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Alexander von Humboldt: „Colonel Fremont“, in: ders., Sämtliche Schriften digital, herausgegeben von Oliver Lubrich und Thomas Nehrlich, Universität Bern 2021. URL: <https://humboldt.unibe.ch/text/1851-Colonel_Fremont-02-neu> [abgerufen am 29.03.2024].

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Titel Colonel Fremont
Jahr 1851
Ort Washington, District of Columbia
Nachweis
in: The Daily Union 1:29 (18. Mai 1851), [o. S.].
Sprache Englisch
Typografischer Befund Antiqua; Spaltensatz; Auszeichnung: Kursivierung, Kapitälchen; Fußnoten mit Asterisken.
Identifikation
Textnummer Druckausgabe: VII.14
Dateiname: 1851-Colonel_Fremont-02-neu
Statistiken
Seitenanzahl: 1
Spaltenanzahl: 1
Zeichenanzahl: 13039

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|Seitenumbruch|
From the St. Louis Union, May 2. Colonel Fremont. Col. Frémont, Man and Boy.—The Early Promise, and the Ripe Performance. There have come to our hands at the same time two no- tices of Colonel Frémont: one in relation to his early age and schoolboy days, the other in relation to his great explorations, and both honorable to him, and from per- sons whose testimony is most honorable—his teacher and the Baron Humboldt. In the preface to a school edition of Xenophon’s Anabasis for a Greek class, by Dr. Roberton, now of Philadelphia, there is an account of the young Frémont as he first appeared at the gram- mar school of the Doctor, at Charleston, (South Caro- lina,) and of his diligence, and progress, and moral de- portment, and early promise of distinguished life; which is given, as the preface states, as an example and en- couragement to all his scholars. The other is a letter from the great Baron Humboldt, and, besides expressing his own admiration of the labors of Frémont, communi- cates to him the grand golden medal of the King of Prussia for progress in the sciences, and makes known to him his election as an honorary member of the Geo- graphical Society at Berlin. The following is the notice of the old teacher:
“For your further encouragement, I will here relate a very remarkable instance of patient diligence and indom- itable perseverance. “In the year 1827, after I had returned to Charleston from Scotland, and my classes were going on, a very re- spectable lawyer came to my school—I think some time in the month of October—with a youth apparently about sixteen, or perhaps not so much, (14,) of middle size, graceful in manners, rather slender, but well formed, and, upon the whole, what I would call handsome; of a keen, piercing eye, and a noble forehead, seemingly the very seat of genius. The gentleman stated that he found him given to study; that he had been about three weeks learning the Latin rudiments, and (hoping, I suppose, to turn the youth’s attention from the law to the ministry) had resolved to place him under my care for the purpose of learning Greek, Latin, and mathematics sufficient to enter Charleston College. I very gladly received him; for I immediately perceived he was no common youth, as intelligence beamed in his dark eye and shone brightly on his countenance, indicating great ability, and an as- surance of his future progress. I at once put him in the highest class, just beginning to read Cæsar’s Commenta- ries, and, although at first inferior, his prodigious mem- ory and enthusiastic application soon enabled him to surpass the best. He began Greek at the same time, and read with some who had been long at it, in which he also soon excelled. In short, in the space of one year he had with the class, and at odd hours with myself, read four books of Cæsar, Cornelius Nepos, Sallust, six books of Virgil, nearly all Horace, and two books of Livy; and in Greek, all Græca Minora, about the half of the first volume of Græca Majora, and four books of Homer’s Iliad. And whatever he read he retained. It seemed to me, in fact, as if he learned by mere intuition. I was myself utterly astonished, and at the same time de- lighted with his progress. I have hinted above that he was designed for the church; but when I contemplated his bold, fearless disposition, his powerful inventive ge- nius, his admiration of warlike exploits, and his love of heroic and adventurous deeds, I did not think it likely he would be a minister of the Gospel. He had not, how- ever, the least appearance of any vice whatever. On the contrary, he was always the very pattern of virtue and modesty. I could not help loving him, so much did he captivate me by his gentlemanly conduct and extraordi- nary progress. It was easy to see that he would one day raise himself to eminence. Whilst under my instruction, I discovered his early genius for poetic composition in the following manner: When the Greek class read the ac- count that Herodotus gives of the battle of Marathon, the bravery of Miltiades and his ten thousand Greeks raised his patriotic feelings to enthusiasm, and drew from him expressions which I thought were imbodied in a few days afterwards in some well-written verses in a Charles- ton paper, on that far-famed unequal but successful con- flict against tyranny and oppression; and, suspecting my talented scholar to be the author, I went to his desk and asked him if he did not write them, and, hesitating at first, he rather blushingly confessed he did. I then said, ‘I knew you could do such things, and I suppose you have some such pieces by you, which I should like to see. Do bring them to me.’ He consented, and in a day or two brought me a number, which I read with pleasure and admiration at the strong marks of genius stamped on all, but here and there requiring, as I thought, a very slight amendment. “I had hired a mathematician to teach both him and my- self, (for I could not then teach that science,) and in this he also made such wonderful progress that at the end of one year he entered the junior class in Charleston College triumphantly, whilst others who had been studying four years and more were obliged to take the Sophomore class. About the end of the year 1828 I left Charleston, but I heard that he highly distinguished himself, and graduated in 1830. After that he taught mathematics for some time. His career afterwards has been one of heroic adventure, of hair-breadth escapes by flood and field, and of scientific explorations, which have made him world- wide renowned. In a letter I received from him very lately, he expresses his gratitude to me in the following words: ‘I am very far from either forgetting you or neglecting you, or in any way losing the old regard I had for you. There is no time to which I go back with more pleasure than that spent with you, for there was no time so thoroughly well spent; and of anything I may have learned, I remember nothing so well and so distinctly as what I acquired with you.’ Here I cannot help saying that the merit was almost all his own. It is true that I encouraged and cheered him on; but if the soil into which I put the seeds of learning had not been of the richest quality, they never would have sprung up to a hundred- fold in the full year. “Such, my young friends, is but an imperfect sketch of my once beloved and favorite pupil, now a senator, and who may yet rise to be at the head of this great and growing republic. My prayer is, that he may ever be opposed to war, injustice, and oppression of every kind, a blessing to his country, and an example of every noble virtue to the whole world.”
As many of our readers understand French, and might like to see the letters of the great Humboldt, the patriarch of science, and for fifty years at the head of the scientific world, and now in the eighty-second year of his age, we here give it in French, as copied from the original:
“Monsieur le Senateur: Il m’est bien doux, Mon- sieur, de vous adresser ces lignes par mon excellent ami, notre ministre aux Etats-Unis, M. de Gerolt. Après vou avoir donné dans la nouvelle édition de mes Tableaux de la Nature le témoignage publique de l’admiration qui est due à vos gigantesques travaux entre St. Louis du Mis- souri et les côtes de la mer du Sud, je me sens heureux de vous offrir, dans ce petit signe de vie, l’hommage de ma vive reconnaisance. Vous avez déployé un noble courage dans des expéditions lointaines, bravé tous les dangers des frimas et du manque de nouriture, enrichi toutes les parties de sciences naturelles, illustré un vaste pays qui nous était presque entièrement enconnu. Un mérite si rare a eté reconnu par un souverain, vivement interessé aux progrès de la géographie physique: le Roi m’ordonne de vous offrir lagrande médaille d’or, destinée à ceux qui ont travaillé à des progrès scientifiques. J’éspère que cette marque de la bienveillance royale vous sera agréable dans un moment, ou sur la proposition de l’illustre géographe Charles Ritter, la société de géographie résidant à Berlin vous a mommé pour membre hon- noraire. Quant à moi je dois vous remercier particulièr- ement aussi de l’honneur que vous m’avez fait d’attacher mon nom et celui de mon collaborateur et ami intime M. Bonpland à des contrées voisines de celles qui ont été l’objet de nos travaux. La Californie qui a noblement résisté à l’introduction de l’esclavage sera dignement rep- résentée par un ami de la liberté et des progrès de l’in- telligence. “Agreez, je vous prie, Monsieur le Sénateur, l’ex- pression de ma haute et affectueuse consideration.

“Votre t. h. et t. o. serviteur, “A. V. HUMBOLDT.

On the envelope thus addressed: “A Monsieur, “Monsieur le Colonel Frémont, Senateur. “Avec la grade médaille d’or “Pour les progrès dans les sciences. “Baron HUMBOLDT.”

The following is the English translation of Baron Humboldt’s letter:To Col. Fremont, Senator:
“It is very agreeable to me, sir, to address you these lines by my excellent friend, our Minister to the United States, Mr. de Gerolt. After having given you in the new edition of my ‘Aspects of Nature,’ the public testi- mony of the admiration which is due to your gigantic labors between St. Louis, of Missouri, and the coasts of the South Sea, I feel happy to offer you, in this living token, (dans ce petit signe de vie,) the homage of my warm acknowledgment. You have displayed a noble courage in distant expeditions, braved all the dangers of cold and famine, enriched all the branches of the natural sciences, illustrated a vast country which was almost en- tirely unknown to us. A merit so rare has been ac- knowledged by a sovereign warmly interested in the pro- gress of physical geography; the King orders me to offer you the grand golden medal destined to those who have labored at scientific progress. I hope that this mark of the royal good-will will be agreeable to you at a time when, upon the proposition of the illustrious geographer, (Chas. Ritter,) the Geographical Society at Berlin has named you an honorary member. For myself, I must thank you particularly, also, for the honor which you have done in attaching my name and that of my fellow- laborer and intimate friend, Mr. Bonpland, to countries neighboring to those which have been the object of our labors. California, which has so nobly resisted the in-|Spaltenumbruch| troduction of slavery, will be worthily represented by a friend of liberty and of the progress of intelligence. “Accept, I pray you, sir, the expression of my highand affectionate consideration.

“Your most humble and most obedient servant, “A. V. HUMBOLDT.

On the envelope thus addressed: “To Colonel Frémont, Senator. “With the great Golden Medal* “For progress in the sciences. “Baron HUMBOLDT.”

The following is the public testimony of the Baron’s admiration of the gigantic labors of Frémont, referred to in the letter, as contained in the new or third edition of his Aspects of Nature, and which, as a reference, be- comes a natural appendant to the letter: “Fremont’s map and geographical investigations com- prehend the extensive region from the junction of the Kanzas river with the Missouri to the falls of the Co- lumbia, and to the missions of Santa Barbara and Puebla de los Angeles, in New California, or a space of 28 de- grees of longitude, and from the 34th to the 45th parallel of latitude. Four hundred points have been determined hyposometrically by barometric observations, and, for the most part, geographically by astronomical observa- tions; so that a district which, with the windings of the route, amounts to 3,600 geographical miles from the mouth of the Kanzas to Fort Vancouver and the shores of the Pacific, (almost 720 miles more than the distance from Madrid to Tobolsk,) has been represented in profile, showing the relative heights above the level of the sea. As I was, I believe, the first person who undertook to rep- resent, in geognostic profile, the form of entire countries— such as the Iberian peninsula, the high lands of Mexico, and the Cordilleras of South America, (the semi-perspec- tive projections of a Siberian traveller, the Abbe Chappe, were founded on mere and generally ill-judged estimations of the fall of rivers)—it has given me pecu- liar pleasure to see the geographical method of represent- ing the form of the earth in a vertical direction, or the elevations of the solid portion of our planet above its watery covering, applied on so grand a scale as has been done in Frémont’s map.”

* The following is the description of the medal: Of finegold, massive, more than double the size of the Americandouble eagle, and of exquisite workmanship. On the faceis the medallion head of the King, Frederick William theFourth, surrounded by figures emblematical of Religion,Jurisprudence, Medicine, and the Arts. On the reverse,Apollo, in the chariot of the sun, drawn by four high-mettled plunging horses, traversing the zodiac, and dartingrays of light from his head.