He was born in 1778 in his family's manor Wieso an estate in
Viisu, Estonia. He studied Physics and Chemistry at the
University of Leipzig (1796-1797) and at
University of Göttingen (1797-1798). In company with
Karl von Raumer he traveled through
central Europe and
England, and in 1811 he undertook a journey with
Friedrich Parrot through the
Crimea and the
Caucasus. The results of his extensive tour through Finland in 1818 were published in the work entitled
Geognostischer Umriss von Finland (“Geological sketch of Finland”), vol. i. of an elaborately projected
Darstellung aus dem Felsgebäude Russlands (“Representative rock constructions in Russia,” 1821). From 1820 to 1841 he was professor of mineralogy at the
Imperial University of Dorpat, and in 1826 he entered upon those extensive travels through Russia in the course of which he discovered the vast deposits of gold, platinum, and diamonds described in his famous reports published at
Riga in 1828 and 1830. His other literary productions include a description of his first extensive tour, published by him jointly with his companion Raumer in the works respectively entitled
Geognostische Versuche (“Geological experiments,” 1816) and
Geognostische Umrisse (“Geological sketches,” 1817). == Personal life ==