The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1857-05-07
THE PACIFIC
Commercial Advertiser.

HUsBoLDr-The first impression made by Hum
f0Idt's face is that Of bread and genial humanity
His massive brow, heavy with the gathered wisdom
OF nearly a century, bends forward and oyerhangs
MS breast, like ripe Of corn; but you look
below it. p2ir of clear blue eyes. almost bright
anI steady a chd's. meet your own. In those
eves YOU read that trust in man, that immortal youth
II the heart, which make the SHOWS Of eghty-seyen
winters lie so lightly upon his head. You trust him
utterly ut the first glance, and you feel that he will
trust YOU, If yCu worthy Of It. had approached
him with natural feeling of reverence, but in five
minutes I found that loved him. and could talk with
him as freely with friend of my own age His
nose. mouth ana chin have the heavy Tcuonic char
aete whose genuine type always expresses an honest
,,,.1ieitv and (irecr1ess . was most
surprised by the youthful character Of his face. L
sueY that he had been frequently ndisposed during
flo present year. and had been told that he was be-
inning TO show the marks of his extreme age; but
.acud not have suspected him Of being seventy
Eve. His wrinkles are few and SMALL and his skin
has smoohness and deliCacy rarely seen In old men
His hair, although sn0w-White, IS still abundant, his
eD slow but tirin, and his manner active almost TO
re.tIcssness. He sleeps but four hours out OF the
wcntvfour reads and replies to his daily ram OF let
ers and suffers single OF the least III
rest in any part Of the world to escape his attention
could not perceive that his memory, the trst mental
faculty show decay, is at oil impaired. lie talks
rapidly with the greatest apparent ease never hesi
tatina for q word, whether in English or German,
and. IN fact seemed TO be unconscious which language
he was using as he changed five six times III the
course OF the conversation. He did not remain IN his
chair more than ten minutes at time, frequently
getting p and walking about the room now and then
pointing to picture opening a book to illustrate
some remark '''You have travelled mucn
and seen many ruins said Humboldt he gave me
lis hand again; now you have one more
Not ruin, could not help replying, @bqt pyra7
mid For pressed the hand which had touched
those Of Frederick the Great, Of Foster (the COM
panon of Capt. Cooll,) of Klopsock and Schiller, Of
Pitt, Napoleon, Josephine, the Marshals OF the En-
pire Jefferson, Hamilton Wieland, Herder, Goethe,
Cuvier, La Place, Gay-Lussac, Beethoven, Walter
Scott; in short, of every great man whom Europe
has produced for three-quarters of century.
looked into the eyes which had not only seen this Y
inc history Of the world pass by, scene after scene
till the actors retired by one, to return no more
hut had beheld the cataract Of Atures and the for
ests Of the Cassquiare, Chimborazo, the Amazon and
Popocatapet the Altaan Alps of Siberia the Tartar
steppes and the Caspian Sea. Such splendid circle
Of experience well BELTS life of such generous devo-
ton 10 science. [ have never sublime ex-
anlpie of old age-crowned with imperishable sue
cess, full of the rpest wisdom, cheered andsweetened
by the noblest attributes Of the heart ruin indeed!
No: a human temple, perfect as the Parthenon. .
Bcyard Taylor.