Humboldt's Letters. 247 



March 27th, 1847, Varnhagen wrote the following 

 repartee of Humboldt in his diary: "Humboldt re- 

 cited, good-humoredly, that a certttin Mr. Massow, in 

 the Assembly, had characterized liberalism as a felony. 

 He, Humboldt, was therefore a twofold felon, as Minis- 

 ter Bodelschwingh considered literary men felonious." 



On the llth July, 1847, Varnhagen observes: "This 

 morning Humboldt came in quite unexpectedly. He is 

 in good health and spirits, and denies having been 

 really sick. He says that the King lives in a whirlpool 

 of pleasure, that he is often extravagantly gay ; thinks 

 no longer of the Chamber, except when reminded of 

 it, when he becomes immediately grave and sullen. The 

 ministers, however, are full of anger Savigny and 

 Eichhorn particularly so. Foremost, however, is Bodel- 

 schwingh, who is always exciting the King to strong 

 measures. Canitz acts this time in a conciliatory and 

 compromising spirit. Bodelschwingh cannot bear being 

 deprived of the imaginary triumph of his visionary 

 premiership by the Chambers. Humboldt is engaged 

 on the final sheets of his second volume. He is going 

 to Paris next September. 



