Biography

British adventurer, soldier and entrepreneur from Trinity, Jersey who went to sea aged just twelve. He deserted ship in China and made many local friends earning a living trading on the war-torn Yang-tse, running the Taiping blockade. He was captured and imprisoned twice (1862-1863), released both times with the assistance of the British Consul. He later became an officer in the Chinese lmperial Army and reached the rank of Major General at the age of 29.

Mesny collected plants during his official duties which took him to places no European had ever seen. In 1877 he travelled with Capt. William John Gill on an overland expedition to Western China, Tibet, Burma (Myanmar) and eventually to India. In 1882 he served in Shansi as Adviser on Foreign Affairs. He married a Chinese lady (1882) and became a Mandarin of the First Class (1885), wearing Chinese dress with a pigtail and was considered to be the only European at that time who could speak Chinese without a foreign accent.

Mesny retained his British nationality and was a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and of the Royal Horticultural Society. His original plant specimens were sent to H.F. Hance whose herbarium was later donated to BM (1887). A number of taxa were named in his honour including Hibiscus mesnyi Pierre ex Laness., Jasminum mesny Hance and Salix mesnyi Hance (= Pleiarina mesnyi (Hance) N. Chao & G.T. Gong.