The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1839-02-26
HUMBOLDT, COLUMBUS, vEspUcIUs.

Extract from letter of the Paris Correspondent
Of the New York American, dated October 30,
1888:
"At the sitting, on the 24th.uimo, of the Acade-
my of Sciences, Baron de Humboldt submitted the
second section Of his Critical Examination of tie
History of the Geography of the New Continent, in
which he expaiates, in poetical vein, on the mari.
time expeditions of nations. He does not forget
the brilliant pages Of Washington Iring,' but pays
a high and merited compliment to your historian of
the Voyages OF Columbus and his companions The
great traveller remarks: The American author,
cQnformably to the object and literary nature of his
work. avoided OF course those minute Investigations
of geography and nautical astronomy to which the
dryness Of my habitual studies and subjects have
long condemned me-
But De Humboldt is never dry, even in Ibis
most abstruse inquiries and scientific discussions
He always writes with elegance and imagination as
in this very curious, learned, and comprehensive
Critical Examination ! went to the sitting of the
Academy of Sciences on Monday last, for the pur-
pose chiefly Of contemplating this prodigy OF travel
and knowledge, whose presence in Paris delights the
whole body OF sarans He has a vigorous frame, an
alert firm step, and courteous unaffected demean-
or. He works every day in the library Of the Insti-
tute, with the two-fold diligence and zeal of veter
an author, and an enthusiast in those reconcile re-
searches and brilliant speculations by which he has
acquired so much fam. and authority.
In the new book, he has abundantly proved as
he thinks that, although COLUMBUS was directed in
his expedition by views notions Of positive cos
biography, he never had the idea of the new world
of America. He died in the firm belief that, if he
had arrived at continent which he supposed 10 be
Cuba that continent was part Of the great empire of
Khatai, that is, Of the Mogul empire of Northern
China So mighty was the discovery, that he to
whom we owe 1t could not conceive il, and could
anticipate small portion of the immortal glory with
which posterity was to crown his name.
According to the Baron, also, (his conclusion
being founded on most minute investigation and
collation. Of authentic documens,) the first author
who published the voyages of Amerigo Vespucci,
and who, in 1907, expressed the wish to give the
name AMERICA 10 the new world, was sarant of the
city of Saint Die, Department Of the Vosges,
France Of the family of Waldsee Muller, who
hllenized his German name into Hylaeomylus The
Department of the Vosges is the southern part of the
former provinces of Lorrain and may now well
boast Of its geograpber Martinus Hylacomylus as
he first incribed on the map the denomination of
our continent The memory of vespucius is said
to be thus vindicaed from the imputations Of fraud
under which it had labored. M. DE Humboldt con-
tends that his voyage in 1897 is not fictitious, but in
reality that of Alonzo di Hojeda and the second
in 1899, probably that of Yaneiz Pinzon; the chief
pilot in both having been Vespucius, who, in that
capacity, wrote the narratives Of the two expedi-
TONS"