In Varnhagen’s Diary is the following entry, dated August 9th, 1838.
Humboldt told me in a long visit the news of Toeplitz. The King of
Prussia and the Emperor of Russia have both avoided meeting each other
alone, each of them fearing the embarrassment of a tête-à-tête. The
Emperor spoke on several occasions quite contemptuously of the present
French Government, and still worse of the King Louis Philippe himself.
Prince Metternich’s conduct was frivolous, light-minded, and without
fear for the present; he is not alarmed, though haunted by the gloomy
thought that at Louis Philippe’s death things must take a new turn, and
that then war will become inevitable. Does he think to make people
believe this, I ask? With Metternich one always ought to examine first,
how far an opinion adapts itself to the position of the moment.
Under date of April 9th, 1839, Varnhagen wrote in his Diary: “Humboldt
called quite unexpectedly and made the greatest excuses for not having
called on me before. And then he opened his newsbag and recited a
thousand stories from Paris and Berlin—at least for two hours. Things in
France bear a very gloomy aspect, he thinks; and he has lately written
about it to Prince Metternich. The crisis in France is yet a latent
one—but to-morrow it may burst forth, and how needful it would then be,
and, in this event, how necessary, that Germany should be strong and
united, and the farces at Cologne and Hanover be settled!”
Under 19th of April, 1839, Varnhagen says in his diary: “I saw Humboldt
to-day, who told me many things, and showed me a beautiful portrait of
Arago, which pleased me very much. He talked much about the difficulties
between Russia and England, as to their interests in the East Indies and
in Persia, and repeated what he had heard about it from the Russian
Emperor himself. The Czar was in a great passion against the English,
and thought it highly important to oppose their supremacy in Asia.
Humboldt agrees with me that the English have nothing serious to fear
for the next fifty years from Russia in the Indies, but that fear and
jealousy may engender a quarrel in Europe prior to any conflict in the
East, although conflicting parties will certainly think twice before
allowing it to come to that pass.”
Under date of May 25, 1839, Varnhagen wrote in his diary:
“I met Humboldt ‘unter den Linden:’ we had a long talk together. He told
me that the death of Gans had been the object of the meanest slander at
court by all except the King, who never speaks ill of the dead, and the
Crown-Prince, who had even uttered a word of sorrow. The other princes
were delighted, and the Princess of Liegnitz showed herself very
ill-natured.”
36.
HUMBOLDT TO VARNHAGEN.
BERLIN, MONDAY, _June 3d, 1839_.
The book which you lent me, dear friend, is delightful,[19] as
everything must be called which characterizes the individuality of men.
My brother’s letters are excellent indeed. His opinion of the State
Chancellor does much credit to his character, and the conclusion, which
seems to take away something from the praise bestowed on him, is full of
a deep political meaning. He alludes to some other result of greater
magnitude, which the development of the world-wide events in question
might have produced.
What pleases me most is the acknowledgment of _your_ talents, of _your_
power of writing; the praise of the high-mindedness exhibited in
_Rahel’s_ letters (to the few who can appreciate them). Adam Mueller’s
aristocratic fancies and coarsely but naturally sensual princess,[20] a
little lewd—no doubt from being hunchbacked—afford the most striking
contrast of political and human filth. “To save the country,” says
Gentz, in his Primary Political Position, “means to restore to the
nobility of Prussia their ancient privileges, to liberate all the
noblemen from taxes, so that they may spontaneously, after some
negotiation, offer their ‘don gratuit’ to the monarch. To enable them to
do this the peasant must be indissolubly bound to the soil.” How charmed
“the Montmorencys of the Ackermark” must have been to see what, until
then, was uselessly concealed in their miserable souls, expressed in
refined language by a talented writer, and moulded into such
systematical dogmas. This narrow spirit of caste knows neither place nor
time. Like a threatening spectre it will reappear when I shall be no
more. I frequently ask myself whether Adam Mueller could not, at the
present time, again canvass for votes among the “cross-bearers,” who,
like Homerian heroes, take their repose stretched on their bags in the
wool market? Benjamin Constant has exquisitely pictured this
aristocratic idea of self-importance in the parable of the Shipwrecked.
He cries, “Grand Dieu, je ne suis pas assez indiscret pour vous prier de
nous sauver tous! Sauvez-moi tout seul!”
If you have a moment’s leisure, please read in the 3d volume of my
“History of the Geography of the Middle Ages,” what I have said of the
natural views and the style of Christopher Columbus, vol. iii. p. 232.
This dream, p. 316, was the object of a lecture at Chateaubriand’s and
Madame Récamier’s, and had a good effect, as the utterance of sentiment
always will have, on the barren fields of minute erudition. I hope to
offer you shortly the five volumes that have already been printed. The
negligence of the publisher prevents my doing so now.