The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1858-08-19

ste,mer, with policemen on board touetber With
the, second mate of the Junior, was desnatcbed
10 pursuit OF the murderers, and eight of them
wee captured, and are now on their way home
IN IRONS, on board of the ship which was the
scene of their horrid butchery.
A LETTER FROM HUMBOLDT ON THE DEATH
OF B0RPLARD.
The Berlin correspondent of the Boston
journal sends the following letter of Alexander
voR Humboldt, on the recent death of Bon
pls,d, his junior BY about four years. Hum.
bolit hoped he might not survive the warmest
friend Of his early years but it seems to be
the-destiny OF this venerable man to follow eli
hisfriends to the grave, and to remain himself
the sole representative of the times of bis youth
HUMBoLDTs LETTER q
Conscious Of the deep sympathy of numerous
fie9ds in the sorrow occasioned BY the wide
spread report of the death of my dear, noble
frishd, AID fellow traveller, Bonpland, L consid.
er i my duty to give ct least a brief notice of
thl event. for the particulars of which am
inhabited to the kind services of DR.. Lallemant,
autaor of an important paper on the diseases
Of europeans 10 tbs tropics. This talented
gArtleman, after leaving the Austrian Royal
exl edition in the higate Novara, in February
o. Ehis year, for rAe purpose of doing kind
mes, to myself, made the journey from Rio
Jareiro to Rio Grande, and thence, BY way OF
Rolto Allegro. through the former Jesuit Mis-
sioa, to San Borgia, under the erroneous i'm.
precision that Bonpland, who had gone there in
lS:d, was still resident at that place. I have
rectived two letters from DR.. Lallemsnt-one
dated at San Borgia On the 10Th of April. the
other written from the village Of Umguaiana,
ater he had visited Bonpland at Santa Ana
An extended abstract of these letters having
bee sent to the editor of the widely read and
interesting botanical journal, the Bonplandia,
in hanover, the following brieter extracts may
hsrc suffice:
.stn San Borgia," writes DE-. Lallemant, 81
lieei with an intimate friend of Bonpland the
V'c;,r Gray, with whom l visited the garden of
the botanist, so long cultivated with care, but
nov lying waste and desolste. 1t was near the
CLOSE of the year 1857 that the Vicar last re.
celved letters from Bonpland; since when, in
telligence had come of his severe illness. Let.
ters- of inquiry still remained unanswered, aud,
Notwithstanding the short distance between the
places, the people of San Borgia were uncer.
tain whether / should find your fellowtravellers
yet in the land of the living.
Gin 1853, Bonpland had left San Boreia,
and taken up his residence upon his larger
plantation of Santa Ana, where he had long oc.
cupied himself in the cultivation of orange
tree,. The residence of the aged scholar in the
Est 'ncia OF Santa Ana consists of two large
buildings, mere clay walls, bound together by
ban boo sticks and few beams, and matched
WITH straw. These buildings have doors, but
no windows, the light being admitted through
the chinks between the bamboo sticks. Des-
pite the deep burrows which an eventful life had
eng raven in the beloved countenance, his eve
had not grown dim, nor lost any of its fun.
tho1ghted vivacity. But lively conversation.
though started by himself, appeared to weary
him; much, and he suffered severely from. a
chronic affection of the bladder. The priva.
tons he had so strangely imposed upon him.
self-are by no means in consequence of power
ty, or of any necessity for abstinence but Of
long custom, great selfcontrol and character.
stic individuality.
1.-THE Government of Corrientes has pre-
sented to him an estate valued at 1000 Span.
ish piastres, and be enjoys French pension of
practice of medicine a source our - Of pecuniary
profit to himself. Though universally revered,
he loves the solitude, and especially avoids all
persons who might offer him assistance or ad-
vice. His scientific ardor has not yet abated,
and his collections and manuscripts are depos.
NSN ~ NOihiCHtCc3 WHCiO u
national museum.
"On the following morning l found him
visibly worse, and sinking away. The night
had been painful one. pressed him to tell
me whether | might not, in some way, be of
service to him. But / Jared no better than his
other friends-he would accept Of no assistance
How gladly would l have persuaded him to re-
turn once more to civilized society But I, too
felt with him that his time was past He be.
longs to the first half of the nineteenth century,
not to the second. / think that your friend
himself was moved when l took his wasted
hands in mine with the pressure of farewell.
For three months now his attendants have re.
marked bis failing strength, and perhaps the
old man had the same foreboding as myself at
parting, that l might be the last ambassador cf
European lineage who should penetrate the
depths of the wilderness, to offer him regard,
love and thanks, in the name Of that science
which owes % much to his lsbors. / mounted
my horse and rode norihward through the ever.
green plains. No pain showed my way, no
guide disturbed me was alone with my sor.
rowful thoughts over the departed Bonpsnd.
"Yet how cheerful the last letter received
from Bonpland, bearing date the 7th of June,
1851 Il myself he writes, shall bring ali
my collections and manuscripts to Paris, and
deposit them in the Museum. My journey to
France will be exceedingly short. shall re-
turn TO my Santa Ana, where | lead Q quiet
and happy life. Here ahall die, and nv
sepulchre and my grave shall be underneath
the shadow of the many trees have planted
oh, how happy were my dear Humboldt, could
we meet once more, and recall our common
experiences! On the 18th of August next,
shall be eighty four years old, aud am yet four
years younger than you. A man lately died
in this vicinity who had attained the age of one
hundred and seven. What prospect for two
travellers who have already stepped beyond the
eightieth year. ="
The cheering, almost life.desiring tone of
this letter, contrasts strangely with the melan |
cboly representations of DIR. Lallemant. Ac. |
cording to Herr " Tschudi the report was |
credited in Montevideo on the 18th Of May, |
that Bonpland had died at Borgia, the date Of |
his death uncertain. Yet DR.. Lallemant had |
spoken with him on the 18th of April, in Santa |
Ana, and on May 10 the report of his death |
was discredited ct Porto Allegro. Thus there |
yet remains ground for hope that the younger |
is not to be FIRST called away. Such remote |
ness offen stretches uncertainty to q painful |
duration such the solicitude felt for Edward |
Vogel in Central Africa, and for Adolphus |
schlagintwait in Central Asia-the sorrowfully
missedf ALEXANDER V. HUMBoLDT,
Berlin, July IL, 1858.
OLD MEMS REPRESENTATIVE pays high |
to old men in one of his Idlewild |
letters. After quoting an interesting letter
from the venerable DR.. William Beattie, the |
of London, he says:
Men differ (if asked at fifty years of sQe) az |
to what has most pleased and lastsred them in |
lifei and may take the liberty to say, perhaps,
while thus turning over one Of the brightest of
the GOLD lnka in cha;c ~