OF BABON HUMBOLDT. 185 



His mission proved successful, and he had 

 the good fortune to meet with General Desaix, 

 who had been for some time acquainted 

 with the designs of Bonaparte concerning 

 Egypt, and who endeavoured to persuade 

 Humboldt, instead of visiting the tropics of 

 America, to accompany the French expedition 

 to Egypt. Humboldt, however, returned, at 

 first, to the mountains of Bayreuth, in order 

 to prepare himself, by practical studies and 

 observations of various kinds, for his projected 

 transatlantic explorations. 



In 1814, Alexander von Humboldt accom- 

 panied the King of Prussia on his political 

 mission to England, and proceeded in Septem- 

 ber, 1818, again to that country, in order to 

 execute the commission of the Allied Powers 

 in preparing a survey of the South American 

 colonies. In the month of October following, 

 he was called to the congress of Aix-la-Chapelle, 

 and appeared likewise in company of the King 

 of Prussia at the congress held at Yerona in 

 the year 1822. 



He was present with the Crown Prince of 

 Prussia in May, 1830, at Warsaw, at the open- 

 ing of the constitutional diet by the Emperor 

 Nicholas. Soon after this, the news of the 

 downfall of the Bourbons, and the accession 



