222 ALEXANDEE VON HUMBOLDT. 



passing through Munich, Schaffhausen, Zurich, and Basle, 

 were to reach Paris by November 26. The project enter- 

 tained by Alexander of going to Switzerland with Haften to 

 await the restoration of tranquillity in Italy was somewhat 

 interfered with by the arrival of Leopold von Buch at Vienna. 



The description given by Humboldt in a letter to Freiesleben 

 of the appearance and manners of this distinguished geologist 

 is quite a gem in its way, and remained a true picture of his 

 peculiarities even in later years. ' I was heartily glad to see 

 him,' he writes ; 6 he is an excellent man and most genial, and 

 has observed a great deal and with extreme care : in appearance, 

 however, he looks as if he had come from the moon. It seems 

 to me as if his having been alone on the journey had been still 

 further prejudicial to him. I took him round with me to see 

 some friends, but the visits were not generally successful. After 

 the first visit he would, as a rule, put on his spectacles and 

 become entirely absorbed in the examination of some cracks in 

 the glazed stove at the farthest corner of the room, or else he 

 would glide round the room like a hedgehog, examining the 

 shelves against the walls. He is notwithstanding extremely 

 interesting and amiable, a perfect treasury of knowledge, from 

 whom I shall gain much that is valuable. He stays here a 

 fortnight before proceeding to Ischl and Salzburg, where he 

 intends to spend a few weeks with me, and is to start for Italy 

 in the winter by way of the Tyrol.' 



In the same letter Humboldt makes the following communi- 

 cation : * I have great hopes (but this is a secret), indeed 

 almost amounting to certainty, of being able to secure a most 

 advantageous travelling companion in the person of Van der 

 Schott, a truly excellent young man, of most estimable cha- 

 racter, and possessing great botanical knowledge. He is director 

 of the Botanic Gardens here, and has received permission from 

 the emperor to travel : I intend to attach myself to the expe- 

 dition, so pray congratulate me on my good fortune. We must, 

 however, first catch our hare.' 



Since Bonaparte's campaign in Italy had, for the time, com- 

 pletely closed every prospect of accomplishing a scientific 

 journey through that country, Humboldt made arrangements 

 with Buch to pass the winter at Salzburg, in order to institute 



