Anatole von Hügel

“ He would rather have died a thousand times than done the things which he forbore to judge severely in another. There was in his soul a sweetness, a serenity, a calm imperturbable dignity, and an absolute inability to accustom itself to the rough, base, deceitful ways of earth, which makes those who most keenly mourn his loss thankful to think of him at home in the free air of heaven: where all things else have passed away, Charity remaineth for ever! ”

“ A sovereign, full of ripe experience of the world and of knowledge of men, who, amidst the most ominous circumstances, had built up an orderly system on treacherous ground, had consolidated young institutions, had reconciled, or at least controlled, old antagonisms; a future Queen born of the Imperial house; a Catholic people in the midst of which lingered many a Hapsburg tradition—all this both strengthened the position of Baron von Hügel and harmonised with his tastes and views. ”

“ Little Tahiti cannot boast of such mountains, but its tower-like peaks are very striking. The flat land of the Tahitian coast, extending to a width of several miles — with its chain of villages, its fertile gardens, and its belt of palms, sometimes intersected by stream-fed valleys which open on the sea-shore — forms a most pleasing foreground to the grand amphitheatre-like mountain ranges. A good road surrounds the entire island, which is divided into eighteen districts, each under a chief and a municipal council of which he is president. ”

“ In spite of this intense activity, Hügel cultivated society, and, owing to his large experience, his gracious manners, and his lovable personality, was beloved and respected in all circles. He was as faithful as his brother Clemens to the powerful Chancellor of State, Prince Metternich, though he did not yield to him so blind a devotion. On Metternich's fall, Charles took him, at the peril of his own life, through Vienna, across the Austrian frontier, and accompanied him to England. ”

“ Vienna, 1814.
for many long years, are known to all who take an interest in the inner and domestic history of Austria during the period of its then ruler's omnipotence. Thirty years of age when he first took his place in the society of the capital, he was a handsome man, slender and well built, attractive in manner, refined and elegant, with an open countenance which united liveliness with good nature, full of chivalrous courtesy of bearing. Even in advanced years he retained something very winning, which gave expression both to his consistent high breeding, and to his kindness of heart. ”

“ The arirai had a councillor, but was alone responsible for any act. The bi-insular form of Tahiti promoted the independence of the chiefs, and war was rarely declared or an army or fleet despatched without the raatiras being first summoned to council. Without their favour nothing could be accomplished, for their power over their own people was absolute. The form of government was thus strictly feudal in character, but it gradually centralized into a monarchy, which, in the person of Pomare II., the English missionaries greatly helped to regulate and strengthen. ”

“ Events which no loyal-hearted man or true patriot, whatever his line of politics might be, could witness unmoved, determined the Baron von Hügel to abandon the studious pursuits and pleasant leisure of his beloved villa, and to throw himself again into the business and turmoil of the world. He accordingly took up his residence at Vienna, and entered with energy and zeal into all the agitating political affairs of that eventful period. ”

“ Mammalians, as in other Polynesian islands, are restricted to a few species of bats (mostly of the genus Pteropus) , rats, and mice, none of them, peculiar. Of domestic animals, the pig and the dog—the former a small breed which quickly disappeared before the stronger European strains—were plentiful even in Wallis’s days. The ornithology is very poor as compared with that of the Western Pacific; and, in marked contrast to the isolated Hawaiian archipelago, the Society Islands possess no peculiar genera and but few peculiar species. ”

“ For years, and in all parts of the globe, the guest of Englishmen, of that mighty people whose grand views of life actuate each of its members, I feel myself deeply indebted to them for friendly reception and help, without which a part of my travels would have taken double the time, and a part would have been impossible, and I seize this opportunity, as I have done on all previous opportunities, to give expression to my warmest and heartiest thanks. ”

“ To the west as far as Fiji — the main islands of which group lie between the same degrees of latitude as those of Tahiti — there are 1500 miles of open water. About 300 miles south-west lies Cook’s Archipelago, and at the same distance south are the Austral Islands. To the north, excepting a few coral banks, there is open sea to Hawaii, a distance of 2600 miles.
Tahiti occupies a central position in the Pacific. Sydney lies about 3400 miles to the west and San Francisco about as far to the north-north-east. Honolulu, Noumea, and Auckland are each somewhere about 2400 miles away ”

“ Then, quite apart from this, there is the great service which Hügel rendered in Zoology, Botany, and Ethnography, as well as in sciences auxiliary to history, by his systematically conceived and truly magnificent collections, which not only adorn our museums, and form a not inconsiderable portion of their treasures, but also in the hands of prominent specialists have rendered lasting service to science. Their writings shew what a large number of species of animals as well as of plants were discovered by Hügel. ”

“ It is rich in trees, shrubs, and hardwood plants, poor in the smaller undergrowth, Orchids, including some beautiful species, and ferns are abundant; but, here as in Polynesia generally, Rubiaceæ is the order best represented. Remarkable are the banana thickets, which, chiefly on Tahiti, grow at an altitude of from 3000 to 5000 feet. Along the shore—in some places almost to the extinction of all native growth—many exotics have established themselves; and a great variety of fruit-hearing and other useful trees have been successfully introduced into most of the islands. ”

“ In the gardens of his beautiful villa on the road from Hietzing to St Veit, which from 1837 onwards became his chief residence, he cultivated a large number of exotic flowers and plants, and gathered about him those rich collections of every kind which he retained as souvenirs of the years spent in the East. He was a man of delicate and refined taste, who, whilst giving their full value to scientific interests, and dedicating a large portion of his time to serious labours, loved to be surrounded by that noble luxury which, in his case and for him, was no mere external. ”

“ The competition of the Chinese immigrants, of whom in 1886 there were already 400 on Tahiti and Eimeo, is beginning to be keenly felt. The importation of "labour," chiefly for the plantations, from other Polynesian islands was placed under Government control in 1862. The Tahitians themselves prefer handicrafts to agricultural work, and many are employed as artisans by European masters, who find them as handy and industrious as their own countrymen, but for domestic service they show no aptitude. ”

“ The women rank with the most beautiful of the Pacific, though the accounts given of them by early voyagers are much exaggerated; and for general symmetry of form the people are unsurpassed by any race in the world. Even now in its decadence, after generations of drunkenness and European disease and vice, grafted on inborn indolence and licentiousness, many tall and robust people (6 feet and even upwards in height) are to be found. The women, as a rule, are small in proportion to the men. ”

“ He acted up to the words of the Apostle, "Charity beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things." It was not only that no unkindly word ever passed his lips, but no harsh, suspicious, or uncharitable thought ever embittered his soul. He believed in the goodness of others with the faith of a large and generous heart, and when actual proofs of baseness, falsehood, or ingratitude were forced upon him, he still hoped on with patient trust in the existence of redeeming points hidden for a time, but which would some day come to light. ”

“ Regarding these distinctions, I will only add that all prominent Horticultural Societies of the world conferred on Hügel their Honorary Fellowship, or, in other ways distinguished him in the highest manner possible, and that numerous species of plants and animals were named after him [42] .
If the rare gifts of such a man fascinate the mind, so does his noble personality completely captivate the heart. Everyone who knew Hügel personally speaks of his kindness, of his gentleness, his winning manner, and his consideration—a quality which he shewed in his demeanour even to the least. ”

“ During the years which he spent in England after his retirement from public life, years marked by the severest bodily sufferings entailing privations of the heaviest sort on one whose mind and heart were as alive as ever to the interests and pursuits which had filled his existence, he evinced a patience, sweetness of temper, and calm resignation which touched and edified all who approached him. ”

“ Diplomacy had been one of the traditions of his family, both his father, Baron Aloys von Hügel a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Stephen, and his brother, Baron Clemens von Hügel having rendered distinguished services in that line to the Austrian Empire. As to Baron Charles von Hügel in whatever capacity he acted, or whatever position he occupied, devotion to the Sovereign and the country he loved, and a constant desire to promote everything that could tend to benefit humanity, were the ruling motives and objects of his life. ”

“ But I must here conclude, and omit alluding to any other portion of Baron Hügel's adventurous travels through China, Singapore, and Australia. His work on Cashmere and the Punjab is alone sufficient to place him in the foremost rank of the distinguished travellers of the age. ”

“ No one can survey Hügel's life-work without astonishment at the great diversity of his interests and occupations, at the energy with which he applied himself, often simultaneously, to subjects remote from one another, and at the rich harvest which his untiring labour brought to maturity. ”

“ Rare collections of foreign birds and insects, works of art, ingenious devices, graceful fountains, and flowers of every land, formed a scene of beauty, fairy-like in its loveliness, and bearing in all its details the impress of a mind that took pleasure in all the beautiful creations of God, and loved to impart those enjoyments to others. ”

“ As he loved the world of flowers, so he loved budding humanity: after arduous labour he found refreshment in the child's world; and the little ones would cling lovingly and admiringly to one who delighted them by planning games, or telling fanciful fairy stories [43] . Reumont in his description of Hügel's diplomatic career, gives a picture of him as he was when they were both at Florence. He says: "Hügel's bearing is always conciliatory, his behaviour considerate, his judgment just, and his personal charm was in harmony with these qualities. ”

“ In the department of horticulture, Hügel has carried the torch of progress as no one else has done within the limits of our fatherland. Though in the course of time the strongest impulses seem to pass away, so that it is only the retrospect of the historian which keeps before the memory of a new generation the forces which moved its predecessor, yet traces of Hügel's activity remain in evidence to the present day. Numerous sub-tropical plants, introduced by him, adorn the gardens of the world ”