| AdminHistory | Thomas Bates Blow was a botanist, apiarist and photographer. He ran a successful bee-keeping equipment business which was known worldwide. He travelled to many countries including Ceylon, Japan, British Guiana and Madagascar collecting plant specimens along the way. The algae ‘Nitella blowiana’ which he collected during one of his botanical collection tours is named in his honour.
Blow was born on the 8th of November 1853 in Welwyn, Hertfordshire to his father James Blow, a carpenter and his mother Mary Blow. He was educated at a local village school and thereafter attended an academy in Tring. It is here where his interest in languages, bee-keeping, botany and photography developed. After opening a photography laboratory manufacturing ‘Dry Plates’, he went on to set up a business manufacturing bee-keeping appliances in Welwyn which was globally successful.
His interest in botany led him to keep his own herbarium which he donated in 1872 to several national collections. He helped form The Botanical Locality Record Club in 1873 and the Hitchin Natural History Club in 1879. In 1880 he published ‘Outlines of a Flora of the Neighbourhood of Hitchin’ in the ‘Hertfordshire Express’ and in 1883 published ‘A Bee-Keeper's Experience in the East'. He established the Hertfordshire Bee Society in 1884 and was influential in the development of similar societies around the world. On the 18th December 1884 he was elected as a Fellow of the Linnean Society.
He travelled to many countries in the 1880s such as Sri Lanka and the West Indies. In 1886 he travelled through Japan, writing on bee-keeping and had discussions with the Japanese authorities on their agriculture and apiculture. He frequently visited British diplomat and Japanologist Sir Ernest Mason Satow, collecting plant specimens from India whilst en route.
He married his wife Koyake Shoko in 1901 and moved to Kyoto in 1902. Whilst in Kyoto, he collected and sold Japanese artefacts, and is thought to have been the first person to own and drive a car in the city. He also held exhibitions of photographs he had taken throughout Japan. He moved back to Europe during World War One, serving as an ambulance driver for the French Red Cross. In 1918 he was knighted Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur.
Blow was a collector of Japanese art and print works, bequeathing twenty-five Japanese woodblock prints to the British Museum. Thomas Bates Blow died on 16th January 1941. |
| Description | Papers relating to an expedition by Thomas Bates Blow, to Madagascar in 1924 to investigate the island's Charophyte flora. Papers include correspondence, accounts of his travel diary, photographs, scientific notes and findings, envelopes and a menu.
1. Letter from Reginald L. Hyne to Linnean Society, dated 23 December 1947.
Donates Mr Blow's papers.
2. Menu
A [bord] des Paquebots des Lignes [an] [dela] de Suez.
3. Pages 15 and 22 of an account of Blow's diary
Relating to the hospital at Tananarive and of a visit to Mr Jones Theological College. Also of a [tour] to Andresa, Ambila and Tamatave.
4. Letter (in French) from T.B. Blow to the Governor General, dated 9 April 1924 (plus a copy), outlining his plan to spend 6 weeks in Madagascar and his subject of study.
4a. Letter from Albert F. Pim to Blow, dated 23 Mch [March] 1924, wishing Blow well on his journey, and refers to a piece in the "Friend" (a copy of which he sent to Blow) which features Madagascar.
4b. Letter entitled 'Friends Foreign Association' Tanarive, and dated 14 March 1924 from T.B.B. [Blow] giving an account of his activities. Includes pencil annotations on the side.
5. Copy of a letter to James Groves, dated 24 March 1924
Visit to Lake Alaotra, carried in a chair by 4 men. Lake the size of Lake Geneva but only 3 species of Chara in the marshes around it. It is called 'Water's Hair' and eaten as a vegetable. Dr Moss will do experiments to see if it helps against malaria.
5. (Same page as above). Copy of another letter, dated 27 March 1924
Journey to Andreba, 18 miles on men's shoulders and 100 in baggage train. Very hot, but much restored by Rev. Fairbairn's hospitality. [Fairbairn] travels round his 20 churches by boat in this malarial region. Found plenty of Chara in a sandy pool near the sea. Trained 3 men to collect it. Found a lot more [?] Tamatave and pressed it. Stayed at Rev. Rakoto while there and finished drying his Chara before sending them to London.
Further travels, to Giego Suares, Majunga. Met Dr [Rebard] who helped him by describing local sites for Chara and mosquitoes, and sites free of mosquitoes.
6. Letter to Henry Mount, dated 7 April 1924
Summary of his journeys described in previous letter. Impressive ferns, especially Davallia. Journey took 7 weeks and was very cheap. The alkaloid in Chara may be a [specific?] against malaria. 400 dried specimens and 400 pieces of formalion. Praise of Missionaries for "educating and civilising" the Malagaseys over the last 100 years, and for their kindness to him.
6a. Duplicate of above (no. 6).
7. Diary, dated 16 May 1924
Landed 16 February, looked for Chara in unbearable heat, then took the wood-fired luggage train to Ambila, which was cooler and had a better hotel. No mosquito larvae to be found.
Visit to forested region of [Moramased?], and on to Tamanarive. Met by Mr Joseph Radley and Mr Pim. Visited various mission schools and much impressed by them.
Welcomed by the Governor, who offered help in finding Chara etc by providing chairs (Filisamas) and boats.
From 26 February to 1 March taken in Mr Pim's car to Angeva and Ambohimanambola and other places. Found some interesting gelatinous Chara. Took train to Antsirabe (5000 ft) a health resort, and Ambatolampy. Stayed at a good hotel run by an Anglian priest, who was also a Greek Orthodox priest.
Many large Davallias and a Rununculus in the Upper Forest. Gave a lecture on photography to the missionaries. Two more days with Dr [Ramaivo] and his son, both interested in malaria, to Lake Itasy and [Ambominiazy?].
Also includes a letter to Blow from A.F. Pim about the loss of a pocket book and information about schools in Madagascar, dated 27 March [1924].
7a. As above - slightly different version of diary for 16 May 1924.
8. Report and graph by W. Lindenbein - "Beiting zur Cytologie der Charales. Planta. 4.1927 437-466. 22 figs"
An investigation of the chromosome conditions among the [Charles of Charales?], in which it was hoped to shed some light on the Chara.
9. Letter to Joseph Radley, dated 20 June 1924
The larvaecidal effects of Chara, three species of which seem promising, described in his paper to the Linnean Society on 19 June. Received rather acidly, but welcomed by the President.
Experiments on above described.
10. Summary of his searches for Chara in Madagascar (2 copies)
Concluded that the presence of some species of Chara do have a larvaecidal effect.
11. Summary of his journeys in Madagascar and results of his research (printed in the Proceedings of the Linnean Society, 1926-1927, session 139).
12a and 12b. Diary of Journey to Madagascar (2 copies)
N.B. 12b includes an article for 'The Friend' on Impressions of Madagascar'.
13. Collection of various papers:
a) Article from 'The Friend' entitled 'Missionary Enterprise & Co-operation To-day', dated 20 June 1924 (4 copies)
b) Hotel bill from Grand Hotel, Tananarive
c) Letter from the Governor General of Madagascar, dated 24 June 1924
d) Letter from Dr C.F.A. Moss, dated 28 March 1924
e) Telegram of good wishes from Dr Moss, dated 24 April 1924
f) Letter of good wishes from Dr Moss, dated 24 April 1924
g) Letter from F. Fairbairn [no date]
h) Extract from the Proceedings of the Linnean Society, 1926-1927, Session 139 - missing
14. Document entitled 'Resumé of the Observations on Charophyta of Madagascar and their connection with Malaria' by T.B. Blow. Includes duplicate pages.
15a. Letter from Mary Groves [thought to be sister of James Groves] to Blow, dated 30 March [1935] thanking him for his sympathy following the death of James Groves. Refers to the funeral, family members, and her plan to start on his bookplate soon.
15b. Letter from Mary Groves [thought to be the sister of James Groves] to Blow (no date), asking for further details of the bookplate he has requested her to draw. Refers to the wishes of her sister-in-law [Lucy Groves?] to sell the house (Trevarthian, Freshwater Bay, I.W. [Isle of Wight]) and move to the mainland, possibly Stratford on Avon. Asks what Blow thinks of Pugsley's obituary in the Journal.
15c. Letter from Lucy E. Groves [thought to be wife of James Groves] to Blow, dated 1 May 1935, thanking him for his sympathy on the death of her husband, a close friend of Groves. Sends him a copy of a paper by W. Lindenbeim which her husband had been typing up for Blow when he first went in to hospital. Invites him to come and stay. Says she would like to move to the mainland.
16. Letter from Blow to Mr Savage, dated 'Sunday' [receipt stamp of '17 Jun 1935'] thanking Savage for answering his queries. Remarks it is 'curious how this plant' has got in to Hertfordshire, and hopes to see some specimens from Mr Dymes (FLS) soon. Refers to an old botanical friend called Lloyd and in 1877 recounts how he walked from St. Malo to Nantes [France] with a rucksack on his back to visit him and collected 2 plants on the way. Has since done the journey twice by motor car.
17a. Headed paper ('Dr C.A. Moss, Medical Mission, Imerimandroso') with MS notes (no date). Entitled 'Antsihanaka' [a region in Madagascar] includes details about the hospital such as number of outpatients and visits to homes, and details of where patients come from. Also includes 2 pages of further notes [by Blow] of his time in Madagascar, including a reference to Dr Moss' work.
17b. Part of envelope with MS notes by Pm , containing a request for information (on behalf of Blow) relating to schools, such as number of classes, number of scholars and teachers, and cost of school to F.F.M.A..
18a. 7 black and white photographs, with separate list of details, 2 of which are dated 16 October '21 [1921] and 3 December '22 [1922]. Includes photos of Mary E. Pim, L. Eileen Pim, and Albert F. Pim in a car, as well as a 'Malagasy evangelist' on a bullock horse, pottery on sale at a market in Tananarive, and a 'Malagasy woman of former slave class'.
18b. 10 black and white photographs and 2 postcards, some labelled, showing people and landscapes. Labels include:
- 'Madagascar - Tanarive - Le Palais D'Argent' (Printed on front of postcard)
- 'Ferry across the Maningory (man in guri) sole river leaving L. Hastra'
- 'Native Church. Imerimandroso'
- 'Forked sticks called Jiro (Djeero). Erected near Tombs. A tin box, property of deceased, in the fork'.
- 'A group of Antsihanaka natives'
- 'Island in Lake Alastra (with cave)
- 'Entrance to Imerimandroso village from near road to Hospital'
19. Lecture notes related to Blow's visit to Madagascar and chara-malara [malaria] theory, including a list of slides. |