The Travels of Joseph Beal Steere in Brazil, Peru and Ecuador (1870‑1873)
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Volume 39(2):87‑269, 2008 The travels of Joseph Beal Steere in Brazil, Peru and Ecuador (1870‑1873) Nelson Papavero1,5 William L. Overal2 Dante M. Teixeira3,5 Janet Hinshaw4 AbstRACT Joseph Beal Steere (1842-1940) was sent by the University of Michigan in a trip around the world, from 1870 (September) to 1875, to collect materials in all departments of natural and human sciences for the University’s Museum. He went from New York to Brazil (São Luís, Maranhão), proceeding up the Amazon, and spent about eighteen months on that river and some of its tributaries. Arrived at the head of navigation of the Amazon, at the mouth of the Río Santiago (Peru), he floated back two hundred miles on a raft, to reach the mouth of the Huallaga. He ascended this river to Yurimaguas, going thence across the Andes. He made part of the journey on foot and horseback; on the way he spent some time in the old cities of Moyobamba, Chachapoyas and Cajamarca. He struck the sea-coast at a town called Huanchaco, near the city of Trujillo; thence he went to Lima; and from there to Guayaquil; and thence, overland, to Quito, continually adding to his store of specimens. While at Quito, he ascended the volcano Pichincha and went to the bottom of the crater. He returned from Quito to Lima and made an excursion along the coast of Peru, collecting old Peruvian pottery from graves, etc. From Lima he went to Cerro de Pasco mining regions, making collections of minerals. Returning to Lima, he crossed the Pacific in a ship bound for Macao, China. From Macao he jouneyed successively to Hong Kong and Canton; from Canton to the Island of Formosa, where he spent six or eight months making journeys among the savages of the interior. From Formosa he went, via Hong Kong and Canton, to the Philippine Islands, and spent ten months there; he visited several places never before visited by naturalists, and found forty new species of birds. From the Philippines he went to Singapore, thence to Malacca, and made a trip through the Dutch Moluccas, touching at several places in the islands of Java, Macassar, Amboina and Ternate. From these islands he returned to Singapore, and from there, via Suez Canal and the Mediterranean, to Marseilles, stopping at Naples. He went through France by rail and via London and Liverpool went home, after an absence of little more than 1. Museu de Zoologia, Universidade de São Paulo, Caixa Postal 42.494, 04218-970, São Paulo, SP, Brasil. 2. Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi, Ministério de Ciência e Tecnologia, Belém, PA, Brasil. 3. Museu Nacional, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil. 4. Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA. 5. Bolsistas de Produtividade do Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico. 88 Papavero, N. ET AL.: Travels of Joseph Beal Steere three years. Periodically he wrote letters telling of his adventures and impressions, with notes on the regions visited, to a weekly magazine edited in Ann Arbor, the Peninsular Courier and Family Visitant, where they were published. The 62 letters written by Steere in South America (Brazil, Peru and Ecuador) are here transcribed and commented. Key-words: Joseph Beal Steere; Travels; Brazilian Amazonia; Peru; Ecuador; Letters. BIOGRAPHIC DATA From Macao he jouneyed successively to Hong Kong and Canton; from Canton to the Island of Formosa, Joseph Beal Steere [Figs. 1, 2] (Anon., 1943: where he spent six or eight months making journeys 1175; Barnard, 1878: 70-71; Marquis, 1918: 2574; among the savages of the interior. While there, he Shavit, 1990: 466) was born in Rollin, Lenawee found manuscripts preserved among the aborigines, County, Michigan, on February 9, 1842, the son of which he concluded to be relics of the Dutch mission William Millhouse Steere, of Quaker ancestry, origi- established there two hundred and fifty years before. nally from Ohio, and Elizabeth (Beal) Steere, of New From Formosa he went, via Hong Kong and Canton, England descent. Steere’s early education was ob- to the Philippine Islands, and spent ten months there; tained in the common schools and in life in a farm. he visited several places never before visited by natu- He finished his preparation for college at Ann Arbor ralists, and found forty new specimens of birds, which High School and entered the literary department of are now in the Collection of the University. He con- the University of Michigan in 1864. He was gradu- tracted in those islands the malignant fever so preva- ated from that department in 1868, having made lent there; but found time to make large collections a special study of natural history. He took the law of insects and shells, corals, etc. From the Philippines course in 1868-1870 and was graduated from the law he went to Singapore, thence to Malacca, and made a school in the latter year. Immediately afterwards he trip through the Dutch Moluccas, touching at several started on a tour, in the interest of the University, to places in the islands of Java, Macassar, Amboina and make collections for the departments of zoology and Ternate; at the latter place he ascended the volcano of botany. He went from New York to Brazil, proceeding that name. In the Moluccas he made a large collec- up the Amazon, and spent about eighteen months on tion of the birds-of-paradise. From these islands he that river and is tributaries. He shipped his collections returned to Singapore, and from there, via Suez Canal down the river to the American Consul at Belém, who and the Mediterranean, to Marseilles, stopping at Na- sent them home. Arrived at the head of navigation of ples. He went through France by rail and via London the Amazon, at the mouth of the Río Santiago, he and Liverpool went home, after an absence of little floated back two hundred miles on a raft, to reach more than three years. This was in 1875. the mouth of the Huallaga. He ascended this river to An account of this great expedition and other Yurimaguas, going thence across the Andes. He made further expeditions made by Steere was published part of the journey on foot and horseback; on the way by Frederick M. Gaige in 1932 (Michigan Alumnus he spent some time in the old cities of Moyobamba, 38(18):344-346, 352-353, and in The Ark (University Chachapoyas and Cajamarca. He struck the sea-coast of Michigan Museum of Zoology) 10(5):2-7), based at a town called Huanchaco, near the old city Trujillo; on a collection of 96 letters written by Steere during thence he went to Lima; and from there to Guayaquil; his voyages and travels and published in the Peninsu- and thence, overland, to Quito, continually adding to lar Courier and Family Visitant, a weekly magazine his store of specimens. While at Quito, he ascended edited at Ann Arbor, during the years 1870 to 1875. the volcano of Pichincha and went to the bottom The notice published by Gaige (1932) gives a chrono- of the crater. He returned from Quito to Lima and logical list of the localities visited by Steere in his great made an excursion along the coast of Peru, collecting expedition, so far as it could be determined at that old Peruvian pottery from graves, etc. From Lima he time. In his Annual Report of the Museum of Zool- went to Cerro de Pasco mining regions, making col- ogy for 1918-1919 Alexander G. Ruthven published lections of minerals. Returning to Lima, he crossed a portrait of Steere and gave a not-quite complete list the Pacific in a ship engaged in the coolie trade go- of his publications. The same portrait and a photo- ing for a cargo in Macao, China. He made the voy- graph of a bas-relief sculptured head of Steere appear age of eleven thousand miles in seventy-two days. in Gaige’s account [Hubbell, 1964]. Arquivos de Zoologia, 39(2), 2008 89 FIGURE 1: Joseph Beel Steere. 90 Papavero, N. ET AL.: Travels of Joseph Beal Steere FIGURE 2: Joseph Beel Steere (center) with University of Michigan students, 1887 trip to the Philippines. FIGURE 3: Ilha de Marajó and neighboring area, with some of the localities visited by Steere. Arquivos de Zoologia, 39(2), 2008 91 FIGURA 4: Middle Amazon River, showing location of Fazenda Taperinha, Panema and Diamantina (after Smith, 1879). 92 Papavero, N. ET AL.: Travels of Joseph Beal Steere Some idea of the importance of the collections he led several groups of students into excursions in made by Steere may be gathered from the following the Amazon (in 1879 he revisited Marajó island; cf. rough estimate. There are three thousand birds [Sclat- Brodkorb, 1937: 6). er & Salvin (1878) published a paper on the birds col- He married Helen Buzzard on 30 September lected by Steere in South America; cf. below, Appendix 1879. II; Brodkorb (1937) those collected by Steere in the Leaving Michigan University in 1893 he dedi- Caviana and Marajó islands; see Appendix III below]; cated himself to agricultural pursuits. A last trip to the one hundred thousand sea-shells; twelve thousand Amazon, accompanied by students, was undertaken insects; one thousand corals; three hundred fishes; in 1901, ir order to collect specimens for the Smith- two hundred reptiles; five hundred crustaceans; five sonian Institution. Eigenmann & Bean (1907) [See hundred specimens of ancient and modern pottery; Appendix I below] published on the fishes collected a small collections of Chinese bronzes; a collection of by him on that occasion, dedicating to him the species arms, clothing and implements; a collection of plants Taeniosoma steerei (Siluriformes, Pimelodidae), now a and woods; a collection of fossils; a large collection of junior synonym of Goslinea platynema (Boulenger, ores and rocks; a collection of photographs; a collec- 1888).