Chamisso,Adelbert von b. January 30, 1781; Boncourt Castle, France d.August 21, 1838; Berlin, Prussia
German romantic author: participated in the Russian exploration of Alaska, Hawaii, and California.
With the objective of discovering a subarctic navigable passage across North America, the Russian brig Rurik, under the command of captain Otto von Kotzebue, set sail from Kronstadt, Russia, in the summer of 1815.
This voyage took Kotzebue and crew across the Atlantic Ocean, around Cape Horn, and into the Pacific Ocean. The Rurik sailed up to the Bering Strait, making the first of its two visits to Alaska in summer 1816. From there it sailed south to San Francisco Bay, remaining there for approximately one month.The ship next paid its first visit to Hawaii, arriving in the then Sandwich Islands in the fall of 1816. After approximately three weeks, it sailed westward, before again turning north for the second visit to Alaska in the summer of 1817. Ill health and harsh weather forced the captain to abandon his objective of finding a passage through the Arctic, and the crew eventually headed home, passing once more through the Hawaiian Islands. The voyage ended when the Rurik arrived home in St. Petersburg in the summer of 1818.
A good account of this journey was provided by resident naturalist and romantic writer Adelbert von Chamisso. Chamisso, best known for Peter Schlemihl's wundersame Geschichte (Peter Schlemihl’s Miraculous Story) and numerous poems, published in 1836 a two-volume edition of his journey, consisting of his journal and a series of essays and observations of the voyage. This story is one of many travelogues from the period, in which much of the Pacific Ocean was first being thoroughly explored by Europeans. Through Chamisso, the reader benefits from having a naturalist and a romantic poet telling the story. His volumes contain rich details, not only of the flora and fauna he encountered but also of the people he met.
For example, the reader learns of Chamisso’s hikes through the Hawaiian Islands, along with similar wanderings in the Aleutians. The books include an account of a botanical excursion in Hawaii, in which he walked through a fertile valley behind Honolulu (Hana- ruru), picked some beautiful grasses he had not seen before, and encountered considerable grief because he had actually picked rice during the first year it had successfully grown in the islands.Chamisso discusses indigenous customs and relations among the Russians— who were not popular in the Hawaiian Is- lands—Spanish, other Europeans, and Americans. The indigenous peoples of Hawaii generally enjoyed and had fun with Chamisso, causing him once to say “Arocha,” a customary peaceful salutation, incessantly. The author’s response displayed his good nature toward the peoples he met. In California, Chamisso witnessed negotiations between the Spanish governor and the Russians who were encroaching on Spanish territory. Although the Russians were not the only power that violated Spain’s claims in that region, they had a settlement near San Francisco, which the Spanish wanted vacated. Chamisso’s command of languages provided him an important role in these negotiations: although no decision was made over the settlement’s future, both parties decided to issue a document that would be sent to the Spanish and Russian royal courts. This essentially solved the problem, at least during Chamisso’s stay in California.
In addition to his journal of this voyage, Chamisso also wrote several essays about his experiences. One of these provides more details of his stay in California, including weather patterns and the plight of the local peoples. There are descriptions of the animals of the region, including the ferocious brown bear, along with wolves, foxes, goats, and stags. The problems faced by the local peoples were more serious, resulting from a Spanish policy that also kept the region underpopulated and sapped California of its potential for trade and shipping.
The mission system was more problematic, especially because of its exploitation of the native peoples. The so- called savages faced serious troubles, andfound their histories, customs, beliefs, and languages treated with contempt by the mission priests. Indeed, Chamisso notes that the local peoples were dying at alarming rates from disease and the lack of sufficient medical help. Chamisso knew he could do little to help the peoples he encountered, but he hoped that someone who followed his expedition would be able to learn more about the local cultures of the area.
Chamisso was fortunate throughout his journey. His efforts to collect fossilized ivory, human skulls, stuffed birds, and models of whales were greatly aided by his sympathetic captain, who provided extra storage. When Chamisso safely arrived home, he wrote about his journey and left history not only with a literate account of his travels but also with a sizable collection of specimens for the museumgoers of Berlin.
David E. Marshall
See also Indians in German Literature; Kino, Eusebius Franciscus; Travel Literature, Germany-U.S.
References and Further Reading
Chamisso, Adalbert von. A Voyage around the World with the Romanzov Exploring Expedition in the Years 1815—1818 in the Brig Rurik, Captain Otto von Kotzebue. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 1986.