BevanTF

Career

Collecting localities

Collections

Literature

Bevan, Theodore F.

(Source: Flora Malesiana ser. 1, 1: Cyclopaedia of collectors)

Born: 1860, London, England.

career:

Entered a merchant’s office in the city of London, but when of age he sailed to New Zealand and after a stay of eighteen months, made a tour through the principal colonies of the Australasian group. In autumn 1884 he made up his mind to visit New Guinea and booked passage on a boat destined for the fishery of tripang; mid-1885 he bought the cutter ‘Electra’ and got Sir P. Scratchley’s permission ‘to explore and trade’. In 1887 he succeeded in getting the ‘Victory’ from a shipping company at Sydney, for the exploration of New Guinea. Of the latter exploration he imagined mountains of gold and it took him little trouble to obtain money from private persons, and government assistance in the form of a topographer and the use of the steam-launch ‘Mabel’, for a 2nd expedition to the recently discovered rivers. In 1888 he tried in vain to obtain 250.000 acres of land as a reward for his merit.

Mussaenda bevani F.Muell. was named after him.

Collecting localities:

SE. New Guinea.¹ 1884. Departing from Sydney; Port Moresby (Nov. 25), staying 5-6 weeks in this and other neighbouring coastal towns, e.g. at Kerepunu (Hood Bay); return to Sydney.-1885. 2nd Start for New Guinea: Port Moresby (March 7); the 11th sailing in eastern direction, visiting Kalo, Quibo, Kemp Welch River (ascending part of it), Hood Bay, Suau (Apr. 5), S. Cape and trips to Bertha Lagune, Baxter Harbour, etc.; Milne Bay, staying 3 weeks and making many excursions along the coast; Port Moresby Isl. (May 14); till May 30 making several trips aboard a cutter to various tripang (fishery) stations situated on the neighbouring islands; along the south coast as far as Orangerie Bay; back at Cooktown (June 19) and from there to Sydney. Port Moresby (Sept. 2), coastal trade to the Gulf of Papua (sailing the 23rd), e.g. staying 2 weeks at Toaripi; founding of several tripang (fishery) stations along the coast, e.g. on the Bay of Hula (Oct. 14); Aroma.-1886. Seized with gold-fever he set out for a trip to Astrolabe Range (April), returning, however, without result. Visiting the Bay of Hula (July). Some months later illness caused him to return to Sydney.-1887. In the ‘Victory’:² Thursday Isl. (Febr.-March 16), sailing the 17th for New Guinea, exploring the Aird or Douglas River (= Kikori R.), Newbery River, Philp River, returning on Apr. 2nd; Deception Bay (Apr. 9), Toaripi, Penrose River, Stanhope River, Jubilee (= Purari) River; Bald Head (28); Thursday Isl. (May 3). In the ‘Mabel’:³ bringing the launch from Thursday Isl. to Port Bevan (Nov. 1); Douglas River (8); back at Bald Head (23); ascending Jubilee River upwards of Mt Samuel and along the Aiwai River (= Purari of W. MacGregor) back to the south coast; Bald Head (Dec. 3); Centenary River, via the junction canal to the Douglas River, reaching open sea again on the 10th; Omati River (= Merewith River); via the mouth of the Fly, Kiwai Isl. (village Iasa, Dec. 18-19), Daru Isl. and Turi-Turi; Thursday Isl. (26) and back to Sydney.

collections:

Herb. Melbourne [MEL]; referred to by F. von Mueller.⁴

literature:

(1) Th. F. Bevan: ‘Toil, travel and discovery in British New Guinea’ (London 1890, w. maps).
(2) cf. ‘New Guinea Expedition, the Douglas and Jubilee Rivers’ (Sydney Morning Herald, 27th May 1887); ‘Discovery of two new rivers in British New Guinea’ (Proc. Roy. Geogr. Soc. Lond. N.S. 9, 1887, p. 595-608 and erratum in l.c. 11, 1889, p. 89-90); Tijdschr. K.N.A.G. 5, 1888, p. 89, 427.
(3) cf. ‘Further exploration in the regions bordering upon the Papuan Gulf’ (Proc. Roy. Geogr. Soc. Lond. N.S. 11, 1889, p. 82-89); ‘The discovery of the Great “Purari” (Queen’s Jubilee River), New Guinea’ (Sydney 1896); ‘The discovery of the Aird and Purari rivers (Gulf of Papua, Brit. New Guinea)’ (Transact. Roy. Geogr. Soc. Australasia, Vict. Br. 15, Melbourne 1898, p. 12-15).
(4) In Proc. Linn. Soc. N.S.W., N.S. 2, 1887, p. 419-422, pl. 6-7 (small collection of plants from the Aird River), and in Descr. Not. Pap. Pl. pt 9.

	Career Collecting localities Collections Literature
	Bevan, Theodore F.
	(Source: Flora Malesiana ser. 1, 1: Cyclopaedia of collectors)
	Born: 1860, London, England.
	career: Entered a merchant’s office in the city of London, but when of age he sailed to New Zealand and after a stay of eighteen months, made a tour through the principal colonies of the Australasian group. In autumn 1884 he made up his mind to visit New Guinea and booked passage on a boat destined for the fishery of tripang; mid-1885 he bought the cutter ‘Electra’ and got Sir P. Scratchley’s permission ‘to explore and trade’. In 1887 he succeeded in getting the ‘Victory’ from a shipping company at Sydney, for the exploration of New Guinea. Of the latter exploration he imagined mountains of gold and it took him little trouble to obtain money from private persons, and government assistance in the form of a topographer and the use of the steam-launch ‘Mabel’, for a 2nd expedition to the recently discovered rivers. In 1888 he tried in vain to obtain 250.000 acres of land as a reward for his merit. Mussaenda bevani F.Muell. was named after him.
	Collecting localities: SE. New Guinea.¹ 1884. Departing from Sydney; Port Moresby (Nov. 25), staying 5-6 weeks in this and other neighbouring coastal towns, e.g. at Kerepunu (Hood Bay); return to Sydney.-1885. 2nd Start for New Guinea: Port Moresby (March 7); the 11th sailing in eastern direction, visiting Kalo, Quibo, Kemp Welch River (ascending part of it), Hood Bay, Suau (Apr. 5), S. Cape and trips to Bertha Lagune, Baxter Harbour, etc.; Milne Bay, staying 3 weeks and making many excursions along the coast; Port Moresby Isl. (May 14); till May 30 making several trips aboard a cutter to various tripang (fishery) stations situated on the neighbouring islands; along the south coast as far as Orangerie Bay; back at Cooktown (June 19) and from there to Sydney. Port Moresby (Sept. 2), coastal trade to the Gulf of Papua (sailing the 23rd), e.g. staying 2 weeks at Toaripi; founding of several tripang (fishery) stations along the coast, e.g. on the Bay of Hula (Oct. 14); Aroma.-1886. Seized with gold-fever he set out for a trip to Astrolabe Range (April), returning, however, without result. Visiting the Bay of Hula (July). Some months later illness caused him to return to Sydney.-1887. In the ‘Victory’:² Thursday Isl. (Febr.-March 16), sailing the 17th for New Guinea, exploring the Aird or Douglas River (= Kikori R.), Newbery River, Philp River, returning on Apr. 2nd; Deception Bay (Apr. 9), Toaripi, Penrose River, Stanhope River, Jubilee (= Purari) River; Bald Head (28); Thursday Isl. (May 3). In the ‘Mabel’:³ bringing the launch from Thursday Isl. to Port Bevan (Nov. 1); Douglas River (8); back at Bald Head (23); ascending Jubilee River upwards of Mt Samuel and along the Aiwai River (= Purari of W. MacGregor) back to the south coast; Bald Head (Dec. 3); Centenary River, via the junction canal to the Douglas River, reaching open sea again on the 10th; Omati River (= Merewith River); via the mouth of the Fly, Kiwai Isl. (village Iasa, Dec. 18-19), Daru Isl. and Turi-Turi; Thursday Isl. (26) and back to Sydney.
	collections: Herb. Melbourne [MEL]; referred to by F. von Mueller.⁴
	literature: (1) Th. F. Bevan: ‘Toil, travel and discovery in British New Guinea’ (London 1890, w. maps). (2) cf. ‘New Guinea Expedition, the Douglas and Jubilee Rivers’ (Sydney Morning Herald, 27th May 1887); ‘Discovery of two new rivers in British New Guinea’ (Proc. Roy. Geogr. Soc. Lond. N.S. 9, 1887, p. 595-608 and erratum in l.c. 11, 1889, p. 89-90); Tijdschr. K.N.A.G. 5, 1888, p. 89, 427. (3) cf. ‘Further exploration in the regions bordering upon the Papuan Gulf’ (Proc. Roy. Geogr. Soc. Lond. N.S. 11, 1889, p. 82-89); ‘The discovery of the Great “Purari” (Queen’s Jubilee River), New Guinea’ (Sydney 1896); ‘The discovery of the Aird and Purari rivers (Gulf of Papua, Brit. New Guinea)’ (Transact. Roy. Geogr. Soc. Australasia, Vict. Br. 15, Melbourne 1898, p. 12-15). (4) In Proc. Linn. Soc. N.S.W., N.S. 2, 1887, p. 419-422, pl. 6-7 (small collection of plants from the Aird River), and in Descr. Not. Pap. Pl. pt 9.