426 HUMBOLDT IN THE LECTURE-ROOM. 



dressed in a long brown coat. This man was the studi- 

 osus phiblogice, Alexander Von Humboldt, who came, a.s 

 lie said, to go through again what he had neglected in his 

 youth. When we met him in the lecture-room we re- 

 spectfully made way for him ; for though we had no re- 

 spect for anybody, especially professors, Humboldt was 

 an exception, for he knew ' a hellish deal.' To his own 

 honour, the German student still respects this quality. 

 During the lecture Humboldt sat on the fourth or fifth 

 bench near the window, where he drew a piece of paper 

 from a portfolio in his pocket, and took notes. In going 

 home he liked to acc6mpany Bockh, so as in conversa- 

 tion to build some logical bridge or other from the old 

 world to the new, after his ingenious fashion. There was 

 then in the class a man who has since distinguished him-# 

 self in political literature, but whom we had nicknamed 

 { Mosherosh,' that is Calves'-head, on account of his 

 stupid appearance. As Mosherosh generally came in late, 

 it was the fashion to receive him with a magnificent 

 round of stamping. One day, Humboldt too came late, 

 and just at the usual time of Mosherosh, and without 

 looking up we gave the regular round, while Humboldt, 

 blushing and embarrassed, made his way to his place. In 

 a moment the mistake was seen, and a good-natured 

 laugh succeeded. Humboldt also attended the evening 

 lectures of Ritter on universal geography, and let the 

 weather be as bad as it might, the gray-haired man never 

 failed. If for a rarity he chanced not to come, we said 

 among ourselves in students' jargon, 'Alexander cuts 

 the college to-day, because he's gone to King's to 

 tea.' Once, on occasion of discussing an important 

 problem of physical geography, Ritter quoted him, and 



