Humboldt's Letters. 69 



sary, that Germany should be strong and united, and 

 the farces at Cologne and Hanover be settled ! 



Under 19th of April, 1839, Yarnhagen says in his 

 diary : " I saw Humboldt to-day, who told rue many 

 things, and showed me abeautiful portrait of Arago, which 

 pleased me very much. He talked much about the dif- 

 ficulties between Russia and England, as to their inte- 

 rests in the East Indies and in Persia, and repeated what 

 he had heard about it from the Russian Emperor himself. 

 The Czar was in a great passion against the English, 

 and thought it highly important to oppose their supre- 

 macy in Asia. Humboldt agrees with me that the Eng- 

 lish have nothing serious to fear for the next fifty years 

 from Russia in the Indies, but that fear and jealousy 

 may engender a quarrel in Europe prior to any conflict 

 in the East, although conflicting parties will certainly 

 think twice before allowing it to come to that pass." 



Under date of May 25, 1839, Varnhagen wrote in his 

 diary : 



" I met Humboldt c unter den Linden :' we had a long 

 talk together. He told me that the death of Gans had 

 been the object of the meanest slander at court by all 

 except the King, who never speaks ill of the dead, and 

 the Crown-Prince, who had even uttered a word of sor- 

 row. The other princes were delighted, and the Prin- 

 cess of Liegnitz showed herself very ill-natured." 



