New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1857-02-02
payara Taylor and Alexander namoola..


weextract the following from oile of Bayard Tay.
ors recent letters to the New York Tribune, describ
ing a visit to one of the greatest men of the age,
Alexander Humboldt: s4,a see a. a.
He came up to me with heartiness and cordially
which made me feel that was in the presence of a
friend, gave me his hand, and inquired whether we
should converse in English or German. +" Your let
ter said he, "was that of German, and you must
certainly speak the language familiarity but l am
also in the constant habit Of using English"
The first impression made by Humboldt's face is
that Of broad aud genial humanity. His massive
brow, heavy with the gathered wisdom of nearly a
century, bends forward and overhangs his breast like
ripe ear Of corn, but as you look below it, pair Of
clear blue eyes, almost as bright and steady as a
childs, meet your own In those eyes you read that
makes the SHOWS Of egbtyseyen winters lie SO lightly
upon his head. You trust him utterly at the first
glance, and you feel that he will trust you if you are
worthy off l had approached him with Natural
feeling of reverence, but in five minutes found that
loved him, and could talk with him as freely as
could with friend of my own age. His nose, mouth
and chin have the heavy Teutonic character, whose
genuine type always expresses an honest simplicity
and directness. ~ ". r..
was most su prised by the youthful character Of
his face. l knew that he had been frequently inds
posed during the present year. and had been told that
he was beginning to show the marks of his extreme
over seventy-fve. His wrinkles are few and small,
and his skin has smoothness and delcacy rarely
seen in old men. His hair, although snowwhite, is
still abundant, his step slow but firm, and his manner
active almost to recklessness He sleeps but four
hours out Of the twenty four reads and replies to his
daily train Of letters, and suffers no single occurrence
of the least interest in any part of the world to escape
his attention. could not perceive that his memory,
the first mental faculty to show decay, is at all i'm
paired. He talks rapidly with the greatest apparent
ease never hesitating for word, whether in English
| or German, and in fact seemed to be unconscious
which language he was using, as he changed five or
~ 4
not remain in his chair than ten minutes at a
time, frequently getting up and walking about the
room, now and then pointing to picture or opening
/ a book to illustrate some remark.
| He began by referring to my winter journey into
Lapland. Why do you choose the winter ~ he
asked. " Your experience will be very interesting, it
is true, but will you not suffer from the severe cold n
That remains to be seen" answered. az have tried
all climates except the Arctic without the least injury
The last two years omy travels spent in tropical
countries, and wish to have the strongest posi-
BILE contrast That is quite natural" he remarked
" and I can understand how your object to travel
possess remarkably healthy organization g You
| doubtless know from your own experience" ! said
that nothing preserves mans vitality like travel
every true he answered, if it does not kill at the
like yourself. During five years in South America
and the West Indies, passed through the midst Of
black vomt and yellow fever untouched
Ispoke of my projected visit to Russia, and my de-
/
trail Asia. The Kirghiz steppes he said, were very
monotonous; fifty miles gave yon the picture of Il
thousand but the people were exceedingly interest
ing. Ii desired to go there, would have no diff
| Guilty in passing through them to the Chinese from
| tier; but the Southern provinces of Siberia, he
thought, would best repay me. The scenery among
the Altai Mountains was very grand. From his win
dow, in one of the Siberian towns, he had encoun
tered eleven peaks covered with eternal snow. The
Kirghizes, he added, were among tile races whose
habits had remained unchanged for thousands OF
years, and they had the remarkable popularity OF
combining monastic with nomadic life. They
partly Buddhist and partly Mussulman, and their
monkish sects followed the different clans in their
wanderings, carrying on their devotion in their en-
campnlents, inside sacred circle marked out by
| spears. He had seen their ceremonies, and was
struck with their resemblance to those OF the Catholic
Church.
I Among the objects of his study was a living cha
meleon, in box with glass lid. The animal, which
about six inches long was lazily doing on bed
of sand with big blue fly dhe unconscious provi-
sion for his dinner) perched upon his back. "a He
/ has just been sent 10 me from smyrna said Hum
boldt; /" lie is very lstless and unconcerned in his
manner Just then the chameleon opened one OF
his long tubular eyes, and looked up at us. peCu
liarity Of this animal" he continued, is its power
of looking in different directions at the same time
| He can turn one eye toward heaven, while the Other
inspects the earth. There are many clergymen who
have the same power"
After showing me some of Hildebrands watercool
drawings, he returned to his seat and began to con
verse about American affairs, with which he seemed
| to be entirely familiar
Hespoke of authors, and inquired particularly
after Washington Irving, whom he had once seen.
told him | had the fortune to know Mr.. Irving ant
had seen him not long before leaving New York
He must be at least fifty years DID, said Humboldt
He is seventy answered, but young as ever.
"Ah,h said he, 81 have lived so long that I have
almost lost the consciousness of time. belong to the
| age of Jefferson and Galatin, and | heard of Wash
ington's death while travelling in South America
q You have Travelled much, and seen many ruins,
said Humboldt, as he gave me his hand again; Ct now
| you have seen one more" Not run,' | could
not help replying, 'but pyramid"