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MAiicH 31, I860.] The Leader and Saturda...
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Prince Albert toHumboldt. - ¦'" .?« Wind...
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JEfumholdt to Vam/iagen. " February 27th...
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HENB.Y IV. QF FRANCE.* LE BEARNAIS is on...
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* JliNton/ r>r tho Brian <//' JJiwjf Jl ...
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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
Additionally, when viewing full transcripts, extracted text may not be in the same order as the original document.
Humboldt's Confidences To Varnhagen Von ...
. « 1846 . "' The abilities of one of the ¦ * * * princes ^ vas the subject of conversation , and the general opinion was , that they were of a very ordinary kind . Htjjiboldt contradicted . 'I must dispute that , said he ; ' the young prince lately spoke with me ; he met me waiting in his mother ' s apartments , and asked , Who are you _ £ . I replied , " My name is Httmboi ^ t . " " And what are you P , I : " I am- the chamberlain of His Majesty the King . Is that all P curtly broke off the Prince , turned on his heel , ^ nd went his way . That is unquestionably a proof of understanding . " Feb . 21 , 1847 . "At the request of Prince Ai-bekt when he was at Stolzenfels , I caused a copy of the Cosmos to be laid upon his table . He had the politeness not to thank me for it . Now , the Black Eagle has made him polite , that , as well as —he makes me talk about ' circling oceans of light' and ' star terraces , a Coburgian variation upon my text , quite English , from Windsor , where everything is full of terraces . ' In the Kosmos , page 159 , is the star canopy , to explain , by openings , the starless spots . The book upon the Mexican Monuments which he has presented me I bought two years ago . An edition of Lord Byron ' s works would have been more delicate . It is singular , too , that no mention is made of Queen Victoeia , who , perhaps , deems my books upon Nature not Christian . You see , : I judge severely when princes write . "
Maiich 31, I860.] The Leader And Saturda...
MAiicH 31 , I 860 . ] The Leader and Saturday Analyst . 307
Prince Albert Tohumboldt. - ¦'" .?« Wind...
Prince Albert toHumboldt . - ¦' " . ?« Windsor Castle , Feb . 7 th , 1847 . " Respected Baron , —I have , during the gradual , reading of the first volume of your JTosmos , continually felt myself , impelled to express to you my repeated thanks for the great intellectual enjoyment which tliis study has afforded me . To be sure I am not able to bestow upon , you in this case , as a return present , a sententious judgment on your excellent work , which I received out of your own hands .
: But , however , in want of such , to lend at least a certain external weight to the expression of my thanks , I send you the enclosed work , Catherwood ' s Views on Central America , which , as a supplement toAour own great work on Spanish America , might perhaps eng-age your ktention . I need not say with what lively expectation I am looking forward to the appearance of tiie second volume of the JEosmos * " May it please Heaven , ' whose circling seas of light and star terraces' you depict so gloriously , to keep you yefc many years in undisturbed health of body arid soul , for the fatherland , the world , and the JEosnios . : " This is %% e sincere wish of . . " Yours truly , Albert . "
Jefumholdt To Vam/Iagen. " February 27th...
JEfumholdt to Vam / iagen . " February 27 th , 184 . 7 . " You were right to scold . me for my harshness towards the man of the star terraces . I am only severe with the mighty ; aiid with this man , while at Stolzenfels , I did not feel at ease . I know you sympathize with the misfortunes of the Russian Poles ., but , unfortunately , the Pples deserve our sympathy as little as do the Irish . ^ Mild dixit , and he is the handsome husband of the Queen of Great Britain . " " November 4 th , 1849 .
** How important is the news from Paris ! The imprudent , thoughtless Louis Napoleon will , probably , obtain the consulat a pie ; but h £ \ vijl fall , and awake the slumbering 1 lion . Freedo ' rn will not josc ' fcy it ; and German statesmen ( are there any except Vojt GagernP ) will then perceive that the France of 17 B 9 still exists in Europe— -tJhat France , whosq nullity has been a by-word this year past . The'ccntves of gravitation are changing places . " . «• July 2 nd , 1850 ,
"I am glad , in this gloomy period of reaction , to vecoive so pleasant a token from your hand . My dear friend , I am happy to hear of your journey to Kiel—to . that little region , where German sentiments find utterance 90 consistent and free . —The state of the nations resembles the bottle of watpr which D'Alemdekt shook to produce a mazje of bubbles of different angles . He then said , in ridicule of that science in which he himself was so great , Caltndez moi cola I Many of the hubbies will burst before their transitory jforxns <; an be diplomatically calculated .
Varnkaffcn ' s Diary , " January 20 th , 1862 . ; "At one o ' clock , Hu ^ moiiBT camo . Wonderfully active for his yonrs , la exasperated at the coup d'dtat in Franco , at the daring violence , the arbitrary banishments , particularly the robbory of the Orleans family . The King" was at first overjoyed at tho news . The deod of v ' illany perpetrated against the people , against their repreeontativofl , against rig-lit ana his solemn oath , is nob qo
obnoxious to tho King-and tine Court 5 but that the adventurer leans upon the people , exorcises socialism , » md will bo Emporor besides , that' makes him detestable 1 * # # Humbqlkt says it is un undoubted fact that Louis Napolron is the son of Admiral VfEiiiruKfc , liis brother Moknv n sou of Getienil Flmjavlt , who lived with boiih sisters—the Queen of Holland ami the Que « jn of Naples . Of 1 ' kksigny—Fiamn » E Pkksiony— -ho speaks with tho utmost contempt ; ho is a coarse , uncultivated subaltern , who novorthulons has the presumption to pretend to produce something new about the pyramids . "
" August 11 th , 1855 . . "Of the Prince of Prussia , Humbolpt . said , the Prince had asserted at St . Petersburg , as he had formerly done at Berlin , that the war might have been avoided if Prussia hud . at the outset taken a decided step , for then the Emperor Nicholas would have given way . The Imperial family lived happily together , the Grand Duke CojtStantine included , who did not appear so dangerous . as represented . The Empress mother had said they were all mere children , she had to remain with them to maintain order . The war
is severely felt , everything at a standstill ; the country , nearly destitute of men , though not so numerous either ; Poland , the Baltic j > rovinees > an ( ^ Finland feebly-supplied with troops , the main part of the army being in the Crimea the losses are tremendous , and impossible to be supplied ; Gqrtsciiakoff reports the daily combats cost him from 180 to 2 O 0 men , a frightful number in a month . Nessexkode thinks of fresh negotiations , but first heavy blows must fall upon one side or the other ; they are not without fears for Sebastopol . " " March 7 th , 1858 .
" I presume , dear friend , you have not yet come into possession of the indiscreet , I may say , almost inane work of Noemanby ' s . " " March 8 th . " Humboldt sends me , with a friendly line , the book written by the Marquis of Nobmanby upon the devolution , of 18 IS . He terms it an indiscreet arid almost inane work ; I call it a stupid one , and , judging by the contents , a treacherous one ; it proves how injurious it i ° tfTallosv . diplomatic interference , more especially non-official , as was that of the Marquis . Cavaigxac as well as Lamautine gave too much ear to his counsels . He is one of the dullest and most irksome of Englishmen . . March 9 th : Read more of Nokmanbt . He is a sorry wight , but the meanness of Lor 1 . ^ . P hilipp e , the vickediie ' ss' of G ^ IZOT , the ruinous influence of the cringers and cheats , we may l . earii from his bad book . Far the rest he is a master in the art of levelling everything that is animating and sparkling in the mightiest events to a deadening wearisoniencss . " >
We hear that this work is already out of . print in Germany ; 15 , 000 copies having been soldi The interest . iii . it continues unabated , arid is likely ; to do so . ¦; .-. ¦[
Henb.Y Iv. Qf France.* Le Bearnais Is On...
HENB . Y IV . QF FRANCE . * LE BEARNAIS is one of the most favourite figures of European history ; and those who like him least , must make up their minds to the avowal that no amount of evidence which niay be brought forward to prove him -unworthy of that favour , will succeed vin depriving , him of it . He is exactly the monarch in whom the . whoje world can take an interest—an interest which scarcely reaches with the majority to the great political schemes attributed to the Icing , or the valuable adjriinistrati . ve reforms effected by foully , and other ministers in his name , but centres around the man , his exploits and his peccadilloes . It is . that seampishness winch forms so large an element in his character , indeed , that mnk-es luin such a favourite . It is , we will not say a sad , but an ' unflattering truth ,
that gi-eat and inflexible virtue seldom , or ever makes its possessor popular . He is esteemed and respected ; but people shun his society , and prefer that of some , clever scapegrace knowii to bo always up , to mischief , and quite as lilcely to make them his next victims as anybody else . The virtuous man is so far above his fol ^ ys , ( hat they can feel no sympathy with pr for him ; the scamp , whose misdeeds are redeemed by wit and good hiunour , conies down to the general level , and will always ' find persons to extenuate his follies , and lend him a helping hand out of hifrscrapjes . Just so it is in history . The great king's . and potentates who h / ive kept themselves free from all follies are remeroberod for the dcoda they
have accomplished , and the influence they have exerted upon national orgeneral liistory ; butno one cares to traipe the details of their . career , and study the dooorous dulnoss of their privatulifo . But . let tlio great king have been a good companion , a man of easy . morals nndeasy manners , and at once his history becomes interesting , and ehi oniclcra without number fasten upon him . Wo must not bo unjust , how * over , to that much-suffering lay figure , the world . Ib takes no interest in vice itself when unredeemed by valour and wit . It roads with' pk-a ^ nro the story of Henri Quatre , —lua ficK-loness , his ingratitude , and » his amours ; it likes to hear even of tho pranks of our own Charles II . ; but it cares nothing at all for information about Louia Quinzo or Goorgo tho Fourth , sinners and nothing 1
As tho world will therefore hoar pf Henry IV ., ii ; naturally follows that histories of him abound , some written by partisans and some by enoniios , but all , however strong tho pnrty bias of t , ho writer , influencod , soincwliat to indulgence , and ndmirtiUon , by that happy nuinner , 'that dashing ndvonturoiis spirit ; winch Vnado even thoHO ho had most Hhmncfully Uosortod Htill cling to 1 ho king with aflbctioiuito attachnieut . The moHfc vnlunbio contnl > ution ot Inter years to tho hintory of Henry ' s rciun is undoubtedly tho exhaustive work of M . l > oinHon , tlio result of jnoro tlmii liltoon years' intenso devotion to tho Hiihjuot ; but nblp i \» tho book' is it poasQHaes comparatively little intorest for tho frenQral roadt'i-. Iwothii'ds of it ; are . owciipfod in » history of tho political , tulniiniHtrativo , religious , literary , and industrial condition of Franco tit tho tnno ,
* Jlinton/ R>R Tho Brian <//' Jjiwjf Jl ...
* JliNton / r > r tho Brian / ' JJiwjf Jl ., A ' ' ' " // ^/ ' ^"' ' ^""' ,. ^""^!! Part I . Ill-ury IV , and tho Leayuc . I ) y IMahtiia ^ Y . Pkkkii . Two Vole Hurst and Uluokett ,
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Citation
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Leader (1850-1860), March 31, 1860, page 15, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse2.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_31031860/page/15/
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