intended journey to England to be present at the christening of the 

 Prince of Wales. The thing, I was told, had been very quietly arranged, 

 and the promising opening it afforded had contributed much to making 

 the appointment of Bunsen as ambassador palatable at the English 

 Court. This latter part of the statement makes me rather suspicious 

 of the whole. I am sure this is not the real state of our diplomatic 

 relations. If, however, this story has any foundation in fact, and 

 the project is really entertained, Bunsen must of course have some- 

 thing to do with it, and great results, in my opinion very dangerous 

 things, may be expected from that. Close connection with Eng- 

 land would be a serious matter, but intimate union with the Anglican 

 Church and the Tories, downright ruin ! All Prussia, all Germany, 

 all Europe would assume such a union to exist, whether it did or 

 not. That alone would be a thousand pities, and cost the King more 

 in the opinions of his people than he can just now afford to lose I 

 hope the whole is a myth ! Humboldt says : ' The howling mania 

 is mightily on the increase. He was howled at when he was leav- 

 ing by a few; but now that he has returned, by all.' His smart and 

 witty remarks are truly refreshing in the midst of our dull-witted 

 society." 



Before his departure for England, Humboldt came to take leave 

 of Yarnhagen, who wrote about it in his Diary, January 14th, 1842 : 

 " Humboldt came to take his leave ; he departs to-morrow evening. 

 He had called at Count v. Maltzan's,* of whose life there was little 

 hope to-day. ' His death will bring us Canitz, not Billow,' said Hum- 

 boldt, complaining. I consoled him by saying that Canitz too might be 

 put aside. ' And who is to come then?' ' Bunsen.' ' That would be 

 too bad indeed. He will, no doubt, accompany the King on his return ; 

 that is already arranged.' Humboldt gets into a dreadful passion when 

 speaking of Canitz, and he cannot understand how it is that I no longer 

 fear this Canitz, arch- aristocrat, arch-theologian, by that same token 

 silly, I might say downright stupid, the arch-anti-French, maliciously 

 satirical, and often undignified, Canitz. ' You are a Tory yourself,' 

 said Humboldt. ' I do not know exactly how that may be,' I replied, 



* A Minister at that time on the point of death. TR. 



G 



