194 ALEXANDER VON HUMBOLDT. 



faithful service by procuring the election of Buschmann into 

 the Berlin Academy, in which he succeeded only after years of 

 persevering effort against the violent opposition of Bopp. He 

 was mainly induced to take this step as ' an act of devotion to 

 the memory of his brother,' although he did not conceal from 

 himself that the election of an ' academician should not be- 

 an affair of sentiment.' l 



The deep interest felt by Alexander in this great posthumous- 

 work of his brother's is evinced in the beautiful preface, dated 

 March, 1836, prefixed to the first volume. According to the 

 custom he had adopted since his residence at Berlin, he first 

 submitted it, as he did everything he wrote in German, to the 

 critical inspection of Varnhagen, ' the only one,' as he remarks- 

 with exaggerated politeness, ' in this city and intellectual desert 

 where everything is so commonplace who shows any appreciation 

 for just proportion in composition, tenderness of expression, and 

 harmony in style.' 2 ' The distribution of appropriate commen- 

 dation to forty people,' who had in some way or other assisted 

 in the compilation of the work, proved even to Humboldt, who 

 was so well versed in the language of flattery, ' a burdensome 

 duty.' But this he accomplished, as he thought, ' with tole- 

 rable success, by distinguishing a few with especial notification 

 and mentioning the rest in terms of graduated praise.' This 

 acknowledgment of literary obligations resembled in fact a 

 sample-list of such commendatory adjectives as largely abounded 

 in his style, constituting one of its most striking peculiarities : 

 but little value can be set on this gratitude, coined from the 

 ductile metal of language, when the man who issues it 

 facetiously remarks in confidence upon the worthlessness of such 

 currency. An anecdote repeated on good authority shows still 

 more evidently how fully Humboldt was conscious of this 

 weakness. A young physicist, who had been summoned to 

 * Berlin on the recommendation of Leopold von Buch, failed to 

 realise the expectations that had been formed concerning him. 

 Humboldt in the presence of others ventured to remonstrate 

 with his friend, whose blunt frankness is well known, upon the 



1 From Humboldt's letters to Bockh. 



2 ' Briefe an Varnhagen/ No. 22. 



