Humboldt's Letters. 379 



Prince ISTapoleon (plon plon), and Walewski. As Nie- 

 btihr, the Prussian Cabinet Councillor, is publishing a 

 book on Noric Antiquities, nothing remains to cause 

 surprise, not even the FREE canvass for the free election 

 in free France. I believe a few weeks in Branitz will 

 be of benefit to you. 



313. 



HUMBOLDT TO VARNHAGEN. 



BERLIN, June 30&; 1857. 



I AM at a loss for words to express to you, my 

 honored Mend, and to the amiable and brilliant artist 

 and authoress, Ludmilla Assing, what pleasure you have 

 provided for my solitude, by " Elisa von Ahlefeldt," a 

 pleasure still to be enjoyed by all who will deprive me 

 of it for a few days. Who can read without emotion a 

 fate so tender, so simple, told in such glowing language, 

 by Miss Ludmilla ; who can escape the most anxious reflec- 

 tions about the tortures of sentiment which the most 

 noble and cultivated of mankind are skilled in inflicting 

 on themselves about passion half-dogmatic in character, 

 for the gratification of which the difficult institution of 

 official marriage is inadequate. Elisa von Ahlefeldt 

 loved Adolph von Luetzow, but only as the vigorous 

 representative of a noble political sentiment. The mo- 



