# Dictionary of National Biography, 1901 supplement/Blanford, Henry Francis

​BLANFORD, HENRY FRANCIS (1834–1893), meteorologist and geologist, son of William Blanford by his wife, Harriet Simpson, was born on 3 June 1834 in Bouverie Street, Whit efriars, where his father had a manufactory. His earlier education was at schools in Brighton and Brussels. After passing with distinction through the Royal School of Mines, and studying for a year at Freiberg in Saxony, he was appointed to the Geological Survey of India, where he began work in the autumn of 1865. Early in his career he made the first step towards setting in order the Gondwana group, by separating from it the Talchir strata with their remarkable boulder bed, and he afterwards classified the cretaceous strata near Trichinopoly. In 1862, as his health was suffering, he retired from the survey, but accepted a post in the Bengal educational department, being one of the professors at the Presidency College, Calcutta, until 1872.
Geology was now almost laid aside for meteorology, in which science he became so distinguished that in the last-named year he was appointed meteorological reporter to the government of Bengal, and was placed in charge of an office to give storm warnings as well as make observations in the presidency. Important discoveries as to the origin of cyclones were the result, and on the formation of a more comprehensive department he was placed at the head of it as meteorological reporter to the government of India. The work was arduous, but Blanford's powers of organisation and scientific knowledge were fruitful in results, the value of which has been widely recognised, not the least being his numerous reports and papers, most of which will be found in the publications of the India Office. In 1888 he retired and returned to England, residing at Folkestone till his death on 23 Jan. 1893. He married, on 20 June 1867, Charlotte Mackenzie, daughter of George Ferguson Cockburn of the India civil service, and grand-daughter of Lord-justice Cockburn. She survived him, together with two sons and as many daughters.
Of Blanford's scientific papers, some fifty in number, the majority deal with meteorology, but those on geology exhibit a wide range of knowledge. He also wrote, together with his contributions to the survey publications, wholly or in part, the following books : 1. (with Carl Johann August Theodor Scheerer) 'An Introduction to the use of the Blowpipe. Together with a Description of the Blowpipe Characters of the most important Minerals,' London (translated and compiled by Blanford), 1856, 12mo; 3rd edit. 1875. 2. (with John William Salter [q. v.]) 'Palæontology of Niti in the Northern Himalaya,' Calcutta, 1865, 8vo. 3, (with J. E. Gastrell) 'Report of the Calcutta Cyclone of 5 Oct. 1864,' Calcutta, 1866, 8vo. 4. 'The Indian Meteorologist's Vade Mecum,' 1868; enlarged edit. Calcutta, 1877, 4to. 5. 'Rudiments of Physical Geography for the use of Indian Schools,' Calcutta, 1873, 8vo; 6th edit. London, 1878, 8vo. 6. 'The Winds of Northern India,' 1873, 8vo. 7. 'A Practical Guide to the Climates and Weather of India, Ceylon, Burma,' London, 1889, 8vo. 8. 'An Elementary Geography of India, Burma, and Cevlon,' London, 1890, 8vo. He was elected F.G.S. in 1862, F.R.S. in 1880, was president of the Asiatic Society of Bengal in 1884-5, and an honorary member of several foreign meteorological societies.
[Nature, xlvii. 322; Quarterly Journal Geological Society Proc. xlix. 52; information kindly given by W. T. Blanford, esq., F.R.S., brother of H.F. Blanford.]
T. G. B.