August Kappler (11 November 1815 – 20 October 1887) was a German researcher,

naturalist Natural history is a domain of inquiry involving organisms, including animals, fungi, and plants, in their natural environment, leaning more towards observational than experimental methods of study. A person who studies natural history is cal ...

and explorer who was a native of

Mannheim Mannheim (; Palatine German language, Palatine German: or ), officially the University City of Mannheim (), is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, second-largest city in Baden-Württemberg after Stuttgart, the States of Ger ...

. He is credited as the founder of

Albina, Suriname Albina is a town in eastern Suriname, and is capital of the Marowijne District. The town lies on the west bank of the Maroni River, Marowijne river (Maroni river), which forms the border with French Guiana, directly opposite the French Guianan to ...

. From January 1836, Kappler was stationed in

Suriname Suriname, officially the Republic of Suriname, is a country in northern South America, also considered as part of the Caribbean and the West Indies. It is a developing country with a Human Development Index, high level of human development; i ...

as a soldier and member of the Dutch colonial service. Here he had the opportunity to explore the country, and in the process, amass a large collection of insects and plants. In 1854 he published a book involving his experiences in the Dutch colony during time spent as a member of the colonial service. After his military duties were finished, he spent the years 1842 to 1846 based in

Paramaribo Paramaribo ( , , ) is the capital city, capital and largest city of Suriname, located on the banks of the Suriname River in the Paramaribo District. Paramaribo has a population of roughly 241,000 people (2012 census), almost half of Suriname's p ...

, from where he sold

butterflies Butterflies are winged insects from the lepidopteran superfamily Papilionoidea, characterized by large, often brightly coloured wings that often fold together when at rest, and a conspicuous, fluttering flight. The oldest butterfly fossi ...

that were collected locally. In latter part of 1846, he had earned enough money to purchase a plot of land near the

Marowijne River The Maroni () or Marowijne (; ) is a river in South America that forms the border between French Guiana and Suriname. Course The Maroni runs through the Guianan moist forests ecoregion. It originates in the Tumuk Humak Mountains and forms ...

. Here he would spend the next 33 years of his life, working as a trader, farmer, postal official, among other occupations. He called his homestead "Albina", after his fiancé Albina Josefine Liezenmaier. Within the decade, Albina would become a small settlement with a handful of European settlers. In 1879 Kappler left Suriname and returned to Germany, subsequently publishing two more books on his experiences in the Dutch colony. He died in

Stuttgart Stuttgart (; ; Swabian German, Swabian: ; Alemannic German, Alemannic: ; Italian language, Italian: ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, largest city of the States of Germany, German state of ...

at the age of 71, and at his funeral, his coffin was covered with the flag of the Netherlands.

Selected publications

* ''Sechs Jahre in Surinam oder Bilder aus dem militärischen Leben dieser Kolonie und Skizzen zur Kenntnis seiner sozialen und naturwissenschaftlichen Verhältnisse'', (Six years in Suriname or images from the military life of this colony and sketches to its social and scientific conditions);

1854. * ''Holländisch-Guiana; Erlebnisse und Erfahrungen während eines 34 jährigen Aufenthalts in der Kolonie Surinam'', (Dutch Guiana; Experiences during a 34-year stay in the colony of Surinam); Stuttgart 1881. * ''Surinam, sein Land, seine Natur, Bevölkerung und seine Kultur-Verhältnisse mit Bezug auf Kolonisation'', (Suriname, The country, its nature, population and cultural conditions with respect to colonization); Stuttgart 1887.

References

Germany and the Americas By Thomas Adam
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kappler, August 19th-century German botanists 19th-century German explorers Scientists from Mannheim Explorers of South America 1815 births 1887 deaths