Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1852-1859, 1858-12-14

HUNBoIDT VISITED BIZ A New YoRKER-His
Fourth Of July Speech at Minister Wrighcs
Dianer.-A private letter, addressed to gen
tleman in this country, and sent to ono of our
New York exchanges for publication, gives the
following account of an interview with the ven
cradle Humboldt:
BEKLrS, October s, 1858.
81 promised when in Eimira, to give YOU
some account of Humboldt, should visit him,
and in compliance with my promise I send the
following hasty sketch Of my visit, by way of
postscript to my home letter:
"a short time after our arrival at Berlin, Gov.
Wright, our minister to the court of Prussia,
did the favor of soliciting for us an interview
with the Baron.
.'The Baron has become so feeble that he sees
very little company at present; but being on the
most friendly terms with Gov. Wright, whom
he is DESTROYS of obliging, he readily granted
the Governors request and appointed an hour
for US to call.
We, accordingly, on Friday, September nth
ult, took carriage from the hotel, and drove
to his city residence, which he now makes his
own.
''He received US in his library IN the most
cordial manner, causing US, by his extreme sim
plicity, to venerate the more his greatness
HE conversed with US in excellent English
for more than half an hour, eyincing his faInili-
arity with the leading literary and political top
les of present interest in America.
Upon our expressing our sense of tine honor
done us by him, he replied, You have come but
to see the ruins of Humboldt
This We felt TO be indeed a sad truth, but
only in physical sense for his continued liter
airy labors, especially the completion of the last
volume of Cosmos. which occurred on the day
previously to his Sgth birthday, September 9th,
ShOJTS mir fol a
ever. We realized, however, that there were
strong grounds for belief in the prediction he
himself has made, that he will die in the coming
year, 1858.
AT the close of the interview, on my ex-
pressing my intention to take home litho-
graphic likeness of him to Elmira for friends
there, he expressed his willingness to add his
autograph to it, which he has since done, ad-
dressing 1t, at my instance, to the Einira Ly-
lceum, to which propose presenting it. 1t is
! the latest likeness of him extant, having been
taken about four months since
II copy here remarks made by him in reply
to toast given in his honor at the last Fourth
of July dinner at Gov. Wright's to show the
deep interest felt by him in the prosperity OF
America. He said that he considered himself
half an American, and had therefore accepted
with pleasure the invitation of his esteemed
friend, Mr.. Wright, to be present at the
celebration of an anniversary SO dear tc
int AMERICAN people, ana forming so import
lant an epoch in the history of mankind
He had labored all his life to draw closer the
tie that should unite all nations in a com.
mon bond of friendship and it would make him
HAPPY at the close of his career to find that his
lendeavors had not been quite unsuccessful. He
had visited the United States when they were
lyetin their infancy, and had forseen and prog
nosticated the great future that awaited them
but the rapidity of their progress had even ex
ceeded his anticipations, and nothing remained
for him but to hope that their prosperity would
continued undated and unalloyed, and that The
principles of the wise and good men who found
ed the republic, and of whose personal acquaint
ance and friendship he should be proud to the
last hour of his existence, would never be for
gotten.
ga few days after our visit we accompanied
. Gov. Wright on drive to Tegel, Humboldt.
} country place, distance of about eight mile.
fht shn city o ES the property of his brothe
ing park is the family cemetery, in which ther,
; is a fine granite monument to his brother sur
mounted by beautiful statute of Hope b,
J Ihorwaldsen. Adjoining his brothers grave i
the spot marked out as the final resting place o
this reverend Nestor of science, and associate
and friend of Jefferson and Hamilton"