315 



all the promises given to me by the Prince of Prussia 

 and Illaire.* A hope was held out that the Obscure 

 should return in a few months (after the elections) to 

 the still more obscure Pythagoras. What a dispensa- 

 tion of justice ! 



(Note ly Varnhagen. Iwan Grolowin had begged Humboldt's 

 permission to dedicate to him a Russian drama, "Roviraj" the 

 French letter in which Humboldt accepted the dedication, has been 

 added to the little book in fac simile.'] 



ccxxv. 



HUMBOLDT TO LUDMILLA ASSING. 



Berlin, 12th October, 1858. 



What a day of grief, agony, and misfortune 

 was yesterday for me ! I had been summoned to 

 Potsdam by the Queen, to take leave of the King. 

 He was weeping, in deep emotion. I returned home 

 about six o'clock this afternoon, and opened your sad 

 letter, my dear, beloved, highly gifted friend ! To 

 think that he should be removed from this mortal 

 scene before the Nonagenarian the Old Man of the 

 Mountains ! 



It is not enough to say that Germany has lost a 

 great author the one who knew how to mould lan- 

 guage most nobly in the expression of the most delicate 

 sentiments ; yet how trifling is the form when com- 

 pared with such penetration, such pregnant intellect, 



* Not quite accurate, in so far as, during the absence of the above-named, 

 and as it appeared later, without their knowledge, Minister Westphalen had 

 insisted upon Lassalle's expulsion. 



