230 ALEXANDER VON HUMBOLDT. 



tas their due. Humboldt's house, presided over by his amiable 

 ad talented wife, became, as she described it, *a point de 

 ralliement for all the Germans of any note then in Paris, 

 among whom may be enumerated that eccentric nobleman 

 Count Schlabrendorf, Grustav von Brinckmann and William von 

 Burgsdorf, friends they had known at Jena and Berlin, the 

 youthful poet Ludwig Tieck, and Schick. To this circle were 

 also gathered the following distinguished Frenchmen : Vil- 

 loisin, Corai, St.-Croix, Du Theil, Chardon de la Kochette, and 

 the artists David and Forestier. 1 In addition to this brilliant 

 home circle Humboldt enjoyed the entree of the most dis- 

 tinguished houses in Paris, where he was ever received as a 

 welcome guest. The society he frequented with most pleasure 

 was that assembling at the house of Millin, editor of the 

 ' Magazin encyclopedique,' at whose receptions, 2 held every 

 septidi, he met a circle of eminent and distinguished men, 

 among whom the arrival of Alexander von Humboldt had been 

 eagerly anticipated. 



Before, however, Alexander could reach Paris, Bonaparte's 

 expedition to Egypt, the preparations for which had been con- 

 ducted with unusual secresy, had been publicly announced. In 

 a letter to Yon Zach, 3 Lalande writes, towards the end of April, 

 1798 : < igo persons have been appointed to this great scientific 

 . expedition. I have myself selected three astronomers, Nouet, 

 Quenet, and Mechain, notwithstanding his youth, and if needful 

 I can find yet other three. Burckhardt has also received a 

 proposal to join the expedition, but he remains with us, as he 

 cannot well be spared.' 



With greater detail, but in equal uncertainty as to the object 

 and destination of the undertaking, Burckhardt 4 writes from 

 Paris on April 30, 1798 : ' The expedition about which I lately 

 wrote is still a profound secret. It is known that the following 

 appointments have been made : Berthollet, Dolomieu, Saix, 

 Conti, Samuel Eenard, Eeignaud, Costas, Greoffroy, Le Blond, 



1 Varnhagen, ' Galerie von Bildnissen aus Rahel's Umgang/ vol. i. 

 p. 143. 



2 Bertuch, ' Allgemeine geographische Ephemeriden,' vol. i. p. 686. 



3 Ibid. vol. i. p. 680. 



4 Ibid. vol. i. p. 637. 



