author
George Finlayson
1790–1823
A Scottish surgeon, naturalist, and traveler, he explored Southeast Asia in the early 1820s and left behind vivid notes on its plants, animals, and people. Though he died young, his journal helped preserve an important early scientific record of Siam and Cochinchina.
1 Audiobook
The Mission to Siam, and Hué, the Capital of Cochin China, in the Years 1821-2
by George Finlayson
About the author
Born in Thurso in 1790, George Finlayson trained in medicine and served as an assistant surgeon in the British army. He later became known not just as a doctor, but as an observant naturalist with a strong interest in botany, zoology, and travel.
In 1821–1822 he joined John Crawfurd's British mission to Siam and Cochinchina as surgeon and naturalist. During that journey he recorded careful observations of the landscapes, wildlife, and local societies he encountered, especially in parts of present-day Thailand and the Malay Peninsula.
Finlayson died at sea in 1823 while returning from India to Scotland, still only in his early thirties. His journal was published after his death as The Mission to Siam, and Hué, the Capital of Cochin China, in the Years 1821–2, and it remains the work for which he is best remembered.