Humboldt's Letters. 101 



54. 



HUMBOLDT TO VAKNHAGEN. 



WEDNESDAY, April 28th, 1841. 



BE very kind and indulgent in reading my work. 

 I am anxious that you should get a complete idea of the 

 composition of it. In A, I have made large corrections. 

 Notice especially p. 37 and the notes; Schelling's name, 

 pp. 37 and 68 ; Hegel, p. 66. The positive declaration 

 at p. 64, that it is not the creator of Natural Philoso- 

 phy whom I accuse, will, I hope, make my biting seve- 

 rity at the " gay Saturnalia," le bal en masque of the 

 craziest of all natural philosophers, seem more pardon- 

 able to him. " II faut avoir le courage d'imprimer. 

 Ce que 1'on a dit et ecrit depuis trente ans." It has 

 been a lamentable period, in which Germany has sunk 

 far below England and France. Chemistry, without so 

 much as wetting one's fingers. 



The diamond is a pebble arrived at consciousness. 

 Granite is ether. Carus. 



The side of the moon turned towards the earth is of a 

 different convexity from the reverse. The cause of it : 

 the moon fain would stretch out her loving arms she 

 cannot, but gazes at the earth, and protrudes her lower 

 jaw. 



