246 ALEXANDEK VCN HUMBOLDT. 



this minister was all the more magnanimous since my relation- 

 ships with him were by no means of a personal character. 1 

 Never before has a permission so unlimited been granted to 

 any traveller, and never before has a foreigner been honoured 

 by such marks of confidence from the Spanish Government.' 



Madrid itself afforded many opportunities for the acquire- 

 ment of useful information. Cavanilles, Director of the Botanic 

 Gardens, a correspondent of Willdenow ; Nee, who had with 

 Hanke accompanied the expedition of Malaspina in the capacity 

 of botanist, and had returned with the most extensive herbarium 

 that had at that time been brought to Europe ; Don Casimir 

 Ortega, Proust, Hergen, the Abbe Pourret, the learned editor 

 of the ' Flora of Peru,' Euiz and Pavon all threw open to the 

 travellers, in the most obliging manner, their valuable collec- 

 tions. Humboldt and Bonpland inspected with the greatest 

 interest the products from America, including some of the 

 Mexican plants discovered by Sesse, Mocifio, and Cervantes, 

 drawings of which had been preserved in the Museum of Natural 

 History at Madrid. But however instructive a longer sojourn 

 might have been, 'we felt,' writes Humboldt, 'too impatient 

 to avail ourselves of the permission granted by the court to 

 delay our journey any longer. During the past year I had 

 encountered so many difficulties that I could scarcely even 

 now believe in the final realisation of all my wishes.' 



The travellers left Madrid in the middle of May. Still con- 

 tinuing their hypsometric measurements, they took their 

 journey through Old Castile, Leon, and Galicia, by way of 

 Villalpando, Astorga, and Lugo, to the harbour of Corunna, 

 where they were to take passage in a mail boat for Cuba. The 

 captain of the port, Don Eaphael Clavijo, recommended them 

 to embark in the corvette < Pizarro,' the next ship that was to 

 sail, which though not a fast sailer had the reputation of being 

 a fortunate vessel. He enjoined the captain to stay sufficiently 

 long at Teneriffe for the travellers to visit Orotava and ascend 

 the Peak, and preparations were at once commenced for their 

 reception on board, and for the- safe conveyance of their 



1 No trace can be discovered of any expression of interest in Humboldt 

 and his undertakings on the part of the chamberlain, Count von Rhode, 

 Prussian Envoy Extraordinary at the Court of Madrid. 



