THE LAST TEN YEARS. 391 



begs ' but for a couple of lines, signed by the name which, in 

 America, carries so much weight.' Who is there in Germany 

 to whom these letters of introduction were unfamiliar, the like 

 of which neither pope nor emperor could write ? 4 1 pray that 

 all those in the United States, or other parts of the New World, 

 who may yet retain any kind feeling towards me, or my labours 

 upon America, will grant a kind reception to a friend distin- 

 guished ' l . . . With such passports he smoothed the way for 

 his proteges in every quarter of the globe, and received in return 

 letters of grateful acknowledgment from every spot under the 

 sun. ' For all that has rendered my stay so agreeable in 

 Florence, Rome, and Naples, I am indebted to your Excel- 

 lency,' writes Eduard Hildebrandt from Malta to Humboldt, 

 who had termed him in ' Cosmos ' the apostle of painters. 

 6 Accept my heartiest thanks for your valuable letter of intro- 

 duction,' he wrote upon another occasion from Hammerfest. 

 ' Your circular letter has achieved wonders.' From Funchal, 

 Schacht writes to assure Humboldt ' that his extremely kind 

 letter of introduction has procured him everywhere a hearty 

 reception.' Under the protection of this name, Ferdinand 

 Bellermann travelled in Venezuela, and Tyrell Moore in New 

 Granada. In South Australia Otto Schomburgh 'read with 

 deep interest in a colonial paper ' the account of the festival in 

 honour of Hurnboldt's jubilee at the Academy ; and a portrait 

 of ' Humboldt in his library ' was presented by Robert Schom- 

 burgh to the King of Siam, in order that it might be hung side 

 by side with the portraits of Queen Victoria, Louis Napoleon, 

 and the President of the United States. In uninhabited regions 

 the works of Humboldt often yielded a solace to many a tra- 

 veller. During the dreary hours of a Polar night they were 

 frequently studied by Bedford Pim, and in the contemplation 

 of Humboldt's fortitude his own gained strength ; he wrote to 

 request from Humboldt a few lines to insert in these works that 

 they might become ' heirlooms in his family.' ' For nearly 

 seven years,' writes G. Overbeck from Hong Kong, where he had, 

 with several others, been celebrating Humboldt's birthday, 

 6 have your writings been to me an unfailing source of varied 



1 ' Briefwechsel mit einem jungen Freunde,' p. 127. Similar passport 

 are numerous. See Zimniermann's ' Humboldtbuch/ vol. ii. pp. 40, 41. 



