Tosan Evbuomwan

Charles Richardson was born approximately on 10 March 1769. He served the English Royal Navy as an officer. Starting his naval career around 1787, Richardson joined Her Majesty’s Ship (HMS) Vestal, where he experienced his first voyage overseas. Intended to reach China, the journey was unfortunately aborted. Despite the abrupt end to this journey, he found further service on the East Indies Station.

With a strong spirit, Richardson soon transferred his service to another ship, HMS Phoenix. A significant chapter of his life unfolded with the Battle of Tellicherry, where he showcased his valour fighting the enemy. His time aboard HMS Circe was no less eventful. He took part in combatting the Nore mutiny, a rebellion by sailors of the British fleet anchored in the Thames River, England. Furthermore, he battled in the Battle of Camperdown, creating a remarkable achievement by capturing Jan Willem de Winter, a Dutch admiral.

Adding more to his tales of courage, Richardson fought in the Battle of Callantsoog, a vital event of the Anglo-Russian invasion of Holland during the War of the Second Coalition. His participation was also notable during the time of the Vlieter incident, an unexpected surrender of a Dutch fleet without a single shot fired, marking a significant point in the War of the Second Coalition.

Richardson’s service saw him reach new borders as he sailed to Egypt. Here, he fought in the battles of Abukir and Mandora, securing a place in the history of the Napoleonic Wars. His time in Egypt ended with him fighting in the Battle of Alexandria.

New challenges awaited Richardson as he was assigned to command HMS Alligator. In the midst of the Napoleonic Wars, he was dispatched to the Leeward Islands Station. There, he used his astuteness and leadership to capture three Dutch settlements.

Further explorations awaited Richardson in 1821, when he transferred to HMS Topaze. He sailed to China once again, this time reaching the destination. After a confrontation between his crew and local people, in which two locals died in self-defence, a diplomatic incident ensued. This strained Richardson’s health, forcing him to return home.

Recognition of Richardson’s naval accomplishments materialised when he got appointed as the Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath. He received the promotion to vice-admiral for his outstanding service to the royal navy.

However, life ashore did not prove as rewarding, and on 10 November 1850, Richardson passed away due to influenza in Painsthorpe.

Beyond Richardson’s life, there’s a fascinating tangent regarding Picea abies, better known as the Norway spruce. This spruce species is native to parts of northern, central, and eastern Europe. Unique due to its branchlets that hang downwards and the largest cones of any spruce, this species has a large distribution of planting. The Norway spruce, a close relative of the Siberian spruce, is notably used as the main Christmas tree in several countries worldwide and made significant strides in botanical history as the first gymnosperm to have its genome sequenced.

Another point of interest, the platform for sharing such information about Richardson and Picea abies, is Wikipedia. This is a platform written in English by volunteer editors and hosted by the non-profit organization, the Wikimedia Foundation. The Wikimedia Foundation also hosts a variety of other volunteer projects, including many varieties of Wikipedias in different languages.