HUMBOLDT AS TRAVELLER AND BIOLOGIST 119 



much interesting information, but inspired a new 

 generation of explorers. Darwin agreed with Hooker 

 that Humboldt was the greatest of scientific travellers. 



In 1829 Humboldt traversed the Russian Empire 

 from west to east, but the time allowed (half a year) 

 was altogether insufficient for the examination of so 

 vast a territory ; a few notable results were, neverthe- 

 less, secured. 



After some fifteen or twenty years spent in European 

 society, the inspiration drawn from long and arduous 

 journeys in South America began to fail. The con- 

 versation of the salons^ the troublesome flattery of the 

 King of Prussia, and the propensity to write copiously, 

 stimulated, of course, by the eagerness of the public 

 to buy whatever so eminent an investigator chose to 

 put forth, sterilised the last half of a career which had 

 opened with such magnificent promise. 



The best of Humboldt's work became absorbed long 

 ago into the confused mass of general knowledge. This 

 is the common fate (not by any means an unhappy one) 

 of those who refuse to concentrate upon a single study. 

 Among biologists he is chiefly remembered by his 

 numerous discussions of plant-distribution, which are 

 now considered less remarkable for what they contain 

 than for what they leave out. While his travels were 

 fresh in his mind, Humboldt was impressed by facts of 

 distribution which could not be explained by present 

 physical conditions,^ but the influence of climate as the 

 more intelligible factor gradually assumed larger and 

 larger proportions in his mind. The writers of text- 

 books, founding their teaching upon Humboldt, often 

 overlooked altogether qualifications which he had 



* See particularly his Essai sur la g^ographie des plantes (1805). 



