SPAIN. 29 



She would not be at Marseilles till spring. Still persist- 

 ing in their intention of visiting Africa, they found a 

 small vessel of Ragusa on the point of setting sail for 

 Tunis, and agreed with the captain for their passage. 

 Before the vessel sailed they learned that the government 

 of Tunis, inimical to la grande nation, was persecuting its 

 residents in Barbary, and that every person coming from 

 a French port was thrown into a dungeon. The journey 

 was abandoned. Not to be baffled, however, they re- 

 solved to pass the winter in Spain, in hopes of embark- 

 ing the next spring, either at Carthagena or Cadiz. 



They crossed Catalonia and the kingdom of Valencia, 

 visiting the ruins of Tarragona and ancient Saguntum. 

 They made an excursion from Barcelona to Montserrat, 

 and saw the hermits that inhabit its lofty peaks. Hum- 

 boldt ascertained by astronomical observations the posi- 

 tion of several points important for the geography of 

 Spain, and determined by the barometer the heights of 

 the central plain. The inclination of the needle, and the 

 intensity of the magnetic forces came in for a share of 

 his attention. 



They arrived at Madrid in March, 1799, and Humboldt 

 was presented to the king at Aranjuez by the minister 

 from the court of Saxony, who was himself a mineralo- 

 gist. The king received him graciously. He explained 

 to his majesty the motives which led him to undertake 

 his journey to the New World, and presented a memoir 

 on the subject to the secretary of state. Don Mariano 

 Luis de Urquijo, the minister, supported Humboldt's 

 demand, and obtained for the travellers two passports, 

 one from the first secretary of the state, the other from 

 the council of the Indies. The good time had come at 



