Francis Beaufort - SpeedyLook encyclopedia

Biography

Beaufort is downward of Huguenot S which fuyèrent France after the massacre of the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre to settle in Ireland. His/her father was vice-chancellor of Navan. Francis left the school at 14 years and engaged in the navy. But it will have acquired by him even sufficient knowledge to be associated with some with the largest scientists with his time: (Herschel, Airy, Babbage).

Consequence to have been shipwrecked man at the 15 years age, shipwreck of with an erroneous sea chart, Beaufort became obsessed by the importance of the maritime formation and the development of a good cartography for those which were risked at sea.

Beginning on a merchant ship from the British East India Company, Beaufort passed then in Royal Navy where it climbs all the levels lasting the Napoleonean Guerres: Midshipman, lieutenant, to order then captain. Whereas the other officers practiced various leisures as soon as opportunity arised, Beaufort spent all its spare time to Sounding S and Bearings, to make astronomical observations to determine longitude or the latitude and to take coastal measures. It compiled then all these data collected in new sea charts.

In 1811 - 1812, Beaufort cartography and explores the south of the Anatolia, locating many ancient ruins. Its work is stopped in Ayas close to Adana by an attack of the Turks against the crew of his ship, attacks during which he is seriously wounded by bullets with the hip. It turns over to England and formats him even the charts which will be published in 1817 as its book Karamania D; however has brief description off the South Coast off Asia Minor, and off the Remains off Antiquity in 1818.

In 1829, at the 55 years age (retirement age for the majority of its contemporaries of the Navy), Beaufort becomes the hydrograph of the British Admiralty. It will remain it nearly 25 years, longer than any of its predecessors or successors. Beaufort transforms then what was only one small deposit of charts in the most famous world institution of cartography and marine surveys. Some of its excellent charts are always used, 200 years after their creation.

The large astronomical observatory of Greenwich and that of the Cape of Good Hope to the point of Africa are placed under its administration. Beaufort directs also some of most important maritime explorations and experiments of its time. During 8 years, it chairs the Arctic Council Durand the searchs for this last to find Sir John Franklin, lost at the time of its last polar voyage to the research of legendary the Passage of the North-West.

Like member of the council of the Royal Society , royal Observatory of Greenwich and Royal Geographical Society (which it contributed to create), Beaufort uses its position and its prestige of scientist to act like a man-pivot near many the scientists of its time. It thus represented the geographers, the astronomers, the oceanographers, the geodesists and the meteorologists in this d'" kind; gouvernementale" arranges; that was then the hydrographic Office of Navy, office which could support their research. Thus, it approved the choice of Charles Darwin as naturalist at the time of the voyage of FitzRoy to the islands Galápagos.

Exceeding several objections, Beaufort obtained the assistance of the government for the voyage in the Antarctic in 1839 - 1843 of James Clark Ross to make extensive measurements of the Terrestrial magnetic field, measurements coordinated with similar measures in Europe and Asia. (what is comparable with a international Année of current geophysics.)

It pushed with the development of the reliable tables of Marée S of the British coasts, justifying similar research in other countries of Europe and North America. Helping his/her friend and scientific comrade, William Whewell, Beaufort gained the support of Arthur Wellesley, duke of Wellington to extend the statements of the 200 stations of Garde-côte S of Great Britain. It also gave its enthusiastic support for his friend royal astronomer and remarkable mathematician George Airy to carry out series of measure astronomical histories at the observatories of Greenwich and the Cape of Good Hope.

Beaufort undergoes also the political struggles of the governmental administration and for naval promotion. A deserved advance was denied to him thus a long time. These injustice became known by the whole of these comrades officers and it was finally anobli in 1848, becoming " Sir Francis Beaufort" .

Beaufort involved Robert FitzRoy which had been placed temporarily at the command of the ship of exploration HMS '' Beagle '' after its preceding commander gave himself death. When FitzRoy was famous ordering ship for famous the second voyage of the Beagle, he asked Beaufort " that has well-educated and scientific gentleman Be sought" to accompany it. Beaufort made invite to this voyage Charles Darwin which later will describe his discoveries by formulating its Théorie of the evolution, " the Origin of the species ".

The correspondence of Francis Beaufort includes/understands more than 200 letters and newspapers of which certain parts are written with a personal figure that its biographer will decipher and publish for the first time. Beaufort had modified the Chiffre of Vigenère, by reversing the coded alphabet; this version of the code bears from now on its name.

He dies the December 17th 1857 at the 83 years age to Hove, in the Sussex in England. He is buried in the gardens of the St-John church in the district of Hackney, in London where its tomb is still visible nowadays.

Eponymes

Beaufort with left its name to:

Sea of Beaufort (sea of the Arctic Ocean)
island Beaufort, in the Antarctic
the scale of Beaufort

References

Alfred Friendly. Beaufort off the Admiralty. Random House, New York, 1973.
Oxford Dictionary off National Biography ( sub nominates )

External bond

Maritime Institute off Ireland

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