LITTLE t ^ ie guests of the President, Thomas Jefferson. A very 

 JOURNEYS fi rm friendship sprang up between Humboldt and Jef- 

 ferson: they -were both freethinkers, and when Hum- 

 boldt recorded in his journal that Jefferson was by far 

 the greatest man in America, he not only recorded his 

 personal conviction, but he spoke the truth. And as if 

 not to be outdone, although he did not then know 

 what Humboldt had said of him, Jefferson declared 

 that Alexander von Humboldt was the greatest man 

 he ever saw. 



Most of the vast number of specimens and natural his- 

 tory curiosities gathered by Humboldt and Bonpland 

 were placed on a homeward bound ship that sailed 

 from South America. This ship was lost and all the 

 precious and priceless cargo went for naught. Had 

 Humboldt and his companion sailed on the ship, as 

 they first intended, instead of returning by way of the 

 United States, the world would not have known the 

 name of Alexander von Humboldt. 



[HEN Humboldt landed at Bordeaux in 

 August, 1804, after his five-years' journey, 

 he immediately set out to visit his brother 

 who was then the German Ambassador at 

 Rome. 



We can imagine it was amost joyous meet- 

 ing. Of it William said, " I could not recognize him for 

 my tears but beside this he seemed to have grown in 

 stature and was as brown as a Malay. Was he really 

 116 



