New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1860-05-05
ages, Humboldt turned away in disgust ana On

ton in the most unuist ,ksbi- manner MOI o'o'
tbs rrs.snca of tbs king prevented him from rid'-
culng or censuripg the idoauoas sue"i p'0" =. -.
Ge,lschs and Staelp the confidential ADVISERS Vi '''
t;ro IN all church matters. They took revenge
h. Ssor,;,o him a, Jacobin, who carries the tr'-
color in his pocket," or by vague and dark nsnua-
tiop. spsn,t his character; but his position was
sucb tina. Il was Impossible to drive him away Inc
follovins note occurs 10 Varnhagens diary under
date Of Jan 90, 1852: To-day Humboldt came 10
.ee me. Remarkably active considering his age. Is
highly neensed at tbe French coup dftat the bloody
violence, the arbitrary bani,hments the robbery of
the Orleans property. The king was at fret jubi-
laut over the news. To him and his courter the
crime committed against the nAtisn the representa-
tives Of the people against law aud the most sacred
oath, was not at all Objectionable but the fact that
the adventurer intends to retain universal suffrage
is counting the people, playing at socialism. and
grarpine at the imperial crown, is TO them mos.
unpalatabe" When the king, under the regims
of the MsDteufrel Cabinet had completely ssttsd
down into childish, almo.t idlotic stubbOrnn-ss.
Humboldt remarks Of him (Sept. 9, 1859: "Ths
king hates and despises all his ministers, especially
Raumer, OF whom be speafs al Of . donkey. Even
when they oppose his wishes, hs want Of energy il
such az to render him subject to Their will. Some
times be Lies to play the part Of constitutional
king, md with an impotent irony, relieves himself
of all moral responsibility in matters Of opinion;
again be whinos over the rascally State, as fit
was something entirely foreign 10 him, complains Of
bis Minister want of respectful attention because
of their devotion to that rascaly State" etc.
The relation in which Humboldt stood toward bis
eeurty surroundings, is well characterized BY him
in letter of JAM %, 1856, in which he styles him
self ga wild nan of the woods (Hatdmensch)
whom they fancy to have tanned at the cou'ts Of
royalty" Those clear eyes with which he had
spi.d out the unermost secrets of nature we're not
to be iimmed by royal splendor or by the fumes Of
incense with which the mouksh knights of the
| Rudowitz stamp enveloped the Court OF S,ussouci
n n conversation he had with Varphagsn, Aug. III,
1866, "ke denounced Gen Radowitz rs lay Jes-
uit called bun st. Igna;ius and sneered at him I'm.
meicifuly As to the King, ;" he added, "taege a;
dts,inles OF Italy do not engage hs attention for
one moment but painted window pane some
| flourish on sn old III, nument q curious family
name, or other trfes Of the sort, deeply interest
and amuse him. To satisfy this puerils taste
for tomfooleres, Radowirz ia the right sort
Of man. The same holds true of Bansen,
| with whom the King is in regular correspondence
about all sorts of abstruss theological curlosities."
| "Wbat q misfortune" Humboldt added, to DO
| Obliged to live with such miserable ounces as
| Gerlacb, Raumer, and others, who have feath-
| cred their nests at this court"
Among The tomfooleres which at one time
| engaged the interest of the court, Humboldt
| mentions the tabe-moving mania. July 10, 1854,
| he writes: ~ do net begin to have an
| idea of the capitalization (Begcistiguag) Of
pine wood at the kings table, where everybody
ehgiously believes in it," He smiles at the empty
vanity of the aristocracy on occasion OF graud
| distribution of orders "pour tc mtrits." SEQ
bow porcelain buttons, peacock feathers, and nib
bons, excite tie passions of these mankns" Hum
boldt himself had, during his long career, received
orders by the peck, but never wore them. A Rus.
| sian Minister Of State. Norof, having come to
| Berlin, and expressed his astonishment at "ths
abiepce of the police from the University" Hum.
boldt piayfully remarks: ~ thought best not to
uDdecsive the one.legged RGumer Norof having
lost one limb at tho battle Of Borodino Thus
decipitur nxsdns.'
Humboldt knew perfectly that the boasted free
dom of scientific research in his country was Nero
sham. His opinions of tho chevalier Bunscn
were anything but Aattering; ia fact, hs
seemed to look upon him as sort of
theological Quxote. April /, 1874, he remarks:
Bunsen has not become 0 whit wiser. He has
proposed to the King to purchase California, to
send missionaries thither" &c. In 1854, he
rdicules Bui sens psrtisity for the High Church,
and sdds: "Bes des, am very much afraid in re-
gard to Bunsens literary fame, which is endangered
by his tsncu theories upon the first inhabitants Of
the earth (Urr6Lker, and upon the location of the
paradise of which he has ordered smop at Kisperts
photographic estsblishnent), Map. Of the opin-
ions of the nations (Volker) may be extended from
the myths Of the ark aud tho Hmalsya 10 Mount
Ararat and Aramea Kymbotos; nay, to the Next
can Coxcox-creations of fancy, occurring 10 the
Mormon Bible Likewise" Humboldt makes these
remarks on occasion Of an exceedingly curious"
letter of the Chevalier, Of which Varnhagen copies
a few lines into his diary. The learned Cheyaer
complains bitterly of the evil tendencies Of the sham
pious regime in Prussia he maintains that tue most
abjec. Hypocrisy and real infdelity are nur.
tured BY this baneful system," and OK
presses his confidence that the German mind
will never, for any length of time, submit to
this spiritual de'potism." To which varnhagsn
adds the following note: Thus does Bansen
write But only VIXEN he has ceased to be
L. - A. ~