Godeffroy

His Influence on Early Events In S. Pacific

THE colonies which Germany possessed in the Pacific before World War I. and which, as former Mandates, are now Trusteeship Territories administered by various nations, formed only a part of the commercial sphere of influence Ger man enterprise had created during the last half of last century and the first decade of this, in the far islands of the South Seas.

Without the backing of their Govern ment and the protection of its flag, Ger man merchants had gone overseas and laid the foundations of a commercial em pire stretching from the coasts of China to the South American continent.

The pioneers of this enterprise were Hamburg merchants, and prominent among them were the Godeffroy family.

The Godeffroys were Huguenots, driven from France after the abolition of the Edict of Nantes, and migrating via Hol land to Hamburg. Here, by industry and enterprise, they soon advanced into the first ranks of the commercial oligarchy of the important city. Frederick the Great of Prussia acknowledged the valuable services of the Godeffroys to trade and industry, in Prussia, after the Seven Years’ War. They made the linen of Silesia, the most important product of the European market.

During the textile Napoleonic era the Godeffroys, in spite of their French origin, proved themselves as German patriots, and contributed large sums for the equip ment of the Hamburg military forces.

Thirty years later, when war with Den mark threatened and Hamburg Port was blockaded, they bore the cost of equipping warships.

AT that time, the peak of Godeffroy prosperity seemed to have been reached. They had branches in Havana and South America, and the fleet of ships under the Godeffroy house flag was considerable.

Then, in the year 1857, Johann Cesar Godeffroy took over the management and a new spirit at once manifested itself in the firm’s policy. From the West Coast of South America, from Valparaiso, Godeffroy’s ships emerged into the mys terious island world of the South Seas, full of riches but full also of dangers and unknown risks, and awaiting exploration and exploitation. Slavers and black birders from Peru and Chile had brought thousands of natives from the South Sea Islands to South America to perish there miserably in the mines. Adventurous whalers had returned from their travels with exciting tales of pearl and tortoise shell islands.

Unshelm, manager for Godeffroy at Valparaiso, resolved on the exploration of the mysterious islands, which had be come the grave of so many audacious sea farers. From Magellan to Captain Cook, Portuguese, Spanish and British sea heroes had been murdered by the canni bals of the South Seas. Woe to the crew of the ship which happened to be struck by one of the deadly hurricanes of that region! Whoever managed to escape from shipwreck became a victim of the poisoned spears of the cannibals.

But behind all the tales of dangers and privations, of burning heat and torment ing thirst, of the terrors of the hurricanes and the atrocities of the cannibals, there remained a picture of happy and care free islands with smiling, good-natured inhabitants, flower-girded girls who wel comed the strangers with winning friend liness. Many a stranded sailor had won

the love of a dusky princess and, with her, a kingdom.

After several exploratory trips under taken by Unshelm in secrecy, he became convinced that trade in the South Sea would be far more profitable than coastal trade in South America. With iron energy, he established everywhere in the islands new trading stations, and Ham burg schooners, under the houseflag of the Godeffroys, in increasing numbers appeared in all parts of the South Seas.

They brought pearls from the atolls, tre pang to China and coconut oil to Ham burg.

Parseeing Unshelm had selected Samoa as headquarters for his widespread acti vities. Samoa, populated by an intelligent race, had been converted to Christianity by British and French missionaries. Here Unshelm leased land from the natives and started large plantations.

The coconut tree is the lifeblood of the South Seas. It grows in the poorest soil and supplies the natives with much of their needs. The fibre gives him ropes and mats. The nut supplies him with cooling drink and with food. The shell provides dishes and cups.

Unshelm suffered the fate of so many great seafarers. On an inspection trip his ship was struck by a hurricane and sank with all the crew.

UNSHELM’S successor, Theodor Weber, had arrived in Samoa at the age of 18 years, and he continued Unshelm s work with renewed energy. Dramatic struggles with the natives on distant islands—where he recruited the labourers for his plantations—fights with pirates— of whom he cleaned the South Seas — marked the road of the young Hamburg merchant, who was predestined to play an important political role. First Consul of the Free City of Hamburg, later Consul of the North German Federation and still later of the German Empire he con cluded the treaties with the Chiefs in the South Sea Islands, which prepared the way for a German Colonial Empire in the Pacific Ocean.

The time had not come yet for German colonies. The Fiji Islands, Tonga and Samoa asked the North German Federa tion and. later, the German Empire foi a German Protectorate; but the idea ot colonial acquisitions then found no sup port in the German Fatherland.

However, the British anticipated the danger that threatened from the fast growing German commercial interests, in a Blue Book published in 1872, the then Prime Minister of New Zealand. Sir Julius Vogel, discussed the German danger in the South Seas. The many ‘factories of Godeffroy in the South Seas were enumerated, and he said that they rep resented a bridge across the whole of the Pacific Ocean, from the coast of Chile to India. Over one hundred ships under tne Godeffroy houseflag were counted by the New Zealander. He said England should hurry, else the black, white and red flag would soon wave over every South Sea island.

Johann Cesar Godeffroy Did Not

limit his activities to the South Seas.

He spent immense sums on the de velopment of the Ruhr coal mining in dustry, to compete against English coal.

He also invested heavily in railway con struction, which only much later became

profitable.

As a result of this over-extension, the firm found itself in grave financial difficulties and. in spite of all the efforts of friends and members of the family, it was liqui dated. Berlin bankers then took action to save the South Seas enterprise and formed the Deutsche Handels & Plan tagen Gesellschaft der Suedsee-Inseln. the famous “long handle” firm.

The foundation for the German colonies in the South Seas thus had been laid long before Bismarck, in 1884, decided to take over Protectorates for the German Empire. The 30-years period of the Ger man colonies in the South Seas will always be closely connected with the name of Johann Cesar Godeffroy, whose ships explored and opened up the island world of the South Seas.—A. M. GURAU.

Footnote: Although the Godeffroy family had so great an influence on the early South Pacific, the only Godeffroy who ever came to the South Seas was August, a younger brother of Johann Cesar. He was a kind of wandering black sheep of the family. He married in Syd ney in 1881 and died in Capetown in 1900. (See articles in PIM of November. 1948, and March, 1949.)