THE LAST TEN YEARS. 355 



of the persecuted and necessitous of all classes ; with Hum- 

 boldt's mode of procedure in such cases we are already familiar, 

 and further details would but consist of an endless list of names 

 and grants of money. ' In matters of greater moment, in which 

 the glory of Prussia and of the whole of Germany was con- 

 cerned, he contended as formerly without result.' c The time 

 in which one might have been heard,' he complains on December 

 30, 1854, ' is long since gone by.' 1 It has been already hinted 

 that even the private intercourse enjoyed by Frederick William 

 with Humboldt became of a less intellectual character ; it was 

 a premonition of the afflictive catastrophe which occurred in the 

 autumn of 1857. This melancholy event produced, however, 

 no change in their mutual affection ; and during the first few 

 months Humboldt was repeatedly selected, by the express 

 desire of the king, to be his companion at Charlottenburg and 

 Potsdam; Frederick William was moved even to tears in 

 taking leave of Humboldt on October 11, 1858. 2 Up to his 

 last moments the unhappy monarch continued to send him 

 affectionate greetings from Rome and Florence, through the 

 queen or the Countess Donhoff. It should be remarked in 

 passing that Humboldt's esteem for this noble queen 3 had 

 increased from year to year, and that while he had every 

 opportunity of observing her closely in her difficult position, 

 we are not aware that the slightest word unfavourable to her 

 at any time escaped him. He who did not scruple ruth- 

 lessly to destroy the ' false image that had been formed by 

 conventionality of the character of Queen Louisa,' 4 knew well, 

 in opposition to the idle talk of political circles, how to ap- 

 preciate in Queen Elizabeth those purely womanly gifts which 

 led her to seek retirement from public life. 



During the years from 1827 to 1859 we have watched the 

 course of Alexander von Humboldt in his character of courtier 

 and politician, for only in some aspects could he be truthfully 

 described as a court-politician. To those who judge human 

 actions by their results alone, the efforts made by Humboldt 



1 < Briefe an Bunsen,' p. 192. 



2 Briefe an Varnhagen,' p. 400. 



3 See l Briefwechsel mit Berghaus/ vol. iii. p. 134. 



4 Varnhagen's ( Tagebiicher/ vol. i. p. 9. 



AA2 



