In my last blog post I introduced you all to Johann Reinhold Forster, a Prussian naturalist who sailed with Captain James Cook on Cook’s second voyage into the Pacific. When Forster moved from Prussia to England, not only did he move himself, but also his entire family. When Forster was offered the job of sailing with Captain Cook, he accepted on the condition that his eldest son Georg could join him. Georg was sixteen at the time of Cook’s voyage but had already proven himself to his father. When the Forsters still lived in Prussia, Johann Reinhold was constantly attempting to secure academic positions to teach about science and botany. While he was searching for positions however, he was constantly spending money on books about ancient history and geography; so much so, that he was almost constantly in debt. His unfortunate habit of always falling into debt would remain a major hamper for the rest of his life, as his debts followed him everywhere he went. Georg’s reputation was much higher than his father’s, especially during and after Cook’s voyage. He was highly intelligent, observational, loyal, and thoughtful, but most importantly, even tempered and easy to get along with. Johann Reinhold was the exact opposite – though he was intelligent and knew what he was doing, his horrendously unlikable personality was perhaps the most crucial aspect that prevented him from getting further recognition and success in the field.
Before the Forsters relocated to England, Johann Reinhold was commissioned for an expedition to Russia in 1765. He brought Georg, who was then 10 years old, on this expedition, where they studied the geography, ethnology, and natural history of the region. Georg himself focused primarily on the botanical aspects. Johann Reinhold had hoped that his reports following the expedition would result in an academic post of some nature, which did not happen, as one of his reports did not fit the expectations held – an event of a similar nature happened on his return from Cook’s voyage, after it was deemed what he had planned to write was deemed by the Royal Society as unreadable, and would thus require heavy editing from an outside hire by the Society’s choosing. However, it was this Russian expedition that helped Forster get his letters of recommendation help his reputation enough to get him to England.[1]
Georg himself did not write journals during Cook’s voyage but took some notes instead. During the publication crisis at the voyage’s completion, after much negotiation and arguments, it was decided that Johann Reinhold was not allowed to publish anything related to the voyage. However, this decree did not apply to Georg, and so Georg set to work compiling his father’s journals along with his own notes, rushing to beat Cook in publishing. The Forsters succeeded in publishing their own account roughly six weeks before Cook’s official account. Under Georg’s name, it was called: A Voyage Round the World (1777). However, in England the Forsters’ account did not sell as well as Cook’s account. Among many things, Cook’s account was complete with illustrations and woodcuts. Johann Reinhold published his scientific-focused Observations in 1778, and though it was well received and generally well regarded, was not enough to cover his continuous debts. With his reputation thoroughly slashed in England, the Forsters relocated back to Prussia once Johann Reinhold had paid off his debts and gotten enough money to make the move, a mere 3 years after the voyage had returned. Johann Reinhold managed to get a teaching position at his old university at Halle, due to Georg’s efforts in getting a post for his father.[2] Johann Reinhold taught natural history, but his classes were not popular, despite his unique exposure to the South Pacific. Again, his unfavourable personality was what hampered his success. Eventually, his classes were better attended, and he remained there until his death.[3]
Georg, on the other hand, was offered several positions on the Forsters’ return to Prussia. His A Voyage Round the World was extremely well-received in Europe and especially in his home country. He was extremely popular in Europe and found fame as a writer and philosopher. In Paris, he crossed paths with Benjamin Franklin, and was regarded as a teacher of Alexander von Humboldt, also influencing Hegel, Goethe, and Friedrich Schlegel.[4] He went through numerous academic positions following Cook’s voyage, and continuously tried to get these positions for his father instead of himself. After multiple teaching jobs, in 1788 he accepted a position as a librarian at Mainz, where soon his life would take a dramatic turn. His wife had relationship with another man who also lived with them, and because of the ongoing French Revolution, they soon found Mainz occupied by the French. As a leader in the local Jacobin Club, Georg was, “an unofficial but trusted adviser to the French commander, a popular and successful agitator in the rural districts outside the town, and eventually the dominant voice in the National Convention that met in Mainz at the beginning of 1793”.[5] Johann Reinhold did not like Georg’s involvement with the Revolution and his radical views, and neither did many of Georg’s old friends and associates. His involvement led to the loss of many friends as well as the breakdown of his marriage.[6] In 1793, Georg went to Paris as one of three commissioners to request some of his proposed resolutions and degrees before the French National Assembly. However, when he was there, Mainz was re-occupied by allied powers. Georg found himself stranded in Paris where he worked for the republican government, remaining there until his early death in 1794 at the age of 39, having been plagued with ill health for much of his adult life.[7] So, from Prussia, to Russia, to England, to the South Pacific, back to England, back to Prussia/Germany, and then to France, Georg Forster lived a truly transnational life, where he established himself as an intellectual, writer, and scientist, all at a relatively young age.
Despite the Forsters unique transnational experience, not a lot of attention has been paid to them. Work on Johann Reinhold Forster, in particular, pales in comparison to his counterpart on Cook’s first Endeavour voyage, Joseph Banks. Though there has been a little more work done on Georg, most of it is in relation to his dealings with the French Revolution. It is rather unfortunate that the Forsters are relatively unknown by most, as they truly do have a transnational story to tell.
Georg’s, A Voyage Round the World, is available in ebook form from the university library. If you are interested in Johann Reinhold Forster’s handwritten journals, you can find them here: https://digital.staatsbibliothek-berlin.de/suche?results_on_page=20¤t_page=1&sort_on=relevance&sort_direction=desc.
[1] John Dawson, ‘The Forsters, Father and Son, Naturalists on Cook’s Second Voyage’, New Zealand Slavonic Journal (1998), pp. 100-103.
[2] Dawson, ‘The Forsters, Father and Son’, p. 107.
[3] Ibid., p. 108.
[4] Gordon A. Craig, ‘Engagement and Neutrality in Germany: The Case of Georg Forster, 1754-94’, The Journal of Modern History 41:1 (1969), pp. 1-3.
[5] Craig, ‘Engagement and Neutrality’, p. 4.
[6] Ibid., p. 5. Dawson, ‘The Forsters, Father and Son’, p. 108.
[7] Craig, ‘Engagement and Neutrality’, pp. 4-5.