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Alexander von Humboldt: „Travels in South America“, in: ders., Sämtliche Schriften digital, herausgegeben von Oliver Lubrich und Thomas Nehrlich, Universität Bern 2021. URL: <https://humboldt.unibe.ch/text/1810-Pittoreske_Ansichten_in-06-neu> [abgerufen am 23.04.2024].
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| Titel | Travels in South America | ||||||
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| Jahr | 1815 | ||||||
| Ort | Ipswich | ||||||
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Nachweis in: The Suffolk Chronicle; Or, Weekly General Advertiser, and County Express 250 (11. Februar 1815), [o. S.].
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| Sprache | Englisch | ||||||
| Typografischer Befund | Antiqua; Spaltensatz. | ||||||
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|Seitenumbruch|
The following interesting passages aretaken from the recent publications of thecelebrated Humboldt; the first, from his
Researches in South America; the secondand third, from his Travels in that country.
man.
“There is no proof, that the existence of manis much more recent in America than in theother continent. Within the tropics, the strengthof vegetation, the breadth of rivers, and par-tial inundations have presented powerful ob-stacles to the migration of nations. The ex-tensive countries of the north of Asia are asthinly peopled as the savannahs of New Mexi-co and Paraguay; nor is it necessary to suppose,that the countries first peopled are those, whichoffer the greatest mass of inhabitants. Theproblem of the first population of America, isno more the province of history, than the ques-tions on the origin of plants and animals, and onthe distribution of organic germs, are that ofnatural science. History, in carrying us backto the earliest epochs, instructs us that almostevery part of the globe is occupied by men whothink themselves aborigines, because they areignorant of their origin. Among a multitude ofnations, who have succeeded, or have been in-corporated with each other, it is impossible todiscover with precision, the first basis of popu-lation, that primitive stratum beyond which theregion of cosmogonical tradition begins.
“The nations of America, except those whichborder on the polar circle, form a single race,characterized by the formation of the skull, thecolour of the skin, the extreme thinness of thebeard, and straight and glossy hair. TheAmerican race bears a very striking resemblanceto that of the Mongul nations, which includethe descendants of the Hiong-Nu, known here-tofore by the name of Huns, the Kalkas, theKalmucks, and the Burats. It has been ascer-tained, by late observations, that not only theinhabitants of Unalashka, but several tribes ofSouth America, indicate, by the osteologicalcharacters of the head, a passage from theAmerican to the Mongul race. When we shallhave more completely studied the brown menof Africa, and that swarm of nations, who in-habit the interior and north-east of Asia, andwho are vaguely described by systematic tra-vellers under the name of Tartars and Tsch-oudes, the Caucasian, Mongul, American,Malay, and Negro races, will appear less insu-lated, and we shall acknowledge, in this greatfamily of the human race, one single organictype, modified by circumstances which perhapswill ever remain unknown.
“Though the nations of the new continentare connected by intimate ties, they exhibit, inthe mobility of their features, in their com-plexions, tanned in a greater or less degree, andin their stature, a difference as remarkable asthe Arabians, the Persians, and Sclavonians,who are all of the Caucasian race. The hordeswho wander along the burning plains of theequinoctial regions have, however, no darkerskins than the mountaineers of the temperatezone; whether it be that in the human race,and in the greater part of animals, there is acertain period of organic life, beyond which theinfluence of climate and food have no effect, orthat the deviation from the primitive type be-comes apparent only after a long series of ages.Besides, every thing concurs to prove, that theAmericans, as well as the people of the Mon-gul race, have less flexibility of organizationthan the other nations of Asia and Europe.”
|Seitenumbruch|
|Spaltenumbruch|
“From the time we entered the torrid zone,we were never wearied with admiring, everynight, the beauty of the southern sky, which, aswe advanced towards the south, opened newconstellations to our view. We feel an inde-scribable sensation, when, on approaching theequator, and particularly on passing from onehemisphere to the other, we see those starswhich we have contemplated from our infancy,progressively sink, and finally disappear. Noth-ing awakens in the traveller a livelier remem-brance of the immense distance by which he isseparated from his country, than the aspect ofan unknown firmament. The grouping of thestars of the first magnitude, some scatterednebulæ, rivalling in splendor the milky way, andtracks of space remarkable for their extremeblackness, give a particular physiognomy to thesouthern sky. This sight fills with admirationeven those, who, uninstructed in the branches ofaccurate science, feel the same emotion of de-light in the contemplation of the heavenly vault,as in the view of the beautiful landscape, or amajestic site. A traveller has no need of beinga botanist, to recognize the torrid zone on themere aspect of its vegetation; and without hav-ing acquired any notions of astronomy, withoutany acquaintance with the celestial charts ofFlamstead and de la Caille, he feels he is not inEurope, when he sees the immense constellationof the Ship, or the phosphorescent clouds ofMagellan, arise on the horizon. The heaven,and the earth, every thing in the equinoctial re-gions, assumes an exotic character.
“We saw distinctly, for the first time, theCross of the South only in the night of the 4thand 5th of July, in the sixteenth degree of lati-tude; it was strongly inclined, and appearedfrom time to time between the clouds, the centreof which, furrowed by uncondensed lightnings,reflected a silver light.
“The pleasure we felt on discovering theSouthern Cross, was warmly shared by such ofthe crew as had lived in the colonies. In thesolitude of the seas, we hail a star as a friend,from whom we have long been separated. —Among the Portuguese and the Spaniards pecu-liar motives seem to increase this feeling; a re-ligious sentiment attaches them to a constella-tion, the form of which recalls the sign of thefaith planted by their ancestors in the deserts ofthe new world.
“The two great stars which mark the summit
|Spaltenumbruch| and the foot of the Cross having nearly thesame right ascension, it follows hence, that theconstellation is almost perpendicular at the mo-ment when it passes the meridian. This cir-cumstance is known to every nation that livesbeyond the tropics, or in the southern hemis-phere. It has been observed at what hour ofthe night, in different seasons, the Cross of theSouth is erect, or inclined. It is a time-piecethat advances very regularly near four minutesa-day, and no other group of stars exhibits tothe naked eye, an observation of time so easilymade. How often have we heard our guidesexclaim, in the Savannas of Venezuela, or in thedesert extending from Lima to Truxillo, “Mid-night is past, the Cross begins to bend!” Howoften those words reminded us of that affectingscene, where Paul and Virginia, seated near thesource of the river of Lataniers, conversed to-gether for the last time, and where the old man,at the sight of the Southern Cross, warns themthat it is time to separate.
|Seitenumbruch|
“As we approached the town of Orotava, wemet great flocks of canaries. These birds, wellknown in Europe, were in general uniformlygreen; some had a yellow tint on their backs;their note was the same as that of the tame ca-nary. It is nevertheless remarked, that thosewhich have been taken in the isle of the GreatCanary, and in the islet of Monte Clara, nearLanzerota, have a stronger, and at the sametime the most harmonious song. Under everyzone, among birds of the same species, eachflock has its peculiar note. The yellow cana-ries are a variety which has taken birth inEurope; and those we saw in cages at Orotavaand Santa Cruz had been bought at Cadiz, andin other ports of Spain. But of all the birds ofthe Canary Islands, that which has the mostheart-soothing song is unknown in Europe;this is the capirote, which no effort has beenable to tame, so sacred to his soul is liberty. Ihave stood in admiration at his soft and melo-dious warbling, in a garden at Orotava; but Ihave never seen him sufficiently near, to knowto what family he belongs.
TRAVELS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
southern constellation.
canary birds.