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The SMS Novara Scientific Expedition 1857-9

It was Archduke Ferdinand Maximillian who supported the most ambitious enterprise ever undertaken by the Austrian navy, the circumnavigation of the globe by S.M. Novara between April 30, 1857 and August 30, 1859.

Participants in the Expedition

The frigate S.M. Novarra had been launched in 1850, it was armed with 42 guns and had a water displacement of about 2107 tons. Under the command of Captain Freiherr von Pückh, it was manned by 345 officers and crew; seven scientists were also on board. Commodore Bernhard von Wöllersdorf-Urbair, a trained astronomer, was the leader of the expedition. He was also responsible for the oceanographical, hydrographical and metereological research carried out during the journey.

The scholarly leader of the expedition was Dr. Karl (von) Scherzer, a specialist on countries and ethnology. Apart from purely scholarly objectives, he was also charged with studying the possibility of making new commercial contacts for the Austrian empire.

Their entry into the Adriatic Sea and their arrival at Trieste after 551 days and 51.886 sea miles resembled a triumphal procession. Apart from a noticable rise in prestige, the scientific results of the journey were impressive and were published as Reise der Österreichischen Fregatte NOVARA um die Erde in den Jahren 1857, 1858, 1859 (Journey of the Austrian Frigate NOVARA Around the Globe During the Years 1857, 1858,1859) in twenty one volumes.

The Austrian museums profited imensely from the collections of botanical, zoological (26.000 specimens alone) and ethnological objects brought back. During the two-year voyage, nautical-physical and earth-magnetical research had regularly been carried out, and meterological and hydrographical data noted down which now awaited analysis.

World interest was enormous. This circumnavigation of the globe made not only the Novara famous, it also popularised the rest of the Austrian navy. During a period in which Europe displayed her power on other continents, the fleet, for a country with no colonies of her own, was an important instrument to present herself as a great power abroad. Today, the Natural History Museum still awards the Hochstetter Medal for outstanding services to the museum. The tunicate Corella novarae was named in honour of the frigate Novara and still reminds us of her.

Departure from Trieste

On April 30, 1857, the Novara leaves the port of Trieste; a 21-gun salute is fired in her honour, aboard the ship Haydn‘s national anthem is played and members of the crew say good-bye to family and friends who have made the trip to Trieste to see them off.

Dance performed by sailors

Gibraltar

The Novara‘s first port of call is Gibraltar where she stops for ten days (May 20 – May 30, 1857) and the crew attends the birthday celebrations held in honour of Queen Victoria. They are impressed by the parade games played by the British officers. The explorers visit the limestone caves in the vicintity and take some samples.

Gibraltar

Madeira

On November 8, 1857, the Novara reaches the island of Madeira stops at Funchal for nine days (in English: fennel field, as the first explorers found an abundance of this aromatic plant here). The explorers are very impressed by the tropical flora which includes sweet-smelling magnolia and tulip trees with large flowers. Sugar cane is also grown on Madeira. They are fascinated by the local form of transport: a sleigh sliding along on cobblestones pulled by a pair of oxen.

Madeira

Rio de Janeiro

After an Atlantic crossing lasting 49 days, the Novara reaches Rio de Janeiro on August 5, 1857; she remains there for the next 26 days. The crew boards with Brazilian-German families – in 1857, over 3000 Germans were living in the Empire of Brazil. To support German emigration to Brazil they also visit the small German colonial town, Petropolis, in the interior. The highlight of the stay in Brazil is their audience with the Emperor Pedro II, the son of the Austrian Archduchess Leopoldine.

Palace Square in Rio de Janeiro (Josef Selleny)

Cape Town

After a stormy crossing lasting two months – with storms whipping the waves to heights of 10 m – the Novara reaches Cape Town on October 2, 1857. They stay at the Masonic Hotel. Their first visit takes them to the Austrian consul, their second to the British Colonial Governor who provides the explorers with introductions to scientific institutions (Botanical Garden, South African Museum etc.). But there is also time to visit the vineyards in Constantia, and for an outing to the actual Cape of Good Hope.

St. Paul and Amsterdam

Following a suggestion made by Alexander von Humboldt, they stop for seventeen days (November 19 – December 6, 1857) on the islands of St. Paul and Amsterdam. From geological samples the scientists learn that these are two extinguished vulcanos. They are fascinanted by the hot springs. In some places the water is so hot that a freshly caught fish can be cooked in five minutes. Much time is spent observing the native Penguins. During the crossing to India, the crew celebrate their first Christmas south of the Equator.

Ceylon

Eight days (January 8 – January 16, 1858) are spent on Ceylon, then a British Crown Colony. On the day of their arrival, the explorers visit a Buddhist temple in the port of de Galle; they are welcomed by an old high priest. In the temple library they are shown manuscripts writen in Pali on leaves to which covers have been added. In Colombo, the explorers visit the cinnamon gardens. Cinnamon is Ceylon‘s most valuable commodity. The workers preparing the cinnamon barks belong to the lowest social classes.

Ceylon

Madras

During their stay in Madras (January 30 – February 10, 1858), the two-week long Vischnu festival is being celebrated – the most important Brahminical festival of the year. At night, the streets are filled with countless praying, singing and dancing Hindus in colourful dresses moving from one temple to the next. During the day, the explorers visit the Natural History Museum and the "Madras Literary Society" as well as the famous seven pagodas hewn out of a rock south of Madras. Back on board and unimpressed by the closeness of the Equator, the sailors celebrate Mardi Gras by dancing wildly during the crossing to the Nikobar Isles.

The Nikobar Isles

On February 23, the Novara reaches the Nikobar Isles. At places of interest for navigation, the explorers take measurements and record astonomical, magnetical, and tidal data. Thick jungle limits the exploration of the islands to their shores. On Kar Nikobar the explorers encounter natives and are surprised by their ardent desire to own articles of European clothing for which they offer coconuts, their main commodity, in exchange. On March 26, after having explored all the islands, the Novara sets off for Singapore.

Natives on the Nikobar Isles in European dress	Female Figure. Great Nikobar, Nikobar Isles, India, before 1858 Novara Collection Natural History Museum Vienna

Singapore

On April 15, the Novara reaches Singapore, but with Cholera raging in the city the explorers limit their stay to just a few days. Singapore, acquired by the British in 1824 and declared a free port, is a flourishing commercial centre. The stores and shops owned by European and Chinese merchants alone fill a whole quarter. Here, the members of the expedition encounter opium for the first time. But their main objective is organising new provisions for the next leg of their journey. After a Chinese merchant has supplied them with food and drinking water for six months, the Novara leaves the island on April 21.

Java

On May 5, the Novara reaches Batavia on the island of Java. Under Dutch rule, its population is mainly Javanese and Portuguese, but is also home to many immigrants from China. The expedition is honoured by an official welcome and Dutch scientists accompany them on their visit to the town and on geological excursions into the interior. A visit to the botanical garden of Buitenzorg and climbing the island‘s highest vulcano are the hightlights of their stay. Before they take their leave on June 29, the military society, Concordia, hosts a spectacular party in honour of the Novara.

Manila

Manila on the island of Luzon is the only Spanish possession visited by the Novara during her voyage. The very noticable presence of the Catholic Church gives this city protected by thick walls a markedly European character. Besides going to see the numerous monasteries and several cigar factories, the visitors attend a cock-fight, probably the most popular entertainment on the island. Tobacco and hemp are the island‘s main commodities. The approaching Monsoon season forces them to change their plans and so, on June 25, after a ten day stay, the Novara sets off for China.

Hong Kong

Shanghai

The Novara spends seventeen days in the Chinese port of Shanghai (July 25 – August 11, 1858). The explorers are impressed by the bustling activity they encounter in the walled old city. They acquire rare Chinese books and encounter ginseng roots, famed for their healing power. Their programme also includes visit to the tea garden and the emperor‘s temple. A highlight is the dinner hosted by a native merchant, in which they are served swallow‘s nests, steamed frogs, fried silkworms and shark fins. A few days after leaving Shanghai, the Novara is caught in a terrible typhoon in the China Sea but manages to survive the two-day long ordeal.

Puynipet

On Spetember 18, 1858, the Novara anchors for a few hours off the island of Puynipet. This vulcanic island had only been discovered in 1828. Its safe harbour and endless supplies of drinking water and firewood made it a meeting place for whalers. The explorers purchase some doves and parrots for their zoological collection and try to get a comprehensive idea of the life of the islanders. Before they set out again, they are given a dictionary of the local language.

Sikayana

One month later, the Novara reaches the coral atoll, Sikayana. After sixty-six days she needs fresh supplies. The only white settler on this geologically peculiar island is a British sailor. Natives barter food for objects offered by the members of the expediton team: pigs, chicken, eggs, papayas, coconuts, bananas for chewing tobacco, rusk, fishing tackle, knives, saws, guns, ribbons, sewing needles, thread, glass beads and empty bottles.

Sydney

On November 5, 1858, the Novara enters Sydney harbour where she stays for thirty-two days. From several excursions into the interior of the British colony, the explorers return laden with botanical and minerological collections. During their trips they are introduced to the pleasures of kangaroo hunting, admire the flourishing wool production and praise the quality of the local wine. Of great interest to them is meeting Aborigines who were even then threatened with extinction.

Auckland

On December 22, the Novara reaches Auckland, New Zealand. The members of the expedition team are welcomed with a display of war dances and speeches by tribal chiefs, and are thus introduced to the culture of the Maori. They find the tatoos with which the Maori decorate their faces both fascinating and strange. The scientists measure the bodies of the natives and collect data for "comparative anatomy", a subject popular in the 19th century. On January 8, 1858, the Novara continues her voyage but without the geologist, Ferdinand Hochstetter, who is left behind in Auckland in order to discover possible coal deposits on the island. Two Maori are taken aboard as sailors.

Tahiti

Between January 11 and January 28, the Novara anchors off the legendary island of Tahiti that James Cook had also explored during his voyages. Until the French founded their colony, Tahiti was populated by British settlers. The residence of Queen Pomare, who rules the island under French control, is located in the port, Papate. The members of the Novara expedition team are formaly presented at court. From Tahiti they head towards the west-coast of South America – which means fourty-eight days at sea.

Valparaiso

On April 17, the Novara reaches the Chilean port, Valparaiso. Here, the expedition pursues not only scientific but also economic objectives: it has been charged by the Imperial government to conclude a trade agreement with the Chilean Free State. For this purpose, the Austrian Consul General accompanies members of the expedition to the capital, Santiago. The threat of an imminent outbreak of hostilities between Austria and France leads to a change of plans and the Novara heads for home directly from here. Only one of the scientists uses the time to travel overland to Lima and Panama, only meeting up again with the frigate in Gibraltar.

Gibraltar - Trieste

After 82 days at sea, the Novara reaches Gibraltar on August 7, 1859. On this, her home voyage she crosses the route she had taken on her way from Rio de Janeiro to the Cape of Good Hope in 1857 – which means she has circumnavigated the globe. From Gibraltar she heads for Messina and Pola and reaches the port of Trieste in the morning of August 26, 1859 where she is given a hero‘s welcome. After a voyage lasting two years and three months she has finished her journey around the world.

Trieste

Source:

• Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien - http://www.khm.at/entdeckungen/frame_novaE.html