in HIRTII AND EDUCATION OF HUMBOLDT. 



CiiAl'. L to the illiistnUion of the wonderful constitution of our 

 ,.j^.~,~, planet, the distin.suished traveller whose discoveries 

 kiiuwifUije. form the suhject of this volume stands alone, as uniting 

 in himself a knowledge of all these sciences. Geography, 

 meteorology, magnetism, the distribution of heat, the 

 various ilepartmeiits of natural history, together with 

 the affinities of races and languages, the history of na- 

 tions, tiie political constitution of countries, statistics, 

 commerce, and agriculture, — all have received accumu- 

 lated and valuable additions from the exercise of his rare 

 talents. The narrative of no traveller therefore could be 

 more interesting to the man of varied information. But 

 as from a work like that of which the present volume 

 constitutes a jiart subjects strictly scientific must be 

 excluded, unless when they can be treated in a manner 

 intelligible to the public at large, it may here be stated. 

 that many of the investigations, of which we present 

 the results, must be traced in the voluminous works 

 which the author himself has jmblished. At the same 

 Plnn of il.<- time enough will l)e given to gratify the scientific reader ; 

 **"'" and while the narrative of personal adventure, the phe- 



noma of tiie ])hysical world, the condition of societies, 

 and the numerous other subjects di^cu;-sed, will afford 

 amu>ement and instruction, let it be remembered, that 

 truths faithfully extracted from tlie Imok of nature are 

 alone calculated to enlarge tiie sjjhere of mental vision ; 

 and that, while fanciful descriptidu is more apt to mis- 

 lead tlian to direct tiie footstej)s of the student, there is 

 reflected from llu' actual examination of tlie material 

 universe a light wlijeh never fails to conduct the mind 

 at once to f-ure knowledge and to pious sentiment. 

 i;lrtii r„-ni>- Frederick Henry Alexiinder Von Humboldt was born 

 nt IJerlin on the 14th of Septemljer 17fi9. He received 

 his academic edneiiti(tn at Gottingen and Frankfort on 

 tlie Oder. In 17'.>0 lie visited Holland and JMigland in' 

 company wiiji .Messrs George Forster and Van Geuns, 

 and in the mine year published his first work, entitled 

 " (JliservHtioiis on tiic Basalts of the Rhine." In IT'JI 

 he went to Fr.yberg to receive the instructions of the 



