He soon followed, bringing with him a letter of importance to the Minister of Naval Affairs at the Hague. His funds, which had only held out to get to this place, necessitated another trip to the Hague. We are now prepared with the very best passports and letters of introduction to the Governor, all to our satisfaction. Likewise our business with the French Consul here has been most pleasant and satisfactory. We must say that we have been treated with even greater kindness than we could have anticipated.
The first and more important point having been arranged to our satisfaction, we have to consider our second venture our ship. The latter, as also its passengers who are to sail with us, appear favorable, and the passage costs reasonable. The company on board ship might not be all that could be desired, but we have our books which will help to make life supportable in our leisure moments.
While waiting here, in Amsterdam, we are getting acquainted with the city as far as bad weather and the necessity of keeping down expenses will permit. We have been kindly received in different quarters. We are mostly satisfied with the purchases we have made. The larger size of paper, thirty reams of blotting paper, besides other kinds, which we have found cheaper, here than in Dresden, are packed to go on board tomorrow. Glassware is no dearer than in Dresden, of the same Bohemian quality. Our clothing for the voyage we obtained at a reasonable price from an honest dealer. Shoes were a different proposition, about which more later. With the tradesmen in general and their greed for money we had much contention.
Our lives take their course while waiting for favorable winds come from the same direction as our money. A kind man brought us our first remittance; even left us the purse in which it came, since we had none. The morning after our arrival, as soon as the stores opened, which is late, we went shopping for the thousand and one smaller articles of greater or lesser importance, looking for the best and cheapest to be had.
We are fairly well at home now in the great city. We eat at four in the afternoon, and if the company does not provide entertainment for the evening, we return to our room, to our books, papers and accounts. Much of our time is occupied with reading, writing, drawing and the like. Many of the rarer specimens of fishes from foreign parts I would like to have gotten for my collection but I had not the room for them, nor the price to pay for them. All was new to me. I took particular interest in the dear plants that grow in the sea, which I was allowed to see and hold in my hands.
As soon as a favorable wind blows, many ships will sail, some of them weekly until January; others later, at the approach of spring, if wind and weather be favorable. Our letters will be safely delivered. The first ship to return from the West, after we have arrived, will bring back my second report to the place from which the first was written.
I have been to the theatre. I was entertained though I could but understand a word here and there. Most of the plays are translations, some from Kotzebue and Ifland, who are still in vogue, others from the French. I am eager to make acquaintance with some of the natives. The language is very fine. It has a charm for an unspoiled ear, which, makes impressive its serious side, above all in what is child-like, as also its comic side which it renders so charmingly.
Its choice brevity in which it has an advantage over the pure German, its softness and fluency enable it to render smoothly sentences such, as with us, savor of the strong arm and the rougher element. It therefore better adapts itself to the more drastic comedies. One would think that comic opera would prosper here. Both high and low Germans should become better acquainted. By mutual acquaintance language would gain considerably.
The actors here express themselves with intensity, their work is keen and clever, yet always restrained. I have not observed one of them to rant or yell. In general they show through control in diction, but at times are inclined to draw the picture too sharply, with a certain angularity of gesture.
One could wish to be a low German to write plays for them if but to hear one’s words spoken so beautifully. In conversation, which is always extremely lively, and in their speeches they preserve the right inflections, not always the case with us, and they pass lightly and gracefully from one tone to another, which we are accustomed to hear only from masters. But one must listen to the actress to become thoroughly entranced with the beauty of the language.
In the much praised ballet there was little that was genuine. The male dancer, though nimble, was jerky and affected, with clownish manners. His gestures were awkward. Something might be said here about how far it might be possible to develop a language of bodily expression in gesture. But more of this another time.
The play was poor. If anything genuine has been written it has not endured. Nothing is left but sentimental trumpery stuff, the work of bunglers. To achieve something worthwhile in this line someone would have to be trained for the work by advice of musicians as well as dancing masters. It might be best to reserve the ballet for opera, where it rightfully belongs. Dancing, as practised here, is no less tedious than elsewhere.
The art which the dancer has acquired by constant and laborious practice is wasted upon ugly, vicious and distasteful subjects. Let us hope that something better will take the place of the ludicrous children’s dances in vogue; there nothing could be worse than a possible introduction of caricatures, such, for instance, as animal dancing. Even a trifling betterment would be welcome.
The Hollander has no ears, at least but very dull ones. Squawking of poultry in the streets, and noises of all kinds are constantly in evidence. Chimes of bells are most distressing. Without resonance one set interferes with an other. Each spire, indicating the time of day, is out of tempo with the others. The jungle grates upon the ear and disturbs the dignity and holiness of the scene. Crying and shouting in the streets, seldom melodious, is always mournful. Music, of all kinds, is deplorable. Among the abundance of folk songs one would expect some popular ones, especially those from the German and the French.
The written language of the Dutch is more characteristic than our own. Speaking the language is difficult for the middle and South German; more so than the south German dialects, which sound affected from the mouths of foreigners, to us.
Paramaribo, Jan.18, in the Evening.
Our ship has anchored in the Surinam River, at Fort Amsterdam, at the junction of two rivers, this 18th day of January, at 4 p.m. It was too late to get as far as Paramaribo on the same day. The captain had intended to send out notice of his arrival at that place. He took some of our travelling companions, whose home is here. together with some others, to the shore in his yawl. At last we will have an opportunity, the first in a long time, to have an evening to ourselves. I will, first of all, devote some time to writing and send what is finished with the first ship that sails. Another letter, supposedly a duplicate, is to follow with my next.
We have made a favorable and a speedy voyage. Most of the vessels that set sail before us have not yet arrived. Of the eight that left port with us only one caught up, on the last day. We met with adverse winds, on several occasions, to give us a taste of what might happen in a storm. Nearly always a stiff breeze arose to help us on our way. When other ships took in canvas our captain kept some of his sails up, thereby making headway.
We were seldom becalmed, and luckily only for short periods. Absence of wind has retarded many a voyage at sea. The times when our ship lay idle, which was seldom, we profited by fishing for booty. It was not alone the enjoyment in beholding the sea, so quiet, mirroring the blue above, but it afforded rest and also opportunity to capture some sea nettles and fishes. It gave me great pleasure to examine and study these remarkable creatures. I made drawing, discussions, and learned new things about them not set down in the books.
As yet we have not found a way to preserve the medusae, which quickly perish out of water and dissolve. Their marvellous colors and construction vanish from sight favorable conditions we will make further attempts to enlarge our collections of specimens and, by better preservative methods, get them ready for the market.
These occasional bright spots in the pursuit of natural science were the only rare ones in our voyage. In our next consignment the packages of written matter, some what meager, will furnish proof that a sea voyage, especially a first one, is not a favorable occasion for thinking or writing.
Weigel, who did not fare so well on account of being a botanist, is glad to know that the ship has touched bottom; doubly glad because, he himself, will again find ground under his feet on the morrow. Now that we have seen palm tress a new life opens before us. All looks serenely bright and hopeful and we feel as if immersed in a clear and luminous atmosphere.
In 1878 and 1879 he published 2 editions of his book, Sunstroke and Its Homeopathic Treatment.
Upon Hering's death in 1880 Knerr became responsible for the completion of the 10-volume Guiding Symptoms.
Dr. Knerr wrote 2-volume Repertory to the Guiding Symptoms,