Dear Sir

I take the liberty to inform you that the Expedition for Eastern Asia and South America has left Trieste on the 18^th. Octbr consisting of the Screw-frigate Donau (Danube) and the Screw Corvette friedrich, with together 590 men crew.¹

Although the principal object of the mission is a commercial one, yet I have endeavoured to make the expedition likewise as useful to science as possible and hope that we shall also gather some valuable scientific results.

We have with us a good Zoologist, who is sent to China and Japan to study there the sériculture and report on the condition of the silkworm in Eastern Asia—²

Besides, there are three medical officers who are good botanists and one of them will take up the bodily measurements.³ We have also with us a very first rate photographer.⁴ The Expedition will make a short stay at the Cape of Good Hope and then proceed to Singapore where I expect to meet the vessels early in february. from Singapore the vessels will continue the voyage to Bangkok, where a treaty will be negotiated with the King of Siam and then go to China and Japan.

When the Treaties with these two Empires have been concluded, the mission will return to Europe by the Pacific and call at the Sandwich Islands, at San francisco, Punto Arenas, Panama, Callao, Valparaiso, Montevideo and Buenos Ayres.

If during this cruise I should be able to become in any way serviceable to you, I beg to dispose of me freely. I shall not leave Vienna before December as I intend to take the Overland Route & I shall feel most happy to be entrusted with your Commands. I send you also a copy of the instructions for the commercial Reporters, which however contains also a number of Scientific Desiderata and to which I have added a german translation of your own queries.⁵

I remain | With heart and hand | your most devoted | D^r Scherzer.