The unfortunate Mr. Hemprich in Hemprich's Hornbill … in Latin (1 Viewer)

[Björn Bergenholtz]

Hemprich's Hornbill Tockus hemprichii was described by Ehrenberg (in 1833, 1829 alt. 1828–1832, it´s a chronological mess!) and I don´t think there is any doubt whatsover that the name "Hemprichii" commemorates his Fellow travelling Companion, the Prussian, Naturalist, explorer and collector Friedrich Wilhelm Hemprich (1796–1825), often claimed to be German although he was born in Prussia on the 24th of June 1796 in the city Glatz (Kłodzko, in today's Poland), who died in tropical fewer on the 30th of June 1825 in Massawa/Massaua, in Abyssinia (today's Eritrea), Northeastern Africa – not even a full week after his 29th birthday.

Now I´m looking for any type of quote, mentioning of him, additional info etc. ... that will strenghten this claim! But since the short type description is in Latin, of which I know close to nothing, it´s hard to understand if it tells us anything about him and before I even try to transcribe it; can anyone here on Bird Forum (that does understand Latin) answer if there is something useful, anything at all, in the type description? (attached)

Cheers!

PS. Ehrenberg tried, with less luck, to commemorate Hemprich in "Ibis hemprichii" (in the same vague years), that turned out to be synonymous to Geronticus eremita LINNAEUS 1758. He also coined the scientific name for the still debated, so called; "Caspian -" (or sometimes "Hemprich's -") Stonechat described as "Saxicola Hemprichi" (which is considered either valid, invalid, synonymous, a specie or a sub-specie [to what specie? There´re at least two suggested ones]... depending on whom you ask).

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PPS. According to Jobling (2010) he is as well commemorated in:
● Sooty Gull (Larus) Ichthyaetus hemprichii BRUCH 1853 a k a " Hemprich's Gull"
● the subspecies "Abyssinian/Etiopean Cardinal Woodpecker" Dendropicos fuscescens hemprichii Ehrenberg 1833

 

[Richard Klim]

Saxicola maurus hemprichii

Ehrenberg ... also coined the scientific name for the still debated, so called; "Caspian -" (or sometimes "Hemprich's -") Stonechat described as "Saxicola Hemprichi" (which is considered either valid, invalid, synonymous, a specie or a sub-specie [to what specie? There´re at least two suggested ones]... depending on whom you ask).

See also: Caspian stonechats.

 

[l_raty]

can anyone here on Bird Forum (that does understand Latin) answer if there is something useful, anything at all, in the type description?

Probably not
The text can be translated more or less as:

(3) Buceros, Lophoceros, Hemprichii E.
Size a bit larger than in nasutus, brownish black, slightly crested, with the bill wholly brownish-red, strong, slightly horned, with the eye area black, with the belly, the vent and the base of the tail white, with the tail feathers black, white at the tip, with the wing feathers and their greater coverts fringed white. The bill measures 4'' 7'''. I will transmit more elsewhere.
I have called Lophoceros, those Buceros that bear either a horn, or a vestige of it, on the cutting edge of the bill, those that show a cutting edge of the bill simply flat are Alophius.

 

[Björn Bergenholtz]

Plura alibi tradam ... for sure!

"I will transmit more elsewhere" ... I guess that correspond to "Plura alibi tradam". I wonder where that might be? Where that text might be hidden ... but it doesn´t really matter. The commemoration is Crystal Clear!

Thanks a lot Laurent!

And thanks also to Richard, for sorting out today's most widely accepted position of "Hemprich's Stonechat".

 

[Björn Bergenholtz]

The final days of Hemprich?

I´m now trying to trace down Hemprich's death ...checking some different claims.

In 1895 Max Laue published a full Biography of Hemprich's Expedition companion; Christian Gottfried Ehrenberg (1795–1876), where Laue, of course, covered their mutual, their famous, expedition 1820–1825 … that ended Hemprichs life: Laue, M. 1895. Christian Gottfried Ehrenberg. Ein Vertreter deutscher Naturforschung im neunzehnten Jahrhundert. 1795-1876. Nach seinen Reiseberichten, seinem Briefwechsel mit A.v. Humboldt, v. Chamisso, Darwin, v. Martius u. handschriftlichen Material. Verlag von Julius Springer, Berlin. Link to full volume: http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/23836#page/13/mode/1up

I´m trying to figure out what really happened to poor Hemprich, what was going on in "Massaua" those last months, weeks of his life?

See attached files (execerpts from Laue, pp. 111-113) covering that final period.

With my limited German knowledge I can only tell that Hemprich apparently (as I´ve read elsewhere) did have a severe fever"… heftiges Fieber hatte", that he (and not Ehrenberg, who most often get the credit) was the one initially organizing the long expedition ... but why and who "verschied er in den Armen" and what does all those other German sentences and words mean? Whats the full (or short) story?

Anyone with better German knowledge feel like explaining, or give a brief summary of the most interesting parts/facts, for us less-lucky.

 

[8669]

This is very hard to read, it's Old German, printed in a hard to read character set. This was to be expected with a manuscript of 1895. But I'll try anyway.

On April 24th 1825 the ship anchored in Massaua. In the very first days Hemprich went ashore with 3 companions and went to the friendly little town of (can't read the name, Arkiko?) and went on an expedition to the (can't read the name) Mountains. Meanwhile Ehrenberg was in Massaua with a fever, treated with rest and quinine. Ehrenberg was almost cured when Hemprich came back on May 19th. The next day he too became unwell and had a strong fever. He didn't want to admit he had malaria and tried to cure himself, but it became worse by the day. Finaly he had signs of paralysis and after being ill for 37 days he died on June 30th 1825.

I think this is the most interesting part of the story.

Theo

 

[Björn Bergenholtz]

Thanks a lot Theo, for that first translation! Some minor things remain ... from my fitfh post #5:

... that he (and not Ehrenberg, who most often get the credit) was the one initially organizing the long expedition ... but why and who "verschied er in den Armen" ...

Anyone else feel like having a go ... at the full (or short) story??

 

[kitefarrago]

Okay, here goes. I'll start a translation from the hyphen 9 lines from the bottom of page 111.

Massaua forms the gateway to Abessynia, much as Sansibar does to German East Africa (the former German colonly); it's on an island which one can walk around in half an hour close to the mainland, and in between there is merely the small burial island of the Indian traders, Tau-el-hud. Within a few days of arrival Hemprich took three companions over to the mainland to the friendly little town of Arkeko, from where he carried out a trial expedition to the Gaban mountains. During this time Ehrenberg was bed-ridden because of a fever, which by virtue of rest and chinin had started to recede when Hemprich returned on 19th May from his three-week jaunt; the latter too began to feel unwell on the afternoon of the following day and by the evening he had a raging fever. He did not want to admit that he had contracted tropical fever (=malaria?), thought to treat himself, and became worse from day to day. Finally there were signs of paralysis, and on the 37th day since falling ill, on the 30th of June 1825 he expired in the arms of his friend and found his final resting place on the island Tau-el-hud close to the mainland. Hemprich had so far been the healthiest member of the expedition. Apart from sea sickness and tooth ache he had hardly suffered from any ailments. He had long got over the exertions of the independence (or freedom) fight (lacking context here). Health exuded from his broad, medium height figure, his nimble movements, his lively eyes, and the open face, the latter framed by somewhat thinning brown hair. He tended to sleep exceedingly well, and had borne hunger and thirst without complaint. He had a decidedly sanguine temper, easily inflamed, often tending to overly quick rebuke or taunt, yet easily discouraged and then tending to give up all hope and plans, but deft in his dealings with the natives; viewed from a practical point of view, on a diplomatic mission, he had complemented in a fortunate way the nature of his friend, whose strengths lay in persistence, in steadfast endurance even in difficult situations, and in tireless repeated observation, and who tenaciously pursued the given objective, even when it seemed impossible to achieve it. More flexible, and equipped with an outstanding memory as well as sterling prior knowledge, not without talent for teaching, and as the author of a compendium which even after his death saw a new edition, he would surely have fulfilled quite a few justified expectations.

His death dealt its cruellest blow to his impoverished mother who was robbed of his support, but the most immediate anguish was felt by his companion who had shared five years of deprivations and danger with him and who was now left alone in a most difficult situation.

There then follows an account of additional difficulties encountered by the expedition. I assume that's not really of interest in the present context?

I've tried to stay faithful to the original, but felt the need to at least insert a few semicolons into the lengthy sentences.

Andrea

 

[Björn Bergenholtz]

It´s apparently a wonderful day!

First the quick replies on my advertisement regarding "Woodward's Eagle & Langrand's Ground-roller" here and now this!

I bow myself for all the generous contributors, willing to help, here on Bird Forum ... this time for you Andrea!

A thousand thanks for your long and meticulous translation!

It will be of great help, to such an extent that I (at last) can finish my entry on this man and now, finally, long over due, dare to write:

Hemprich ... over and out!

Cheers!

 

[Björn Bergenholtz]

Suddenly a less stupid Swede ...

Andrea, I just have to share my stupidity with you ...

... expired in the arms of his friend .... Hemprich had so far been the healthiest member of the expedition.

My own ignorant, earlier interpretations (let´s call them pure guesses, for apparently that´s what they were) now makes me smile ...

I thought someone "...verschied er in den Armen" ... shot Hemprich in the arm! And ... that he was "Gefündefte der Expedition" (as I read it! not having a clue, guessing it to be) "the founder of the expedition", when Hemprich in fact just was the "Gesündeste der Expedition", the healthiest of the same.

There you go. German is a tricky language. At least for some.

Thanks to you I now know better!

 

[kitefarrago]

Well, I would have thought that even for somebody who knows modern German this is something of a challenge: You have to cope with really old fashioned language (do young people in Germany know what `verscheiden' means?) and the font!

As a child I was made to read some material my grandfather supplied, so I got a reasonably good grounding in the latter.

Andrea