East Indies about 1654, and entered the Company's service. He was made Consul at Amboyna, where he resided until his death, making large collections there and in the adjacent islands. Notwithstanding that he became totally blind in 1669, he was the author of several works on natural history, which, however, were not published until after his death, notably the "Herbarium Amboinense" (1741-55), "Herbarii Amboinensis Auctuarium" (1755), supplementing the former work, "D'Amboinische Rariteitkammer" (1704), and "Thesaurus imaginum piscium, testaceorum, et cochlearum" (1711).
Sharp, Captain Bartholomew (17th century), made several buccaneering voyages to the South Seas, chiefly off the coast of South America and Darien. He kept a journal, and published an account of his voyages in 1684.
Shelvocke, George (18th century), buccaneer, although he had been long in the navy, went out in command of the Speedwell (privateer) in 1719-22 to the South Seas. He was wrecked on Juan Fernandez, but built a craft out of the remains of the wreck, and reached Peru; he thence sailed to Formosa. After three years of constant fighting and adventures, he reached England and published his "Voyage round the World by way of the Great South Sea" (1726).
Sloane, Sir Hans, Bart. (1660-1753), botanist and physician. He went to Jamaica in 1687, collecting 800 plants there, and afterwards published an account of his travels (1707-25), and a "Catalogue of the Plants of Jamaica" (1696). He became Secretary to the Royal Society in 1693, and edited its Transactions for twenty years. He was appointed Physician-General to the army, and was the first medical practitioner to be created a baronet (1716). He was elected President of the College of Physicians in 1719, and of the Royal Society in 1727, retaining the latter dignity until 1740. He was an indefatigable collector, and his library and collections, which he by will directed should be offered to the nation for £20,000, were in 1759 opened to the public as the British Museum.
Tasman, Abel Jansen (cir. 1602-59), Dutch navigator. In 1639 he was sent by Van Diemen to the Philippines and Japan; and in 1642 the same Governor directed him to investigate the south of New Holland. He fell in with Van Diemen's Land, without discovering it to be an island, and thence sailed across to New Zealand, which he called Staten Land. Anchoring in Massacre Bay, he lost three men, killed by the natives (whence the name), and then coasted along the west coast of North Island. After leaving this he reached the Friendly Islands, returning to Batavia by the north coast of New Guinea. In 1644 he undertook a third voyage to the north coast of New Holland and discovered the Gulf of Carpentaria. He died at Batavia in 1659.
