Guide to the Album of Sir John Murray (as filmed by the AJCP), 1914

Summary

Collection number:

M833

Creator:

Murray, John, Sir

Extent:

1 item

Language:

English

Preferred citation:

Acknowledgement of use of this material should refer to the location of the original material and to the Australian Joint Copying Project.

Items from this collection should include references to the location of the original material and to the AJCP nla.obj number, which serves as the online identifier for the digital copy.

Example: M Series: Journal of Capt. James Cook, 18 February-23 September 1770, British Library Add. MS 27885 (AJCP ref: http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-1234)

Availability:

Available

Access conditions:

Available for reference.

Background

Content Summary:

Newspaper cuttings concerning the death of Sir John Murray on 13 March 1914. They are taken from English as well as French, German, Canadian, American and Australian newspapers and describe his death in a car accident, the execution of his will and the establishment of a bequest to commemorate his work.

Biographical / Historical:

Of Scottish descent, Sir John Murray (1841-1914) was born in Cobourg, Ontario. In 1858 he migrated to Scotland to complete his education and attended Stirling High School and the University of Edinburgh. He chose subjects that interested him, particularly in the natural and physical sciences, but did not bother to sit for exams and never graduated. He also studied in France, Germany and Belgium. He helped a relative, John Macfarlane, assemble a large natural history collection at his home at the Bridge of Allen. In 1868 he was the naturalist on a whaler that sailed to Spitzbergen and the Arctic. In 1872-1876 he was one of the naturalists on HMS Challenger on its voyage of scientific exploration round the world. On his return to England he joined the staff who compiled the reports on the voyage and in 1882, following the death of Sir Wyville Thomson, he became editor of the Challenger reports. Fifty volumes were published, covering zoology, botany, deep-sea deposits, physics and chemistry, as well as the official account of the voyage. The project was completed in 1895.

Murray published a large number of papers on oceanographical, geographical, geological and botanical subjects. He set up an oceanographical laboratory in Edinburgh and between 1882 and 1894 he often sailed on his yacht Medusa to investigate physical and biological conditions in the seas and lochs of Scotland. He was secretary of the Royal Society of Edinburgh from 1891 to 1900. In 1910 he took part in a Norwegian expedition to the northern Atlantic and in 1912, with Johan Hjort, he published The depths of the ocean. Murray was one of the pioneers of oceanography as a scientific discipline. He was knighted in 1898 and received many scientific honours.

Murray had a strong interest in coral reefs and he sought the assistance of the British Admiralty in obtaining specimens. In 1887 HMS Flying Fish visited Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean and collected pieces of rock and coral. Murray detected calcium phosphate in the rocks and urged the Government to annex the uninhabited island. It did so in 1888 and in 1890 Murray and George Clunies Ross acquired a joint lease of the island. In 1897 Murray and Ross formed the Christmas Island Phosphate Company, with Murray as chairman. Murray visited Christmas Island in 1900 and 1908 and was largely responsible for exploring the island and setting up the mining operations. After his death his family continued to manage the enterprise until 1948. Christmas Island became an Australian territory in 1958.

Related

Existence and Location of Copies:

The original AJCP microfilm of the records filmed from this collection is available at the National Library of Australia [https://nla.gov.au/nla.cat-vn2190949] as well as other institutions holding AJCP microfilm.

Existence and Location of Originals:

Filmed at Private Residence of Mr. J.A.J. Murray, London, England.

Conditions Governing Access:

Available for Access.

Conditions Governing Use:

Many of the records digitised as part of the AJCP are still in copyright. Readers wishing to publish or reproduce documents should seek permission, in the first instance, from the owner of the original material.

Preferred citation:

Acknowledgement of use of this material should refer to the location of the original material and to the Australian Joint Copying Project.

Items from this collection should include references to the location of the original material and to the AJCP nla.obj number, which serves as the online identifier for the digital copy.

Example: M Series: Journal of Capt. James Cook, 18 February-23 September 1770, British Library Add. MS 27885 (AJCP ref: http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-1234)

Location of this collection:

National Library of Australia

Parkes Place

Canberra ACT 2600, Australia

Contact:

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