Sugar planter. [volume] (West Baton Rouge [i.e. Port Allen, West Baton Rouge Parish, La.]) 1856-1925, 1858-03-20
Bayard Iaylor's Second inter
view with Humboldt.

to the New I lork Tribune, gives al
account ofhis second interview with
! Humboldt on his return to BerIir
from the North.
He was slightly paler than be.
| fore, a little thinner, perhaps, anc
| Gould see that his step was not sc
! firm ; but the pale blue eyes beam
ed as clear N intelligence as ever.
and the voice had as steady and
CHEEKY a tone. He shook hands
with the cordiality Of a friend, and
after the first greetings were over,
questioned me infinitely concerning
my travels in the North.
| But one topic soon suggests a
| hundred others, and he was ere long
roaming atlarge over the whole field
ofgeography and cIimatology touch
ing the farthest and darkest regions
Of the earth with the light Of his
stupendons knowledge. The sheets
Of the new volume Of Cosmos lay
| upon the table. "Here is what T
have done since. you were here be-
fore" said he, taking it up; " the
work will be published ii two Or
three weeks" You ind yourself,
then, still capable Of such labor?''
I ventured to ask. <tWo Work is now
a part Of my life, said be, Il sleep
so little, and much rest would be
irksorne. Day before yesterday, |
worked for sixteen hours, reviewing
these Sheets" Are You not great
ly fatigued,' I asked, after such an
exertion2' ON the contrary he
replied, I feel refreshed, but the
performance oft depends greatly
on my bodily health, ! am uncon-
|scious Of any mental fatigue.' AS
I saw in the face, and heard In the
voice, Of the splendid old man, all
the signs Of a sound, unfailing in
tellect> I could well believe It. I
had prided myself a little On haoing
worked will the brain fifteen hours
a day for six months, yet here was
Humboldt, in his eighty~ninth year,
capable of al eqnal e2ertion.
The manner in which be spoke
of his bodily health was exceeding
ly1nterestIngzto me. His mind, full
of vigor and over1iowIng with active
life, seemed to consider the body, as
something independent ofitseltt, and
to watch, with curious eye, its
gradual decay, as he might have
Watched that Of a tree in his younger
days. 4 have been unwell through
the SUMNER said he--'but you
must not believe all you have seen
in the newspapers concerning my
illness. They stated that I was at
tackled with the apoplexy, bnt it
was only vertigo which soon left
me, and was not followed by" the
usual effects Of apoplexy.- One re-
suit, however, shows that my body
is beginning to give away. / have
not the same power Of controlling
my limbs as fforrnerly-the will does
not seem to act upon the muscles,
there IS a link broken somewhere,
which is probably too late torestore.
For instance, very often when | at
tempt to walk straight forward, / do
not feel certain that my legs will
carry me in a straight line they
may go either to the one side or the
other, and though I cannot notice
any real want Of strength, | feel un~
certain and u1istrustful. For this
reason, must have assistance when
I 60 up Or down stairs After all,
it IS not singular that some parts OF
the machinery should get rusty at
my age"
Soon afterward, while speaking
of Thibet, be referred to a very tine
copper-pIate map, and / noticed
that he saw the most minute names
distinctly without the aid, OF spec
tacles. But then he has the eye OF
q youth Of twenty years. Age may
palsy his limbs, but it has never
| looked ont Of those windows.
! After ! had been sitting an hour,
seifert came to the door and said
ttFhe two gentlemen have come
shall I admit them 2'' I rose to lea7e
but Humboldt said No, no, re.
main, they are from Hong-h ongg-- g
perhaps you know them looked
- -, . ,,,c~ r-I raoc<rp3yof an an