Samuel Pasfield Oliver
Encyclopedia
Samuel Pasfield Oliver was an English artillery officer, geographer and antiquary.
, Essex
, on 30 October 1838, he was the eldest and only surviving son of William Macjanley Oliver, rector of Bovinger, by his wife Jane Weldon. He entered Eton College
in 1853; and after passing through the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich, he received a commission in the royal artillery on 1 April 1859. In the following year he went out with his battery to China, where hostilities had been renewed. The First Convention of Beijing was however signed soon after Oliver's arrival (24 October 1860), and his service was confined to garrison duty at Canton.
On the establishment of a British embassy at Beijing
in 1861 he accompanied General Sir John Michel on a visit to the capital, and subsequently made a tour through Japan. In the following year he was transferred to Mauritius
; and from there with Major-general Johnstone on a mission to Madagascar
to congratulate King Radama II on his accession. He spent some months exploring the island, and witnessed the king's coronation at Antananarivo
(23 September). A second brief visit to the island followed in June 1863, when Oliver, after King Radama's assassination, was again despatched to Madagascar on board HMS Rapid
.
On his return to Mauritius he studied the flora and fauna of the Mascarene Islands
. In 1864 the volcanic eruption on the island of Réunion
gave him the opportunity of recording geological phenomena.
Oliver returned to England with his battery in 1865. In 1867 he joined Captain Bedford Clapperton Trevelyan Pim
's exploring expedition to Central America. A route was cut and levelled across Nicaragua
from Monkey Point
to Port Realejo; and it was proposed that this route might be more practicable than that projected by Ferdinand de Lesseps
for the Panama Canal
.
Oliver was promoted captain in 1871, and was appointed superintendent of fortifications on the Cornish coast in 1873. After serving on the staff of the intelligence branch of the quartermaster-general's department he was sent to St. Helena on garrison duty. There he made a collection of ferns, which he presented to the Royal Gardens, Kew.
and Syria
. In poor health from malaria
, he settled to writing, at Gosport
and then at Worthing
.
He was elected Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society
in 1866, became Fellow of the Ethnological Society in 1869, and Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries in 1874. He died at Worthing on 31 July 1907, and was buried at Findon
.
on 5 September 1867 Oliver read a paper on ‘Two Routes through Nicaragua.’ His diary of his journey, ‘Rambles of a Gunner through Nicaragua’ (privately printed, 1879), was subsequently embodied in a larger volume of reminiscences, entitled ‘On and Off Duty’ (1881).
His volumes descriptive of Malagasy life became the standard English authority on the subject. In 1866 he published ‘Madagascar and the Malagasy,’ a diary of his first visit to the island, which he illustrated with some spirited sketches. This was followed by an ethnological study in French, ‘Les Hovas et les autres tribus caractéristiques de Madagascar’ (Guernsey, 1869). In ‘The True Story of the French Dispute in Madagascar’ (1885) Oliver criticised the treatment of the Malagasy by the French colonial officials. Finally his two volumes on ‘Madagascar’ (1886), based on many sources, gave a detailed account of the island, its history, and its inhabitants. A drawing by Oliver of a stream of lava tumbling over a cliff was reproduced in John Wesley Judd
's ‘Volcanoes, what they are and what they teach’ (1881).
From Guernsey
, where he was appointed adjutant in 1868, he visited Brittany
, and drew up a report on the prehistoric remains at Carnac
and other sites (Proc. Ethnological Soc. 1871). In 1872 a tour in the Mediterranean resulted in archæological observations in Asia Minor, Greece, and Sardinia, published as ‘Nuragghi Sardi, and other Non-Historic Stone Structures of the Mediterranean’ (Dublin, 1875). He wrote on the history of two Cornish castles, ‘Pendennis and St. Mawes’ (Truro, 1875).
Oliver also edited:
In addition to these works he assisted in the preparation of ‘The Life of Sir Charles MacGregor,’ published by his wife in 1888, and from the notes and documents collected by Sir Charles MacGregor he compiled the abridged official account of ‘The Second Afghan War, 1878–80’ (posthumous, 1908). ‘The Life of Philibert Commerson,’ which appeared posthumously in 1909, was edited with a short memoir of Oliver by G. F. Scott Elliot. To the Dictionary of National Biography
he contributed the articles on François Leguat
and Sir Charles MacGregor.
Life
Born at BovingerBovinger
Bovinger is a village in Essex, England....
, Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
, on 30 October 1838, he was the eldest and only surviving son of William Macjanley Oliver, rector of Bovinger, by his wife Jane Weldon. He entered Eton College
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
in 1853; and after passing through the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich, he received a commission in the royal artillery on 1 April 1859. In the following year he went out with his battery to China, where hostilities had been renewed. The First Convention of Beijing was however signed soon after Oliver's arrival (24 October 1860), and his service was confined to garrison duty at Canton.
On the establishment of a British embassy at Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
in 1861 he accompanied General Sir John Michel on a visit to the capital, and subsequently made a tour through Japan. In the following year he was transferred to Mauritius
Mauritius
Mauritius , officially the Republic of Mauritius is an island nation off the southeast coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about east of Madagascar...
; and from there with Major-general Johnstone on a mission to Madagascar
Madagascar
The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
to congratulate King Radama II on his accession. He spent some months exploring the island, and witnessed the king's coronation at Antananarivo
Antananarivo
Antananarivo , formerly Tananarive , is the capital and largest city in Madagascar. It is also known by its French colonial shorthand form Tana....
(23 September). A second brief visit to the island followed in June 1863, when Oliver, after King Radama's assassination, was again despatched to Madagascar on board HMS Rapid
HMS Rapid (1860)
HMS Rapid was an 11-gun Rosario-class wooden-hulled screw-driven sloop of the Royal Navy, launched on 29 November 1860 at Deptford Dockyard and broken up in 1881.-Design:...
.
On his return to Mauritius he studied the flora and fauna of the Mascarene Islands
Mascarene Islands
The Mascarene Islands is a group of islands in the Indian Ocean east of Madagascar comprising Mauritius, Réunion, Rodrigues, Cargados Carajos shoals, plus the former islands of the Saya de Malha, Nazareth and Soudan banks...
. In 1864 the volcanic eruption on the island of Réunion
Réunion
Réunion is a French island with a population of about 800,000 located in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar, about south west of Mauritius, the nearest island.Administratively, Réunion is one of the overseas departments of France...
gave him the opportunity of recording geological phenomena.
Oliver returned to England with his battery in 1865. In 1867 he joined Captain Bedford Clapperton Trevelyan Pim
Bedford Clapperton Trevelyan Pim
Admiral Bedford Clapperton Trevelyan Pim, RN, MP, FRGS was a Royal Navy officer, Arctic explorer, barrister, and author...
's exploring expedition to Central America. A route was cut and levelled across Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
from Monkey Point
Monkey Point
Monkey Point is a village in Región Autónoma del Atlántico Sur, Nicaragua, south of Bluefields. It is located near the site of a planned $US 350 million seaport, to be financed by Iran and Venezuela. More recently American and South Korean investors have expressed interest in developing a...
to Port Realejo; and it was proposed that this route might be more practicable than that projected by Ferdinand de Lesseps
Ferdinand de Lesseps
Ferdinand Marie, Vicomte de Lesseps, GCSI was the French developer of the Suez Canal, which joined the Mediterranean and Red Seas in 1869, and substantially reduced sailing distances and times between the West and the East.He attempted to repeat this success with an effort to build a sea-level...
for the Panama Canal
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...
.
Oliver was promoted captain in 1871, and was appointed superintendent of fortifications on the Cornish coast in 1873. After serving on the staff of the intelligence branch of the quartermaster-general's department he was sent to St. Helena on garrison duty. There he made a collection of ferns, which he presented to the Royal Gardens, Kew.
Later life
Oliver resigned his commission in 1878. For a time he acted as correspondent of The Illustrated London News in CyprusCyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
and Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
. In poor health from malaria
Malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by eukaryotic protists of the genus Plasmodium. The disease results from the multiplication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever and headache, in severe cases...
, he settled to writing, at Gosport
Gosport
Gosport is a town, district and borough situated on the south coast of England, within the county of Hampshire. It has approximately 80,000 permanent residents with a further 5,000-10,000 during the summer months...
and then at Worthing
Worthing
Worthing is a large seaside town with borough status in West Sussex, within the historic County of Sussex, forming part of the Brighton/Worthing/Littlehampton conurbation. It is situated at the foot of the South Downs, west of Brighton, and east of the county town of Chichester...
.
He was elected Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society
Royal Geographical Society
The Royal Geographical Society is a British learned society founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical sciences...
in 1866, became Fellow of the Ethnological Society in 1869, and Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries in 1874. He died at Worthing on 31 July 1907, and was buried at Findon
Findon
Findon is a village and civil parish in the Arun District of West Sussex, England, four miles north of Worthing. The parish has an area of 16.41 km² and a population of 1848 persons ....
.
Works
At a meeting of the British Association at DundeeDundee
Dundee is the fourth-largest city in Scotland and the 39th most populous settlement in the United Kingdom. It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firth of Tay, which feeds into the North Sea...
on 5 September 1867 Oliver read a paper on ‘Two Routes through Nicaragua.’ His diary of his journey, ‘Rambles of a Gunner through Nicaragua’ (privately printed, 1879), was subsequently embodied in a larger volume of reminiscences, entitled ‘On and Off Duty’ (1881).
His volumes descriptive of Malagasy life became the standard English authority on the subject. In 1866 he published ‘Madagascar and the Malagasy,’ a diary of his first visit to the island, which he illustrated with some spirited sketches. This was followed by an ethnological study in French, ‘Les Hovas et les autres tribus caractéristiques de Madagascar’ (Guernsey, 1869). In ‘The True Story of the French Dispute in Madagascar’ (1885) Oliver criticised the treatment of the Malagasy by the French colonial officials. Finally his two volumes on ‘Madagascar’ (1886), based on many sources, gave a detailed account of the island, its history, and its inhabitants. A drawing by Oliver of a stream of lava tumbling over a cliff was reproduced in John Wesley Judd
John Wesley Judd
John Wesley Judd was a British geologist.He was born in Portsmouth the son of George and Jannette Judd and educated at the Royal School of Mines, where he later became Professor of Geology....
's ‘Volcanoes, what they are and what they teach’ (1881).
From Guernsey
Guernsey
Guernsey, officially the Bailiwick of Guernsey is a British Crown dependency in the English Channel off the coast of Normandy.The Bailiwick, as a governing entity, embraces not only all 10 parishes on the Island of Guernsey, but also the islands of Herm, Jethou, Burhou, and Lihou and their islet...
, where he was appointed adjutant in 1868, he visited Brittany
Brittany
Brittany is a cultural and administrative region in the north-west of France. Previously a kingdom and then a duchy, Brittany was united to the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a province. Brittany has also been referred to as Less, Lesser or Little Britain...
, and drew up a report on the prehistoric remains at Carnac
Carnac
Carnac is a commune beside the Gulf of Morbihan on the south coast of Brittany in the Morbihan department in north-western France.Its inhabitants are called Carnacois...
and other sites (Proc. Ethnological Soc. 1871). In 1872 a tour in the Mediterranean resulted in archæological observations in Asia Minor, Greece, and Sardinia, published as ‘Nuragghi Sardi, and other Non-Historic Stone Structures of the Mediterranean’ (Dublin, 1875). He wrote on the history of two Cornish castles, ‘Pendennis and St. Mawes’ (Truro, 1875).
Oliver also edited:
- ‘Madagascar, or Robert Drury's Journal,’ 1890.
- ‘The Voyage of François Leguat,’ 1891 (Hakluyt Society).
- ‘The Memoirs and Travels of Mauritius Augustus Count de Benyowsky,’ 1893.
- ‘The Voyages made by the Sieur Dubois,’ 1897 (translation).
In addition to these works he assisted in the preparation of ‘The Life of Sir Charles MacGregor,’ published by his wife in 1888, and from the notes and documents collected by Sir Charles MacGregor he compiled the abridged official account of ‘The Second Afghan War, 1878–80’ (posthumous, 1908). ‘The Life of Philibert Commerson,’ which appeared posthumously in 1909, was edited with a short memoir of Oliver by G. F. Scott Elliot. To the Dictionary of National Biography
Dictionary of National Biography
The Dictionary of National Biography is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published from 1885...
he contributed the articles on François Leguat
François Leguat
François Leguat was a French explorer and naturalist.Leguat was a French Huguenot originating from the Province of Bresse, now part of the department of Ain, who fled to Holland in 1689 after the revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685...
and Sir Charles MacGregor.