THE LAST TEN YEAKS. 351 



for Humboldt's penetration and political discernment in the 

 reasons upon which he bases the advice given in this remark- 

 able letter, namely, that Prussia had been already too long under 

 the guidance of Eussia, and would shortly be obliged, in her 

 own interests, to hold herself in warlike preparation. It was 

 through bitter experience of the evils he had been called to 

 witness in the Government that Humboldt had gained this re- 

 markable foresight ; and in giving so much prominence to the 

 practical details of administration he was no doubt influenced 

 by the disastrous effects evinced in Frederick William IV., of a 

 merely ideal education, directed mainly towards ecclesiastical 

 affairs and subjects connected with art. 



It was with heartfelt interest that Humboldt entered into 



every event associated with the domestic happiness of the 



august household;' the prospect of a matrimonial alliance 



with England was to him a subject for sincere exultation, on 



account of the encouragement it was likely to afford to liberal 



principles. c Nothing could be said in greater praise of this 



union,' he wrote on September 20, 1855, 'than the furore, but 



ill-concealed, to which it has given rise.' In the union of the 



Princess Louise with the Grand Duke of Baden, his only cause 



of regret was the removal to a distance of the amiable young 



princess ; his profuse employment of laudatory adjectives was 



carried to an extreme, when in one breath he characterised her 



as ' angelique, delicieuse, intelligente, vive, magnetique, elo- 



quente meme quand elle se tait, naturelle quand elle parle.' 



We feel that in every point of view we shall be pardoned the 



indiscretion if we insert a passage full of freshness and beautiful 



feeling from a letter of congratulation written by the grand 



duchess to Humboldt upon his birthday, September 14, 1857 ; 



for it not only absolves him from every suspicion of flattery in 



the above expressions, but illustrates the somewhat perplexing 



attitude he maintained at court. From her home at Baden the 



young princess writes : I cherish a grateful remembrance of 



the many occasions in which I have enjoyed your society, and 



of the kind interest you have invariably manifested in me from 



childhood; these recollections ever awaken in me a strong 



desire to see you again, that now that I am a wife and mother 



I may listen to you as I used to do as a child, only with double 



