311 



days : de la geologic hebrdizante, as I have imprudently 

 called the like of this in my " Kosmos." 



Yours, 



A. v. HT. 



" Thoughts on the First Eainbow in connection with certain Geolo- 

 gical Facts. London, 1852." The book is by W. Bateman Byng, 

 but has been only now sent to Humboldt by the retired Captain- 

 Pilot, Mr. F. A. Fokkes, in Hamburg. 



On the 24th of April, 1858, Yarnhagen remarks in his Diary: 

 " Yesterday Humboldt talked very humorously of the letters which 

 he had received ; a number of ladies in Elberfeld have formed a 

 league to work at his conversion by anonymous letters, and have 

 announced the fact to him. From time to time these letters arrive. 

 From Nebraska he has been requested to pronounce his opinion on 

 the whereabouts of the swallows in winter. I asked him if that 

 was not an open question? ' Yes, indeed/ he replied; 'I know as 

 little about it as anybody ; but,' he added, with playful importance, 

 ' I have not written that to the people in Nebraska, because we 

 ought never to confess such a thing.' " 



CCXXIII. 



HUMBOLDT TO VAKNHAGEN. 



Potsdam, 19th June, 1858. 



On the whole tedious and full of internal contra- 

 dictions, but yet historical and alas ! true on account 

 of the mythical German- Americanism, pages 76 80, 

 and pages 33, 35, 75. Charm of a language without 

 gender : " Fermez les levres et serrez les dents." 

 From der and die, laziness has made de, and at last a 

 neutral life-killing the. 



