FKOM ACCESSION OF FREDERICK WILLIAM IV. TO 1848. 297 



lecturing would involve some regular work, would oblige you 

 to ught against small difficulties, and would bring you into 

 contact with young friends who would be glad to come and 

 see you at other times than during the hours of instruction. I 

 do not advise a sudden change of residence, for in fresh quarters 

 you would only withdraw yourself more completely from the 

 busy world around you. Your condition, dear Eisenstein, is 

 only temporary I have often met with dispositions of a 

 similar character among my young friends and it is only 

 dangerous to those who have the weakness to encourage the 

 malady, "by giving themselves up to the luxury of grief." 

 Choose an early day to pay me a visit, any time between eleven 

 and two o'clock. I should indeed rejoice were my hearty 

 sympathy in your sorrow increased as I know it to be by 

 attacks from your literary friends to afford you any relief. 

 I shall neither scold you, nor lead you to the display of any 

 unmanly grief, I shall but let you feel how highly I prize your 

 friendship.' 



In the spring of 1847, Humboldt procured from the king 

 by means ' of an elaborate representation of Eisenstein's re- 

 markable talent so early developed, together with his inde- 

 fatigable- industry in the most difficult branches of analytical 

 investigation,' a second grant of 250 thalers to be paid for 

 two years. In the kindest way he declined every expression 

 of thanks, and consoled his protege for the small sum, by re- 

 marking, that through Eichhorn it might easily be raised to 

 300 thalers, and at the expiration of the two years receive a 

 further extension. ' By that time,' he adds, 6 1 shall long have 

 passed the limits prescribed to human existence, but I shall 

 rejoice at having been able to give you this small token of 

 friendship and esteem. Heaven grant that you may long 

 retain that modesty of disposition and capacity for usefulness 

 for which you have ever been distinguished, and add thereto 

 that elasticity of spirits and cheerful view of the future so 

 necessary to intellectual employment.' 



In the course of the same year, Humboldt endeavoured toJj 

 procure for Eisenstein a professorship at Heidelberg, seeing that 

 4 he found little employment among the mathematicians of 

 Berlin.' For this purpose he requested the youth to write out 



