23 February 2018
Francis Hall in South America
Recent re-shelving in the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Archives has brought to light two volumes of manuscripts and illustrations of a botanical journey of discovery in South America. In this blog Assistant Archivist Kat Harrington explores the life and work of the author of these volumes - Colonel Francis Hall.
Francis Hall in South America
I was recently re-shelving in the archive store when I chanced upon two slim bound volumes whose simple marbled exteriors belied the captivating reports and illustrations inside, and which led me to further investigate their author.
The two volumes comprise Ecuador, Plants &c and Excursions near Quito. Both contain manuscript travel reports by one Francis Hall and appear to have formed part of the library of Sir William Hooker (one of Kew’s first Directors). It seems Hall had a short but fascinating life. Having been in Canada and the USA during 1816 and 1817, Hall travelled to France and then to South America in 1820, becoming a Colonel in the Colombian Army. He was a friend of the botanist William Jameson and sent plants to William Hooker and the naturalist and explorer, Alexander von Humboldt.
Much of the content of Excursions near Quito was published in Hooker's journal of botany and Kew Garden miscellany and the Companion to the Botanical Magazine. Readers of these published versions however miss the vibrant sketches and illustrations scattered throughout the two volumes. These depictions include volcanoes, archaeological sites, sketches of insects (including a hybrid sketch of a dragonfly to which has been pasted the insect’s actual wings), birds, and of course plants.
El Quiteño Libre
Known for his military and journalistic activities Hall took part in several major military actions in Gran Colombia before founding a liberal newspaper in Caracas. The critical view taken by Hall and his peers of the government so angered the Vice President of Gran Colombia that Hall was ordered to leave Caracas. He then settled in Quito where he became involved with the newspaper El Quiteño Libre whose publications promoted liberal republicanism in Ecuador. The President obtained extraordinary powers from the Ecuadorian congress to suppress the opinions of Hall and his friends and Hall was reportedly killed in connection with these events in 1834.
Tales of ascent
Possibly my favourite illustration from the two Hall volumes is the above depiction of the chemist Jean Baptiste Boussingault, shown wearing a mask and holding a barometer. Boussingault accompanied Hall in an attempt to reach the summit of Chimborazo, an inactive volcano in Ecuador, then thought to be the highest mountain on earth. Hall and Boussingault were following in the footsteps of Alexander von Humboldt, explorer and botanist Aimé Bonpland and the Ecuadorian Carlos Montúfar, who had tried and failed to reach the summit in 1802. The peak of Chimborazo was finally reached in 1882 by the climber Edward Whymper. In his manuscript notes in Excursions near Quito Hall emphasizes the many difficulties encountered in this attempt. On their descent he records a violent hail storm which caused fragments of rock to cascade on to them “almost with the force and rapidity of canon balls”.
Also contained in Kew’s archives is an extensive letter to Sir William Hooker in which Hall reports his meteorological and other scientific observations from Colombia over a period of ten years. As part of this report Hall attempts to estimate the general distribution of temperatures across Colombia, dividing the area into five regions based on elevation.
Hall’s records provide a fascinating first-hand account of nineteenth century exploration and offer an exciting insight into his thoughts on climate. These manuscripts can be viewed in the library reading room by appointment and a selection of his herbarium specimens have been digitised and are available to view online through Kew’s herbarium catalogue.
