282 Humboldt's Letters. 



NOTE BY YARNHAGEN. I selected "which he handled with a 

 freedom of which he was perfectly conscious," as most in accordance 

 with the metaphor of the fetters, and as otherwise clearly indicative of 

 the idea intended to be conveyed. 



Varnhagen reports under date of September 9th, 

 1853, in his diary: " Humboldt had advised me of his 

 coming ; he came about half-past one o'clock, and 

 remained till half-past two o'clock, a mere visit, nothing 

 of business; he felt the necessity of unburdening himself 

 of many things. First he vented his bitter and indig- 

 nant scorn on the speeches of the King in Elbing and 

 Hirschberg, and on the utter absence of vigor, which 

 makes itself known in such disconnected ebullitions. 

 Then he spoke with the utmost contempt of von Raumer, 

 the Minister of Public Worship and Instruction, of his 

 brutality and insolence, his hatred of all science, his 

 pernicious activity. ' The King,' Humboldt said, * hates 

 and despises all his ministers, but this one particularly, 

 and speaks of him as of an ass ; What particularly nettles 

 him is, that Raumer opposes all the King's wishes, and 

 he keeps him in office nevertheless, as he keeps all 

 of them, because he has them, and every change is a 

 troublesome affair.' The case of the brothers Schlagin- 

 tweit was cited as an instance. The King wished to 

 aid them in their voyage to the Himalaya Mountains ; 

 the minister refused ; the King ordered him to hear the 

 opinion of Humboldt, which was a most favorable one, 



