102 ALEXANDER VON HUMBOLDT. 



suffered severely, but improved somewhat during my journey 

 with Forster, yet even here I continue so closely occupied that 

 I find it difficult to spare myself. There is an eager impulse 

 within me which often carries me, I fear, over the bounds of 

 reason ; and yet such impetuosity is always necessary to ensure 

 success. 



' I send you herewith my book on the basalts. I shall esteem 

 it a favour if you will read the first half, which is entirely philo- 

 logical ; the remainder will be of small interest to you, though 

 it has already created some sensation on account of certain 

 paradoxes which it contains. An article in fulsome praise of 

 the book has appeared in the " Hamburger Correspondent." You 

 may easily imagine how little I am flattered by such vulgar 

 trumpeting. I have no doubt it originated through Biisch, 

 whose institution is rather declining, and who would therefore 

 gladly proclaim to the world that men of such learning resort 

 to his academy. Par interet ! ! I was much gratified by the 

 criticism in the " Gottinger Anzeigen." If you feel disap- 

 pointed in any way with my book, pray remember that while 

 engaged upon it I daily attended five lectures, and was twice 

 laid aside by serious illness, and that I wrote it entirely without 

 philological assistance, for though Heyne encouraged me to 

 undertake the work, he never saw the MS. 



' This desultory letter must suffice for to-day. I will write 

 more at length another time. Let me hear from you soon. 

 My heart rejoices at the mere thought of you. With brotherly 

 affection and grateful esteem, I am, &c., 



6 HUMBOLDT.' 



To Werner at Freiberg. 



1 Hamburg : School of Commerce, December 13, 1790. 



c Sir, I trust you will pardon the liberty I am taking in 

 venturing to address you without having the pleasure of your 

 personal acquaintance, and in being so bold as to trouble you 

 with an enquiry. The motive by which I am actuated, namely, 

 the strong desire to complete my education under your auspices, 

 will, I hope, appear to you a sufficient justification. 



6 It is now nearly two years since I commenced the study of 

 geology. My enthusiasm for the science has been recently 



