OF BAKON HUMBOLDT. 157 



investigations, the seal of the purely scientific. 

 And it is noticeable in the history of this great 

 man, that he always distinctly indicates which 

 are the fruits of his own individual labours, 

 and which the contributions of other men of 

 science. 



This conduct of Humboldt is in perfect har- 

 mony with his great modesty and conscientious- 

 ness. He respected the scientific achievements 

 of others ; he used them as open loans, in order 

 to benefit, by this mutual exchange, the cause of 

 objective science. 



The perusal of the works of Alexander von 

 Humboldt will speedily convince us that his 

 extraordinary memory possessed such an abun- 

 dance of scientific knowledge, that he continu- 

 ally compares, quotes, corrects, confirms, or 

 refutes. 



In the explanation of a single fact, the result 

 of his own experience, he had before his mind, 

 clear and distinct, the aggregate amount of 

 scientific acquisitions. Hence his works, es- 

 pecially those purely scientific, contain, besides 

 the continuous text of his own hand, a most 

 valuable appendix, relating to all branches of 

 physical science, and to almost every period of 

 human history, an immense array of notes, 

 quotations, comparisons, &c. 



