140 ALEXANDER VON HUMBOLDT. 



upon three books at once, therefore I may as well tell you that I 

 am going to bring out, at Schreber's suggestion, a magnificent 

 " Flora Subterranea," in folio, illustrated by steel engravings. 

 I have besides discovered several new lichens. I have also 

 been occupied upon the history of the weaving of the ancients. 

 I am carrying on these works simultaneously, just as I have 

 leisure or inclination, so that I hope they will all be published 

 about the same time, probably during the winter.' Neither of 

 the last-named works, however, ever saw the light. 



Notwithstanding these labours in various branches of science, 

 Humboldt never for a moment neglected his official duties. c I 

 have been extremely busy,' he writes to Freiesleben on April 2, 

 1794, 'in arranging for everything to go on without me, as 

 I am leaving the works for three months. I was at Grold- 

 kronach from the 17th to the 26th of February, at Kaulsdorf 

 and Jena from the 26th of February to the 13th of March, 

 at Naila; from the 15th to the 26th of March, and at Wunsiedel 

 from the 26th to the 31st of March. Is not this being in a 

 whirl ? . . * . My head is quite distracted with all I have to 

 attend to mining, banking, manufacturing, and organising; 

 .... the mines, however, are prospering. . . . 



' I am promoted to be Counsellor of Mines at Berlin, with a 

 salary probably of 1,500 thalers (here I have 400), and after 

 remaining there a few months I shall most likely be appointed 

 Director of Mines, either in Westphalia or Rothenburg, and 

 receive from 2,000 to 3,000 thalers. I tell you everything, 

 my dear Karl, and open my heart to you. I am just setting off 

 on a commission to the shores of the Baltic and the Polish 

 mountains, but I return here again as Superintendent. My 

 former plans remain undisturbed ; I shall resign my post in 

 two years, and go to Russia, Siberia, and I know not whither.' 



The object of this new commission was the investigation of 

 salt works, and for this purpose he travelled through Colberg, 

 Thorn, in the province recently annexed to Southern Prussia, 

 and along the left bank of the Vistula, to the districts of Slonsk, 

 Nieszawa, Racionzek, Woliszewo, and Ciechoczinek, which had 

 lately come into notice from its salt springs, thence westwards 

 back to Bayreuth, through Lenczic, Inowraclaw, Strzelno, where 

 numerous saltpetre works existed, Grnesen, Posen, Grlogau, 



