130 ALEXANDER VON HUMBOLDT. 



universal joy. He had been reported dead. He 

 was thirty-five, handsome, "and famous. He had 

 travelled over forty thousand miles, and brought 

 back over sixty thousand specimens of plants. He 

 was made a member of the Royal Academy of 

 Sciences in Berlin, and later a member of the 

 Legion of Honor, and of about one hundred and 

 fifty other societies; indeed, of all the great asso- 

 ciations of the land. 



And now the result of his travels must be given 

 to the world in books. While he was preparing 

 them, he yet found time to spend months together 

 in the Ecole Polytechnique, experimenting in 

 chemistry with his devoted friend Gay-Lussac ; 

 with Biot, he made investigations in magnetism ; 

 with Arago, in astronomy ; with Cuvier, in an- 

 atomy. 



Most of the time from 1808 to 1827, nineteen 

 years, he remained in Paris, devoting his time to 

 his great work. In the forenoons he usually 

 studied and experimented: from twelve to seven 

 he wrote, and then, if his evenings were spent 

 socially, he wrote again from midnight till half- 

 past two, usually allowing himself only four hours 

 for sleep. So popular was he that he often went 

 to five receptions in an evening. 



Year after year his works on America appeared, 

 till twenty -nine volumes were published ! The first 

 part was entitled, " Voyage in the Equatorial Regions 

 of the New Continent." This described a portion of 

 his journey in three volumes ; views of the Cordil- 



