Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1860-05-04
Baron Humboldt and Prince Albert

The Athen9um contains a review of an ex-
traordinary volume of correspondence of the
late Baron Humboldt. In the volume is a let
ter from Prince Albert, acknowledging the re-
ceipt of Humbodt's "Kosmos." ''Unfortu-
nately," says the Aheneum, "this last con.
tains an expression which Humboldt, not be
ing perhaps in the best of humors when he
wrote about it to Varnhagen, has turned
into ridicule The Prince COnsort concludes
his letter thus May heaven "whose crcling
seas of light and star-terraces" you so nobly
describe, preserve you still for many years to
your country, the world, and the Ko5mos it.
self, in undsturbed freshness both of body and
soul. This is the sincere wish OF your entire
ly devoted Albert Upon this Humboldt re-
marks to Varnhagan that the Prince makes
me speak of "circling seas of light and star
terraces"-a Coburg variation on my text and
quite English from Windsor, where there are
nothing but terraces He then goes on to
state that once in the 'Kosmos' he used the
word starcarpet,' for which the Prince has
substituted star -terraces'-an offence which,
need not have been visited with any severity.
"The Prince Consort was evidently no favor
lite with Humboldt, who complains of him in
this very letter for his want of politeness to-
wards him some years previously, when at
Stozentels. On that occasion he says the
Prince asked him to present a copy of the
and, the Prince, he says, had the poteness
not to thank me- The Princes letter to
. him he characterizes as a wooden, weak
epistle' and he is even veXed at the
Prince sending him a copy of Gather.
woods Views in Central America "a book
he says, that purchased myself two years
ago. fine edition of Byron would have beenfa far
more agreeable In all this we think the nat
ural philosopher tart and crotchetty. A more
suitable literary gift than Catherwood's
Views for prince to make to such trav-
eler as Humboldt does not occur to our mind.
How was the prince to know that the philoso-
pher would have preferred an edition OF By
ron He thinks it singular, Also that no
mention is made of the queen in Prince AL
bert's letter, and concludes, quite gratuitously,
as it appears TO us, that it is because his book
of nature is not sufficiently Christian in its
fto secure her commentator. You see
says, how severely l can judge when
sprinees write.
ain another letter to Varnhagen, in reply to
one in which his correspondent objects to the
severity of his structures upon Prince Albert,
he still girds at the prince, whom he calls the
Man of the Star-Terraces, and affirms, when
he was with him at Stolzenfcls, the prince re-
marked to him, Il know that you have great
sympathy for the sufferings of the Russian
Poles, which is pity, for the Poles deserve
our sympathy as little as the Irish 'Mihi
dixitP he exclaims; and this is the beautiful
husband of Great Britain's QueenP We very
much doubt the accuracy of Humboldt's mem
ory upon this point. The words attributed to
the prince consort do not seem to he in his
style. There is a veXation and unairness in
all 1umboldts remarks upon the prince, that
will make his admirers regret that they should
ever have been published under his name"