Joseph Thomson (explorer)

Joseph Thomson ( born February 14, 1858 in Penpont, Dumfriesshire, Scotland; † August 2, 1895 in London) was a Scottish explorer and traveler Africa. Its official botanical author abbreviation is " J.Thomson ".

Life and work

Thomson studied in Edinburgh, was in 1878 with the guided by Keith Johnston expedition as a geologist to East Africa. After Johnston had died of a fever on 28 June 1879, the Thomson took over the leadership of the expedition. They went through Uhehe the north end of the Njassasees and from here the Tanganyika in Pambete, explored the western shore to the island Kasenge and followed the course of the Lukuga further than Henry Morton Stanley and Cameron up to 29 ° 27 ' eastern longitude and 5 ° 41' south Latitude. He began to return on March 1, 1880 by Pambete in the north and northeast by FIPA and Ukonongo after a Unjamwesi.

On behalf of the Sultan in 1882 he made a vain attempt to find coal deposits in the Rovuma. Equipped of the Geographical Society in London, he went on 10 March 1883 by Mombasa via Taveta, the eastern and the northern edge of Mount Kilimanjaro over, on the plateau land of Kapotei, to Lake Naivasha and a 4,300 m high mountain chain, which by him name Aberdare chain got to the foot ( 1,740 m) of Mount Kenya. From here he went to the north-west to Lake Baringo and the Elgejo - Ridge, the Nzoia River to Kawirondo where he died on December 10, 1882 the Victoria Nyanza was born in masala. After a trip to the 4,270 meter high Mount Elgon he crossed the Baringo and Lake Naivasha and south of it on the Uluberge and through the countryside Kikumbuliu by Taita and Mombasa, where he arrived on May 25, 1884.

In the years 1883-1884 Thomson traveled to the land of the Maasai and the mediated image of the Maasai as a bloodthirsty warrior. His stories he published in 1885 under the title Through Masai country.

According to him, the Thomson's gazelle was named.

Works

  • To the Central African Lakes and Back (2 volumes, 1881)
  • Through Masai land. Research trip to East Africa to the snowy mountains and wild strains between the Kilima - Ndjaro and Victoria Nyanza in 1883 and 1884, Brockhaus, Leipzig 1885 (Eng. ed d subsequent work)
  • Through Masai country. A journey of exploration among the volcanic mountains and strange tribes snowclad of Eastern Equatorial Africa, Cass, London, 1968 ( Repr d ed London 1885)
  • Ulu (2 volumes, 1888) with E. Harris Smith
  • Travels in the Atlas and Southern Morocco (1889 )
  • Mungo Park and the Niger ( 1890)
Dumfries and Galloway Lukuga River Ruvuma River Taveta, Kenya International Plant Names Index Integrated Authority File
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