are ordained to those orders. Churches recognizing these orders inclu ...
. In 1777, he returned to
Lisbon Lisbon ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 567,131, as of 2023, within its administrative limits and 3,028,000 within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, metropolis, as of 2025. Lisbon is mainlan ...
, where he was one of the founders of the
Academia das Ciências de Lisboa The Academy of Sciences of Lisbon () is Portugal's national academy dedicated to the advancement of sciences and learning, with the goal of promoting academic progress and prosperity in Portugal. It is one of Portugal's most prestigious scientif ...
in 1779 (then called ''Academia Real das Ciências de Lisboa''; ''Royal Academy of Sciences of Lisbon''). His published writings brought him into conflict with reactionary members of the religious and political hierarchy in Portugal. In 1786, he fled to France, and remained there till the death of Portuguese King-consort Pedro III, when he again returned to his homeland, but political difficulties forced him to leave the country again. He went to England, where he found a protector in Sir
Joseph Banks Sir Joseph Banks, 1st Baronet, (19 June 1820) was an English Natural history, naturalist, botanist, and patron of the natural sciences. Banks made his name on the European and American voyages of scientific exploration, 1766 natural-history ...
, who was
President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...
of the
Royal Society The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, re ...
. With Banks' support, he was easily elected a fellow of the society. In 1797, he was elected a foreign member of the
Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences () is one of the Swedish Royal Academies, royal academies of Sweden. Founded on 2 June 1739, it is an independent, non-governmental scientific organization that takes special responsibility for promoting nat ...
. In 1797, he was appointed secretary to the Portuguese embassy in London, but a quarrel with the ambassador prompted him to leave. He accompanied the Polish military leader Thaddeus Kosciusko and the Polish poet
Julian Ursyn Niemcewicz Julian Ursyn Niemcewicz ( , ; 6 February 1758 – 21 May 1841) was a Polish poet, playwright and statesman. He was a leading advocate for the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth's Constitution of 3 May 1791. Early life and education Julian Ursyn Ni ...
to the United States, sailing on the ship ''Adriana'' from
Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...
; the trio reached Philadelphia on 18 August 1797. He eventually returned to Paris 1802, and stayed there for the next eleven years. In 1812, he was elected as a member to the
American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS) is an American scholarly organization and learned society founded in 1743 in Philadelphia that promotes knowledge in the humanities and natural sciences through research, professional meetings, publicat ...
. In 1813, he left Europe for the
New World The term "New World" is used to describe the majority of lands of Earth's Western Hemisphere, particularly the Americas, and sometimes Oceania."America." ''The Oxford Companion to the English Language'' (). McArthur, Tom, ed., 1992. New York: ...
once again, arriving first in New York City. He settled in Philadelphia where he delivered lectures on botany at the University of Pennsylvania. His travels took him several times to
Monticello Monticello ( ) was the primary residence and plantation of Thomas Jefferson, a Founding Father, author of the Declaration of Independence, and the third president of the United States. Jefferson began designing Monticello after inheriting l ...
, the home of former President
Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (, 1743July 4, 1826) was an American Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. He was the primary author of the United States Declaration of Indepe ...
where his political views found a fulsome reception. Monticello.org.
, Jose Correia da Serra
He was elected a Foreign Honorary Member of the
American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (The Academy) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and other ...
in 1815. In 1816, he was made Portuguese minister-plenipotentiary at Washington D.C., but resided in
Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
. In 1820, he was recalled home to Portugal, where he was appointed a member of the financial council, and elected to a seat in the "General Extraordinary and Constituent ''Cortes'' of the Portuguese Nation", but he died only three years later.


Contributions in Geology and Paleontology

Although best known as a botanist, Correia da Serra contributed to geology and paleontology. While studying in Italy, he wrote in his diary (April 10, 1774) about his observations of fossils in Corneto (Tarquinia). While in England, Correia da Serra visited the coast of Sutton-on-sea, in Lincolnshire, in 1796, with the famous botanist Joseph Banks, making observations on the existence of a fossil Holocene forest in the intertidal zone which he reported in the article "On a Submarine Forest on the east Coast of England" published in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London (1799). In this article, he tried to explain the existence of plant fossils below sea level, showing that they were in situ and had not been transported there. He also uses geological subsidence to explain the descent that those strata that formed on higher topographies and favored forests are now below sea level. Also noteworthy is the study he published in the Transactions of the American Philosophical Society, in 1818, on the formations and soils of Kentucky, in which he mentions the existence of fossils of calcareous shells (p.176) and of plants that turned into coal (p.178). To his pupil Francis Walker Gilmer (1790-1826), Correia da Serra acknowledged "I find that the study of fossil remains of plants is now becoming fashionable; discoveries will no doubt be made in this new career" (letter signed in Philadelphia on August 6, 1819).


Works

*''Colecção de livros inéditos da história Portuguesa'', 4 vols., 1790–1816. Articles:Science in Portugal web site
* "On the fructification of the submersed Algae," ''Philosophical Transactions'', 1799, pp. 494–505. * "On a submarine forest on the coast of England," ''Philosophical Transactions'', 1799, pp. 145–155. * "On two genera of plants belonging to the natural family of the Aurantia," ''Transactions of the Linnean Society'', Vol. 5, pp. 218–226. * "On the Doryantha, a new genius of plants from New Holland next akin to the Agave," ''Transactions of the Linnean Society'', 6, pp. 211–213. * "Observations sur la famille des oranges et sur les limites qui la circonscrivent," ''Annales du Muséum d'Histoire Naturelle'', 6, pp. 376–386. * "Mémoire sur la germination du nelumbo," ''Annales du Muséum d'Histoire naturelle'', 13, 174. * "Vues Carpologiques/Observations Carpologiques," ''Annales du Muséum d'Histoire Naturelle'', 8, 9, 10. * "Mémoire sur la valeur du périsperme, considerée comme caractère d'affinité des plantes", Bulletin de la Société Philomatique, 11, 350. * "De l'état des Sciences, et des lettres en Portugal, à la fin du dixhuitième siècle," ''Archives litteraires de l'Europe'', Vol. I, 1804. * "Sur l'agriculture des arabes en Espagne", Archives Littéraires de l'Europe, 2, pp. 239–404. * "Observations and conjectures on the formation and nature of the soil of Kentucky," ''Transactions of the American Philosophical Society'', Philadelphia, 1811. * "Considerations générales sur l'etat passé et futur de l'Europe," ''The American Review'', 1812.


See also

*
Royal Society The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, re ...
—Correia da Serra was elected to membership in the Society in 1795; and his nomination letter has been posted with other membership records at the Royal Society web site – here. Those signing his Certificate of Election and Candidature were: James Edward Smith,
Aylmer Bourke Lambert Aylmer Bourke Lambert (2 February 1761 – 10 January 1842) was a British botanist, one of the first fellows of the Linnean Society. Early life Aylmer Bourke Lambert was born at Bath, England, Bath, England on 2 February 1761, the son of E ...
,
Edward Whitaker Gray Edward Whitaker Gray (21 March 1748 – 27 December 1806), English botanist and secretary to the Royal Society, was uncle of Samuel Frederick Gray, author of ''The Practical Chemist.'' Educational and professional roles While attending the C ...
,
Maxwell Garthshore Maxwell Garthshore FRSE LRCP (28 October 1732 – 1 March 1812) was a Scottish physician and Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. Early life The son of the George Garthshore, a minister in Kirkcudbright, he was born there on 28 October 1732 ...
,
Samuel Solly Samuel Solly (13 May 1805 – 24 September 1871) was an English surgeon. Biography Silly was the son of Isaac Solly, a Baltic merchant. He was born on 13 May 1805 in Jeffrey Square, St. Mary Axe. Solly was educated under Eliezer Cogan of Higha ...
,
James Rennell Major (United Kingdom), Major James Rennell (3 December 1742 – 29 March 1830) was an English geographer, historian and a pioneer of oceanography. Rennell produced some of the first accurate maps of Bengal at one inch to five miles as well as a ...
and William Marsden.


References

Attribution: *


External links


The Royal Society website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Correia da Serra, Jose 1750 births 1823 deaths People from Serpa Portuguese Roman Catholic priests Portuguese abbots Portuguese philosophers 18th-century Portuguese botanists Portuguese essayists Ambassadors of Portugal to the United States Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences Fellows of the Royal Society 18th-century Portuguese writers 18th-century Portuguese male writers 19th-century Portuguese writers 19th-century Portuguese male writers 19th-century Portuguese politicians Members of the Lisbon Academy of Sciences 19th-century Portuguese botanists