THE MEMORABLE. 



dents and objects which I have adduced as ex- 

 amples of the memorable, are mean and slight, 

 and far less worthy of notice than multitudes of 

 other things that might have been selected, I 

 would suggest that what makes them worthy of 

 remembrance is not their intrinsic value, but their 

 connexion with the thoughts of the observer; a 

 connexion which cannot be commanded nor con- 

 trolled. Why one man should have a powerful 

 longing to behold a certain sort of butterfly or to 

 hear a particular bird, when he cares nothing 

 about the lion or the elephant ; why a fern should 

 fill one mind with strong emotion, and a spray of 

 moss another, while the magnificent palm leaves 

 both unmoved, we can give no reason but those 

 peculiarities of thought and feeling which consti- 

 tute the individuality of minds. Yet, that such is 

 the fact, every admirer of nature who has an ele- 

 ment of poetry in his soul will admit. He well 

 knows that the distinct and prominent points in 

 memory, those which invariably start up in asso- 

 ciation with certain scenes, are by no means 

 those — at least, not invariably or necessarily — 

 which are of most intrinsic importance, but such 

 as to another will often seem trivial and destitute 

 of aesthetic power. 



''The desire,'' says Humboldt, "which we feel to 

 behold certain objects is not excited solely by their 

 grandeur, their beauty, or their importance. In 

 each individual this desire is interwoven with 

 pleasing impressions of youth, with early predi- 

 lections for particular pursuits, with the inclina- 

 tion for travelling, and the love of an active life. 

 In proportion as the fulfilment of a wish may 

 have appeared improbable, its realisation affords 

 the greater pleasure. The traveller enjoys, in an- 

 ticipation, the happy moment when he shall first 

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