Seychelles

Paleontology related stamps of Seychelles: HMS Beagle

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Contents:
Seychelles, officially the Republic of Seychelles, is an archipelago and country in the Indian Ocean. The 115-island country, whose capital is Victoria, lies 1,500 kilometres east of mainland East Africa.
Other nearby island countries and territories include the Comoros, Mayotte (region of France), Madagascar, Réunion (region of France) and Mauritius to the south.
With a population of roughly 92,000, it has the smallest population of any sovereign African country; however, it does have a larger population than the British overseas territory Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha.
After proclamation of independence from the United Kingdom in 1976, Seychelles has developed from a largely agricultural society to a market-based diversified economy, with agriculture being supplanted by rapidly rising service and public sectors as well as tourism.
Since 1976, per capita output has increased nearly sevenfold. [R1]


The first stamps marked Seychelles were issued on 5 April 1890 and were of a Queen Victoria key type design. A number of different issues followed, all of the same design, including surcharges in 1893 and 1901. [R2]
As of 2021, Seychelles has not issued any stamp directly related to paleontology.



Some stamps of Seychelles to consider: HMS Beagle

21.12.1976 "200th anniversary of American independence" [A1] 27.02.1981"Ships" [A2]
Thomas Jefferson among other American presidents on stamp of Seychelles 1976 HMS Beagle among other famous ships on stamp of Seychelles 1981 HMS Beagle among other famous ships on stamp of Seychelles 1981

Notes:
Thomas Jefferson on stamp of Seychelles 1976
Thomas Jefferson on stamp of Seychelles 1976 MiNr.: 376, Scott: 371
HMS Beagle on stamp of Seychelles 1981
HMS Beagle on stamp of Seychelles 1981 MiNr.: 476, Scott: 466
[A1] One of these stamps shows 3rd American president Thomas Jefferson who is also known and the “Father of American Paleontology”.

Thomas Jefferson is rightfully renowned as the principal author of the Declaration of Independence, the Third President of the United States, and a champion of Liberty. But he was also a central player in the beginnings of American paleontology. In addition, his participation occurred at a time when people were struggling with the ideas of fossils as evidence of past life, of extinction, and of an Earth far older than the Biblical account.
Some of the fruits of Jefferson's paleontology became part of the collections at the American Philosophical Society in Philadelphia. Beginning in 1849 these holdings were transferred over to the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, where they are currently housed.
USA stamp of Thomas Jefferson issued in 1851 is the first Paleontology related stamp ever.
Since then, many stamps depicting Thomas Jefferson have been issued by the USA and many other countries around the world.


 [A2] HMS Beagle shown on one of the stamps.
HMS Beagle was a Cherokee-class 10-gun brig-sloop of the Royal Navy, one of more than 100 ships of this class. On the second voyage a young naturalist named Charles Darwin was on board; the pivotal role this round the world voyage played in forming his scientific theories made Beagle one of the most famous ships in history.
Darwin had kept a diary of his experiences and rewrote this as the book titled Journal and Remarks, published in 1839 as the third volume of the official account of the expedition. This travelogue and scientific journal was widely popular, and was reprinted many times with various titles, becoming known as The Voyage of the Beagle. This diary is where Darwin drew most of the ideas for his publications. Darwin attributes his first real training in natural history to his voyage on the Beagle. [R4]



References:



Acknowledgement:
Many thanks to Dr. Peter Voice from Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences, Western Michigan University, for reviewing the draft page and his valuable comments.


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