Appendix 4 – Christer Hägg's letter to Göran Sjöberg

Appendix 4 Christer Hägg’s letters

Letter from Christer Hägg published in 1999 with the amazingly fine and content-rich book: "The frigate Eugenie's world voyage".

Christer Hägg

2000-10-14 Linnëgatan 92 115 23 Stockholm Sweden

Göran Sjöberg

Box 11056

S-800 11 Gävle

Sweden Hello Göran,

Thank you for your very interesting letter etc ! I quite understand how keen you are to determine from where the rare butterflies come. Unfortunately I cannot help you with direct proof, only some small pieces of information, which perhaps can give more in future.

Hawaii or Magellan strait ?

As you know Eugenie made a number of stops along the strait. In common for all the anchoring-berths, except for Port Famine, were that the stops only last for one day or a part of a day. The captain Virgin was in a tremendous hurry ! The stops were as follows:

1. Port Famine. Eugenie run aground at the anchoring. The rest of that day (30th Jan) and during the morning next day I do not think anyone landed at all. At afternoon 31st January perhaps some of the men landed but I think that these men mostly were looking for a place to bury the allotment seaman Löpare, which they done 1st February afternoon. Probably the 2nd February was the day when several of the men from the ship landed and the day when they made the excursion to Mt Tarn. In the morning the 3rd February Eugenie left Port Famine. Mr J Andersson describes that he spend the night out (in the nature) under a tarpaulin (cover) one night during that excursion. Therefore that excursion must have been made 1–2 February. Andersson writes that he never reach the “high mountain-region”, but that he during his walking had the opportunity to collect “things of the great nature”, which, because of their characteristic, peculiar and the rarity in our museums must be of the most interesting in the world”. Af Trolle (a Swedish Earl, very interested in the Nature) writes that Andersson and Kinberg “made a great harvest for their collections”. The only species named by Andersson are some trees and plants - they also shot some birds. None mention anything about insects specifically.

2. St Nicholas bay Eugenie was here several times during 3–6 February after several unsuccessful attempts to come around Cap Froward. Captain Virgin was the whole time prepared to leave the strait at occasional better change of weather so I find it unbelievable that anyone left the ship for landing at that place.

3. Woods bay At the evening the 7th February, the very tired shipmen on Eugenie anchored the frigate and then next morning the ship left the place. It seems to be quite sure that no collecting of naturalia on land was made here.

4. York Roads Eugenie was anchored here for a whole day (the 8th February) and we know that officers and scientists landed here this day.

5. Borja bay Eugenie was anchored here the night 9–10 February and on the 10th February small boats landed to fetch water and we know that officers and scientists landed here for a short time - perhaps one hour or two. Some naturalia was probably collected at that time, but I cannot belief that anyone, during that short time, could collect 3 ex of the butterfly, which probably was rare already at that time, seems to be unbelievable, but cannot quite be excluded (now 5 or 7 ex).

Consequently the butterfly could have been collected at Port Famine (most believable if it really where collected at the MS - Magellan Strait) or at York Roads (believable) or in Borga bay (less believable). On any of the other places no collecting could have been made. If it had been collected here the collecting must have been made in the forest lowland - not in the “high mountain region”.

I have seen (one of ?) the diary of Kinberg, which they have on the Seahistorical Museum. The diary gives a very disconnected and smudgy (blotchy) impression - and is in big parts quite unenjoyable or speaks mostly about economic calculations.

Nowhere is mentioned that Pontén was co-operated in any of these excursions.

Eugenie stopped at Honolulu 22 June–3 July and 25–26 August. At the first visit one made many collecting-trips. We know for example that Andersson and Pontén made at least one excursion together. Here there were good occasions to collect the butterfly if it really fly on Hawaii.

So, if the butterfly was rare, the probability speaks for collecting on Hawaii. There, we also know that Pontén followed Andersson on an excursion. They passed the Palipass and visited the plateau (plain) on the other side, which means the east side of the island. Kinberg seems to have been most interested in amphibians (water-animals), while Andersson at another place (Australia) write that he collect plants as well as insects. My opinion is that most speaks for Hawaii.

J Anderson and J Andersson.

The connections King/Adventure/Banks cabinette seems to be believable but the circumstance that there were a scientist J Anderson at Adventurae seems to be mystic. I would investigate that more closely. Is it a confusion with J Andersson on Eugenie ? Is it possible that the butterflies came to the Banks Cabinette later than what one believe - even after the voyage with Eugenie or in some way be some of the specimens which were collected by J Andersson which in some way have come to the English collection? Just speculations - but that two J Anderson, only 25 years after each other, would have collected the only known specimens of the butterfly, which then newer had been refound is too good to be true. Are these 2 the same person and all the specimens from our Andersson on Eugenie ? Or can the Swedish specimens be from the Banks Cabinette? Eugenie visited Portsmouth as well as Plymouth during the voyage. In that case Port Famine would be the most probable local, as Adventure never visited Hawaii.

How does it looks like at Port Famine?

Andersson describe forest of beech and bushvegetation with close Ribes-species, Cineraries, Drimus Winteri, species of Berberis, swamps and bogs with a meter deep redmoss, ferns, rapid streams, rotting trees and primeval forest.

Captain King

Kings voyage to MS (Magellan Strait) I do not know much about, but you can perhaps get more data if you contact the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich. They have all the logg-books jorneyreports etc.

English scientific-voyage before that of Eugenie

Even here the NMM (National Maritime Museum) could help you. The most known visits on Hawaii is Cook, Vancouver (1792) and Paulet (1843)

Yes this was probably nothing new for you, but with more than this I cannot help you. It can probably be a rather big exhibition about the voyage with Eugenie 2003 (150 years) and at that time it would be very good if these butterflies could be at that exhibition. In that case I will write to you.

With the best regards Christer

Christer Hägg

2001-10-05 Linnégatan 92 115 23 Stockholm

Hello Göran !

Thank you for your letter and the interesting pictures ! It was with recognizing I again saw the silhouettes from the Magellan Strait - I and Ivar Virgin (son-son-son-son of the captain of Eugenie) were offered to follow the Swedish ship HMS Carlskrona from Valparaiso to Punta Arenas in February this year. We were sailing through the strait, but without making any stops or enter/go to the land with exception of Punta Arenas. From that city we made a trip to Port Famine some miles south and also a day-trip north of Punta Arena. I was looking for butterflies of course but unfortunately I did not see any specimen at all of any type of butterflies. The climate can hardly be good for butterflies, so probably that was not so surprising.

According to the other stops of Eugenie which are mentioned in your and Haras letters I can say the following:

1. The visit in Desolate Bay (Watchmans bay) between Buenos Aires and the Magellan Strait can be totally excluded. Nobody made any landings there. They had only contacts with a number of anchored ships in their trying to get a pilot through the strait.

2. If Pontén really found the specimens as you think, he theoretically could have found them on the following places on or at South-America. - Rio, Montevideo and Buenos Aires - here they made excursions in the country around the cities. - Magellan Strait - this I have written about earlier. - Valparaiso - in that case somewhere on the steep hills near the city. They did not made any longer excursions from Valparaiso.

- Chincha-islands outside Callao. Here they made a visit during a few (some) hours, but with the millions of birds on these guano-covered islands, so probably this place is a hard surrounding for butterflies. - Callao - only a short visit for complementation of the supply for the ship, eventually small excursions near the city. Magister Andersson (the botanist) made during the latest (the last) day by boat to the island San Lorenzo, which he found very bare (big chariness) for the vegetation but with great numbers of birds - perhaps mr Pontén followed him on this excursion. - The island Puna in the Guayaqil-gulf - Here we know that several persons on the ship landed on the island for hunting (mostly bird-hunting). Perhaps Mr Pontén also here followed the other to the island and found the butterflies. Some persons also go with a boat up to Guayaqil, but I do not think Mr Pontén followed them here. The lieutenant Fries who were in Guayaqil for a longer time bring some naturalies from locals up along the river, a cayman were specially mentioned. - Panama - a short visit where there are less probable anyone made any collections, but at the Pearl-islands they stayed a few days to collect wood and water and here Pontén for sure landed several times together with the scientists.--The Galapagos islands - Here they made a visits at Chatham-, Charles- and James-islands. Here the main reasons was to collect naturalias and Pontén was surly helped them.

3. Mr Haras comments "Eugenie is too slowly ship?" is really strange when he speculates over the different times between the different harbours. Perhaps he does not know that Eugenie was only a sailor and therefore the winds quite caused when they reach their destination.

Just now I am working hard trying to convince the Royal Naval Society together with the Royal Science Academy to propose the Swedish Navy that HMS Carlskrona (a ship) made voyage around the world the same way as Eugenie during the first part of year 2003. During that voyage they also would make scientific experiments and collections on many of the places where Eugenie were 150 years ago. Perhaps they during that trip also can have a case to find your disappeared butterfly - we shall see in a few months if that voyage can be a reality.

Yes, this was all for this time.

With my friendly wishes Christer