Dr. Charles Irving

(d. 1780s)

Dr. Charles Irving was a naval surgeon and inventor from London, who employed Gustavus Vassa on several occasions. He was well-known for his invention of an apparatus designed to make sea water drinkable, although there is some debate as to whether he stole the distillation method from Dr. James Lind or if he merely adjusted the method to be more efficient. The device could also be used to transform harsh alcoholic liquids into palatable spirits. In 1770, the technology was adopted by the Royal Navy, and he was awarded £5,000 by the government. It is likely that Irving got into medicine, either through an apprenticeship with a surgeon; by training at an English hospital or private medical school; or by studying at a European University. He was not licensed by the Royal College of Physicians based in London and would have been unable to set up practice in England. He first hired Vassa in 1768 as a hairdresser in Pall-Mall. In 1772, Irving employed Vassa to help him with his water distillation apparatus, likely having him assist with the operation of the device on two ships on Captain James Cook’s second voyage of exploration in the Pacific Ocean. In 1773, Irving joined the crew of the HMS Racehorse on an Arctic Expedition led by Constantine Phipps to test the device at sea, along with Vassa, who acted as his assistant. The Arctic expedition intended to explore a possible sea route to the Pacific eastward past Scandinavia and Russia but failed to do so. The expedition proved that there was no passage through the ice, ultimately could not reach the North Pole and otherwise achieved very little scientifically. The expedition was overshadowed by Pacific voyages during the same period. Upon returning to London, Vassa continued to work for Irving. He may have assisted Irving with several other experiments concerned with the collection and preservation of zoological and botanical specimens as well as some survey work at two or more locations in the Svalbard Archipelago.

In November of 1775, Irving and Alexander Blair enlisted Vassa as the overseer of a “model plantation” scheme to produce castor oil and cotton on the British-controlled Mosquito Shore, south of Cabo Gracias a Dios on the Rio Grande de Matagalpa. Blair and Irving’s interest in castor oil likely stemmed from its use in the manufacturing of soap. Blair, along with the distinguished chemist James Keir, owned a successful soap manufactory in Tipton. The Mosquito Shore was an ideal location for the plantation as Ricinus Communis, the plant from which castor oil is extracted, grew wild on the coast. Vassa was hired due to his fluency in Igbo, as he accompanied Irving to Jamaica on the Morning Star to recruit fellow Igbo men and women from an array of newly arrived captives from West Africa. Vassa apparently believed that Irving’s plan was to create a plantation of enslaved Africans who would work under ameliorated conditions, with the opportunity to eventually become free workers. The plantation would be supervised by Vassa. Irving envisioned his scheme as a model for the immigration of settlers and the establishment of a beachhead to conquer the Spanish colonies in the interior. Because of torrential rains, the Matagalpa experiment was a failure, and Vassa became disillusioned. In June 1776, Vassa abandoned the plantation and worked on a ship that traveled down the Central American coast in search of mahogany. After spending a short time in Jamaica, Vassa made his way back to London According to Vassa’s testimony, the conditions on the Mosquito Shore took a turn for the worst after he left, and the Igbo slaves drowned attempting to escape. Vassa felt responsible for the deaths of the workers, which further propelled him toward the abolitionist cause.

On April 30, 1776, two Spanish vessels of its coast guard seized Irving and Blair’s boat the Morning Star at Black River (modern Rio Tinto). The loss of the ship and its contents cost Blair and Irving an estimated £3723. Blair and Irving petitioned the British government to seek compensation for the “violent outrage” committed against them and to regain ownership of the ship. Following the failure of Mosquito Shore venture, Irving was involved with the British invasion of Nicaragua in 1879-1780, mapping a possible route inland from Bluefields and recruiting Miskitu mercenaries for the invasion. His last known whereabouts were in Jamaica. Vassa erroneously reported that he died from eating “poisoned fish,” probably a metaphorical reference to his wish that Irving would come to no good, but in fact Irving married a widow and inherited her plantation upon her death and otherwise appears to have prospered until his own death sometime in the 1780s.

A known associate of Irving’s was Scottish inventor, James Watt, whose “watt steam engine” was instrumental in bringing the changes accompanied with the industrial revolution to Britain and the rest of the world. Watt occasionally stayed with Irving when he was in London on business. There is also some evidence to suggest that Irving may have supervised an engineering project for the engineering and manufacturing firm of Boulton & Watt.

Irving associated with many other important anti-slavery activists in London, although his views on the abolition of slavery are not certain. He was a free-thinking reformer, having helped to arrange the return of four enslaved Miskitu leaders to Central America in 1775 and even providing passage on his ship for their voyage. Vassa described Irving as a tolerant and supportive employer and friend who played an important role in his intellectual development, encouraging him to attend night school and continue with his studies in the practical arts.

Charles Irving’s apparatus for distillation of seawater.