Johann Büttikofer en Carolus Franciscus Sala.
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Johann Büttikofer en Carolus Franciscus Sala.
Op instigatie van Prof. Schlegel van het Rijksmuseum voor Natuurlijke Historie ondernam zijn pupil Büttikofer twee reizen naar Liberia om alhier zoölogisch materiaal te verzamelen. Carolus Franciscus Sala werd hem toegewezen als reisgezel op de eerste reis van 1879-1882. Beide werden geplaagd door tegenspoed en ziekte (malaria), Carolus Franciscus overleed op 10 juni 1881 in Robertsport en werd daar op een missiestation begraven.
Büttikofer schreef diverse artikelen over zijn reizen en Liberia. In 1890 culmineerde dit in zijn "Reisebilder aus Liberia" in twee delen, uitgegeven door E.J. Brill te Leiden. Dit werk werd alom geprezen, en het blijft nog altijd één van de meest indrukwekkende monografieën over dit land. Van 1897 tot 1924 was Büttikofer directeur van de diergaarde "Blijdorp" in Rotterdam. Hij overleed in Bern op 24 juni 1927.
Oproep
Oproep in het kader van de vertaling (Duits-Engels) en annotatie van Büttikofers "Reisebilder aus Liberia" op initiatief van de Amerikaan Dr. Phillip Robinson en de Nederlander Drs. Henk Dop.
Is het u bekend of er nog een nalatenschap in de familie bewaard is gebleven van Carolus Franciscus, in het bijzonder mogelijke notitieboeken?
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De notitieboeken van Büttikofer zijn helaas bij een brand in een opslagplaats voor inboedels in Zwitserland verloren gegaan.
"Laatste deel van hoofdstuk 10 van Band I van de "Reisebilder aus Liberia", voorlopige vertaling door H. Dop en P.T.R. Robinson, waarschijnlijk te publiceren in 2012."
Passage uit hoofdstuk 10 van Band I van de "Reisebilder" waarin Büttikofer de laatste dagen van Carolus Franciscus beschrijft.
Here I found friend Sala in a sorrowful condition. A chronic dysentery from which he had already been suffering for a long time, had severely weakened him; he was moreover completely covered with abscesses and had almost lost his hearing. I could soon free him of the latter suffering by injecting of a mild solution of alum into his ear canals, but for the rest his condition grew worse rather than better. |
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Portret van Carolus Franciscus Sala
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Portret van Carolus Franciscus Sala Bron: Band I van de "Reisebilder" blz. 215
In order to provide him with some more comfort, and especially better food and care, I decided to relocate to Robertsport. This relocation had become appropriate anyway, because the swamps around Buluma were filling up with water from the now returning rains, making the hunt increasingly more difficult. We left our station on April 20th and sailed down to Robertsport in a large rowing boat. Here, several days before, I had rented a new, wooden house from Mr. Watson, and which was situated on the slope of the hill where the mission station lies.
After we had moved into our new home, Sala grew weaker with each passing day, and soon could no longer leave the house. Both Mr. Veldkamp, who had a bed brought up for him, and the then principal agent of the Hamburg Factory, Mr. R. Schmidt, as well as the missionary Rev. Grubb and his wife, did whatever they could in order to make the condition of my poor companion more bearable. However, as this condition only grew worse and worse, I decided to have him brought to Monrovia on board the already long awaited Dutch brig “Elisa Susanna”, hoping that the sea journey might do him some good. From Monrovia he could then have returned to Europe at the very first opportunity.
On June 3rd the anxiously awaited vessel finally arrived, and Captain van Duyn immediately stated his willingness to honour my request. However, during the nine days that the ship lay at anchor, the condition of the patient deteriorated surprisingly rapidly and an alarming apathy came over him, and on the evening before the day that had been set for departure, on the 10th of June, with everything ready for the journey, death relieved him from his suffering.
Right away, the kind missionaries offered to provide my dead friend with a final resting-place in their own cemetery, and made the necessary preparations. From the brig, as well as from the European factories which remained closed all day, the Dutch and German flags flew at half mast. All of the Europeans in Robertsport, as well as Captain van Duyn and two Dutchmen who had only just arrived on the coast on this same ship, Mr. Velthuis and Mr. Hamstra (the latter died 14 days later in Grand Bassa), took part in the funeral procession. Arrived at the mission station, the coffin was carried into the church. The missionaries Grubb and Mc. Nabb performed the funeral service, and the mission children chanted songs or mourning. Several moments later the grave was closed over my poor companion who had suffered so much for our undertaking, and had lived through such sad episodes. |