Joseph Jonville, also known as Eudelin de Jonville (1756–1837) was a French diplomat and naturalist, who was also the first

Surveyor General of Ceylon Surveyor General of Sri Lanka is the head of Department of Survey (Sri Lanka), Department of Survey of Sri Lanka. The post was established on 2 August 1800 with the formation of the Surveyor General's Department by a proclamation of Governor of B ...

, from 1800 to 1805. Joseph Marie Eudelin Mervé de Jonville was born on 2 September 1756 in

Cairo Cairo ( ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Egypt and the Cairo Governorate, being home to more than 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, L ...

, Egypt, the son of Thomas François Mervé de Jonville (1706-1778) and Therese Françoise née Lambert (1732-1773). Jonville spent his childhood in

Smyrna Smyrna ( ; , or ) was an Ancient Greece, Ancient Greek city located at a strategic point on the Aegean Sea, Aegean coast of Anatolia, Turkey. Due to its advantageous port conditions, its ease of defence, and its good inland connections, Smyrna ...

, where his father was the French Consul then in

Toulon Toulon (, , ; , , ) is a city in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of southeastern France. Located on the French Riviera and the historical Provence, it is the prefecture of the Var (department), Var department. The Commune of Toulon h ...

, when his father retired. Jonville was appointed vice-consul in

Nafplio Nafplio or Nauplio () is a coastal city located in the Peloponnese in Greece. It is the capital of the regional unit of Argolis and an important tourist destination. Founded in antiquity, the city became an important seaport in the Middle Ages du ...

(

Morea Morea ( or ) was the name of the Peloponnese peninsula in southern Greece during the Middle Ages and the early modern period. The name was used by the Principality of Achaea, the Byzantine province known as the Despotate of the Morea, by the O ...

), then in

Rosetta Rosetta ( ) or Rashid (, ; ) is a port city of the Nile Delta, east of Alexandria, in Egypt's Beheira governorate. The Rosetta Stone was discovered there in 1799. Founded around the 9th century on the site of the ancient town of Bolbitine, R ...

, Egypt. He retired in 1784. The French Revolution saw him emigrate to

Nice Nice ( ; ) is a city in and the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative city limits, with a population of nearly one million Corsica Corsica ( , , ; ; ) is an island in the Mediterranean Sea and one of the Regions of France, 18 regions of France. It is the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, fourth-largest island in the Mediterranean and lies southeast of the Metro ...

. In October 1798, he embarked for India on an English ship. The expedition led by the first British Governor, Frederick North, explored

Ceylon Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

(Sri Lanka), Jonville was responsible for studying its botany. Jonville was first hired to survey the colony's cinnamon plantations. North however also instructed Jonville to "inquire into, and collect, whatever regards the natural philosophy, the natural history, and the meteorology of this island ... Likewise ... the customs, usages, history, and even languages of the country." On 2 August 1800 he was appointed the first

holding that office until 1805. He was succeeded by George Atkinson. He wrote in French a manuscript, ''Quelques notions sur l'île de Ceylan'' (''Some notions on the island of Ceylon''), that he sent in 1801 to England asking his brother to have it printed, which never occurred. In July 1805, he left Ceylon for England where he led the life of a scholar. He died in London on 21 January 1837, at the age of 80.

References

{{Surveyor General of Sri Lanka J 1756 births 1837 deaths Sri Lankan people of French descent People from British Ceylon British people in colonial India