22 DIRECTOR OF MINES. 



His duties were many and arduous, for in addition to 

 his scientific labours, he superintended the erection of 

 public institutions in these districts. Bayreuth is divided 

 into two parts, Oberland and Unterland. The former, 

 which came more immediately under his supervision, is 

 a hilly region, intersected by branches of the great 

 Fichtelberg, and rich in mines of iron and other minerals. 

 Humboldt spent a considerable part of his time in jour- 

 neying over the country, visiting the various mines, and 

 directing the operations of the miners. He descended 

 into the mines for the purpose of making observations 

 on the fungi that grew in the shafts, or, pursuing his 

 journeys, he botanized by the way. If the region was 

 mountainous he studied the rock-formations, and specu- 

 lated on the Neptunic theory of his teacher, Werner. 

 Busy as he must have been at this time he wrote largely 

 for the scientific journals and periodicals, contributing to 

 them the result of his experiments on the physical and 

 chemical laws of metallurgy, and on the susceptibility 

 of plants, their modes of nourishment, colour, etc. He 

 also published a work of local botany, — a " Flora of 

 Cryptogamic Plants in the Neighbourhood of Freyberg," 

 and dedicated it to his former teacher, Wildenow. 



In 1794 be accompanied the provincial minister, Yon 

 Hardenberg, on a political mission to the Rhine. He 

 also made several tours through the Alp districts and 

 Silesia, and an official trip into the province of Prussia 

 and Poland. Not being able yet to begin his great jour- 

 ney he contented himself with these small ones — slight 

 studies as it were for the great picture that was to be. 



In 1795 he resigned his situation as director of mines, 

 and went to Vienna, where he renewed his passion for 



