130 SKETCH OF THE LIFE AND ACHIEVEMENTS 



a short time he paid an annual visit to t!ae 

 French capital, which had become to him, in 

 consequence of numerous associations and long 

 residence, a second home. In Berlin, Baron 

 Humboldt met many of his former friends, and 

 especially, on his arrival, the celebrated Baron 

 von Stein, and in May, A. W. von Schlegel, who, 

 after an absence of twenty years, arrived again 

 in Berlin, he having been appointed, through 

 the influence of Wilhelm von Humboldt, in the 

 year 1818, a Professor of the University of 

 Bonn. The presence of Schlegel was more 

 especially marked by his public lectures " on 

 the History of Art and Science," patronized by 

 a numerous and intelligent portion of the 

 public. The society of these eminent men 

 exercised necessarily an animating influence 

 upon Alexander von Humboldt, and on July 3rd, 

 he delivered, before the Academy of Sciences, 

 a lecture on his favourite subject, " The Causes 

 of the Difference in the Temperatiire of the 

 Earth." 



Here he commenced also, on November 3rd, 

 1827, the sixty-one lectures, already mentioned 

 in the earlier part of this essay, on Physical 

 Cosmography a sketch of his celebrated 

 " Cosmos," the results of his long observa- 

 tions and researches in all the various depart- 



