468 Voyage of the Novara. 



The visit paid to Baron Gros by two of the naturalists left 

 by no means an agreeable impression. Tlie French ambas- 

 sador is a tall, commanding, powerfully-built man, about fifty 

 years of age, with a full, round, beardless face covered with 

 freckles, and hair of a light colour. He seemed pleased to 

 speak of himself and his connections, and repeatedly pro- 

 claimed himself an admirer of German men of science, who 

 was in correspondence with M. von Humboldt. "Yoa 

 know," quoth the Baron, apparently desirous of explaining 

 his meaning, "he that wrote the Kosmos." The two mem- 

 bers of our Expedition coloured up ; to pronounce the name 

 of Plumboldt to German men of science, and deem it neces- 

 sary to state his literary claims, was sufficiently embarrassing. 

 One of them endeavoured to turn the conversation to the 

 gulf of Petchi-li, whence Baron Gros had just returned after 

 the ratification of the treaty of peace. He showed them a 

 hasty sketch of a portion of the great wall of China, to whicli 

 he had paid a visit when in the gulf of Petchi-li, and had 

 made the sketch on the spot. The natives with whom he 

 came in contact during his stay in the North he described as 

 destitute and poor to an extraordinary degree, but anything 

 but hostile to foreigners. They asked for with eagerness and 

 seized with avidity the entrails of animals which the sailors 

 were about to throw away ; on empty bottles being thrown 



our return sent, quite lately, a large quantity of Chinese seeds by way of souvenir, 

 and despite illness, is so much interested in forwarding the objects of the Imperial 

 Expedition, that he was a short time ago decorated with an Austrian order. 



