Writings of the late Professor Blumenbach. 239 



first part of the collection* of remarkable voyages and travels ; 

 and he furnished a preface and remarks for Volkmann's trans- 

 lation of Bruce's Travels. 



It is indeed not too much to assert that the desire awaken- 

 ed in many distinguished men to undertake extensive natu- 

 ral history voyages and travels, and the results thus obtained 

 for science, were caused in a great measure by Blumenbach. 

 Hornemann,t Alexander Von Humboldt, Langsdorf, Seetzen, 

 Rontgen, Sibthorp, Prince Maximilian of Neuwied, were and 

 are his grateful scholars. 



To Blumenbacirs unknown, or at least not sufficiently ap- 

 preciated, literary services, belong his extremely numerous 

 critiques, published not only in the " Bibliothek" edited by him- 

 self, but more especially in the Gottingen " Gelehrte An- 

 zeigen," and which passed under review works in all his vari- 

 ous branches of knowledge for a long series of years. His 

 first critique was on a treatise by Xenocrates, and appeared in 

 the 2d vol. of Walch's Philological Library. 



He had himself at first experienced how unreasonably and 

 thoughtlessly reviews are frequently executed ; \ with him it 

 was a fixed principle invariably to separate the person from 

 the thing, to render the judgment as objective as possible, 

 and never to abuse the office of scientific judge, by rendering 

 it the vehicle for the display of personal feelings. His reviews 

 are distinguished for their concise brevity, for seizing hold of 

 the essential points in discussion, for interspersed jocularity, 

 and for instructive original observations and views. 



A manuscript observation by Blumenbach, which I found 

 in a note-book which he lent me on one occasion, is worthy 

 of attention, because, to a certain extent, it explains the fa- 



* Leipsic, 1790, in 5 volumes. 



t Hornemaiin first expressed to his teacher his desire to travel in the in- 

 terior of Africa on the 2d July 1794. Blumenbach afterwards published an 

 :« count of this enterprising young man, and of the successful execution of 

 his plan in Zach's Allgem. Geogr. Ephemeriden., vol. i., Weimar, 1798, 

 p. 116-120, p. 368-371, and vol. iii. p. 193. 



* As his Hand-book of Natural History was as ignorantly as inconsiderate- 

 ly reviewed, he wrote an article in the Gottingen Magazine, " On a literary 



i ty, but one which unfortunately is no rarity." 1700, p. 467-484. 



