The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1869-10-19

I VI ~ DONdhiHNs N'lhhll1
determined with himself to see distant
lands. Bonpland accompanied him in his
journey to South America; and when
Humboldt was engaged so exclusively in
physical experiments as to prevent him
from joining the botanical researches, they
were nevertheless not interrupted, for
Bonpland was unremitting in the study of
plants and in making collections.
After months thus spent in the neigh
borhood of the coast, Humboldt crossed
the Llanos, the great plains which divide
the basin of the Orinoco from the sea-
shore. Here again every step of the
journey is marked by original research.
He has turned those desert plains into en-
chanted land by the power of his thought,
and left us descriptions as facinating from
their beauty as they are valuable from
their novelty and precision. In his long
and painful journey through the valley of
the Orinoco, he traced the singular net
work of rivers by which this great stream
connects through the Cassiquiare and the
Rio Negro with the Amazons,--a fresh
water route which is, no doubt, yet to be-
come one of the highways of the world
Had it not been for the illiberality of the
Portuguese government, he would proba-
bly, have gone down the Rio Negro to
the Amazons, and would perhaps have
changed completely the course which he
ultimately took. He was turned back
from the mighty river by prohibition
which made it dangerous to proceed far
ther on pain of Imprisonment, and the
possible remuneration of all his cherished
plans. When, in my late exploration of
the Amazonian Valley, | read his narra-
tive again, on the spot, could not but
contrast the cordial liberality which
smoothcd every difficulty in my path with
the dangers, obstacles and suffering which
beset his. Il approached, however, so
near the scenes of his labors that | was
constantly able to compare my results
with his, and to recognize the extent of
his knowledge and the comprehensiveness
of his views, even where the progress of
science led to different Interpretation of
the facts. | omit all notice of his visit
to Cuba, and his journey through Mexico,
interesting as they were, remarking only
that to him we owe the first accurate
maps of these regions. So imperfect were
those published before him, that even
towards the close of the last century the
position of Mexico differed by about three
hundred miles in the maps published by
different gcographcrs. Humboldt's is the
first general map of Mexico and Cuba,
based upon astronomical observations.
: The next great stage of the American
journey is along the ridge of the Andes.
There is picturesque charm about this
part of the undertaking which is irresist-
BILE. At that time travelling in those
mountains was infinitely more difficult
than it is now. We follow him with his
train of mules, bearing the most delicate
instruments, the most precious scientific
apparatus, through the passes of the
great chain. Measuring the mountains
sounding the valleys as he WENT
tracing the distribution of vegetation on
slopes 10000 feet high,-examining ex-
tinct and active volcanoes,-collectn
and drawing animals and plants,-he
brought away an incredible amount of
information which has since filtered into
all our scientific records, remodelled pop
ular education, and becomes the common
property of the civilized world Many OF
these ascensions were attended with inf
mite danger and difficulty. He climbed
the Chimborazo to height of $4,000
feet at time when no other man had ever
assembled so far above the level of the sea
and was only prevented from reaching the
summit by an impossible chasm in which
he nearly lost his life. When a few year.
later Gay-Lussac made his famous as
cent in balloon, for the sake of study.
ind atmospheric phenomena, he rose only
1900 feet higher Returning from the
Andes, Humboldt skirted the Pacific from
Truxillo to Acapulco, and passed into
Mexico again. There he ascended all the
great mountains in that neighborhood
continuing and completing the same in.
vestigations which he had pursued with
such persistency through his whole labor.
ious journey. He studied volcanic ac
tion, mines, the production of precious
metals, their influence upon civilization
and commerce, latitudes and longitudes
averages of climate, relative heights o
mountains, distribution of vegetation, as
Economical and meteorological phenomena
From Mexico he went to Havana, from
Havana he sailed for Philadelphia. Hi
stay in this country was short, He wa
cordially received by Jefferson on his vs
to Washington, and warmly welcomed BY
scientific men in Philadelphia. But h,
made no important researches in the Uni
ted States, and sailed for Europe soor
after his arrival.