The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-09-11
H..

II.
While the Crimean war was going on. our
author spent some time In Berlin. His friend
and c~icerone, Major Won orlich, took him one
day to see Alexander Won Humboldt, who had
a great deal to say about India. The CONVEX
| sation happened to glance on Whewells Ptu-
ralty Of Worlds. Humboldt said that he held
the book very cheap. laughing at the idea that
all the stars were made for our amusement,
and putting the argument thus: The stars
| are, assuredly. uninhabited by intellectual
beings because. II intellectual. they must be
sundiich. and the Erl6suno, so often repeated.
would be unbeQuem." he spoke very highly OF
Max Muller. and said it was an honor to Eng
land that she afforded q career to such men.
As regarded the Crlmean war. Humboldt's
sympathies were on the side OF the Western
powers. Not SO those OF Ranke. with whom
our author had one day q long and some
what lively talk. Ranke said that Germany
had nothing to fear from Russia moro
from England and that. II the English
succeeded in the Crimea, all they would do
would be to destroy an infant civilization.
"Ah! We love you" he said. and feel with
you far more than with Russia, but we cannot
agree in all things. There are some differences
between our interests" Later he added: ITO
me the chief interest OF England 10 that she is
Old England" Major Won 0rlich. our authors
| host in Berlin. was at this period very intimate
with the Prince OF Prussia (later the Emperor
William L.. who. thanks to the ascehdancy OF
the Pietist party at court. had been force dinto
the position OF the head Of the Liberal party In
Prussia. He told orlch. it appears. that the
last time the Emperor Nicholas 1. was in Ber-
lin he had said TO him: You are q Liberal;
your ideas will ruin the monarchy" The
Prince replied: do you really think that
! you. by your exclusive system. have kept these
ideas out OF Russia 7" Nicholas answered.: mot
to the extent I would wish: yet to q certain ex-
tent; but that is not now the question. Ispeak
OF you" The Gear kept coming back and back
to the subject. and the Prince got very angry.
saying at last: We will talk no more Of that.
That Is another affair altogether" Shortly
after the conversation. the Prince went out.
| and, meeting one OF the Emperor's confldants.
told him what had passed. and said: Tell me
now. as a man OF honor-do you think he has
succeeded ?" " 30 far from that being the case"
replied the person addressed. Il don't think
my life or the life OF any one Of his lntimates
Is worth ton days purchase after he closes his
eyes. I do not see the future. God knows
what may happen; but 1t looks very black
ahead"
On April %. 1855. our euthor went to hear
the Rev. F. D. Maurice preach at Lincoln's Inn.
He supposes. he says. that he must have heard
him. first and last. some thirty or forty times.
but never carried away one clear idea. or even
the impression that the preacher had more
than the ~faintest conception Of what he himself
meant. Aubrey de We're is pronounced quite
right in saying that listening to Maurice was
like eating pea soup with a fork. and Jowett's
answer seems to have been not less to the
purpose when our author asked him what o
sermon which Maurice had just preached
before the University Of Oxford was about.
and he replied: WE'LL All that Icould make
out was that to-day was yesterday. and this
world the same as the next" John Stuart
Mill. who had known him early in life. said.
about the same time. to the writer OF this
diary: Frederick Maurice has philosophical
powers OF the highest order. but he spoils them
all by torturing everything into the Thirty
nine Articles" The fact that he should have ex-
erted a distinctly stimulating and lberalizlng
influence over many moro or less remarkable
people must be deemed sufficiently strange
but the author reminds us that he was q
noble fellow. with immense power OF sym
pathy and an ardent. passionate nature, which
often led him to right conclusions in spite of
his hopelessly confused reasoning. To listen
to him was to drink spiritual champagne.
Having been elected at Brooks's In February.
1856. our author looked over the old betting
book at that club. Here and there he found
n curious entry. For instance. on March II.
1776, Mr.. Charles Fox gave a dinner to Lord
Bolingbroke on the understanding that he was
to receive q thousand Guineas from the other
when the national debt amounted to Eli .000,-
000. In 1888 Fox gave Mr.. Shirley ten
guineas on the understanding that he was
to receive five hundred whenever Turkey
In Europe belonged to a European power
or powers. The wager. OF course. is still
unsettled. In February. 1853. our author
was elected at the Cosmopolitan Club.
which met then. and meets now. In Charles
street, Berkeley Square. in a huge room
which was once used as WattS's studio. and
on the walls OF which there Is an enormous
picture by him from Theodore and HonoTia. In
which there are many female figures. Some
one asked Lord HouRhton what this repre-
sented. oh" he replied. you have heard OF
Watts's Hymns. These are Watts's Hers" Al
this club. one day. the writer OF this diary had
q conversation with Thackeray about a French
invasion. apropos OF the fiery French Colonies.
With regard to whom there was a good deal Of
talk In 1858. Thackeray said. abiding to his
recent candidature for a seat In Parliament al
Oxford: The chief reason why I wished to be
in Parliament was that I might stand up once
a year and tell my countrymen what will hap
pen when the French invade u.s." The impedi-
ment to Thackeray's political aspirations waf
that he was almost tonGue-tied when he tried
to speak sxtemporarily in public.
In the pages allotted to 1881 and 1852 w
come upon a number OF anecdotes. Mr.
+ Strachey. q young diplomatist. told the author
a good saying Of the Queen Of the Netherlands
I about an Austrian attach6: IN a Fair d'uy
coiGeur ct rapIomb dun denttste." According e
Abraham Hayward. nobody ever had 30 much
aplomb as Nassau William Senior. On one oc
casion. when Tom Moore was singing at b.
wood. the poet was annoyed by the scratching
OF the pen with which Senior was writing. anC
stopped. Pray GO on said Senior; yor
I don't interrupt me-" Al the ThrinEs' one day
In 1852. our author met Sir G. Rose. the Greai
punster, the same who, on turning round anC
seeing some one initiating his gait. said: "YoI
= have the stalk without the rose; - and who, OF