to those who during 1806 to 1808 had studied in Jena and 

 Gottingen, to ask whether they knew anything about Count 

 Tredern. The information he received led, according to Baer, 

 only along a false trial. In 1874, when Baer wrote his article 

 on Tredern, he obviously forgot completely that in 1836, 

 undoubtedly in answer to his call, he had received a letter 

 from the notary Shtender from Libava with very useful informa- 

 tion about Tredern. Enclosed in the letter was even an 

 autograph of the mysterious embryologist. The contents of 

 this letter are mentioned below, 



Baer also called upon Admiral I. F. Krusenshtern for 

 help, and in a letter of May 26, 1836, he requested his 

 assistance. In this Baer mentioned, incorrectly, the later 

 assumption that the senior Tredern had stayed in Revel with 

 his ship. There his son was born, who considered Estonia his 

 country. Because the young Tredern was later a Russian naval 

 officer, it was natural to assume that he studied in the 

 Petersburg Navy Corps. 



"Would Your Excellency," wrote Baer to Krusenshtern, 

 "with the advantage of your post, please search in the 

 registers and archives of the Russian fleet 1) for an officer 

 with the family name of Tredern who may have spent some time 

 in Revel. 2) Did he father a son there and what was his name?" 

 In an article on Tredern in 1874, Baer indicated: "in the 

 files of the navy, which were reviewed according to my request, 

 this given name was not known." 



Continuing with the story of his search, Baer described 

 how in 1839 or 1840 he got his first clue, when in the 

 populous community of Petersburg he again asked if anybody 

 knew Count Tredern, accidentally pronouncing this family name 

 with the accent on the last syllable. One of the ladies 

 present, daughter of the statistician, the academician Shtorkh, 

 said that they knew Count Tredern in the house of the banker 

 Ralle, whose widow lived at Vasilev Island, and even mentioned 

 in what house. The widow Ralle was found, and she remembered 

 well the father of the missing embryologist. He was a French 

 emigre who was in Russia in Tsar Paul I's time, from whom, 

 apparently, he had received the title of count. Later Baer 

 corresponded with Gebenbaur and Katfazh and received from them 

 some documentary data on Tredern. 



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