Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1857-02-14

genuine type always expresses an honest sim
plicily and directness.
was most surprised by the youthful charac.
ter of his face. | knew that he had been (re-
quenlly ndisposed during the present year, and
had been told that he was beginning to show
the marks of his extreme age but should
not have suspected him Of being over sevent-
FIVE. His wrinkles are few aud small and his
skin has slnoohness and delicacy rarely seen
in old men. His hair although snow white, is
still abundant, his steps slow but firm, and his
manner active almost to resilessness. lie sleeps
but four hours out Of the twenty-four, reads
and replies 10 his daily train of letters, and suf
fers 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 10 show decay, is all impaired.
He talks rapidly, with the greatest apparent
ease, never hes,ating for word, whether in
English Of German, and in fact, seemed TO be
unconscious which language he was using as
he changed FIVE or six times in the course of the
conversation. He did moi remain 10 his chair
more than len minutes at a time, frequently get
ting up and walking about the room, now and
then pointing 10 picture or opening hook to
illustrate some remark
He began by referring to my winter journey
into Lapland. why do you choose the win
teri he asked. Your experience will be very
interesting, it is true, but will you not suffer
from The severe cold!' That remains to be
seen, ! answered i have tried all climates
except the Arctic, without the least injury
The last two years OF my travels were spent in
tropical countries, and now wish TO have the
strongest possible contrast. That is quite
NATURAL he remarked, 'and can understand
how your object in travel must lead you to seek
such contrasts but you Must possess remark
ably healthy organization You doubtless
know from your own experience, | said, that
nothing preserves mans vitality like travel. >
very true, he answered, If it does n ,t kill at
the outset. For my part, keep my health
everywhere, like yourself During FIVE years
in South America and the West Indies, pass
ed through the midst of black yomit and yellow
fever untouched
! spoke Of my projected visit to Russia, and
my desire to traverse the Russian Tartar prov
inces Of Central Asia. The Kirghiz sieppes,
he said, were very monoonous fifty miles gave
you the picture Of a thousand but the people
were exceedingly interesting. II | desired TO
go there would have no difficulty in passing
through them TO the Chinese frontier but the
southern provinces of Siberia, he ihonght would
best repay me. The scenery among the Alta
Mountains was very grand. From his window
in one OF the Siberian towns, he had counted
eleven peaks covered with eternal snow. The
Kirghizes, he added, were among the few races
whose habits had remained unchanged for ihous-
ands of years, and they had The remarkable pe-
culiariiy of combining a monastc with nom
adic life. They were partly Buddhist and part
y Mnssulman, and their nonkish secis follow.
ed the different clans in their wanderings, car
rying on their devo,ions in the encampmen,s
inside of a sacred circle marked out by spears
He had seen their ceremonies, and was struck
with their resemblance TO those of the Caiho-
lie church.
Humboldls recolleciions Of the Alta Noun
tains naturally led him to speak Of the Andes
You have Travelled in Mexico said he dc
you not agree with me in the opinion that tn,
finest mountains in the world are those single
cones OF perpetual snow, rising out OF III,
S splendid vegetation Of the topics The Him
alays, although loftier, can scarcely make al
equal impression they lie farther 10 the north
S without the belt of tropical growths, and thei
n sides are dreary sterile in comparison. Yo,
. remember Orizaba, continued he here is al
i engraving from rough sketch Of mine.
e hope you will find it correct He rose an
e took down the illustrated folio which accom-
e panied the last edition of his Minor Writings
: turned over the leaves, and recalled at eac
p, plate, some renaissance Of his American travel
= i still think, he remarked, as he closed III
book, that Chimborazo is the grandest noun
n tain in the world
II Among the objects in his study was livin
chameleon, in box with glass lid. Tn
is animal, which was about six inches long, wa
a lazily duzing on a bed of sand, with big blue
is fly (the unconscious provision for his dinner
:, perched upon his back. He has Just been sen
;, 10 me from smyrna said Humboldt; he
N very lisiless and unconcerned in his manner
;, Just then the chameleon opened one Of his long
:. tubular eyes, and looked up at US. A pecr
h arity of This ANNUAL, he continued, lis its pow
W er of looking in different directions al the san
2, lime. He can turn one eye toward heaveI
l. while the other inspects the EARTH There ar
lie many clergymen who have the same power.
= After showing me some of IIildebrand's S WI
" ter color drawings. he returned to his seat at
ID began 10 converse about American affairs, vii
which he seemed to be entirely familiar. II
" spoke with great admiration Of Colonel FremoI
= whose defeat he profoundly regretted, But
l. is at least most cheering sign he said, 'an
s. an omen Of good Tor your county, that NOR
p than half n million neODle suDDOTteu BY the