“IT IS VERY FORTUNATE THAT THEODORE WAS SHOT” BALFOUR (Francis Maitland, 1851-1882, Naturalist)

ALS to the Rev. M. C. F. MORRIS (son of Francis Orpen Morris, 1810-1893, Naturalist) thanking him for his letter, and saying that he is “glad that your father did not put down the Eagles as the Golden - I thought just the same about it, and have not put it down as the Golden Eagle in my book of birds from our County. I am at the present time working very hard for a prize which is offered here - It is the best description of the natural history of any place visited by the writer during the Easter holidays. It includes the Geology which with the ornithology I am at present working at. Yesterday our house had a match at Cricket with Wm. Harriot’s house, in the first innings they beat us by 27 runs... but I hope we will do better in the 2d innings as we were unfortunate in the 1st... the news from Abyssinia is certainly better than one could have hoped for it is very fortunate that Theodore was shot...”, 4 sides 8vo., Harrow, 17th May

Balfour was the younger brother of the politician, Arthur Balfour. He went to Trinity College, Cambridge, in 1870 and was elected a natural science scholar of his college in the following year, and obtained second place in the Natural Science Tripos of December 1873. He lost his life while attempting the ascent of Mont Blanc. He was regarded by his colleagues as one of the greatest biologists of his day and Charles Darwin's successor.
Charles Darwin referred to him as the "English Cuvier". Huxley thought he was "the only man who can carry out my work", and that his death was one of "the greatest loss to science in our time".
TEWODROS II, or THEODORE II (1818-1868) was Emperor of Ethiopia from 1855 until his death in 1868. The British sent an expedition to Abyssinia in 1868 under Robert Napier. Tewodros had become increasingly unpopular over the years due to his harsh methods, and many regional figures had rebelled against him. Several readily assisted the British by providing guides and food as the expeditionary force marched towards Magdala, where the Emperor had fortified the mountaintop. The British force defeated the Abyssinian army at Arogye, on the plain facing Magdala, on 10th April 1868. With Tewodros' army so decisively defeated, many of his men began to desert and the emperor was left with only 4,000 soldiers. On 15th April 1868, as the British troops stormed the citadel of Magdala, Emperor Tewodros committed suicide rather than surrender.

Item Date:  1868

Stock No:  43612      £475

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