XVI PREFACE TO THE THIRD EDITION. 



even in that case, was not to be published in the life- 

 time of its writer, the further exceptional clause is 

 added in the present instance, that publication must 

 not take place before Arago's death. Such an addi- 

 tional caution does not occur with reference to other 

 letters, as, for instance, to that of Princess Lieven, 

 or that of the Grand Duke of Weimar, &c. 



If, on the other hand, a letter of a third person 

 was not to be published, on account of its peculiar 

 contents, even after the writer's death, Humboldt, 

 remembering the permission given to Varnhagen, 

 expressly stipulates that the document should be 

 returned to him. Thus, with regard to the letter of 

 July 4th, 1854 (p. 221): " I inclose a very crabbed 

 letter of poor Bunsen, which you will keep very 

 secret, and kindly send back to me by-and-by to my 

 Berlin residence." 



In the same way, for instance, in a letter of 9th 

 September, 1858 (p. 313), Humboldt requests the 

 return of " three curiosa" he is sending one of 

 them a letter from Queen Victoria. There are other 

 passages also to the same effect. 



It is impossible to imagine a more stringent and 

 more complete series of proofs of Humboldt' s posi- 

 tive wish and expectation that the letters sent by him 

 to Varnhagen should be published after his death. 

 The fact forces itself the more strongly on our convic- 

 tion, if we remember that the two men had, besides, 

 such frequent opportunities personally of conversing 

 upon the matter. 



