The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1856-08-07
HUMBOLDT AND FREMONT.
From the New York Courier and ENQUIRER.

From the New York Courier and Enquirer
To honor him as a Pioneer of American Dis.
covery, the King of Prussia presented to Colonel
John G. Fremont "the great Golden Medal OF
Progress in the Sciences" The Medal is OF
fine gold, massive, more than double the size
OF the American double eagle, and of exquisite
workmanship. On the face, is the medallion
head of the King, Frederick William w, sur.
rounded by figures mathematical of Religion,
Jurisprudence Medicine, and the Arts. On
the reverse, Apollo, in the chariot of the sun,
drawn by four high-mettled, plunging horses,
traversing the zodiac, and darling rays of light
from his head. This beautiful tribute to the
merit of Colonel Fremont came to him accom-
panied with complimentary letter from Baron
Humboldt, of which the following is transla-
ton:
To Colonel Fremont, Senator:
" 1t is very agreeable to me, sir, to address
you these lines by my excellent friend, our Min
lister to the United States, NJ. De Gerolt. After
having given you, in the new edition of my
Aspects of Nature the public testimony Of
the admiration which is due to your gigantic
labors between st. Louis of Missouri, and the
coast of the South Sea, l feel happy to offer you
in this living token (dans ce petit signe deoie)
the homage of thy warm acknowledgment.
You have displayed noble courage in distant
expeditions, braved all the colds and famine,
enriched all the branches of the natural sciences
illustrated a vast country which was almost en-
tirely unknown to u.s.
"a merit so rare has been acknowledged by
Sovereign warmly interested in the progress
of physical Geography; the King orders me to
offer you the Grand Golden Medal destined to
those who have labered at scientific progress.
/ hope that this mark of the Royal good will
| L.. L
the proposition of the illustrious geographer,
Charles Ritter, the Geographical Society at
Berlin has named you an honorary member.
For myself, must thank you particularly also
for the honor which you have done in attaching
my name, and that of my felow-laborer and in
innate friend, Mr.. Bompland, to those which
have been the objects of our labors. California,
which has so nobly resisted the introduction OF
Slavery will be worthily represented by friend
of Liberty, of the progress of intelligence.
"Accept, pray you, sir, the expression OF
my high and affectionate consideration.
"Yourst most humble and most obedient ser.
want, "a. V. HUMBOLDT.
Sans Souci, October Z, 1885,"
The following is the public testimony of the
Baron's admiration of the gigantic labors Of
Fremont, referred to in the letter, as contained
in a new or third edition of his " Aspects OF
N0tuTe, ana wnlcn, as reference, becomes
natural appendant to the letter:
"Fremont's map and geographical investiga.
tons comprehend the extensive region from the
junction of the Kansas river with the Missouri,
to the falls of the Columbia, and to the missions
of Santa Barbara and Puebla de los Angeles, in
New California or space Of % degrees of Ion
gitude, and from the 34th to the 18th parallel
of latitude. Four hundred points have been
determined hyposmeritically by barometric OBJ
servstions, and from the most part geographic
cally by astronomical observations; so that a
distance which, with the windings of the route,
amounts to 5000 geographical miles, from the
mouth of the Kansas to Fort Vancouver and
the shores of the Pacific, almost $50 miles
more than the distance from Madrid to Tobolsk, J
has been represented in profile, showing the
relative heights above the level of the sea.
"As l was, believe, the first person who
undertook to represent, in geognostic profile,
the form of entire countries--such as the Iberian
Peninsula, the high lands of Mexico, and the
Cordillerss of South America, (the semi.per-
spective projections of Siberian traveller, the
Able Chappe, were founded on mere and gen.
orally illjudged estimations to the fall of
rivers it has given me peculiar pleasure to see
the geographical method Of representing the
form of the earth in vertical direction, or the
elevations of the solid portion of our planet
above its watery covering, applied on so grand
scale as has been done in Fremont's map,