Abstract
SCIENCE in Australasia, and especially in New Zealand, has recently sustained a great loss by the death, on August 16 last, of Sir Julius von Haast. He was born on May 1, 1824, at Bonn,where his father was a wealthy merchant. After passing through the grammar-schools of Bonn and Cologne, he entered the University of Bonn, and devoted a considerable portion of his time to geological and mineralogical studies. He then spent some years in France, and made journeys for the purpose of scientific exploration in Russia, Austria, and Italy. Being invited by an English firm of ship-owners to visit New Zealand on their behalf in order to report upon its fitness as a field for German emigration, he went to London, and accepted their offer after some negotiation.; and on December 21, 1858, he arrived at Auckland. The next day, by a lucky chance, the Austrian ship Novara—then on its voyage of scientific research—put into Auckland; and when Dr. von Hochstetter was left behind, at the request of the New Zealand Government, he took Mr. Haast as his lieutenant and companion in all his journeys in these islands. After the departure of Hochstetter, Mr. Haast was engaged by the Provincial Government of Nelson to explore the west coast of the province, and in the journey undertaken in the pursuit of these duties he commenced his examination of the physical geography and geology of the Southern Alps. The results of the exploration were published in a report printed by the Nelson Government and dated January 1, 1861.
Article PDF
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Sir Julius von Haast, F.R.S. . Nature 37, 87 (1887). https://doi.org/10.1038/037087a0
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/037087a0