288 Humboldt's Letters. 



decided ideas of peace and conciliation ! And yet this 

 day your Charge d' Affaires waited upon our Minister of 

 Foreign Affairs to represent to him the apprehensions 

 which the mission of my son has excited in your cabi- 

 net and among the population of Berlin. This is my 

 recompense for the efforts made since my arrival at 

 power to maintain the accord of the two governments, 

 in order to remove every pretext for war ! Who can be 

 made to believe that, animated with the sentiments which 

 I publicly profess, I would have consented to entrust 

 Emanuel with an important diplomatic mission, if he 

 had been in discord with me, if he belonged to a hideous 

 socialist sect, to communism, for, I am ashamed to say 

 it, the accusations made have not stopped short of that ? 

 As to the rest, I appeal to the future ; all such appre- 

 hensions will disappear as soon as Emanuel shall have 

 entered upon his functions. Your Charge d' Affaires 

 will then regret the untimely protest addressed to M. 

 Bastide. 



I am very happy, my dear friend, to receive your 

 welcome letter. Nothing in the world could be more 

 agreeable than to hear of the continuance of your 

 friendship. I am worthy of it, because of the price I set 

 upon it. I have an abiding faith that my conduct, during 

 the last three months (I had about said the last three 

 centuries), has not caused me to lose in your esteem. 

 Ever yours, with heart and soul, F. ARAGO. 



