154 ALEXANDER VON HUMBOLDT. 



revenge suffer plunder and injustice at the hands of the invading 

 army. It was hoped, however, that in consideration of the 

 friendly relationships which\had existed since the peace of Basle, 

 it would be possible to protect the threatened territory as an 

 enclosure within Prussian domain, and to make its neutrality, 

 as well as that of the Franconian principalities, respected by 

 the invaders, and Humboldt received unexpectedly the commis- 

 sion to make the necessary diplomatic arrangements. Gruided by 

 his accustomed simplicity of purpose, he greatly distinguished 

 himself in the execution of his task, and the few letters still 

 preserved of this date contain valuable sketches of persons anl 

 events. He thus writes from Ingelfinden, July 17, to Baron 

 von Schuckmann, his coadjutor in Franconia : 



6 1 am become a person of great importance, and if I 

 should end by being appointed major domo to the Prince 

 d'Oeringen, who is expected every moment, I shall soon be in a 

 position of complete independence. Alas! I have been fear- 

 fully deceived. I expected to have been one of the wise 

 counsellors of Ansbac ; but no ! my talk is to oppose the arms 

 of the French. Never have I seen so many false moves, so 

 much stupidity, so many orders and counter-orders given at the 

 same time. This adds to my annoyance, and I see no remedy 

 but in a complete turn of affairs. Being a person of so much 

 consequence, it is not to be wondered at that I have very little 

 leisure. Therefore I must tell you everything in three words. 

 A buon intenditore poche parole. We have been negotiating 

 with the noble city of Nuremberg, which was a troublesome 

 business. Then we wished to negotiate with the Ordre teu- 

 tonique ; PhomTne de bois was not at Mergentheim. Next we 

 wanted to negotiate with the pope of Eichstadt : popes will not 

 hear reason. But it is absolutely necessary that we should 

 negotiate with somebody. Very well ! the holy father brings 

 the French. These are the very people. Our happiness is com- 

 plete. We will negotiate with them. The proceeding is per- 

 fectly natural. By all means follow the game until we find it, 

 and if there should not be any we can but make some. The 

 thing now to be done is to send some tres-habile person to 

 General Moreau to insist upon the neutrality of the Franconian 

 provinces and the territory of Hohenlohe being respected. This 



