MR. Taylor's second visit. 463 



them.' He then pointed out the other specimens, and 

 took me into the library, to show me some drawings by 

 his son-in-law, Miihlhausen, who had accompanied Lieut. 

 Whipple, in his expedition to the Rocky Mountains. 

 He also showed me a very elaborate specimen of bead- 

 work, in a gilt frame. ' This,' he said, ' is the work of 

 a Kirghiz princess, who presented it to His Excellency 

 when we were on our journey to Siberia.' ' You 

 accompanied His Excellency, then ?' I asked. l Yes,' 

 said he ; l we were there in '29.' Seifert is justly proud 

 of having shared for thirty or forty years the fortunes 

 of his master. There was a ring, and a servant came in 

 to announce a visiter. ' Ah, the Prince Ypsilanti,' said 

 he ; ' don't let him in ; don't let him in ; don't let a sin- 

 gle soul in ; I must go and dress His Excellency. Sir, 

 excuse me — yours, most respectfully,' and therewith he 

 bowed himself out. As I descended to the street, I 

 passed Prince Ypsilanti on the stairs." 



In October, of the following year, Mr. Taylor had a 

 second interview with Humboldt, this time at Potsdam. 



" As I had business,'' he writes, " which detained me 

 four days in Berlin, I sent a note to Humboldt, asking 

 permission to call upon him again, in case his time per- 

 mitted the visit. The next day's express from Potsdam 

 brought me a most kind and friendly reply, welcoming 

 me back to the ' Baltic sand-sea,' as he calls the Bran- 

 denburg plain, and stating that, although the Emperor 

 Alexander and his suite were to arrive that evening, he 

 would nevertheless take an hour or two from the excite- 

 ment of the Court to talk to me about the North. He 

 was residing in the Palace at Potsdam, where he directed 

 me to call at noon on Monday. 



