Karl Ritter von Scherzer (sometimes written Carl; 1 May 1821 in

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

– 19 February 1903 in Görz) was an Austrian

explorer Exploration is the process of exploring, an activity which has some Expectation (epistemic), expectation of Discovery (observation), discovery. Organised exploration is largely a human activity, but exploratory activity is common to most organis ...

diplomat A diplomat (from ; romanization, romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state (polity), state, International organization, intergovernmental, or Non-governmental organization, nongovernmental institution to conduct diplomacy with one ...

and natural scientist.

Biography

He began his working life as a printer. After inheriting a fortune, Scherzer was able to travel extensively. He took an active part in the 1848 revolution and was exiled to

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in 1850. Here Scherzer became friends with German explorer and naturalist Moritz Wagner; together the men travelled through North and Central America and the

West Indies The West Indies is an island subregion of the Americas, surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, which comprises 13 independent island country, island countries and 19 dependent territory, dependencies in thr ...

(1852–1855). After returning to Vienna, Scherzer, with the support of Archduke Maximilian, became a member of a scientific expedition traveling via the frigate ''

Novara Novara (; Novarese Lombard, Novarese: ) is the capital city of the province of Novara in the Piedmont (Italy), Piedmont region in northwest Italy, to the west of Milan. With 101,916 inhabitants (on 1 January 2021), it is the second most populous ...

'' around the world. From that expedition he brought back enough coca leaves that Albert Niemann subsequently isolated

cocaine Cocaine is a tropane alkaloid and central nervous system stimulant, derived primarily from the leaves of two South American coca plants, ''Erythroxylum coca'' and ''Erythroxylum novogranatense, E. novogranatense'', which are cultivated a ...

. After returning in 1859, Scherzer was appointed as a councillor of the board of trade, held an office in the bureau of foreign relations, and was tasked with compiling the commercial statistics of the empire. As a reward for his publications, Scherzer was

knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...

ed in 1866. During 1869 he was the leader of an expedition to eastern Asia. Afterwards he served as a diplomatic consul in several places, including

Smyrna Smyrna ( ; , or ) was an Ancient Greece, Ancient Greek city located at a strategic point on the Aegean Sea, Aegean coast of Anatolia, Turkey. Due to its advantageous port conditions, its ease of defence, and its good inland connections, Smyrna ...

(today's

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). In 1886 Scherzer retired.

Books

* ''Reisen in Nordamerika in den Jahren 1852 und 1853.'' (''Travels in North America during 1852 and 1853''), 3 parts, Arnold, Leipzig, 1854. Written together with Moritz Wagner. * ''Las Historias del origen de los Indios de Guatemala,'' par el R. P. F. Francisco Ximenes. Vienna, 1856. Copy of the Spanish translation of the ''

Popol Vuh ''Popol Vuh'' (also ''Popul Vuh'' or ''Pop Vuj'') is a text recounting the mythology and history of the Kʼicheʼ people of Guatemala, one of the Maya peoples who also inhabit the Mexican states of Chiapas, Campeche, Yucatan and Quintana Roo, ...

'' manuscript ( more details). * ''Wanderungen Durch die Mittel-Amerikanischen Freistaaten Nicaragua, Honduras und San Salvador'' ("Travels through Central American States of Nicaragua, Honduras and San Salvador"), Braunschweig George Westermann, 1857. Details of the 1852 - 1855 expedition. * ''Reise der österreichischen Fregatte Novara um die Erde, in den Jahren 1857 - 1859'' ("Narrative of the circumnavigation of the globe by the Austrian frigate Novarra"), Vienna, 1861 - 1862, three volumes, with illustrations. First English edition by London Saunders, Otley, And Co. 1861. * ''Aus dem Natur- und Völkerleben im tropischen Amerika''. ("About the nature and the life of people in tropic America"), Leipzig, Wigand Verlag, 1864. * ''Statistisch-commerzielle Ergebnisse einer Reise um die Erde, unternommen an Bord der österreichischen Fregatte Novara in den Jahren 1857-1859''. ("Statistical and commercial results of the circumnaviagation of the globe, written on the board of Austrian frigate Novara during 1857-1859"), F.A. Brockhaus, Leipzig 1867. * ''Fachmannische Berichte über die Osterreichische-Ungarische Expedition nach Siam, China und Japan (1868-1871)'' ("Scholarly report about the Austro-Hungarian expedition to Siam, China and Japan (1868-1871)"), Stuttgart, Verlag von Julius Maier, 1872. * ''Smyrna'' ("

"), Vienna, 1873. A monograph about the city. * ''Das wirthschaftliche Leben der Völker. Ein Handbuch über Production und Consum''. ("Economic life of nations. Handbook of production and consumption."), Leipzig, Dürr, 1885.

Notes

References

Sources

External links

Extract from diary during
Novara expedition (1857 - 1859)
New York Times obituary
* Another 1857 portrait * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Scherzer, Karl von Explorers from the Austrian Empire Diplomats from Vienna People from Gorizia Scholars from the Austrian Empire Scholars from Austria-Hungary 19th-century Mesoamericanists Mesoamerican anthropologists People of the Revolutions of 1848 1821 births 1903 deaths