George William Francis

George William Francis (1800–9 August 1865) was an English botanical and general science writer. An emigrant to the colony of South Australia in 1849, he made a reputation there as a horticulturalist, becoming the first director of the Adelaide Botanic Garden in 1860.

George William Francis

Life

Born in London, Francis emigrated to Australia for improved prospects of supporting his family; he arrived in the Louisa Baillie 2 September 1849. Shortly he took over the old botanical garden of Adelaide, north of the Torrens River, as a tenant. Subsequently he was appointed director of the Adelaide Botanic Garden, a position he held for the rest of his life.[1]

Francis died after a long illness, of dropsy on 9 August 1865 and was buried the next day. He left a widow and ten children.[1]

Legacy
  • The establishment of much of the garden, the pagoda and the first botanical museum in Adelaide, in the Adelaide Botanic Garden.
  • Hakea francisiana, an Australian shrub that grows to 4 metres (13 ft), is named after him.[2]

Works

Francis published:[1]

  • Catalogue of British Plants and Ferns, 1835; 5th edition, 1840.
  • Analysis of British Ferns, 1837; 5th edition, 1855.
  • Little English Flora, 1839.
  • Grammar of Botany, 1840.
  • Chemical Experiments, 1842, abridged by W. White, 1851, and republished as Chemistry for Students.
  • Favourites of the Flower Garden, 1844.
  • Manual of Practical Levelling for Railways and Canals, 1846.
  • Art of Modelling Wax Flowers, 1849.
  • Electrical Experiments, 8th edition, 1855.
  • Dict. Practical Receipts, new edition, 1857.
  • Acclimatisation of Animals and Plants, Royal Society, South Australia, 1862.

Francis also edited the first five volumes of the Magazine of Science and School of Arts, 1840–5.[1]

Notes
  1. Stephen, Leslie, ed. (1889). "Francis, George William" . Dictionary of National Biography. 20. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
  2. "Hakea francisiana". Australian Native Plants Society. August 2008. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
  3. IPNI.  Francis.

Further reading
Attribution

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Stephen, Leslie, ed. (1889). "Francis, George William". Dictionary of National Biography. 20. London: Smith, Elder & Co.

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