Bernhard Eunom Philippi

Bernhard Eunom Philippi, or Bernardo Philippi ( born September 19, 1811 in Charlottenburg, Prussia, † October 27, 1852 in Cabeza del Mar, Chile) was a Prussian sailor, kind collectors and exploring traveler. As colonization commissioner of the Chilean government, he was the initiator of the German wave of immigration to southern Chile in the 19th century.

Life

Family and studies

He was born on September 19, 1811 in the Prussian Charlottenburg, the youngest son of Johann Wilhelm Eberhard Philippi and Anna Maria Krumwiede. His brother was Rudolph Amandus. Reading and writing he first learned under the guidance of his mother, as it was not uncommon at the time. From 1818, he attended together with his brother in Yverdon ( Switzerland ), the school of Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi, where he also learned the French language. 1822, back in Berlin, he first attended a grammar school. Because he had trouble with grammar and Latin, he brought his mother to a secondary school (Technical School Berlin). He was an avid reader of travel literature. After successful graduation, he made ​​a one-year military service in a pioneer unit. Trying to pursue a military career, failed because he did not pass the exams.

He then joined the Prussian merchant navy (Royal Royal Norwegian ). From September 1830 to April 1832 he was present as a simple sailor on the merchant ship Princess Louise at a circumnavigation of the world, which led him among other things, to Chile, Peru and China. On the ship, he met the physician and naturalist Dr. Julius Meyen know who collected during the long waiting times in ports objects for the Natural History Museum in Berlin. Philippi accompanied him on an excursion to Lake Titicaca.

Back in Hamburg, he studied during the winter months at a naval academy, and in the other seasons, he made trips to Saint Petersburg, Matanzas and New Orleans.

Sailor and natural history collector

After passing his exams at the helm, he joined in November 1836 a second Weltsumseglung, this time as third mate of the Princess Louise. In March 1837 he arrived in Valparaíso. On the ship there was also the surgeon Dr. Carl Segeth, who collected objects for the Natural History Museum Berlin and Philippi took on field trips a few times. With the prospect of a lucrative business the two founded a company to export little-known natural history objects from Chile to Germany. Philippi asked for his release from the merchant navy, which was granted. After some time there was a rift between the two and Philippi ended the collaboration. He traveled to Peru and settled there for a while on the eastern side of the Andenkordilliere down. Unsuccessfully he tried in corn cultivation. In Lima, he assumed management of a company has been offered, trying to extract from sugar cane potash. This company also failed.

Philippi fell ill with malaria and left Peru. He settled in the port city of Ancud on the island of Chiloé down because he pledged the climatic conditions there, and began to explore the south of Chile. In January 1838 he took a first reconnaissance expedition along the east coast of Chiloe and on into the Chonos Archipelago to the mouth of the Rio Aysen.

In 1839 he was hired back at the helm, and thus came back to China to Germany. In the spring of 1840 he came to his brother Rudolph to Kassel. Together they went to Berlin to the data collected in Chile to sell things and the Berlin Natural History Society to carry forward knowledge about Chile.

Equipped with a one-year scholarship as a naturalist and collector, he came in June 1841 back to Chile. He began the areas around Valdivia and Osorno to explore and in January 1842 he succeeded the rediscovery of Lake Llanquihue. During this time matured in him the idea that this region would be particularly suitable for colonization by German settlers. For the Zoological Museum Berlin he gained in that period numerous objects.

Integration in Chile

Beginning of 1843, prepared in the seclusion of Chiloé incumbent director Domingo Espiñeira and the port captain of Ancud John Williams Wilson equipping a small sailing ship before, which should be sent on a secret government mission to take possession of the Strait of Magellan. Philippi, who had good relations with Espiñeira, offered himself as a volunteer for this expedition and was accepted.

After a difficult journey, the expedition arrived on 21 September to Puerto del Hambre on Williams Brunswick Peninsula and captain took formal possession of the Strait of Magellan and the surrounding areas of the Region of Magallanes future. Shortly thereafter, a French ship near arrived and its crew the flag of France hoisted ashore, it was Philippi, who defended the Chilean position due to its good language skills and with skilful negotiation and the French captain for the recognition of Chilean sovereignty in this area moved. For this he was in 1844 by President Manuel Bulnes to Capitán de Ingenieros (about: Captain of the pioneers ) appointed in the Chilean arms.

The first colonization

In 1845 he bought the Hacienda Bella Vista south of the Río Bueno, near La Unión, in the province of Valdivia. Thither he brought for the first time German settlers who his brother Rudolph had recruited. In the brig Catalina, which belonged to the Prussian consul in Valparaíso Ferdinand Flindt, submitted on April 19, 1846 in Hamburg harbor nine families out of the city and the Office of Rotenburg an der Fulda (Northern Hesse), from and arrived on 25 August 1846 port Corral of. The male heads of families were: the blacksmith George Aubel and Nicholas Ruch, the carpenter John Bachmann, a millwright John Ide, the carpenter Johann Lorenz Hollstein, the distiller Adam Konrad Bachmann, the shoemaker Bernhard Henkel, the gardener Joseph Hunter and the shepherd Heinrich Krämer.

Beginning in 1846 accompanied Bernardo Philippi the Intendenten Salvador Sanfuentes Torres in the exploration of the province of Valdivia. On this short journey full of incidents and threats made ​​to Philippi geographical sketches and overview maps. Although these were methodologically limited somewhat inaccurate, but they served as a good basis for reports to the Government of Chile and for publication in Germany. A year later officiated Sanfuentes as a minister in Santiago. Based on the knowledge gained through the journey together and influenced by the ideas presented Philippi Sanfuentes the government a colonization project. Philippi took part in the government deliberations and his reports had decisive influence on government decisions. In June 1847 Philippi was appointed by President Bulnes for Sargento Mayor de Ingenieros (about: Lieutenant Colonel of the pioneers ) transported and set as his aide and political adviser.

Colonization commissioner of the Chilean government

In the European Revolution of 1848 Philippi saw then the chance came to win German emigrants as colonists for Chile and implement its Kolonisierungsideen for southern Chile. He offered to the Chilean government to travel to Germany. So Philippi was appointed in August 1848 colonization officer and sent to Germany to recruit emigrants who should be settled around Lake Llanquihue. His brief was to choose 150 to 200 Catholic peasant or artisan families, also two Catholic priests, two school teachers and a doctor. On behalf of the Chilean government, he should offer the emigrants to pay for the crossing. Every father should 10 to 15 Cuadras (1 Cuadra corresponds to approximately 1.57 acres ) land and get tax exemption for twelve years. The Catholic priest should be remunerated for eight years by the government. The colonists should the Chilean citizenship accept waiving their current citizenship. Who wants to come at their own expense to Chile, could buy land in auctions by the government and would receive six years tax exemption.

In Germany Philippi began to publish articles in newspapers and to extol the benefits of Chile. He also wrote a book: news about the Valdivia province, especially for Those who want to emigrate there, with a card. But the Catholic bishops were against him and advised their believers from a successful emigration from. Thus it succeeded Philippi initially only to recruit in Kassel some Catholic merchants and artisans, who wanted to escape the turmoil and repression in Germany and were able to travel at their own expense to Chile. There were 34 people who arrived in Valdivia in January 1850. Philippi asked the Chilean government to expand its powers. Even without waiting for an answer he organized in November 1849 a further group of 32 people, this time all Protestants. Because in Hamburg, the Elbe was frozen this early in March 1850 and could only run came in June in Valdivia.

In the Chilean government they were disappointed with the previously meager result of the efforts of Philippi, without realizing that the conditions imposed the denomination of the colonists inhibited with respect to the company. In October 1850 he was ordered to the entrepreneur Vicente Pérez Rosales for colonization officer to prepare the arrival of more settlers. Finally, in December, 102 immigrants came again with the ship Susanne from Hamburg. Philippi also convinced his brother Rudolph of them emigrate to Chile. This then took over in 1851 the management of Hacienda Bella Vista in the province of Valdivia.

After all, it succeeded in Philippi to bring up in May 1851 nearly 600 ethnic German emigrants to Chile, and almost all corresponded to the desired profile of well-trained, powerful peasant or craftsman and had even paid for their passage itself. The start of the colonization of the south of Chile with German immigrants had succeeded, as it was planned only were the fewest by the colonists Catholic. As Philippi returned to Chile in 1852, made ​​him why allegations.

Governor of Magallanes

In May 1852 Philippi was appointed governor of the region of Magallanes in Punta Arenas or, if you will, conveyed away the end of the world. Punta Arenas was then a colony for so-called incorrigible offenders and was after a riot in which Philippi's predecessor had been murdered, in ruins. Philippi immediately began to rebuild. The rebels had killed some Guaycurú. Although Philippi was known that he everywhere with the indigenous population always got along well, he was not able to normalize the relationship again. In an act of vendetta Philippi was lured on October 27, 1852 in Cabeza del Mar ( 50 km north of Punta Arenas ) into an ambush and slain.