'...a small fish in a small pond...' the revered W.B.Clarke(1798-1878):200 years on (part I)

摘要

The Reverend W.B. Clarke remains an enigma in the annals of Australian science, despite the publication of numerous books and articles on his Life and times. This is due to deficiencies of previous researchers in a addressing The full gamut of the Reverend gentleman's work. Though the basic details of Clarke's life are well known, numerous significant gaps exist in the surviving Archive. For example, his personal collection of rocks and fossils, along with Geological maps and library, were all destroyed in the Garden Palace fire of 1882. Furthermore, the large corpus of published work which appeared in Australian Newspapers between 1839-78 has only recently been identified, and his personal Correspondence awaits 'translation' and publication. Until these primary sources Are studied in detail, the jury must remain out as to whether W.B. Clarke deserves The title of 'Father of Australian Geology' or any similar accolade.