226 ALEXANDER VON HUMBOLDT. 



tions, the increase of salaries, the bestowment of decorations, 

 presentation of literary productions to the court, mediations 

 for purchases, loans, and every other conceivable undertaking. 

 Nor will it be deemed necessary to give any prominence to the 

 exertions he made for the election of academicians. 'When 

 an election is going forward, I give myself no more rest at 

 Berlin than at Paris,' he writes to Dirichlet in 1839, at the time 

 that he was canvassing for the admission of Magnus. From 

 amid the crowd of such events, characteristic rather of the 

 whole course of his life than of any particular period, we select 

 one of especial interest his intervention with Christian VIII. , 

 upon his accession to the throne of Denmark, on behalf of 

 Schumacher, who had appealed for help on his own account, 

 and in favour of the Observatory, of which he was director. 

 On December 18, 1839, Humboldt writes to Schumacher: 

 ' I have had great pleasure, my dearest friend, in fulfilling your 

 wishes. I had seen a good deal of the king when he was at 

 Paris, on his way home from his dangerous ascents of Vesuvius 

 with Davy and Monticelli. At that time he showed great 

 kindness to me and Arago, so that I was able to found my 

 letter upon these agreeable reminiscences, while I allowed 

 my chief motive to appear to be my wish to congratulate 

 him upon his accession to the throne. After touching upon 

 politics, and giving him some information upon the state 

 of affairs at Potsdam, I alluded to yourself, and to the close 

 intimacy we enjoyed. All this came on naturally, and was 

 embellished with many ornamental phrases which I need not 

 repeat. I then proceeded : " At a moment when, under 

 the happy auspices of a new reign, many wishes arise seeking 

 for fervent expression, it may perhaps be permitted to an old 

 man, who has travelled from the Orinoco to Siberia, and who 

 will shortly have to number himself among the fossils of a by- 

 gone age, to solicit the august protection of your Majesty in 

 favour of the astronomical and geodetic labours which have 

 long added a lustre to the national glory. The motives by 

 which I am actuated in making this request, I confess with 

 pride, have their origin in the affectionate regard-^ have long 

 entertained for the distinguished and zealous Director of the 

 Observatory at Alton a, by whose friendship I am honoured. 



