The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1860-05-31

In the Senate, yesterday, Mr.. Slidell reported
back the bill for the acquisition Of Cuba, but said
he would not press it at this session. The Over
land Mail bill was taken up, and Mr. Latham offer
ed an amendment, authorizing the Postmaster
General to contract with the contractors in the
routes between st. Joseph and Great Salt Lake.
and between Salt Lake and Placervle for a semi
weekly mail to run through in twenty days, at not
more than S462, 900 annually. Also to contract for
the transportation Of printed matter and ranked
documents by steamships at not over .Sl0000 per
year. The Oregon War Debt bill was taken up
and debated. Mr.. Hunter said that if the bill was
passed new loan would become necessary.-In
the House, the Committee on Public Expenditures
presented their report, in relation to the Public
Printing. The minority report asserts that the
contract made by Mr.. Ford with Messrs Larcomb
and English, is violation of law, and further de-
cares the office of the Printer to the House to be
vacant.
FLORAL FAIR-HoME OF THE FRIENpLEss.
take great pleasure in calling attention to the
Floral Fair, which commences at Carroll Hall this
evening. The object Of this Fair is for the humane
and charitable purpose of increasing the means of
doing good in our midst The CLONE of the
Friendless,' in whose behalf the Fair has been
gotten up, is an institution which commends itself
to the sympathies of the benevolent The annual
current expenses of the management having been
considerably in of the receipts, prompt and
substantial recognition of the claims of the institu-
ton to such support will increase its efficiency
in that sphere of usefulness which it so well occu-
pies, is certainly desirable and should be freely &C
corded.
a New ATLANTIC TELEGRApH.-Col Tai P.
Shaifner is still earnestly engaged in the pfosecu-
ton of his scheme for uniting Europe and Ameri-
ca by electric telegraph cia Iceland. We learn
from an item in the foreign news that an infuen-
tial deputation, headed by Mr. Miner Gibson. had
waited upon Lord Palmerston to lay before him the
plans of contemplated telegraph to America ria
Faro Island and Iceland, and solicit the Govern
ment to dispatch vessels to take soundings and
make survey Of the route. Mr.. Croskey and Col.
Shaffner explained the nature of the project, and
several Arctic navigators urged the Importance of
the survey. Lord Palmerston requested the full
details in writing.
THE DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL CONVENTION The
Democratic State Central Committee will meet at
Barnum's Hotel to-day, at u O'Clock, for the pur-
pose of adopting measures to provide proper ac-
vention on the 18th proximo.
NEW BOOKS
From Rudd q Carleton, New York; for sale by
Henry Taylor, Sun Iron Building:
LETTERS OF ALExANnNR Won H1MBoLDT TO EARSnAGEN
gems Diaries and Letters Of yarnhsEtn ana others to
FRIRDRGcH Knapp. vol, Emo, PIP. 4O2. 1860.
These letters published by Ludmia Assing
poetess and artist niece of Varnhagen, to whom
for the most part, they were addressed That the
familiar correspondence of the philosopher of his
age, who lived longest and had probably observed,
read and reflected most, man of the world as well
as letters of both common sense and science,
tier and saron, of prompt and pungent wit, as OF
profound and abstract thought the friend Of kings
and democrats, of Metternich and Balzac, equally
at home amid the jungles of the Amazon, ON the sum-
NIT of the Andes, and the best salons of the most
courtly capitals of Europe-he, whose mind might
be considered as the progressive growth Of almost
century, with memory, perhaps, never equalled
for the extent and order of its storesthat the con-
fdental letters of such man to his chosen friend
should excite extraordinary expectations, is not at
all surprising. 1t can scarcely be doubted that
Humboldt designed Varnhagen for his literary ex-
ecutor, who, knowing him best alive was therefore
and otherwise best able to do justice to his memory.
That such a choice was made with his usual sound
Judgment need not be doubted. OF Varnhagen
Carlyle has said that he was
of modest, alfectionate nature, courteous
and yet truthful, of quick apprehension yet pre-
else in utterance, of just, extensive occasionally of
deep and fine insight; this is a man qualified be-
yond most to write memoirs. We should call him
one of the best memoir writers we have met with
decidedly the best we know of in these days"
But this selection, understood or implied, was
detea ted. The bographer was called before his
subject was ready. Although nearly fifteen years
the junior of his friend, Varnhagen yet died before
him, himself of good old age. Writing on the 18th
October, 1858, to Ludmilla Assing, Humboldt says
OF this death:
"What day of agitation, of grief, of misfor-
fortune was Yesterday lie has departed
from the earth before me, the man of ninety years,
the old man of the hills. s. What he was
to me, who am now entirely isolated is incompre-
hensible.''
little more than month previously Humboldt
had written to Varnhagen a spirited letter, enclos-
ing autographs of Queen Victoria, and our Sec
rotary of War, Gov. Floyd, who (the latter) he
says 'jroJHe dictu has dismissed all political ami
mostly on account of my friendship for Fremont
and whose communication he declares gave him
greater pleasure than the Queens, despite of its
"unpardonably extravagant use of great names.''
In this letter he speaks of CHS extreme old age
having deadened all conjunction at the exhibition
of his own praises and further says: '.My walk
increases lamentably in senie want o. direction.
Beware of my patience with life. Reputation keeps
pace with imbecility and the part of the dear
youth in age of the worthy Nestor of all living men
of science. Fecchio della Wontagno-becomes ex-
tremely irksome.' By the death of Narnhagen the
world has lost such memoirs as the best of bio
graphers, with one of the noblest subjects and
the ampest materials and opportunities, might
have written, and we are still without life of
Humboldt at all worthy of him. We are by no
means sure, however, that had Varnhagen writ
ten, he would like his niece, have regarded it as
religious duty "to leave every word unchanged
proper enough for Iudmilla Assing to have
"thOught it an offence to Humboldt's memory had
she had the arrogance to make the slightest al
iteration of his words'
''For the same reason' she continues, al did not
think myself authorized to grant the request, how
ever well meant it might have been, of the publish
er that should make such alterations nor could
accord the least influence to my feelings, to per
sonal regards. There was but one consideration to
be obeyed, the eternal rHh-for an adherence to
which am responsible to Humbodt's memory, to
History, and to Literature, and to the will of him
who enjOined this duty on me-"
That Humboldt himself had not the same super
sttious reverence for the "eternal truth as his
fair edtress, is very plain from a remark in of
his letters to the effect "that truth is due to those
only whom we deeply esteem''-an economy of
frankness approaching very near the maxim of
another that the worst habit next to lying is that
of telling the truth" Yet we must rejoice at Lud-
milla's imprudent reverence. With Varnhagen's
literary habts--his relations towards the
dead and his connections with the living,
coupled with the discretion reposed in him it is
scarcely possible that he would have been equally
unretentive. He might have felt some scruple in
letting such comments as those of Humboldt on