- Robert Bennet Forbes
Captain Robert Bennet Forbes (September 18 ,1804 –November 23 ,1889 ), was a sea captain, China merchant, ship owner, and writer. He was born inJamaica Plain , nearBoston, Massachusetts , the son of Ralph Bennet Forbes and wife Margaret Perkins, of thePerkins family , and brother ofJohn Murray Forbes . As a member of theForbes family of Boston, much of his wealth was derived from theopium andChina trade and he played a prominent role in the outbreak of theOpium War . Despite the ethical problems of dealing in opium, he was known to engage in humanitarian activities, such as commandeering the USS "Jamestown" to send food toIrish famine sufferers in 1847.His writings, most of them pamphlets, include:
*Remarks on China and the China Trade (1844)
*The Voyage of theJamestown , etc. (1874)
*An Appeal to Merchants and Ship Owners, on the Subject of Seamen (1854)
*On the Establishment of a Line of Mail Steamers . . . to China (1855)
*Remarks on Ocean Steam Navigation (1855)
*Remarks onMagnetism and Local Attraction (1875)
*The Forbes Rig (1862)
*Means for Making the Highways of the Ocean more Safe (1867)
*Personal Reminiscences (1876; 3rd ed., 1892)
*The Lifeboat and other Life-saving Inventions (1880)
*New Rig for Steamers (1883)
*Notes on Navigation (1884)
*Loss of Life and Property in the Fisheries (1884)
*Notes on Ships of the Past (1888)He built a
Greek Revival mansion for his mother inMilton, Massachusetts , designed byIsaiah Rogers (1833), that is now theCaptain Robert Bennet Forbes House Museum.External links
* [http://www.forbeshousemuseum.org/ Website of the Captain Forbes House Museum]
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