66 ALEXANDER VON HUMBOLDT. 



land, he would send you a design sketched in colours. He still 

 continues to reside with M. Grerard. 



c My letter is long, and I fear somewhat indiscreet. Pray 

 forgive my importunities, and accept the expression of my 

 gratitude and respectful attachment. 



4 A. HUMBOLDT. 



'Paris : February 29th, 1818, Quai de 1'Ecole Nr. 26.' 



Many years after, in 1837, he thus writes to solicit Frau 

 von Wblzogem to introduce Steuben to the notice of the 

 Duchess of Orleans, formerly Princess Helena of Mecklenburg : 

 'Could you avail yourself of the confidential relationship in 

 which you stand to the princess, to interest her in Steuben so 

 as possibly to ensure his good fortune ? Grood fortune in Paxis 

 means the patronage which may be bestowed upon him by the 

 new princess royal. He has painted some beautiful female 

 portraits, life size. He has been occasionally employed at court, 

 and is personally known to the king ; but there seems to be 

 a decided prejudice in favour of Horace Vernet, Scheffer, and 

 Laroche, who, after the manner of artists, view Steuben in no 

 favourable light.' 



In describing Humboldt's sojourn in Paris, we have endea- 

 voured first to depict the man of science labouring indefati- 

 gably in association with his sympathetic friends, and next 

 to present some of the characteristic features of heart and 

 mind by which he was distinguished in social life. It now only 

 remains for us to give in chronological order an outline of the 

 events of this portion of his career. 



Although the work on America, this c interminable voyage,* 

 was yet far from completion, Humboldt continued to occupy 

 himself with plans for a scientific expedition through the vast 

 continent of Asia, the accomplishment of which he regarded 

 as the second great task of his life. With the aid of the dis- 

 tinguished oriental scholars Silvestre de Sacy and Andre de 

 Nerciat, he undertook the study of the Persian language as one 

 of the easiest of the eastern tongues; and, as early as 1810, 

 a year marked by the opening of the University of Berlin, 

 he decided to join an expedition to Upper India, the Himalayas, 

 and Thibet, which was being organised at the instance of the 



