Barbosa du Bocage (José Vicente) 1Family, youth and education
Barbosa du Bocage (José Vicente)
Biography of José Vicente Barbosa du Bocage (1823–1907), Funchal-born zoologist regarded as the founder of scientific zoology in Portugal, who also served as deputy, peer and minister of foreign affairs.
1Family, youth and education
José Vicente Barbosa du Bocage is one of the most distinguished Madeirans and the most illustrious man of science ever born in this archipelago.
He was the son of João José Barbosa du Bocage, a close relative of the great poet Bocage, and of Dona Josefa Ferreira Pestana, sister of the illustrious Madeiran Councillor (conselheiro, honorary title of the royal council) José Ferreira Pestana. He was born in this city on 2 May 1823. When he was only 5 years old he went with his parents to Brazil, fleeing the political persecution that the Miguelite (supporter of the absolutist King Miguel) government was waging on this island against those who showed sympathy for liberal ideas. Returning to Madeira in 1834, he studied at the Funchal lyceum (state secondary school), and in 1839 he enrolled at the University of Coimbra (Universidade de Coimbra), where he graduated from the faculty of medicine.
2Zoological work
He devoted little time to the practice of medicine, dedicating himself instead almost exclusively to the study of zoology, in which he was an authoritative master. He sat the competitive examination for the chair at the Polytechnic School (Escola Politécnica) where that subject was taught and was appointed to it. He gave zoological studies a wholly new direction in Portugal and is regarded as the true founder of that branch of science in our country, from a rigorously scientific standpoint and in keeping with the advances made by distinguished foreign scholars. He gave these studies an essentially practical character, as the magnificent collections he organised most eloquently prove; that of the natural history cabinet of the Polytechnic School deserves special mention. His scientific output is vast and valuable: it opened the doors of many foreign academies to him and won him, abroad, the reputation of a most distinguished man of science. We would go too far if we tried to give a detailed account of his scientific works, many of which are mentioned in Inocêncio Francisco da Silva’s Diccionario Bibliographico. Nevertheless, we will say that he wrote and published about 200 works on mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fishes, invertebrates, zoological philosophy, etc., among which the following stand out:
- Memória sobre a cabra montez (Mem. da Ac. das Sc. de Lisboa, 1857)
- Noticias sobre os Arvicolas de Portugal (Id., 1864)
- Peixes plagiostomos, Part 1 (Lisbon 1866)
- A Ornithologia dos Açores (Jorn. da Ac. Sc. Lisboa, 1866)
- Aves das Possessões Portuguesas d'Africa Occidental (24 lists, Id., 1867 1882)
- A Vida Animal nas grandes profundidades do Oceano (Id., 1870)
- Liste des Mammifères et Reptiles observés en Portugal (Rev. et Mag. de Zool., 1863)
- Liste des Antilopes d'Angola (Proc. Zool. Soc., 1878)
- Subsidios para a fauna das Possessões Portuguesas d'Africa Occidental, S. Thomé e Angola (Jorn. da Ac. Sc. Lisboa, 1879)
- Mammifères d'Angola et du Congo (Id., 1889 1892)
- Mammiferos, Aves e Reptis da Hanha (Id., 1896)
- and Contribution à la faune des quatre iles du Golfe de Guinée (Id., 1904).
On our archipelago he wrote only Noticia sobre uma collecção de conchas das ilhas da Madeira e Porto Santo (Ann. das Sc. e Let., 1857).
3Political career and death
In his mature years he entered politics, where he rendered his country distinguished services, always displaying the most austere integrity of character as a statesman and as a parliamentarian. He was a deputy and a peer of the realm, and he made his name above all as minister of foreign affairs. In charge of this ministry he proved himself a consummate statesman. In the very grave matters debated at that time – among which the Congo question, the business of the Berlin Conference, a treaty with England on the rights of our sovereignty in West Africa and others deserve special mention – he always showed himself a remarkable statesman. He was considered by all to be one of the men who have held the foreign affairs portfolio in our country with the greatest zeal and competence.
He died in Lisbon on 3 November 1907. Volume 2 of the Boletim da Sociedade Portuguesa de Sciencias Naturais contains a detailed biography of Barbosa du Bocage and a complete account of all his works.
In this article
Time
Years mentioned · 05-
The zoologist José Vicente Barbosa du Bocage was born in Funchal.
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The Bocage family returned to Madeira from Brazil.
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José Vicente Barbosa du Bocage enrolled at the University of Coimbra.
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José Vicente Barbosa du Bocage published a note on shells of Madeira and Porto Santo.
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José Vicente Barbosa du Bocage died in Lisbon.
Place
Places mentioned · 05
Abroad
- Brazil
Where the family took refuge from Miguelist persecution.
Brazil is recorded in the Elucidário as a chief destination of Madeiran emigrants, including several clergy and writers. It was also a market for Madeira wine and brandy and a maker of wickerwork from Madeiran osiers. It was linked to Madeira by the 1874 telegraph cable and is the native country of the araçá.
- Coimbra
Portugal. University where he qualified in medicine.
Portuguese mainland university city where many Madeirans studied law or medicine, and where Padre Luís Gonçalves da Câmara taught and was rector of the Jesuit college. It hosted the 1921 academic table-tennis championship, and its dormancy and rainfall data are compared with Funchal's.
- Funchal
Birthplace of Bocage, where he attended the lyceum.
The capital of the archipelago and seat of the principal captaincy, where settlement began; it was made a vila c.1451–52. Its bay, the widest in the archipelago, lies between Ponta do Garajau and Ponta da Cruz and offers sheltered anchorage, though its harbour had never been studied oceanographically. The Elucidário discusses it as a health resort with climate data and records the January 1906 disturbances, the Danish prince's visit in May 1846 and recent volcanic cones in the area.
- Lisbon
Portugal. Where he worked and died.
The Portuguese capital, seat of the Relação court and of the Misericórdia whose privileges and statutes were extended to Funchal. Henrique Franco de Sousa studied at its Royal Academy of Fine Arts, and Luiz José Baiardo moved there in 1821.
- Porto Santo
Its shells featured in his only Madeiran paper.
An island of the archipelago, settled alongside Madeira and forming one of the three captaincies. It has always constituted a single parish, dedicated to Nossa Senhora da Piedade, whose church was repeatedly sacked. The Elucidário records the Moorish pirate raid of 1617, its own Misericórdia and a rainwater channel built on this drought-prone island.
People
People mentioned · 06- José Vicente Barbosa du Bocage1823–1907
Funchal-born zoologist, professor at the Escola Politécnica and Portuguese minister of foreign affairs; subject of this entry.
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The great Portuguese poet, a close relative of the zoologist's father.
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Bibliographer whose Diccionario Bibliographico lists many of Bocage's works.
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Father of the zoologist and close relative of the poet Bocage.
- José Ferreira Pestana1795–1885
Distinguished Madeiran statesman, maternal uncle of the zoologist.
- José Ferreira Pestana1795–1885
Mother of the zoologist and sister of José Ferreira Pestana.