SINCLAIR, ANDREW (1796-1861) was born at Paisley, of a family engaged in trade in the town. He got a sound Scots education, and in 1814 commenced his medical studies at Glasgow College. He was there and at Edinburgh until 1818; took a course in the hospitals in Paris, and in 1822 was appointed assistant surgeon in the Royal Navy. In 1823, while on the Cape station in the Owen Glendower, he did his first botanical work, and sent specimens to the British Museum. He spent 10 years at the Cape and in the Mediterranean and, after taking further lectures in medicine, was posted (1835) to the Sulphur for Beechey's expedition in South America.

This duty gave him many opportunities for scientific investigation, and he sent home specimens from Mexico, Central America, California, and Brazil. Early in 1839 he was invalided from Central America. He was in Great Britain for the next year or two, but was at Bay of Islands in 1841, when he accompanied Hooker on some of his botanical ramblings. In 1842 he returned to Scotland and reported upon openings for investment in Sydney. Either at this time or soon after Sinclair presented to the British Museum such a fine collection of shells and insects that Dr John E. Gray was encouraged to commence his first scientifically-arranged catalogue. Thereafter scarcely a year passed but Sinclair made some gift or sale of importance to the Museum from his discoveries in New Zealand. Early in 1843 Sinclair was posted as surgeon to the convict ship Asiatic, conveying convicts to Tasmania. Having landed his people at Hobart (Sep), he signed off and proceeded to Sydney with the object of getting a passage back to England. There he met Captain Robert FitzRoy, R.N., on his way to New Zealand to assume the governorship. He discussed the prospects of doing exploration work and FitzRoy agreed to bring him, without pay.

The officer whom FitzRoy had intended to make Colonial Secretary was sick from wounds received exploring in Australia, and during the voyage to Auckland in the Bangalore FitzRoy made up his mind to utilise the services of Sinclair. In Jan 1844, he persuaded him to accept office as Colonial Secretary, with membership of the Legislative Council. Sinclair was not only a man of wide experience, he was a shrewd business man, and a sagacious and cautious adviser. Within a year trouble broke out at Bay of Islands, and Sinclair accompanied FitzRoy to the scene. On his advice the flagstaff was re-erected when Heke cut it down. Sinclair worked cordially with the Attorney-General (Swainson) and the Chief Justice (Martin), both firm friends of the Maori. He had to inaugurate a civil service for the Colony with the material at hand. His immediate colleague was Shepherd (q.v.), the Colonial Treasurer, but his subordinates he had to choose and train. When he resigned 12 years later there was the nucleus of a really efficient service, with men like G. S. Cooper and Gisborne in key positions. FitzRoy and Grey both treated Sinclair as their personal adviser and took his advice in their own investments.

The development of responsible government involved the retirement of the three permanent officials whose appointments were made by the Home government, and the Governor refused to accept the reform until their pensions had been provided for. This having been done in the session of 1856, Sinclair retired on pension and devoted the rest of his life to scientific pursuits. He proceeded at once on a visit to Scotland and Europe. He already had an established name in the scientific world through his gifts to the British Museum and his botanical contributions to Beechey's voyage; and in 1851 he had contributed to Hooker's Journal of Botany some notes on the vegetation of Auckland. He had discussed scientific matters with Darwin and Huxley, and had had correspondence with Owen from 1847. Late in 1858 he returned to New Zealand with the intention of gathering material for Hooker's Flora in one or two districts that had not been covered. Hooker referred frequently to Sinclair's herbarium, and did him the honour of naming a genus after him.

In 1859 Sinclair was elected a fellow of the Linnean Society. His journals show that he botanised in the vicinity of Whangarei and Manukau, in Otago and Southland, and in the Nelson and Marlborough districts. In Hooker's Flora it appears that he sent specimens from East Cape, Auckland, Bay of Islands, Great Barrier and Waiheke, Whangaroa, Nelson, D'Urville Island, Wairau, the Dun mountain and Tarndale (where he ascended to a crater at a height of 6,000 feet). Hooker considered Colenso the foremost botanical explorer in New Zealand at that time, with Sinclair second as a man of great attainments in many ways. Early in 1861 Sinclair was in Canterbury for the purpose of accompanying von Haast on his exploration of the Southern Alps. On 20 Mar they made their headquarters at Samuel Butler's station, Mesopotamia. On 22 Mar they set off up the Lawrence, a tributary of the Rangitata, and were about to proceed to its source when Sinclair volunteered to return to Mesopotamia to collate specimens. On 26 Mar he was travelling with another member of the party on foot. Attempting to cross a stream, he lost his footing and was swept away. The body was discovered next day and buried at Mesopotamia. Von Haast gave the name of Sinclair to a peak (7,022 feet) at the head of Forest Creek. A fine collection of specimens obtained by Sinclair and mounted by his nieces was shown by Sir George Grey at the Dunedin Exhibition (1865) and presented to Sydney University.

Sinclair died possessed of considerable property. He was a Christian gentleman of high principle, a generous philanthropist, and had been a liberal supporter of the Presbyterian church of St Andrew's, of which he was one of the founders. He was an originator of the Auckland museum (1853). He was unmarried. (See T. B. GILLIES)

N.Z.P.D., 1854-56; App. H.R., ib.; Canterbury Gaz.; Admiralty Records; Sinclair papers (General Assembly Library); family information from Dr Sinclair Gillies (Sydney); Beechey, Voyage of the Sulphur; Cant. O.N.; Bunbury; Gisborne; Saunders; Thomson; Rusden; Shortland; Cheeseman, Manual of N.Z. Flora, p. xxvii; Hochstetter; Hooker; Cox; H. F. Jones; H. T. Kemp in N.Z. Herald, 16 Mar 1901; Lyttelton Times, 3 Apr 1861; G. H. Scholefield in Evening Post, 29 Sep 1934 (p); N.Z. Herald, 7 Apr 1894.

Reference: Volume 2, page 155

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