THE LAST TEN YEARS. 343 



power and discernment, so that, while sympathising unreservedly 

 with liberal principles, it might destroy the tendency to 

 anarchy whicli he viewed with extreme horror. His warm 

 interest in the general movement for a united Grermany by 

 no means lessened his marked attachment to the individual 

 interests of Prussia. He desired to see ' the unity of the na- 

 tion powerfully maintained in its external relationships and in 

 all the internal arrangements of government,' without at the 

 same time ' destroying the individuality of the separate States, 

 associated with so many grand reminiscences.' l From the first 

 he viewed the revolution at Berlin as the only decisive move- 

 ment among the events of the time, while, with a perspicacity 

 tliat did honour to his political foresight, he had little confi- 

 dence in the proceedings of the Diet of Frankfort. Ere May had 

 passed away the ' misty empire and the unborn pretender to 

 the Imperial throne ' filled him with many forebodings. The con- 

 duct of the Assembly appeared to him exceedingly 'frivolous,' he 

 saw occasion for the gloomiest apprehension in the person of the 

 Vicar of the Empire, ' whose ideas could rise no higher than the 

 barometric measurement of a mountain, or a guard of Tyrolese ; ' 

 and in the election of an Emperor he had no hope, for he knew 

 Frederick William too well to believe in the success of the 

 deputation offering him the Imperial crown". The unfortunate 

 affair of the duchies aroused in him feelings of the liveliest 

 sympathy. In short, he directed over all a glance in which 

 there was united a happy mixture of liberal enthusiasm and 

 patriotic warmth ; his exultation was ever tempered by anxious 

 forebodings, though he overcame all distressing doubts by a 

 courageous confidence in the future development of history. 



Had politics been Humboldt's peculiar province, we should 

 have been tempted to make a collection of < his excellent 

 remarks upon the changeful events of this disturbed period. 

 The circumstance of his having, according to the fashion of 

 the day, joined 2 the ' free tradesmen's unions,' between the 

 years 1848-50, will scarcely be regarded as a political act ; 

 in reality, he renounced all connection that was not entirely 

 nominal with the c perplexities and quarrels of the time,' the 



1 < Briefe an Bunsen/ Nos. 58, 59. 2 Ibid. No. 90. 



