Humboldt's Letters. 1 45 



orders, has duly been delivered to me. I shall do in the 

 matter what will be agreeable to you. The two officers, 

 in a letter dated Temesvar, 13th of December, gave me 

 notice of the arrival of the instruments, naively adding 

 " That I should try to procure for the inventors some 

 military decoration from His Majesty the King 'the 

 universal physician? of all arts and sciences." 



To obtain, however, such a " universal panacea," from 

 the " universal physician," the gentlemen must address 

 his majesty a few words themselves. The so-called 

 universal siderial clocks had much reputation in the 

 middle ages ; in the present state of astronomy, how- 

 ever, they are never used in observatories, where the 

 astronomer makes the calculations himself. Such 

 graphic inventions in that line cannot therefore be 

 recommended as deserving reward unless the inventors 

 address themselves in person to the monarch. These 

 rules are observed even when books are presented, 

 which meet with no acknowledgment unless accom- 

 panied by a letter. 



Under these circumstances I hope that your Royal 

 Highness will approve of my writing to Lieutenant H, 

 v. A., thanking him for his confidence, and requesting 

 him, for his own sake and that of his friend, to write 

 some letters to his majesty the King, in which he may 

 refer to me. To secure the delivery of the letter at 

 Temesvar your Royal Highness will gracefully be pleased 



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