Humboldt's Letters. 2 1 3 



asked Professor Simson to express to me bis wish to 

 insert a notice of the picture in the papers. But I 

 opposed it, partly for reasons stated above, and partly 

 because such a notice would certainly be more appro- 

 priate after the receipt of the picture. In case I should 

 be unable to write any more after its arrival, Simson 

 knows what are to be the contents of the notice accord- 

 ing to my wish. 



Could I but once behold the fine appearance now pre- 

 sented of the comet of Biela ! At our place, on the 

 1 1th of January, Wichman could observe nothing, per- 

 haps, or probably on account of the little clearness of 

 the sky at that time; but on the 15th he saw distinctly 

 both heads of the comet. On the following day he 

 described to me orally what he had seen ; but I did not 

 get a clear idea of it, and was, on the contrary, of opi- 

 nion, that what he called a second head of the comet, is 

 an accumulation of nebula3, as other comets too had 

 shown at a greater or smaller distance from the real 

 head. I asked of him to make for me, when it appeared 

 again, a diagram of it, as accurate as possible. The state 

 of the sky and tbt position of the comet, which was 

 often very low, delayed the making of a diagram and 

 measurement till the 26th of January. Since that time 

 the second head of the comet has been traced as faith- 

 fully as possible. Our observations are the earliest of 

 those known ; since, they have directed their attention to 



