Schlagwort-Archiv: rest

Miyanoshita, 16 August 1893

Hinterlasse eine Antwort

This day was completely dedicated to rest, to the dolce far niente, as there were no temples to visit nor was the weather suitable for excursions. The morning I filled with shopping where I bought countless quite useless and valueless objects of various kind, feeding the goldfishes and watching the creation of a Japanese hairdo of a Japanese lady who despite wearing a negligee was not inconvenienced by our presence. Then we all put on kimonos and had ourselves photographed in the local dress which caused hilarity many American ladies especially our chief doctor who is blessed with a bit heavier body.

Especially well did one photograph turn out that showed me in the midst of my entourage who were all kneeling in the Japanese manner and covering the ground with their heads. As we were already enjoying the local customs, I undertook the quite painful procedure of getting a tattoo that required in a four hour session no fewer than 52.000 pinpricks and resulted in a resplendent dragon on my left arm — a joke I will probably come to regret due to its inextinguishable marks. A stroll and an excellent dinner completed this no very useful but quiet day of rest.

Links

  • Location: Miyanoshita, Japan
  • ANNO – on 16.08.1893 in Austria’s newspapers.
  • The k.u.k. Hof-Burgtheater is closed for summer until 15 September. The k.u.k. Hof-Operntheater is performing the opera „Die Königin von Saba“.

Hongkong, 28 July 1893

Hinterlasse eine Antwort

Today’s stay in Hongkong is considered an extension of the program. But we were so busy with the packaging and sending of the objects bought in Canton that a delay of the time for departure seemed inevitable. In the morning I stayed on board, occupied with all kinds of business and received our so late arrived consular agent, a German named Kramer who excused himself as he had gone to pick up his sick wife in Japan.

In the afternoon I „strolled“ again in the streets of the city, taking my leave from Hongkong, and in the evening I hosted a dinner on board to which I had invited the Austrians, namely consul general Haas and his wife, Coudenhove and the Lloyd’s agent as well as Mr. Kramer. „Bismarck“, the German speaking Chinese, had presented me with a flower bouquet as table decoration. After the meal, the wonderful moonshine enticed all dinner participants to undertake, in our barge, a tour of the harbor.

Links

  • Location: Hongkong
  • ANNO – on 28.07.1893 in Austria’s newspapers.
  • The k.u.k. Hof-Burgtheater is closed for summer until 15 September. The k.u.k. Hof-Operntheater is performing a ballet „Coppella“ and more.

Singapore, 15 July 1893

Hinterlasse eine Antwort

According to a telegram received today from Coudenhove the Siamese minister for foreign affairs had declared that all measures had been taken to receive me in the best manner possible but at the moment there existed no certainty in Siam about the further development of the current complications. Therefore I decided with a heavy heart to take the higher diplomatic considerations into account and forgo the chance to gain in a stay, even if only a brief one, some insight about the state of the kingdom of Siam — a state it would have been of the highest interest to learn more about even if only furtively.

The homeland of a thousand year old civilization combining autochthonous elements with Indian and Chinese forms, Siam is the sole still independent kingdom of the South East Asian peninsula that has managed to preserve the character of oriental autocracy in pure form. The territory of the „lord of the white elephants“ had managed to stay out of the spheres of influence of the European states up to now and be open to European influence only as far as that was achievable without harming the national peculiarities.

The visit to the royal court of Siam, seeing the strange luxurious architecture that Bangkok offers in its temples and palace rooms as „Asia’s Venice“, observing Siamese culture, art and customs as well as hunting in the hilly woods and swamps of the country that will certainly be rewarding for my eagerly growing collections — all this and a number of beautiful, educational and hunting days became the victim of international entanglements.

My tropical fever hindered me also today to go on land. While at the beginning I was forced to stay in bed which was extremely uncomfortable due to the terrible heat in the cabins, I managed now to rest on a chaise longue on the afterdeck castle or on the iron deck and thus enjoy the refreshing air cool the high temperature.

The recovery from tropical fever and the abatement of the weakness connected to it is retarded by two factors as long as the ill person is on board of a ship: The first factor is the suffering caused by the heat for which there are fewer countermeasures available on board than on land. Secondly, it is difficult to prepare the necessary invigorating food on board. The tropical fever leads to a complete bodily weakness, despite the best care and food, so that the level of activity of an ill person is similar to that of a housefly in autumn. While the physical condition of an ill person amounts to a total weakness of all the body’s forces, the psychic condition is such that there are frequent changes from total passivity to keyed up nervousness. The resulting depressive spirit will cause, after intervals of absolute passivity, a mood in the ill person that makes interacting with him nothing less than interesting for persons in proximity.

My gentlemen had done some shopping for me in the city and among else restocked the menagerie as death had recently produced quite a few important empty spots. A part of our animals also was set to be sent home on board of the just departing (Austrian) Lloyd’s steamboat „Vindobona“. As a replacement I had bought 14 monkeys which climbed up the yards and shrouds or outboards into the battery. Two of these four limbed animals just used the first moment of their golden liberty to enter the cabins of the first lieutenant and the chief engineer and produce such a chaos there that it looked in there like the aftermath of a heavy storm. One of the wrongdoers was caught when it, having completed the work of destruction, admired itself self-satisfied in the mirror after using plenty of the toiletteries laying around.

When the sun set, I had already lost the last hope to visit Bangkok and buried it in the endless sea.

Links

  • Location: Singapore
  • ANNO – on 15.07.1893 in Austria’s newspapers.
  • The k.u.k. Hof-Burgtheater is playing „Hamlet“. The k.u.k. Hof-Operntheater is closed from 1 June to 19 July.
Not content with misinforming its readers about FF's stay in Siam, the Salonblatt adds an imaginative but wrong impression of the meeting.

Not content with misinforming its readers about FF’s stay in Siam, the Salonblatt adds an imaginative but wrong impression of the meeting.

Singapore, 14 July 1893

Hinterlasse eine Antwort

Unfortunately, Job’s news arrived in form of a telegram out of Bangkok announcing that the arrival of two French cruisers at the estuary had caused great commotion and there was now uncertainty what could happen as a consequence of the French action. I immediately had sent another telegram to Coudenhove in order to obtain the utmost achievable clarity about the possibility of our visit in Bangkok.

In the afternoon the commander informed us about a note from the British gunboat HMS „Pigmy“ which stated that two French ships had forced their way into Menam and an engagement happened at Paknam.

We stayed again in the roads, this time to load provisions and to await news from Siam as we still had hope that events would take a different turn at the last moment and yet permit a visit of Bangkok.

Some newspaper from Austria and the German Empire that we had managed to procure from a club in Singapore were eagerly devoured.

Links

  • Location: Singapore
  • ANNO – on 14.07.1893 in Austria’s newspapers.
  • The k.u.k. Hof-Burgtheater is playing „Die Journalisten“. The k.u.k. Hof-Operntheater is closed from 1 June to 19 July.
The Wiener Salonblatt No, 29 tells it readers that FF has arrived in Singapore but does not mention his illness. It, however, knows that FF will spend the next two weeks in Siam.

The Wiener Salonblatt No, 29 tells it readers that FF has arrived in Singapore but does not mention his illness. It, however, knows that FF will spend the next two weeks in Siam.

Singapore, 13 July 1893

Hinterlasse eine Antwort

Today a steamer in the new harbor made room for us and so we could start loading coal. This happened very quickly, thanks to the assistance of Chinese coolies, so that, in a single day, we had loaded the required reserve on board.

Links

  • Location: Singapore
  • ANNO – on 13.07.1893 in Austria’s newspapers.
  • The k.u.k. Hof-Burgtheater is playing „Vater und Sohn“. The k.u.k. Hof-Operntheater is closed from 1 June to 19 July.

Singapore, 12 July 1893

Hinterlasse eine Antwort

At 4 o’clock the light beacon of Horsburgh became visible and at a quarter before 9 o’clock the anchors were dropped in the roads of Singapore.

The Belgian consul general M. J. de Bernard de Fauconval, still representing our consular affairs here, representatives from the English government and suppliers soon brought messages from Europe on board that were immediately reported to me in my sick bed.

The last messages we received from home, namely in Sydney, dated from the start of the month of April and the most recent Viennese newspapers carried the date of 6 April. Since then, we had been left without news, apparently due to misdirection of the mail. During our long journey through the Melanesian islands to Singapore, we had constantly guessed when and where we would encounter our mail. Before each call at a harbor in which the mail might have been waiting for us, our expectations about this served as a general topic of conversation and the commissary officer was overwhelmed with questions about the higher or lower probability of satisfying our hopes and was blamed, in advance, for any disappointments. Unfortunately, the latter did occur!

We had heavily counted upon to find a mail package already in Thursday Island or, for instance, in Amboina — but each time in vain! How bitter it is to travel for four and a half months without receiving even the tiniest news from home can only be appreciated by those who can feel the joy in the hearts of those, thousands of miles away from home, who receive a new voluminous mail package on board — a mail package that contains letters and with them the assurance that many a dear being at home has not forgotten the distant traveller.

Some of the messages brought on board by the consul general were in way positive. Apart from the rumor that a revolution had occurred in Paris and the information that the English admiral’s ship „Victoria“ did sink with a loss of life in the waves of over 400 brave sailors, we were informed that the political situation in Siam was now in a state that it was questionable whether it was a sound idea for us to pay a visit to Bangkok. It was said that the French government talked about setting up a blockade and that the Siamese thought about resisting energetically and had already blocked the river Menam with ships sunk for that purpose. Multiple French troop transport ships and gun boats had been rushed there. Given the tense situation, a declaration of war could happen at any moment.

I immediately telegraphed Coudenhove, legation secretary of our embassy in Tokyo staying in Bangkok, to send authentic information about the recent entanglements. He answered however that the King of Siam was definitely expecting my visit. During the day, a Siamese officer named Luang Visadh Parihar came on board on behalf of his government to seek information about my intentions, and this messenger was announced our probable arrival in Bangkok.

During the day we had to remain in the roads as the New Harbor where coal is usually loaded was so overcrowded with ships that we could not enter.

Links

  • Location: Singapore
  • ANNO – on 12.07.1893 in Austria’s newspapers.
  • The k.u.k. Hof-Burgtheater is playing „Die guten Freunde“. The k.u.k. Hof-Operntheater is closed from 1 June to 19 July.

Amboina, 2 July 1893

Hinterlasse eine Antwort

Today in the morning were were again surprised, after we had enjoyed the sight of the sun the day before, by a heavy downpour so that we had to remain calm in our cabins. The land was barely visible as everything was fully enveloped by fog and clouds.

After mass we stood around in groups in front of the cabins and looked up to the grey sky whether the rain would ever stop. But there was no hope for today. Still I drove out to the sea gardens again in the afternoon to fish some corals with my people.

Then I paid a final visit to the resident’s family. The whole park near the palace had been turned into a lake. The main topic of conversation naturally was the rain.

Links

  • Location: Amboina
  • ANNO – on 02.07.1893 in Austria’s newspapers.
  • The k.u.k. Hof-Burgtheater is playing „Vater und Sohn“. The k.u.k. Hof-Operntheater is closed from 1 June to 19 July.

Hunting camp at Laroki to Port Moresby, 18 June 1893

Hinterlasse eine Antwort

Early in the morning we set off from the shore of the Laroki and started the ride to Port Moresby in beautiful clear weather. Our people, the taxidermist who was still occupied with yesterday’s catch and the female corps of baggage carriers would follow in an hour. During the cool morning the ride home was quicker and much more agreeable than the march to the hunting camp. After only 3 hours we had reached the heights above Moresby which offered a wonderful panorama on the harbor, the native settlements, the barrier reef and the blue ocean. The picture was all the more impressive as we suddenly saw this enticing panorama after a monotonous ride of multiple hours through the plain.

In Port Moresby we made our preparations for the upcoming excursion to the Vei Maori river. First „Elisabeth“ would take me to the mouth of the river in the Redscar Bay 46 sea miles out of Port Moresby. The hunting party would then follow with smaller vehicles the Vei Maori river upstream. In the meantime, „Elisabeth“  would anchor in a nautically safe place in front of Yule Island to the Northwest and come and get me on 20 June in the Redscar Bay. In Yule Harbour „Elisabeth“  would also greet in my name the Catholic mission there in which one Dutch and many Belgian missionaries as well as some pious sisters of the congregation of the divine heart perform their beneficial works. I had met, during our stay on Thursday island, one of the missionaries from Yule Harbour and had most friendly been invited by the pater during my voyage on New Guinea. As I could not come personally, I wanted at least that „Elisabeth“ paid the missionaries a visit.

As the coast of New Guinea has many cliffs, reefs and shallow waters in the South and South-west just like everywhere else and the naval maps of this territory still are very imprecise and soundings have not been made in sufficient numbers, the rest of the day was completely spent in meetings with the governor and his officials and the gentlemen of the staff about the planned route.  The sailor who would serve as pilot was an already old man who is employed by a merchant house as captain of a schooner. For 28 years he has been navigating the coasts of New Guinea but was a bit ill. Due to the medicines administered by our chief medical officer the patient was recovering sufficiently to undertake the journey.

The supplies were restocked by buying tins and other provisions. Finally everything was ready for „Elisabeth“ to set out the next morning.

The rearguard of the expedition to the Laroki river returned on board totally exhausted from the march only around 5 o’clock in the afternoon. The people had to cover the distance again during the hottest hours of the day. Some members of the caravan had picked up a fever during the hunting expedition. On board too, this mean illness had claimed  victims as a part of the crew and almost all of our servants were laying sick in bed.

Mallinarich had used the time of our absence to assemble a very nice collection of butterflies and another one of corals. In the latter one there were also again a few new forms very different from those that had been fished out before. Thanks to the activities of Mallinarich specimens of the most original species wandered out of the harbor of Moresby that was full of fishes into alcohol containers.

The loading of coal had been completed long ago and the coaling ship had already departed in the direction of Sydney the day before. Our ship’s condition did not create any problems for the commander to receive a few members of the tiny group of Europeans in Moresby  on board where our music band played happy melodies.

Links

  • Location: Port Moresby, New Guinea
  • ANNO – on 18.06.1893 in Austria’s newspapers.
  • The k.u.k. Hof-Burgtheater is playing „Feodora“. The k.u.k. Hof-Operntheater is closed from 1 June to 19 July.

Tjipandak, 22 April 1893

Hinterlasse eine Antwort

Rain, nothing but rain. Already during the whole night the heavy drops of rain hit the palm roofs of our huts and it trickled through now and then, so that the already wet possessions were completely soaked. Black clouds were hanging low in the sky as if the sky had opened up all sluices. As soon as the rain relented a little bit, a new downpour followed with an intensity unknown at home. In such conditions it was impossible to think about hunting, as the river was so swollen that it seemed impossible to cross it. The drivers and the hunters too could not have been motivated to move and enter into the thicket. Thus we had to be patient and spent the day with weather observations that however provided only very regrettable results.

As it happens in such cases we spent the time in eating in short intervals and complained extensively about the weather and the vexed rainy season. The water in the river rose so much and, by the way, the push back of the sea was noticeable in the waves of the river too, that we feared about our bathing hut and had to protect it.

As expected the harsher consequences of the bad weather did manifest themselves. One of our servants was struck by a heavy fever due to the constant wetness in which we are living and it its expected that we will see more sick cases.

Only after 5 o’clock in the evening the rain started to diminish a bit, so that we decided despite the great humidity to undertake a small hunting tour in the vicinity of the camp. I climbed a hill above the huts where palm groves extended between Alang grass areas. I bagged multiple doves, among them especially fruit doves. In the distance I also saw two monkeys and a beautiful but unfortunately very timid Javanese peacock sitting on a barren palm tree. The attempt to get closer failed as the thicket that separated me from it proved completely impenetrable. In fact sneaking up on game is nearly impossible here due to the noise involuntarily caused by any movement. I did not manage to bag a Javanese hornbill either of which multiple flew high up above the trees during the day.

From the hill I hunted down to the sea coast. There I met the other gentlemen and returned to camp only after it was completely dark.

Links

  • Location: Tji Pandak, Indonesia
  • ANNO – on 22.04.1893 in Austria’s newspapers. The Neue Freie Presse features a correspondent report in Calcutta about FF’s hunt in Nepal dated from 4 April 1893.
  • The k.u.k. Hof-Burgtheater is playing „Bürgerlich und romantisch“, while the k.u.k. Hof-Operntheater is performing the ballet „Die goldene Märchenwelt“.

Calcutta Diamond Harbour, 29 March 1893

Hinterlasse eine Antwort

In the morning at 7 o’clock we arrived in Calcutta and were received by the military secretary of the vice king and his adjutant at the station. These gentlemen escorted us to Government House where I was greeted by the vice king who was visibly pleased with the satisfying conclusion of my Indian journey.

The morning was fully spent with ordering the packaging and dispatch of the treasures intended to be sent home that had been bought in India. I then went to the city to do some shopping and namely to complete my collection of photographies of the places visited. Towards noon I paid a visit to Lady Landsdowne and took lunch with the vice-royal pair. Our gracious hosts and we were then photographed as a group.

I also paid a visit to poor Beresford, who fell badly a few days before, to say good-bye to him and took leave from my dear travel companions at Calcutta station, consul general  Stockinger, who had escorted us during all the voyage in India and was now bound for home. We regard Stockinger not only a very gracious and charming companion but also a very thorough expert on India where he has made great contributions for our country during his ten years‘ stay here, while always showing a keen and enduring interest for all aspects of India.

After a two hour drive through an area criss-crossed by numerous streams and swamps, we finally arrived  in Diamond Harbour where I was received by the ship’s commander v. Becker to escort me in a lateral canal in the gala boat to „SMS Elisabeth“ which anchored at Hugli. I was very glad to see our beautiful ship again after an absence of one and a half months and to stand again on a piece of native ground. The anthem was played, the crew was assembled in the salute positions and the guns thundered when I embarked. On board I was greeted by the gentlemen of the staff who had many interesting events to tell from their long voyage from Goa, Colombo, Trincomali to Calcutta, the places where „Elisabeth“ had called.

Only after sunset did the muggy weather relent a bit and a fresh wind offer some cool air, when we were united to a good-bye dinner on the  afterdeck with the English gentlemen. The cook Bussatto made his best efforts, the ship band played the most beautiful melodies so that regardless of the impending separation from our travel companions there was soon a very good mood and everybody expressed the hope to see one another soon, compensating for the pain of separation. Still we were unhappy to see Kinsky as well as the English gentlemen, General Protheroe, Captain Fairholme and Mr. Crawford depart as we had become used to their company during the shared trip crossing India from here to there and sharing impressions and adventures. We had so much grown together as a group of companions that the separation felt like a painful rift of a common band. The friends from whom we were soon to be separated were not only agreeable companions but had made important contributions to the success of the voyage: Kinsky had made careful preparations, the English gentlemen led with care and insight all journeys and expeditions in the relentless pursuit to make the voyage a true pleasure.

The four Sowars, native cavalry NCOs of General Protheroe’s brigade who had participated in the whole voyage and had admirably comported themselves as well as performed their duties rigorously, namely guarding the baggage and the rifles, had come on board too They couldn’t be more astonished about the splendid ship — they had never seen a warship before — the ship band  delighted them very much. Showered with presents the returned to the land.

When Kinsky, General Protheroe, Captain Fairholme and Crawford after a heartfelt good-bye pushed off from the ship towards midnight, I had the signal lights ignited and the English anthem played. With three shouts of hurrah the voyage companion departed into the dark of the night.

Links

  • Location: Calcutta, India
  • ANNO – on 29.03.1893 in Austria’s newspapers.
  • The k.u.k. Hof-Burgtheater is closed until 2nd April, the k.u.k. Hof-Operntheater until 1st April.
Franz Ferdinand is leaving India, in good health. Wiener Salonblatt 2. April 1893, p. 4

Franz Ferdinand is leaving India, in good health. Wiener Salonblatt 2. April 1893, p. 4