The daily press. (Cincinnati [Ohio) 1859-1859, 1859-06-07
PRICE ONE CENT.
Alexander Won Humboldt.

Al meeting of the American Geographical
and Statistical Society, in New York, June 3D.
the President called upon George Bancroft,
who arose and addressed the meeting as fol-
lows:
l consider silence my duty this evening, not
from want Of intense admiration of Hum
boldt-not from want of affectionate rever-
ence for his virtues and his memory-but be-
cause wish to hear his memory displayed by
men Of science, lovers of truth, men who have
made great namo for themselves throughout
the world. L think you, like myself, would
have preferred to have heard his praises pro-
nounced chiefly by them. But rs the President
has called upon me, to continue silent would
seem like an unwillingness to acknowledge or
to express my great sense of his surprising
merits. rather think that one of the
attributes Of the greater age that belongs to
me, is to have known Humboldt earlier
| than any one of those who have spoken to
| you tonight. As a young man Of 20 years,
made my way from Berlin 70 Paris in the year
1870, taking letters from his brother, Wilhelm
| Won Humboldt, to Alexander. And Sir, you
know, all of you know, what kindness he must
| have extended to me. To two points shall
call your attention: one, his intense love of
| liberty. came at that time with all the zeal
for liberty which may be pardoned in a young
man, and which l may be pardoned for re-
! tanning even in my old age. Applause It
was in the time OF Louis XVIII. He read with
clear distinctness the character of parties--the
conflict of opinion, and he declared himself
with the utmost frmness against those retro
active measures and against that retroactive
policy which was ultimately so disastrous to
that line of kings. And not Of France only
for greatly as he admired English statesmen
aud English men of science and Eugland, he
saw also clearly how England was suffering
from excessive aristocracy I remember the
strong and emphatic language on which he ex
pressed himself Of that nation to this
day. More than quarter Of a century
| after that l met him again in Paris
found in him the same friend of man,
the same friend Of my own native ooun-
try. The same lover OF liberty; with the same
| breadth of craftsmanship. He who knew our
| continent so we'll, knew the relations of the
United States toward every part of 1t, and
formed his judgments respecting the gradual
advancement of the United States in the extent
OF its territOry-judged us greatly, judged us
| calmly, with the best and most fervcnt wishes
| for our welfare, with no disinclination to our
increase of territory. Wishing, especially, that
California and all the noble tract of land which
now belongs to US on the Pacific, might come
to us, expressing only his apprehension of the
| extent of territory that circumstances might
| step in and interfere with the proper develop
| ment OF free Institutions. / have never heard
any one ulscuss tnese questions OF our relations
| to Mexico, aud our relations to Cuba, more
calmly and more candidly, and with more gen
tleness toward ", and with more full and per
fectintmacy of all the circumstances that VI would
attend any further progress on our part. Sir, he
was always the friend of Young America. Zap
plause He measured his regard for us not by
any merits that we might have, but by thy
goodness of his own heart. He was alway.
ready to pour out his own thoughts, his sym
pathies and his encouragemeuts to any young
man thai came within his influence. I Iremem
| boz, in 1920, having at thar early period b..
slowed good deri Of attention to tho study 90!
| languages, and, among others, the aborign
languages of our own country, he particulars
pointed out the proper methods of coutiuuinl
| inquiries and investigations on the subject
These ideas he not only communicated by woro
| of mouth, but no wrote them oat at consider
able length, and had the satisfaction, wher
l returned, to communicate them to person
engaged in that branch of study, and doutt
not that in some degree they contributed to the
| development of an acquaintance with the
aboriginal languages of this country. Sir,
could hardly say less-I could not certainly
feel justified in doing less-than to express my
admiration of the merits Of Humboldt as q
man of science and his virtues as man
[Applausc.]