226 SIR RODERICK I. MURCHISON'S ADDRESS. [May 23, 1859. 



After the death of his accomplished mother, Humboldt began 

 to arrange the scheme of his future travels. His strong desire to 

 undertake these travels was, as he himself assures us, raised into a 

 passion by Forster, one of the companions of Cook in his voyage 

 round the world, and whose acquaintance the young Prussian scholar 

 had made at Gottingen, and with whom he made geological excur- 

 sions both in England and on the Ehine. And here I may state 

 that it is the opinion of the eminent geographer, Carl Eitter, as 

 expressed to me in a letter just received, that the whole of the 

 future life of Humboldt was powerfully influenced by the voyager 

 Forster, whose well-told tales of adventure first excited in his breast 

 that ardour for travel and research in the domains of nature which 

 characterised him ever after. 



Studying meteorology in Paris, and collecting materials for the 

 purpose of explorations, he formed the acquaintance of his future 

 companion Aime Bonpland, with whom he was to have proceeded 

 in the expedition of Baudin, destined to survey South America. 

 But, impatient of the delays attendant on that French expedition, 

 he went to Madrid with his young botanical friend, to obtain 

 the royal Spanish authority for their exploration of South 

 America. After a short excursion to Egypt, they sailed in the 

 Spanish frigate Pizarro, which fortunately reached Cumana in 

 July, 1791 ; having visited Teneriffe and examined its wonders 

 by the way, and having almost miraculously escaped the British 

 cruisers. 



I will not occupy your time by alluding to all the tracts in 

 South and Central America successively visited and explored by 

 Humboldt. Suffice it to say that, during four years of indefatigable 

 surveys and researches, including his daring voyages up the great 

 rivers Orinoco, Negro, and Amazon, he enriched science by his 

 numerous astronomical determinations, and observations on the 

 meteorological, botanical, zoological, mineralogical, geological, and 

 ethnological phenomena. The exploration of the course of the 

 Amazon was followed by his ascent of Chimborazo, where, at the 

 height of 19,300 feet, he and Bonpland made observations, not- 

 withstanding their great sufferings, caused by the rarefaction of 

 the atmosphere and the intensity of the cold. From Quito 

 and Peru he repaired to Mexico, making by the way obser- 

 vations on the narrowest portion of the isthmus which connects Cen- 

 tral with South America, which led him to entertain those ideas 

 on the practicability of an Inter-Oceanic Ship Canal in that paral- 



