205 



1' Academic" (by Bartholmess).* I have made many 

 unsuccessful attempts to be of service to the widow of 

 Professor F. 



Yours, sincerely attached, 



A. v. HUMBOLDT. 



Enclosure. 

 "Speller's Gazette," No. 29, Feb. 4, 1852. 



. . . The discussions on the Constitution of the First Chamber 

 have frequently appeared in our columns. It may not, perhaps, be 

 quite so generally known that the attention of the higher circles has 

 latterly been turned to the formation of the Second one. The elec- 

 toral law, as it now stands, establishes the right of voting as a volun- 

 tary function, without a corresponding duty. A compulsory exercise 

 of the franchise appears as impolitic as it is impracticable. But 

 whilst as many electors as please abstain from voting, they put the 

 election in the hands of an unknown minority, who frequently, as 

 the result of their votes, bring about an election, in which, instead 

 of the actual political opinion of the constituency, its very opposite 

 is represented. The principles which would serve as a rule in the 

 reconstruction of the First Chamber have called forth as their con- 

 sequence the proposal to modify the electoral law with regard to 

 the Second Chamber, in such a way that H. M. the King should 

 appoint in every electoral district, at a convenient length of time pre- 

 vious to the election, a candidate who will be the member, unless the 

 majority of the electors have polled in favour of another represent- 

 ative. The leading motives of this plan we intend to communicate 

 to-morrow, together with the details of the proposal. 



* The title of this book is " Histoire Philosophique de I'Acadenrie de 

 Prusse, depuis Leibnitz jus' qua Schelling particulierement sous Frederic 

 le Grand." Two vols. Paris, 1851. TR. 



