PREFACE TO THE THIRD EDITION. Xlll 



for publication. The letter of December 7th, 1841, 

 clearly points out where those letters existed. 



Thus, instead of clashing, that protest and the 

 present publication go hand in hand. 



The permission for publication, qualified by the 

 express clause "in case of death," is granted as ex- 

 plicitly as possible in the letter of December 7th, 1841. 



It may be suggested that, in granting that per- 

 mission, Humboldt had perhaps no distinct recol- 

 lection of what letters he had sent to my uncle 

 in former years ; yet Humboldt, at all events, was 

 thenceforward perfectly aware of the special authori- 

 zation given once and for ever, and all the letters, 

 the publication of which has been so strongly com- 

 mented upon, upon the ground of their containing 

 objectionable matter, are of dates posterior to De- 

 cember, 1841. 



The intention of having such publication effected 

 after the death of Humboldt was always entertained 

 by both men. Both of them, as I have in the most 

 positive manner been informed by Varnhagen, would 

 in the course of years revert again and again in their 

 conversations to this subject, and I have occasionally 

 myself been present whilst it was under discussion. 



No one has a right to impugn such a statement 

 on my part. 



Any one who is willing and able to see, will find 

 throughout the correspondence itself the clearest 

 evidence of Humboldt' s having always acted on the 

 supposition that these letters would be published 



