Of Scottish descent, Forster family settled in the 18th century in the area near Gdańsk. Johann Reinhold Forster (1729–1798), pastor in Mokry Dwór in Żuławy, a theologian by education, was interested in biology. He instilled his passion in his eldest son, Johann Georg (1754–1794). Together with him, in 1765, he set off for Russia at the invitation of tsarina Catherine II. Because the report from the trip of the broad research field did not satisfy the Russian authorities, the Forster were forced to move to England in 1766. There, Johann Reinhold developed his academic career at Warrington University. He resigned from his position in 1767 as the result of the dispute with his colleagues – lecturers.
In 1772, accompanied by his son, he became the member of James Cook’s second exploration voyage to the South Seas, including ships “Resolution” and “Adventure”. It aimed at reaching the Continent named Terra Australis – the Great Southern Continent. The voyage lasted three years. In 1777, A voyage round the World in HMS “Resolution” commanded by Captain Cook, during the years 1772–1775, the book by Georg Forster was published. It became a world best seller.
In the following years, both Forsters sought university positions in continental Europe. In years 1779–1784, Georg worked at Kassel University, later on in Vilnius (1784–1787), from where he departed to Russia for a short period of time, and next since 1788 he held the position of the librarian in Mainz. Johann Reinhold was associated with the University of Halle (where he died on 9th December 1798). When the French troops entered Mainz in 1792, Georg supported revolutionary changes. He was one of the enthusiasts of the established Republic of Mainz. After the fall of the Republic, he moved to Paris where he died on 10th January 1794. His father publicly dissociated himself from his son’s views.
The article intends to bring closer the figures of both scientists, present their activity in many fields and their complicated life stories. It is done on the basis of fragmented literature, few translations of Georg Forster’s works into Polish, and the articles devoted to both Forsters supplemented by selected quotations from German literature.
