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and not merely ready at a call, but present to the thought at every instant. It is, therefore, by no simply clever writer, by no mere man of vivid imagination and fluent command of language and imagery-least of all, by any ideal speculatist who may have

totype, it is easy to see how, while gaining in comprehensiveness, they may lose at every transfusion somewhat of their specialty, without a corresponding loss of general truth; and how, thus, a larger and more entire conception of nature in itself may by degrees arise, and come to be re-devised a system of philosophy spun from cognised as the common property of humanity, the permanent and ennobling inheritance of generation after generation to the end of time.

the abstractions of his own brain, and resolving all things into some single principle, some formula embodying all possible knowledge, that such a work can be entered upon without the certainty of utter and disgraceful failure. The highest attainments in science, though necessarily inadequate to complete success in such an attempt, can alone save the adventurous mortal who shall make it from merited reproach on the score of presumption.

The difficulties to be encountered in such an attempt are of two opposite kinds; on the one hand that of embracing with distinctness and truth a sufficiently extensive view, on the other that of duly suppressing detail. Such a view of nature, to be in any way successful, ought to be, in the highest possible sense of the word, picturesque, no- The author of the remarkable book before thing standing in relation to itself alone, us is assuredly the person in all Europe best but all to the general effect. In such a fitted to undertake and accomplish such a picture every object is suggestive. How-work. Science has produced no man of more ever beautiful in itself, it is less for the sake of its intrinsic beauty than for that of the associations it calls up, and the lights which it reflects from afar, that it holds a place as an element of the work. And, as in art, intense and elaborated beauty in any particular defeats picturesqueness by binding down the thought to a sensible object, annulling association, and saturating, as it were, the whole being in its single perception; so, in throwing off such a picture of nature as the mind can take in at a view, no one portion can be suffered to appear in single completeness and ideal rotundity. Nature, indeed, offers all in her profusion, and complete in all its details; and the contemplative mind finds among them paths for all its wanderings, harmonies for all its moods. But such exuberance is neither attainable nor to be aimed at in a descriptive outline, where leading features only have to be seized, which imagination is stimulated to fill up by the grandeur of the forms, and the intelligible order of their grouping.

rich and varied attainments, more versatile in genius, more indefatigable in application to all kinds of learning, more energetic in action, or more ardent in inquiry; and, we may add, more entirely devoted to her cause in every period of a long life. At every epoch of that life, from a comparatively early age, he has been constantly before the public, realizing the ideal conception of a perfect traveller; a character which calls for almost as great a variety of excellences as those which go to realize Cicero's idea of a perfect orator. To such an one science in all its branches must be familiar, since questions of science and its applications occur at every step, and often in their most delicate and recondite forms. The habit of close attention to passing facts, which seizes their specific features, and detects their hidden analogies, must join with the broad coup d'ail which generalizes all it sees, and stereotypes it in memory in its simplest and most impressive forms. To these must be added a knowledge of man and of his history in all its phases, social and political; The origin and fount of all good writing, a ready insight into human character and however, is sound and abundant knowledge. feelings, and a quick apprehension of local To the successful execution of such a work, and national peculiarities. Above all things a thoroughly scientific acquaintance with is necessary a genial and kindly temperaeach component feature; a mind saturated ment, which excites no enmities, but on the with information, and at home in every de- contrary finds or makes friends everywhere; partment, is above all things requisite. in presence of which hearts open, informaThe classification of the naturalist, the tion is volunteered, and aid spontaneously surveys of the geologist, the catalogues and offered. No man in the ranks of science is descriptions of the astronomer, the theories more distinguished for this last characterisof the geometer, and the inductions of the tic than Baron Von Humboldt. We beexperimentalist, must all be alike familiar,lieve that he has not an enemy. His jus

tice, candor, and moderation, have pre- of such magnitude and value, yet we cannot served him intact in all the vexatious ques- but consider the publication of the three tions of priority and precedence which volumes, of which it is understood the agitate and harass the scientific world; and whole will consist, separately and at long have in consequence afforded him innume- intervals, as in many respects unfortunate. rable opportunities of promoting the ob- Although it is now nearly four years since jects and befriending the cultivators of sci- the work was completed, the second voence, which would never have fallen in the lume is only just on the eve of publication, way of a less conciliatory disposition, and and the third may possibly be yet longer of which he has not been slow to avail him- delayed. Yet no work could have been unself. The respect of Europe, indeed, has dertaken, in which it would appear so needgone along with him to a point which has ful that the impression produced be one almost rendered his recommendations rules. and undivided, the unity salient and conIt has sufficed that Von Humboldt has spicuous. That the contrary course, though pointed out lines of useful and available perhaps unavoidable, has been pursued, inquiry, to make every one eager to enter renders the task of duly appreciating and upon them. correctly criticizing it doubly difficult; since it is impossible to say to what extent, and in what manner many things, which appear in the light of omissions in the first portions of such a performance, may be supplied in the sequel; or how differently the philosophy of the whole subject may come to be judged as presented by the author on

The idea of a physical description of the universe, as a work to be accomplished, and an object, to amass materials for which during a whole lifetime, would be a worthy and satisfactory devotion of it, had, it appears, been present to his mind from a very early epoch. For almost half a century, indeed, it had occupied his thoughts. At length, a complete and on a partial view of his enin the evening of life, he felt himself rich enough in the accumulations of thought, travel, reading, and experimental research, to reduce into form and reality the undefined vision which had so long floated before him. Not entirely, however, without some preliminary trial of strength. A course of lectures, as he informs us, had been delivered by him, both in Berlin and Paris, on the subject, about the end of 1827, previous to his departure for Northern Asia, a journey for which he had prepared himself by a course of study without example in the history of travel. On his return, after giving to the world the results of that journey, or rather the epitome of all the knowledge acquired by himself and by former travellers on the physical geography of Northern and Central Asia, in a work which would alone have sufficed to form a reputation of the highest rank; he resolved no longer to defer this realization of his early aspirations, and the result has been the work of which the volume now before us is only a commencement.

Though we cannot blame an arrangement which brings any portion of the fruits of M. de Humboldt's labors earlier before us, though aware of the hazard which passing years entail on the ultimate appearance of a work of great extent deferred already so long; and though only too glad to receive by instalments, at the convenience of the author, the payment of a self-imposed debt

tire meaning. This would have been less the case, and the probability of doing injustice to the author's philosophical views greatly diminished, had the general plan of the whole work been chalked out with more precision in the introductory portion, and the nature of the contents of the subsequent volumes indicated in somewhat less vague and general terms than we find them actually to be. And the necessity for thus holding a reserve on our judgments in this respect, while considering that portion of the work which we possess, is the more imperatively pressed upon us, inasmuch as the scope of the proposed third volume as we understand it, seems to us by far the most important in its philosophical bearings, and as that by which the character of the whole as a great philosophical work will of necessity come to be finally judged.

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Such, however, we are aware, is not exactly M. de Humboldt's own impression. He must here be allowed to speak for himself: The first volume,' he says, ( contains a general view of nature, from the remotest nebula and revolving double stars, to the terrestrial phenomena of the geographical distribution of plants, of animals, and of races of men; preceded by some preliminary considerations on the different degrees of enjoyment offered by the study of nature and the knowledge of her laws; and on the limits and method of a scientific exposition of the

Enjoyment of a different, and, in some respects, of a richer, because of a less over

physical description of the universe. Itact with external nature; it is derived regard this as the most important and es- from the contrast of the narrow limits of sential portion of my undertaking, as ma- our being with that image of infinity which nifesting the intimate connexion of the ge- everywhere reveals itself in the starry neral with the special, and as exemplify- heavens, in the boundless plain, or in the ing, in form and style of composition, and indistinct horizon of the ocean.' in the selection of results taken from the mass of our experimental knowledge, the spirit of the method in which I have pro-whelming and more exciting kind, is that posed to myself to conduct the whole work. In the two succeeding volumes I design to consider some of the particular incitements to the study of nature, to treat of the history of the contemplation of the physical universe, or the gradual development of the idea of the concurrent action of natural forces (Kräfte), co-operating in all that presents itself to our observation; and last-ing. The barren monotony of one region, the ly, to notice the specialties of the several branches of science, of which the mutual connexion is indicated in the general view of nature in the present volumes.'

which depends on the peculiar physiognomy of natural scenes. Harmonizing, like music, with internal trains of thought and imagination, and with every conceivable state of mind, they awaken of themselves, as soon as presented, sentiments congenial to them, and lead the spirit, by strong associative links, through every phase of feel

varied fertility of another, the gloomy and romantic horrors of a third-the peaceful dwelling rising by the torrent's side-the misty region, where the mule seeks his A large portion (nearly one-fifth of the track amid eternal snows the tropical text) of the volume before us, is occupied night, when the stars, not sparkling as with an introductory exposition of the in our climates, but shining with a steady various kinds or gradations of enjoyment beam, shed on the gently heaving ocean a afforded by the contemplation of nature mild and planetary radiance,'-the deep and the investigation of her laws, and and doubly wood-clothed valleys of the with an essay on the limitation and me- Cordilleras-the volcanic peak cleaving thodical treatment of a physical descrip- the clouds, from a base of vineyarded tion of the universe considered as a sepa- slopes and orange-groves washed by a trorate and independent science-'the sci- pical sea-the dense forest, of giant and ence of the Kosmos.' The mere aspect of primeval growth, swarming with every nature, as has been often and well observ- form of vegetable and animal life, now reed, is a source of positive and high enjoy-sounding to savage yells, and now to the ment; and exercises, even on rude minds, thunder-clap, extinguishing and crushing and under the sway of wild passions, if only suffered to claim attention at all, a calming and elevating influence. In all her scenes, there is everywhere revealed to the mind an impression of the existence of comprehensive and permanent laws go- As the poetical enjoyment of nature verning the phenomena of the universe; springs out of this its endless variety, so, before the idea of whose vastness and re- on the other hand, the unity of plan, which gularity the turbulence of human passion even uncultivated minds fail not to recogfeels itself reproved and shrinks abashed. nise amid so much diversity, calls forth Whatever be the peculiar inherent or tem- the latent germ of the philosophic spirit. porary character of the scene contemplated When-

down all other sound, these and a thousand other combinations find each its response in some train of human emotions and affections, which, like the lyre of Timotheus, they by turns excite and soothe.

even in her most agitated moods-this-far from our native country, after a long sea voysense of the regulated and the impertur- age we tread for the first time the lands of the tropics, bable is never wholly effaced. We know that the storm will rage itself to rest, the angry billows subside, the earthquake roll away, and that holy calm which is her habitual mood be restored as if it had never been broken. That which is grave and solemn in such impressions is derived from the presentiment of order and of law, unconsciously awakened by the simple con

we experience an impression of agreeable surprise in recognising, in the cliffs and rocks around, the same forms and substances, similar inclined strata of schistose rocks, the same columnar basalts latitudes so different, reminds us that the solidificawhich we had left in Europe: this identity, in tion of the crust of the earth has been independent of the differences of climate. But these schists and these basalts are covered with vegetable forms of new and strange aspect. Amid the luxuriance

of this exotic flora, surrounded by colossal forms of new and unfamiliar grandeur and beauty, we experience (thanks to the marvellous flexibility of our nature) how easily the mind opens to the combination of impressions connected with each other by unperceived links of secret analogy. The imagination recognises in these strange forms nobler developments of those which surrounded our childhood; the colonist loves to give to the plants of his new home names borrowed from his native land; and these strong untaught impressions lead, however vaguely, to the same end as that laborious and extended comparison of facts, by which the philosopher arrives at an intimate persuasion of one indissoluble chain of affinity binding together all nature.'

of nature can be said to lead us up, by legitimate induction, to its Author,-to so much of his character, at least, as he has thought fit to reveal to us through his works. But, that it may do so, we must educate our perceptions by practice and habit, till we learn to disregard specialties, whether of objects or laws, and see rather their relations and connexions, their places in a system, their fulfilment of a purpose, their adaptation to an interminable series of intersubservient ends. And this we must endeavor to do without losing sight of the objects themselves, which come at length to stand in intellectual relation to One word on this last sentence:-Is it these more spiritualized conceptions, as the really true, that the uninstructed mind of notion of substance does to that of quality man, thus turned loose upon nature, does in some of our older metaphysical theories, spring, as a matter of course, to just con- -as that substratum of being in which such clusions? Are his homely analogies always conceptions inhere, and which serves to bind apposite? his extempore classifications them together, give them a body, and cocorrect? his rude inductions legitimate? erce them from becoming altogether vague If so, what need of study and research? and imaginary. And, moreover, we must How is it, then, that we are to understand be careful to raise up no self-created phanwhat is here intimated, and is there any sense in which it can be received as true? No doubt there is so. There are truths so large, so general, so all-pervading, that they make a part of all our experience, mix with our whole intellectual being, and imbue all our judgments, erroneous as well as correct; in this sense, at least, that we never err so far as to place ourselves in conscious opposition to them. Distorted and perverted as such truths may be in their enunciation, by their mixture with extraneous error, we find them still outstanding, redeeming by their presence, and even consecrating, that error, by placing themselves in prominent and ostentatious union with its dogmas. No absurdity would ever obtain a moment's credence, but for the -presence in it of some saving particle of one of these great natural truths.

But it is to the instructed only that the contemplation of nature affords its full enjoyment, in the development of her laws, and in the unveiling of those hidden powers which work beneath the surface of things, and which, operating as physical causes, lead back the mind in the chain of causation, through the phenomena of organized life, to powers of a higher order; which, connecting themselves with the idea of Will, involve the conception of Intelligence, from which we are necessarily led to infer Design, and from Design find ourselves forced on the conclusion of Motive. It is thus, and thus only, that the contemplation

tasms of our own minds, interposing an impassable barrier to further progress, and cutting off the chain of connexion by a stern ne plus ultra. As the distinction drawn in the Aristotelian Philosophy between celestial and terrestrial motions, operated for ages to cut off the possibility of arriving at any just views of the Planetary System, so it is perfectly conceivable that, by gratuitous assumptions of another kind, we may wilfully sever ourselves from the possible attainment of knowledge of a far higher order. Against certain notions of this description, which have obtained, or may be obtaining, currency; and others which, without being expressed in words, appear to be extensively, though tacitly, received in science, we consider it worth while to enter our protest :

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The first is, that ancient belief, that the forces inherent in matter, and those which regulate the moral world, exert their action under the government of a primordial necessity, and in recurring courses of greater or less period. It is this necessity, this occult but permanent connexion, this periodical recurrence in the progressive development of forms, of phenomena and of events, which constitute nature, obedient to the first imparted impulse of the Creator. Physical science, as its name imports, limits itself to the explanation of the phenomena of the material world by the properties of matter. All beyond this belongs, not to the domain of the physics of the

universe, but to a higher class of ideas. such a limitation; what extravagant theoThe discovery of Laws, and their progres-ries we must expect to see broached, and sive generalizations, are the objects of the what confusion of ideas, nay, what positive experimental sciences.' (Transl., p. 33.) charlatanries, we must be prepared to enThe frame of nature, moral as well as counter, before any clear and definite conphysical, according to this idea, is a piece ception can emerge from the mass of images of mechanism, which wound up and set which crowd upon us on the suggestion of going, has been abandoned to itself, to such a change of ground. We may indicate, evolve its changes in variously superposed however, one or two, which may perhaps periods, without choice or option, according carry with them some degree of distinctness, to the combinations of an occult wheelwork. viz.: first, The intension, remission, or If, indeed, there were no such phenomenon creation of mechanical force dependent on as Will; if we were conscious of being thus the presence or absence of agents, such as blindly hurried along by the uncontrollable electricity and heat, of whose materiality, swing of the system of which we form a in the usual sense of the word, we have no part, at every moment, and in every action, proof, seeing that inertia (at least, in the such a system might be tenable. Periods case of heat) forms no part of our concep of unknown length, superposed according tion of them; and secondly, the successive to no discoverable law, lose their character quasi-undulatory propagation of qualitiesof periodicity to the eye of the observer; powers of affecting either the senses or maand periods of event, apart from the notion terial bodies by something different from of the measurement of time, similarly su- mechanical impulse. It is perfectly true, perposed, resolve themselves, so far as that on the properties of matter only we observation is concerned, into that imper- must rely for the explanation of physical fect and inadequate idea of causation which phenomena. But we conceive that those considers it as simply a determinate rule of properties are only just beginning to besequence. But Will, admitted into any come known to us, that we shall have to part of such a system, destroys the whole reject some which have been assumed as of it. The blind, unintelligent portions of unquestionable, and that it is by no means the mechanism must be invested with the improbable, that science will ere long make power, and be urged by the necessity of us familiar with others, calculated to stretch conforming themselves to that will, as to to the utmost our conception of material the original impulse which set the whole in existence. Entertaining this expectation, motion; and how are we then to distinguish we must here, once for all, observe, that between those evolutions which result from the continual use of the word forces in the a will of which we are conscious, and those work before us, in such phrases as the which, for aught we know, may be continu- forces of nature'-' the concurrent action ally resulting from a will continually in of natural forces'-grates with something action, though concealed from our know- approaching to a painful harshness on our ledge and perception? ears. We should be inclined to substitute for it, wherever it occurs, the expression physical powers,' a sense which the German Kräfte might bear, we think, without violence.

Another notion, equally destitute, in our eyes, of positive foundation, but much more likely than the former to act prejudicially in limiting the progress even of physical knowledge, is the assumption, as old as Aristotle, that all the phenomena of nature are referable to motions performed in obedience to what we are in the habit of calling mechanical laws; that, in other words, there is no such thing as qualitative change unaccompanied by change of place-no causation at work other than mechanical push and pull. It is high time, we think, that this assumption should be formally called in question. We are disposed to believe that science has outgrown it. At the same time, we are quite aware into what a licentious career of wild speculation the mind is ready to rush on the removal of

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A third dogma, which has of late been placed in prominence, much, as we conceive, to the detriment of sound philosophy, is that of the so called, or rather miscalled, positive philosophy-an extravagant and morphological transformation of that rational empiricism, which professes to take experience for its basis; resulting from insisting on the prerogatives of experience in reference to external phenomena, and ignoring them in relation to the movements and tendencies of our intellectual nature:a philosophy which, if it do not repudiate altogether the idea of causation, goes far, at least, to put it out of view, and with it,

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