Biography

British seaman who was stationed in the West Indies for about 15 years in the early 18th century and travelled widely in the British and Spanish colonies. Walduck corresponded with James Petiver of the Royal Society on the natural history and culture of the West Indies, also sending him many plant specimens which are now in the Sloane Herbarium (BM).

In about 1710 Walduck began a series of letters to his nephew, John Searle of London, six of which survive in the Sloane manuscripts at the British Library. They include a description of the physical location of Barbados, its flora and fauna, its political and economic history and Walduck's views on the differences between the people of the Old and New Worlds. He suggested that the Royal Society should embark upon correspondence with persons in Spanish America who could provide them with useful observations.

Walduck's nephew put James Petiver in touch with his uncle. The two struck up correspondence in 1711, Petiver instructing Walduck on plants and zoological specimens he might collect. The captain thereafter sent to England many plant specimens, three bottles filled with worms, crabs, a poison lizard and spiders, and carried out many experiments, passing on his observations to his correspondent in the Royal Society. One of his experiments demonstrated that water impregnated with niter was very effective in speeding the growth of vegetables.

In 1713 Walduck sent a fanciful account of the rattlesnake ("the most pernicious creature in ye English Empire upon ye Main of America") to Petiver, who was most pleased with everything he had so far received. The Royal Society did not publish this account, however, which was largely based on hearsay and folklore.

While Walduck was at most an amateurish scientist, the specimens he provided for Petiver's herbarium, now in the Sloane Collection, represent some of the earliest collections made in the West Indies. He also provided many interesting observations on the culture of colonists in the New World. For example, in one log he incisively noted: "… upon all the new settlements, the Spanish do make, the first thing they do is build a church, the first thing the Dutch do upon a new colony is to build them a fort, but the first thing the English do, be it in the most remote parts of the world or amongst the most barbarous, is to set up a tavern or drinking house."

Sources:
R.P. Stearns, 1970, Science in the British colonies of America: 351-355
Ministry of Rum, Barbados:
http://www.ministryofrum.com/countrydetails.php?c=9.

Biography

British seaman who was stationed in the West Indies for about 15 years in the early 18th century and travelled widely in the British and Spanish colonies. Walduck corresponded with James Petiver of the Royal Society on the natural history and culture of the West Indies, also sending him many plant specimens which are now in the Sloane Herbarium (BM).

In about 1710 Walduck began a series of letters to his nephew, John Searle of London, six of which survive in the Sloane manuscripts at the British Library. They include a description of the physical location of Barbados, its flora and fauna, its political and economic history and Walduck's views on the differences between the people of the Old and New Worlds. He suggested that the Royal Society should embark upon correspondence with persons in Spanish America who could provide them with useful observations.

Walduck's nephew put James Petiver in touch with his uncle. The two struck up correspondence in 1711, Petiver instructing Walduck on plants and zoological specimens he might collect. The captain thereafter sent to England many plant specimens, three bottles filled with worms, crabs, a poison lizard and spiders, and carried out many experiments, passing on his observations to his correspondent in the Royal Society. One of his experiments demonstrated that water impregnated with niter was very effective in speeding the growth of vegetables.

In 1713 Walduck sent a fanciful account of the rattlesnake ("the most pernicious creature in ye English Empire upon ye Main of America") to Petiver, who was most pleased with everything he had so far received. The Royal Society did not publish this account, however, which was largely based on hearsay and folklore.

While Walduck was at most an amateurish scientist, the specimens he provided for Petiver's herbarium, now in the Sloane Collection, represent some of the earliest collections made in the West Indies. He also provided many interesting observations on the culture of colonists in the New World. For example, in one log he incisively noted: "… upon all the new settlements, the Spanish do make, the first thing they do is build a church, the first thing the Dutch do upon a new colony is to build them a fort, but the first thing the English do, be it in the most remote parts of the world or amongst the most barbarous, is to set up a tavern or drinking house."

Sources:
R.P. Stearns, 1970, Science in the British colonies of America: 351-355
Ministry of Rum, Barbados:
http://www.ministryofrum.com/countrydetails.php?c=9.