95 



nicated to Humboldt, Eichhorn, Savigny, and Thiele, for their 

 opinion. Then it was much altered; several names were added, 

 others struck out, and for six weeks the suspense lasted. At first, 

 the King wanted to nominate forty-six members, as many as there 

 were years in the reign of Friedrich the Great. The number forty he 

 rejected on account of the ridicule thrown on the Quarante of the 

 French Academy. At last he limited the number to thirty. In all this 

 the King proceeded according to his own mind. Arago had been origi- 

 nally nominated by the King. Metternich was added at the King's 

 express and constantly urged wish. Rumohr* was struck oif the list. 

 Steffens, the King thought, was in reality not strong enough, either as 

 a philosopher or as a naturalist. Liszt was the King's decided choice, 

 and no objections had any effect in his case. Spontini was to have 

 had the Order, but Savigny and Privy Councillor Miiller pre- 

 vailed on him to omit his name. Against Moore it was alleged to 

 the King that he had lampooned Prussia in verse. ' That is nothing 

 to me ? ' was his reply. Against Melloni they objected that he had 

 been a Carbonaro and chief of a revolutionary Junta. ' That is per- 

 fectly indifferent to me/ was his answer; and he would have nomi- 

 nated O'Connell had he but shown sufficient scientific qualifications. 

 The King wished to have the names of Eaumer and Eanke ; but 

 Eichhorn and Savigny only that of the latter ; thereupon both were 

 omitted. In contradiction to the opinions expressed above (in the 

 case of Melloni, Moore, and Arago), the historian Schlosser was put 

 aside on account of his party- spirit (?). Metternich had spoken in a 

 bantering spirit of the See of Jerusalem, and therefore he was made 

 a member, that he might not scoff at the Order too. Humboldt 

 thinks that to have been the secret motive. For Metternich' s sake, 

 Uwarofff was not named, because then the former would not have 

 been the only one of his class. LinkJ was not considered to be im- 

 portant enough." 



On the 27th of June, 1842, Varnhagen added, "Supplementary 

 remarks to yesterday's notes. Humboldt told me he had announced 



* Carl Friedrich Ludwig Felix von Rumohr, the noted art critic. Tu. 

 t The Russian diplomatist. TR. 

 The botanist. -TR. 



