1 34 Humboldt's Letters. 



Prussia. 'That is not at all my business,' said the 

 King. Melloni was opposed as being a Carbonaro, and 

 having been at the head of a revolutionary Junta. ' I 

 do not care the least about that,' said the King. ' I 

 would confer the order on O'Connell, if he possessed such 

 scientific merits.' The King proposed Raumer and 

 Ranke. Eichhorn and Savigny assented only to Ranke, 

 and thereupon both were dropped. Notwithstanding 

 the view taken in Melloni's, Moore's, and Arago's cases, 

 Schlosser the historian was rejected on account of his 

 political views (?). Metternich had railed at the ' bishop- 

 ric of Jerusalem.' Now to insure the new order against 

 the same fate, he was to be nominated a member of it 

 this is deemed the 'secret motive,' in Humboldt's 

 opinion. And for Metternich's sake Uwaroff was left 

 out, for with him the other would not have been the 

 sole representative of his species. Link was weighed, 

 but found wanting." 



On the 27th June, 1842, Varnhagen makes the fol- 

 lowing addition to his notes of yesterday : " Humboldt 

 told me he had informed the King in advance of the 

 intention of the Academy of Sciences to elect Mr. 

 Riess, a Jew, one* of their members, and that the King 

 had replied he would confirm the election unhesitatingly. 

 ' I will hope,' he added, ' your brother has not com- 

 mitted the folly of writing in the by-laws a clause 



