288 



The Fourth Class* acts like betel-eating it gives the 

 jaws occupation, but there is no nourishment in it. 

 The King hopes to have a grand winding-up with me 

 on Thursday. I beg that you will write to Professor 

 Hoffmann in Wurzburg to say how much obliged I 

 am to him for his " Torso;' 7 but no help must be 

 expected from the King, not only (which you will 

 not say) because a little spectre-fear (alias horror) of 

 Baader' s Catholic zealotry has taken root in the King, 

 but also because all literary assistance in the Cabinet 

 dwindles down to presents of 40 45 thalers. In- 

 stead of making use in the Preface of a miserable 

 letter of recommendation for Baader to Dresden, 

 which may have been written in an attack of spleen, 

 I enclose a few lines as desired by you. 



In old friendship your 



A. v. HUMBOLDT. 



(Enclosure.) 

 FROM HUMBOLDT' s LETTER TO VARNHAGEN. 



You ask, dearest friend, what earliest impressions 

 I received from Franz Baader. I saw him first in 

 June, 1791, when, after the journey with Greorge 

 Forster to England, and after the stay at Hamburg, 

 at the Commercial Academy of Biisch and Ebeling, 

 I completed my studies of Practical Mining at Frei- 

 berg. For eight months I enjoyed almost daily the 

 society of this amiable and thoughtful man. Franz 

 Baader had published at that time his work on Caloric, 

 and he had a passionate turn for Chemical Physics, 

 with a slight dash of ideas on Natural Philosophy. 

 He was diligent in visiting the pits, occupied more 



* Of the Red Eagle. Tu. 



