Burchell’s Travels

In November 1810, a thirty-year-old Englishman named William John Burchell landed in Cape Town after several years as a naturalist on St Helena island. The following year he embarked on an epic journey through the Cape Colony, lasting four years and covering 7000 kilometres, mainly through unexplored terrain. During this time he collected over 50 000 plant and animal specimens and built up a vast collection of sketches and paintings. He went on to travel in Brazil, and after many years back in B