Alexander von Humboldt

sn. […] Gebergert [?] sucht es […] hell [..] […] hell gebrannte davor Schegersberg p. 276 […] Tradiert Messen [?] zw Refelltbergs [?] […] …. an Otestbg [?] […] 280 4)Feripe [?] 1276_28c“.

Hügel wurde vom König nach Ägypten geschickt, um dort persönlich Pferde für die Zucht einzukaufen. "Es ist mir eine grosse, grosse Freude durch die eignene, so gnädige Zuschrift Ew. Excellenz von Ihrer lang erwarteten Ankunft benachrichtigt worden zu sein. Die Glieder meiner Familie, welche nächst mir Ihnen am anhänglichsten waren, sind leider! längst dahin geschieden. Mir selbst bleibt in diesen Tagen auch nur der schriftliche Ausdruck des innigsten Dankgefühls möglich. Ich bin fast noch bettlegrig, leidend an einem heftigen catharrhatischen Anfalle, doch giebt mir unser vortreflicher Schönlein die Hofnung, dass in 3-4 Tagen es mir gestattet sein wird, im Hotel de Brandenbourg der Frau Generalinn meine persönliche Aufwartung machen zu können ..." - Johann Lukas Schönlein (1793-1864), war Humboldts Arzt und betreute als Leibarzt auch Friedrich Wilhelm IV. von Preußen. Hügel veröffentlichte 1861 das Buch über "Die Gestüte und Meiereien Seiner Majestät des Königs Wilhelm von Württemberg" in Stuttgart..

Prinzessin von Wasa-Holstein-Gottorp, 1833–1907, ab 1853 mit dem Kronprinzen verheiratet] bes[ch]äftigt ist. Der König kommt erst Ende Juli von Marienbad zurück, wo dann die Kaiserin [d. i. Alexandra Feodorowna, geb. Prinzessin Charlotte von Preußen, 1878–1860, Tochter von Friedrich Wilhelm III . u. Luise von Preußen, ab 1817 mit Kaiser Nikolaus I. von Rußland verheiratet] auch wieder in Sanssouci erwartet wird. Der Grossherzog von Schwerin [d. i. Friedrich Franz II . von Mecklenburg-Schwerin] äussert viel Freude Sie eine Zeitlang in seinem Lande zu besitzen. Ich selbst werde wohl erst in 8 Tagen nach Berlin kommen [...]“. – Alt auf Trägerpapier montiert..

In overall fine condition. Accompanied by a large print entitled ‘A Proportional and Tabular View of the Superior, Supermedial, and Medial Rocks.’ After his extensive travels in Latin America at the turn of the century, Humboldt began work on what would become a 21-year project, describing the lands he explored on his journey for the first time from a modern scientific point of view. He found the intellectual and social stimuli he craved in the vibrant cultural center of Paris, where he mingled with some of science’s greatest minds, including Joseph Fourier. With this letter to noted mineralogist and geologist Louis-Benjamin Fleuriau, Humboldt is most likely passing on Fourier’s Théorie Analytique de la Chaleur (The Analytic Theory of Heat), published in 1822, which reasoned that the flow of heat between two adjacent molecules is proportional to the extremely small difference of their temperatures; the book made major contributions to mathematics and physics, including the law of heat conduction, now known as Fourier's law. Beyond the excellent association to this major scientific figure, Humboldt’s detailed geological sketches hold extraordinary value. Known for his extensive theories on magnetism, volcanicity, seismology, and tectonics, his work on rock formations is incredibly important—and incredibly beautiful, in these hand-sketched pieces..

Ihr erstes Bändchen enthält Interessantes aus allen Regionen, botanisches, entomologisches, geognostisches ja selbst krystallographisches. Dechens Beweise des jüngeren Alters der Lavaströme der Thalbildung im Nettethal sind von grosser Wichtigkeit. Die Auflagerung auf Flussgeschieben ist besonders lehrreich. Auch der Aufsaz des H Foerstemann musste mich wegen uralter jugendlicher Erinnerungen anziehen. Herrn Wirtgen’s persönlichen Umganges habe ich während meines fröhlichen Aufenthaltes in Horchheim genossen und mich seiner physikalischen Ansichten über die geographische Verbreitung der Pflanzen erfreut. Das plözliche Auftreten der Cuscuta hassiaca ist eine recht merkwürdige Erscheinung [...]“. – Humboldt hatte am 12. August an der Einweihung des Beethoven-Denkmals in Bonn teilgenommen; gewohnt hatte er damals bei Joseph Mendelssohn in Horchheim. – Beiliegend ein eigenh. adressierter Briefumschlag Humboldts an „Herrn Professor Dr Nees von Esenbeck“ in Bonn (Poststempel: Berlin 28.VI. o. J.) sowie sein Portrait (ca. 97:76 mm; „Krüger gez.“, „M Hofmann u. Fr. Stöber gest. in Stahl“). - Leicht gebräunt..

de la Legation Prussienne, Rue de Lille. Ce sera un beau cadeau que je devrai à Votre aimable sollicitude et à celle d’une belle Marquise qui je pense n’aime pas avec ardeur les antiquités de la Sardaignes, idoles qui ressemblent un peu aux petites bosses des temples mexicains! [...]“. - La Marmora hatte im Vorjahr eine topographische Karte Sardiniens veröffentlicht. - Leicht gebräunt, Oberrand leicht beschnitten..

- Henze machte sich damals einen Namen als Erneuerer der Chirogrammatomantie (Graphologie). - Etwas gebräunt und fleckig, gelocht, kleine Randschäden, Faltenrisse (teilweise hinterlegt)..

Soll ich aber (wie Se. Majestät befohlen haben) etwas numerisch bestimmtes über den Werth der, so schwer und unter so grossen Gefahren entworfenen Zeichnungen äussern, würde ich jedes Blatt nach Verschiedenheit des einfachen oder complizirteren Gegenstandes zu 2 bis 3 Fr d'or schäzen, den Antilopen Kopf von einer neu entdekten Art 2 Fr d'or". - Mit diversen Verbesserungen und Einschüben. - Leicht fleckig..

Da nun der Kämmerer Sonnabend Potsdam verlässt, so glaube ich, dass Sie denselben bloß morgen schon fragen sollten, 'ob Ihre Zeichnungen bei ihm liegen; der König habe uns erlaubt, dieselben nach Berlin mit zu nehmen, um sie der geogr. Gesellschaft zu zeigen'. Das Geld wird er Ihnen schon von selbst zuschicken ...". - Der angeklebte Zettel, bezeichnet "nach Leipzig", enthält 3 Korrekturen von Humboldts Hand, die der vom Verleger Mendelssohn beauftragte Leipziger Drucker ausführen sollte..

Alexander und sein um zwei Jahre älterer Bruder Wilhelm besuchten nie eine reguläre staatliche Schule, aber hatten mit ihrem Lehrer Kunth einen exzellenten Ausbilder. Da Berlin zu jener Zeit keine Universität hatte, ging Alexander von Humboldt zunächst zum Studium nach Frankfurt an der Oder, später nach Göttingen. Dort traf er auf Georg Forster, einen Naturforscher, der James Cook bei seiner zweiten Reise um die Welt begleitet und über seine Erlebnisse geschrieben hatte. Humboldt wollte ebenfalls Abenteurer werden. Mit dem Tod der Mutter waren die Humboldt Brüder reiche Männer und Alexander reiste durch Europa. In Paris kaufte er die besten wissenschaftlichen Instrumente, die damals erhältlich waren. Im März 1799 wurde Humboldt dem spanischen König vorgestellt und dieser gewährte Humboldt und seinem Begleiter Pässe, die es ihnen erlaubten, alle spanischen Territorien in Lateinamerika zu bereisen. Zu einer Zeit, als die meisten Menschen sich nie weit von ihrer Heimat entfernten, war Humboldt bereits durch Deutschland gereist und hatte auch viel von Europa gesehen. Alles, was Humboldt sah, notierte er fein säuberlich für die Nachwelt. Jahrzehntelang war er nach seiner Rückkehr beschäftigt, die gesammelten Daten auszuwerten. Frédéric Nepveu (1777-1862) war einer der Architekten der Schlösser von Versailles und de Compiègne. Der Herkulessalon in Versailles geht auf ihn zurück..

- In 1846, Arnold Mendelssohn had become involved in the so-called "Casket Affair", which ruined his life: for the theft of a casket, the content of which was thought to be vital to Ferdinand Lassalle's court case, he was sentenced to five years imprisonment and lost the privilege to practise as physician. His accomplices, Alexander Oppenheim and Lassalle, were acquitted. Alexander von Humboldt interceded on his behalf, and Mendelssohn was pardoned in 1849, but was banished from Germany. - Somewhat wrinkled; the reverse of fol. 2 slightly spotty..

Die Sache liegt mir schmerzhaft am Herzen! [...]". Somewhat wrinkled; the reverse of fol. 2 slightly spotty. In 1846, Arnold Mendelssohn had become involved in the so-called "Casket Affair", which ruined his life: for the theft of a casket, the content of which was thought to be vital to Ferdinand Lassalle's court case, he was sentenced to five years imprisonment and lost the privilege to practise as physician. His accomplices, Alexander Oppenheim and Lassalle, were acquitted. Alexander von Humboldt interceded on his behalf, and Mendelssohn was pardoned in 1849, but was banished from Germany. - II: N. p., 19 Nov. (n. y.). To "Herr Boguslawski", i. e. the meteorologist Georg von Boguslawski (1827-84), about an appointment. Folded for mailing, torn where unsealed, a bit marked, pencil notations by a previous owner on one blank portion, and with some denting. - III: Paris, [ca. 1817]. To an unidentified recipient: "[...] Les travaux de Mr le Chevalier Millin [!] meriteroient des encouragemens bien plus grands et par la profondeur des recherches et par le noble desinteressement de l'auteur [...]". - IV: "Berlin Sonntag Abend". Somewhat spotty. To Prince Adalbert of Prussia, with thanks for granting him something he had asked for. - V: "En dimanche", n. p. To the wife of the composer Gasparo Spontini, Catherine Marie Céleste, born Erard: "Mr de Humboldt [...] profitera à Paris de la permission d'admirer les beaux tableaux de Mr. Erard, l'homme célèbre dont la génie est admiré dans l'Europe entière [...]". Slightly browned due to paper and somewhat spotty; right edge strongly creased; clipped section on f. 2 due to broken seal (not touching text). - V: Paris, 1821. In French, to a Paris bookseller, ordering several volumes. Folded, with remnants of a wax seal and corresponding abrasion where unsealed; few marks..

Köhler in Dresden, whose instrument he described in detail 15 years ago. He states that there is nothing new about Ducom's artificial horizon but the application of the metal fabric owed to Mr. Brosle: "Monsieur, ayant lu ce matin un intéressant rapport que vous avez fait, Monsieur, à la Société d'encouragement pour un nouvel horizon artificiel attribué à Mr Ducom [...] j'ai pensé qu'il pourrait vous être agréable d'apprendre que cet appareil de 2 tubes gradués et placés d'avance sous l'angle de réflexion du soleil [...] est une invention de Mr Köhler à Dresde [...] J'ai décrit cet appareil très clairement dans l'introduction de mon recueil d'obs. astronomiques [...] ouvrage publié depuis quinze ans avec les tubes de Mr Köhler [...] il n'y a rien de neuf à ce qu'il paraît dans l'appareil de Mr Ducom que l'application de la toile métallique due à Mr Brosle [...] vous trouverez peut-être, l'occasion, Monsieur, de rappeler vous-même l'invention de l'astronome de Dresde, mort depuis longtemps [...]". - Rather brittle; traces of original folds; remnants of later mounting tabs on reverse; narrow strip at right edge browned (with the reverse more evenly browned). Short tear to right hand edge affecting the text but without loss, professionally restored..

Daß der Ausdruck meines Dankes so verspätet ist, liegt an der für mich so bewegten Zeit, zerstreut durch so viele zum Theil leider wenig wissenschaftliche Pflichten, die ich, neben dem unvorsichtigen [?] Kosmos, übernommen [...] Wie dankbar und gerührt habe ich zwei edle Geschenke empfangen: das Exemplar der so gelungenen Lithographie, das Bildnis Ihres verewigten, die Wissenschaften (so kräftig und von den Zeitgenossen anerkannt) erweiternden Vaters Karl Haidinger; die geistreiche anziehende Medaille die uns den Praesidenten der geolog. Reichsanstalt und der Wiener geogr. Gesellschaft Wilhelm gleichsam vergegenwärtigte. Solche Liebesgeschenke haben haben einen dauernden Werth, da sie von einer Familie an eine andere übergehen und der Nachwelt sagen wer sich nahe gestanden im Gemüth und wissenschaftlichen Bedürfnissen und Wünschen für die Zukunft [...]". - Somewhat dusty and spotty; minor damage to edges; slight tears to folds..

Humboldt's description, written in French in his diminutive hand, covers 46 tightly-packed pages. After three pages of introductory remarks, he divides his work into sections titled "Vues géologique. Explotation de la mine," "Sources salées et leur Concentration," and "Cuite de Sel et Transport du Produit." In his account Humboldt notes that the mine was bigger than those found in Spain, Switzerland, Poland, and the Tyrol, with a calculated resource estimation of one million cubic meters. He also describes the traditional halite mining at the site and recommends a switch to drift mining, following the principle used at Berchtesgaden, Hallein and Aussee, where the conditions are similar: "Voici la methode de laquelle on s'y prendrait, d'après l'analogie de Berchtesgaden, Hallein, Aussee dont le local est absolument semblable à celui de Zipaquira". He proposes driving corridors through the mountain towards the South and Southwest, thus reaching deeper levels where the purest salt is located. Once this fertile level is reached, large areas of 90,000-150,000 square feet need to be excavated, as far as the rock's solidity permits, creating 15-20 chambers on different levels, their number depending on the amount of salt produced and the richness of the mine. In these chambers, or "Wöhre", the miner will encounter fresh water running down the walls nibbling at the salt they contain, enriching itself up to a salinity of 25%. The water then merely needs to be channeled away and heated: "On percera la montagne de Sel par des galleries (Socabones) que l'on poussera en avant au Sud et Sudouest vers les points ou le Sel gemme est le plus riche. On fait, par ce qui a été dit antérieurement que le sel le plus pure est a une profondeur a laquelle la fouille actuelle n'att[e]int pas [...] Arrivé dans une partie de la mine bien abondontée on fera de grandes excavations de plus de 90,000 à 150,000 piés quarrés de superficie selon que la solidité de la Roche, (de Sel gemme) le permet. Ces excavations qu'en langue de mineur en nomme Wöhre ou Sinkwerke, sont de grandes Sal[l]es souterraines de 2-3 toises de haut [...] On a, selon la quantité de Sel que l'on produit et la richesse de la mine 15-20 de ces Chambres dans une Montagne de Sel, a differentes hauteurs [...] C'est dans ces Wöhre que par des puits ou des galleries superieurs selon que l'on rencontre les eaux douces [...] Elles y dissolvent, en rongeant, le Sel gemme contenu dans les parois [...] Lorsque l'Arcometre annonce au mineur que les eaux douces se sont enrichis à 24-25 p. C. [...] on fait découler ces pour ces artificielles qui ne necessite, plus que d'être cuites [...]". - Covers detached. Title-page and final page somewhat soiled, minor ink stains in places..

Stone". - In the letter, Humboldt talks about the potential date of the sale and some objects that are in London: "Concerning the sale, Lannoy thinks that it could take place in the end of July and that the customs information will be sufficient to know what is in London. Since my intervention is only due to my personal interests and since only Mr. Lannoy needs to recognize what is necessary for the good of the creditors, I can only hope that the sale will be effected as quickly as possible. Please send me two lines as soon as your work is entirely finished so that we can meet at M. Lannoy's and arrive at a definite decision about the time of the sale and make the necessary announcements". - John Hurford Stone moved to France in 1792 and saw success as an industrialist. He had to leave France temporarily during the Reign of Terror in 1793/94; upon his return he started a successful publishing house. Following Stone's bankruptcy, the Parisian publisher R. Vendryès, mentioned twice in the letter, briefly took over Humboldt's great project. Vendryès only published the "Atlas gégraphique et historique" as part of to the "Relation historique". The first sentence of the letter probably refers to this publication: "My request with M. Maze was futile; he does not remember the posters published by Vendries [!] but he [Vendryès] could easily inform you about them". Nicolas Maze was the most successful publisher of the "Relation historique": between 1814 and 1826 he published several volumes of Humboldt's ultimately unfinished travelogue. - With collector's note in pencil. Well preserved..

Le prince de Hardenberg m'a chargé de Vous témoigner, M. le Comte, le désir qu'il a que Vous Vous adressiez directement à lui chaque fois que pendant Votre séjour en Prusse Vous aurez besoin d'être en rapport avec lui. Je saisis avec empressement cette occasion pour vous renouveler les sentiments de la haute considération avec laquelle j'ai l'honneur d'être [...]". - Beide Bll. stärker knittrig und mit jeweils einem Ausriss am oberen Rand (keine Textberührung)..

Daignez recevoir cet habile Professeur avec la bienveillance qui Vous caractérise et dont il sentira tout le prix [...]". - As mentioned in the letter, Simonov was a scientific member of the important First Russian Antarcitic Expedition led by Fabian Bellingshausen (1819-21). In 1822 he was confirmed as a Professor of Astronomy at the University of Kazan. From 1823 to 1824 Simonov stayed in Paris, where he was introduced to Alexander von Humboldt. During Humboldt's eight-month expedition to Russia in 1829 the two men met again in Kazan; together they performed geomagnetic experiments. - No direct contact between Alexander von Humboldt and Oriani Barnaba has so far been established, but Humboldt is known to have been familiar with Barnaba's publications. A mutual acquaintance of Humboldt and Barnaba is the Austrian astronomer Karl Kreil. - With traces of folds. Well preserved..

- The letter was probably written during Humboldt's Paris years (1807-26). However, David sculpted a bronze medal with the profile of the great naturalist dated 1831, five years after Humboldt's return to Berlin. A small bronze bust followed in 1844. A copy of the medal is held in the Numismatic collection of the Berlin State Museums. - With traces of folds and small loss to paper through breaking of the seal. Minimal browning and foxing..

Vous avez daigné me permettre avec une bienveillance extrême de Vous rapeller [!], Monsieur, au milieu de l'été la prière que j'avez osé adresser à S. E. le digne Évêque de Hermopolis relativement à l'enfant du Sr Guénot que nous voudrions voir placé à Paris. J'ose Vous supplier d'accorder quelques instants d'audience à cet excellent homme et d'agréer l'hommage de la considération et du dévouement affectueux avec lequel j'ai l'honneur d'être [...]". - No further links between Alexander von Humboldt and Denis-Luc Frayssinous are documented. Although the circumstances of the letter and the identity of Seigneur Guénot remain obscure, the text bears testimony to Humboldt's generosity and helpfulness, especially since he alludes to several earlier, "almost regular" supplications to the recipient. A few months after the letter was written, Humboldt had to return to Berlin on the personal orders of King Frederick William III of Prussia, having spent close to twenty years in Paris. - With traces of folds, two large tears, touching the date and text without loss, and one restored tear. One large brownstain from the faulty restoration of one of the tears and minimal foxing..

Permettez que je me présente demain matin (Samedi) à dix heures chez Vous, pour Vous faire mes excuses et pour Vous embrasser avant Votre départ [...]". - After studies in Göttingen and Gießen, Schulz relocated to Paris in 1823 to deepen his knowledge of oriental languages. In Paris he was in contact with important scholars such as Alexander von Humboldt and Antoine Isaac Silvestre de Sacy. The letter at hand was probably written ahead of Schulz' departure, in 1826, on a scientific expedition of several years to Asia Minor and Persia. The rediscovery of the Kingdom of Urartu and its language are largely due to this expedition. The expedition ended in tragedy when Schulz and his companions were assassinated in the Kurdish town Baskale. Some of his important records, including copies of 42 inscriptions from the Van Fortress, were later recovered and published. - With a minor tear from breaking the seal..

Humboldt comments, perhaps jokingly, that "the entire world is content except for my illustrious friend from Jerusalem, who is agitated and believes that the graces are rather distant". The "illustrious friend from Jerusalem" could not be identified. The text that he originally sent with the letter was apparently "riddled with proper names and numbers". Humboldt urges the recipient to perform his corrections "with the despotism that makes life so easy for a work-shy subject". In closing, Humboldt asks the recipient to indicate a time for their next possible meeting and sends warm greetings to his family. - Two French publications by Humboldt are likely candidates for his corrections. In the summer of 1825, the fifth instalment of his important "Relation historique" appeared: this part of the monumental report of Humboldt's Spanish American expedition comprises several scientific essays and measurements that would fit the facetious description of a "sheet riddled with proper names and numbers". His 1825 geological essay "Esquisse d'un tableau géognostique de l'Amérique méridionale, au nord de la rivière des Amazones et à l'est du méridien de la Sierre Nevada de Mérida" falls in the same category. - Humboldt's most intimate friend in Paris was the astronomer François Arago. From a diary entry of the German geographer Carl Ritter we know that Humboldt was keenly interested in the events surrounding the death of Louis XVIII. The day after the King's passing, Humboldt belatedly joined a soirée of Arago's, bringing the latest news from the palace. - With small loss to paper through breaking of the seal, trace of old restauration and recipient's note in brown ink "M. de humboldt"..

Veuillez bien m'envoyer avant le tirage Votre dernière épreuve de la lettre et agréez l'expression de ma considération affectueuse [...]". - With traces of folds and minimal foxing..

Wegen ihrer scharfen Kritik an der Situation in Preußen wurde sie im Januar 1845 eingestellt, nachdem der preußische König Friedrich Wilhelm IV. gegen die "empörenden Beleidigungen und Verleumdungen" protestiert hatte, die in der Zeitung über den französischen König Louis Philippe veröffentlicht wurden. Karl Marx wurde im Rahmen der daraus resultierenden Aufregung aus Frankreich ausgewiesen, Bernays zwei Monate lang inhaftiert und der Verleger Heinrich (Henry) Boernstein machte einen Deal mit den Behörden..

Humboldt asks Léo "to sacrifice a few moments to Mr. Loba and give him some advice", assuming that he knows the Prussian "forms of patent legislation." In closing, he praises the famous portraitist Henri Lehmann: "I am still under the spell of the beautiful and solid talent of Mr. Lehmann. His person can increase this charm". Lehmann's portrait of Humboldt, now on display at the Deutsches Historisches Museum, was commissioned by Auguste Léo and his wife in 1835. - A letter from 3 October 1838 is a perfect example for the charming combination of business and private correspondence: "I returned safe and sound from Cherbourg, I dined with M. [Mathieu] Molé who feels quite relieved about the resolution of the Swiss affairs, in the evening I was also at the Tuileries, where they are also content and I am again taking up the course of my boring impressions. [...] Might I ask you that day for the sum of 1000 francs on my account. I certainly will give you a receipt of 2000 F due to the reimbursement in Berlin". - On 26 November 1838, Humboldt asks to disburse a sum to his servant and later heir Johann Seifert, who "will also present Mr. Ernst, engineer of physical instruments, with a small note from my hand for 150 francs". After summing up his liabilities, Humboldt mentions Mathieu Molé again, as well as Benjamin Delessert, to whom he had apparently talked on Léo's behalf: "I expect that you ask from our friend M. Mendelssohn amounting to what I am importuning you here. I transferred 9100 Fr to him. It almost looks like I am getting my finances in order. I talked to M. Delessert and M. Molé for help from the Chambers. I found them most inclined towards you, especially the former in a more explicit way [...]". - In a letter dated "Ce samedi" that was written in the "distress and tumults" of Humboldt's upcoming departure for Berlin, he asks Léo to settle some payments, including one to the cartographer and printmaker Pierre Antoine Tardieu, and talks humorously about a previous cold: "My enormous cold has much improved. However, something from the renaissance mixed with it because I had to look at the freezing apartments of Mad. the Baroness Salomon, where some Leo X is grafted onto Charlemagne". - The most exceptional letter in the collection, dated "this Monday", was written ahead of a visit to the French Minister of the Interior and is worth quoting extensively, for its wit, humor, and sharp political analysis: "I am completely guilty, my dear and excellent friend, not only of having left your brilliant and agreeable company so early yesterday but also of having been fooled by my memory. After having consulted my gastronomical archives, I discovered that since 8 J[anuary] I am expected on Thursday 2 Febr. at the Minister of the Interior. Dare I ask you to consult my benefactor, Madame Léo, and to ask her for chairs [...] Voilà, in Prussia many antiliberal things [are happening] that disquiet me. This is the cursed dualistic system, the fear that affects the governments immediately after a bit of courage. That's 1788 and 1789". - A particularly charming letter can be dated to 1841 due to its comments on Felix Mendelssohn's incidental music for Ludwig Tieck's staging of "Antigone" that had been commissioned by King Frederick William IV of Prussia: "The astronomer Wilhelm Beer-Mädler already writes me full of bitterness and mockery on behalf of Felix [Mendelssohn], whom the King has forced to compose the chorus for a Greek tragedy (Sophocles' Antigone) which the Monarch has had the whim to have translated by Tieg [Tieck] and which is to be performed and sung at Court. The astronomer suggests that since Antigone is not Lutheran, or at least not very Lutheran, Felix will be soporific. Understand that the letter is not from Meyerbeer, an Italian abbot who is much more reserved". - The final two letters in the collection tell a story of Humboldt's magnanimity being sorely tested. In the earlier letter, dated 30 November, Humboldt asks Léo to disburse 50 écus to Karl von Gagern, an otherwise unknown son of the Prussian lieutenant Gustav von Gagern. Humboldt did not know Karl personally but "his parents who are in Potsdam". On a Wednesday soon thereafter, Humboldt writes again to Léo, first asking him to make a final payment to Achille Valenciennes for his contribution to the final instalment of Humboldt's "Receuil d'observations de zoologie", before returning to Karl von Gagern, now in a very different tone: "I do not regret having thrown away 50 écus on a M. Charles de Gagern because he is the son of a respectable lady from Potsdam, brother-in-law of M. de Siebold, the famous traveller to Japan, but I consider it impolite that he did not send me a thank-you note nor responded to the reproaches that I addressed to him in writing a few days ago. Since my hunter [Johann Seifert] is no strong linguist, I dare to ask you, out of pure curiosity, to inquire [...] whether he still resides in Paris. I do not want his money but less rude proceedings". In a postscript, Humboldt relates that he received a letter from Helmina von Chézy in Heidelberg, informing him that she has received 133 écus. - Traces of folds; occasional stains and minor browning. The letter with references to Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy somewhat creased and with tear from breaking the seal..

His participation as an editor between 1836 and 1839 had already been a personal favour to the publisher Théophile-Étienne Gide, who had "affectionately pressed" him. In a curious request, he asks for his name to be removed in the event that Ternaux-Compans should leave the Annales before Humboldt is "placed among the fossil corpses". - Although his personal involvement appears to have been largely symbolic, Humboldt is highly critical of the publication and offers advice for its improvement. Given the severity of his criticism, he asks Ternaux-Compans not to show the letter to his predecessor Jean-Baptiste-Benoît Eyriès, for whom he expresses great admiration as a scientist, or any "person who might tell him about it". For Humboldt, the Annales were from the start, under their first editor Conrad Malte-Brun, "of bleak mediocrity", even if he ranks the journal above the "Bulletin de la Société de géographie de Paris". He attributes this mediocrity to a lack of scientific data and other relevant information: "of astronomically determined positions, of elevation determinations, of indications for average temperatures, of catalogues of maps published abroad, of detailed insights concerning the magnetic stations, of expeditions to the South Pole". Therefore, the Annales is a publication for amateurs, and even for them it is "too jejune", providing no interest to readers who wish to know what is "discovered on the surface of the globe". By contrast, Humboldt praises several German publications, such as Heinrich Christian Schumacher's "Astronomische Nachrichten" and the "Deutsche Vierteljahresschrift", wherein Humboldt himself published. His advice to Ternaux-Compans is to collaborate with people "who possess scientific knowledge in a distinguished manner", naming, e.g., the engineer Pierre Daussy, the cartographer Louis-Isidore Duperrey, and the explorer Louis de Freycinet. He further suggests to translate and publish articles from the Journal of the Royal Geographical Society, which is "admirably edited", and, finally, to consult the archaeologist Jean-Antoine Letronne. - Tears to the folds and margins, minimally affecting the text, partly repaired and reinforced with adhesive tape. With a collector's note in pencil. Some browning overall..