William Henry Harvey

William Henry Harvey, FRS, FLS (5 February 1811 – 15 May 1866) was an Irish botanist and phycologist, known for his 5-volume work Phycologia Australica.

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Quotes

The name Algæ is assigned by botanists to a large group or natural class of Cryptogamic or flowerless plants, which form the principal and characteristic vegetation of the waters. The sea, in no climate from the poles to the equator, is altogether free from them, though they abound on some shores much more than on others, a subject which will come particularly under notice when we speak of the distribution of their several tribes. Species abound likewise in fresh water, whether running or stagnant, and in mineral springs. The strongly impregnated sulphureous streams of Italy,—the eternal snows of the Alps and arctic regions,—and the boiling springs of Iceland, have each their peculiar species ; and even chemical solutions, if long kept, produce Algae. Very few, comparatively, inhabit stations which are not submerged or exposed to the constant dripping of water; and, in all situations where they are found, great dampness, at least, is necessary to their production.
- "Introduction". A Manual of the British Algæ. London: John Van Voorst. 1841. pp. v–lvii. (quote from pp. vi–vii; text at archive.org)

So long as Natural History was encumbered with its pseudo-classical incubus its votaries were few in number. The more it grew into a science founded on observation, the more it attracted popular attention. The writings of Linnæus, composed in a clear and elegant style, and offering a systematic arrangement such as all could readily understand, contributed more than those of any other naturalist to the spread of a taste for his favourite science. He was eminently a popular writer, and, no matter what criticism may now be passed on his system, it must be admitted that to it is greatly owing the rapidity with which the natural sciences advanced in public favour in the early part of last century.
- The Sea-side Book: Being an Introduction to the Natural History of the British Coasts (2nd ed.). John Van Voorst. 1849. pp. 3–4. (256 pages; 1st edition 1849; text at archive.org)

In 1853 Harvey started on a prolonged tour to the East; his route included Egypt, Ceylon, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, and sundry of the islands of the Pacific, and he returned ultimately by way of South America and Panama. The journey was originally undertaken in the interests of the herbarium and resulted in a large addition to its treasures. His extensive collections contained a huge mass of material, all of which was practically new. He took all available opportunities of exploring the Algae of the different coasts to which he had access and amassed such a wealth of material that the collection was unequalled by any other of the time. The use he made of it is shown by the great Phycologia Australica which occupied him for five years after his return.
- Joseph Reynolds Green, A History of Botany in the United Kingdom from the Earliest Times to the End of the 19th Century. London: J. M. Dent & Sons. 1914. (648 pages)