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Alexander von Humboldt: „A letter from Humboldt on the death of Bonpland“, in: ders., Sämtliche Schriften digital, herausgegeben von Oliver Lubrich und Thomas Nehrlich, Universität Bern 2021. URL: <https://humboldt.unibe.ch/text/1858-Neueste_Nachrichten_ueber-11-neu> [abgerufen am 13.02.2026].
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| Titel | A letter from Humboldt on the death of Bonpland | ||||
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| Jahr | 1858 | ||||
| Ort | New York City, New York | ||||
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Nachweis in: New-York Daily Tribune 18:5394 (5. August 1858), S. 3.
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| Sprache | Englisch | ||||
| Typografischer Befund | Antiqua; Spaltensatz; Auszeichnung: Kursivierung. | ||||
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|Seitenumbruch|
The Berlin correspondent of The Boston Journalsends the following letter of Alexander von Humboldt,on the recent death of Bonpland, his junior by aboutfour years. Humboldt hoped he might not survivethe warmest friend of his early years, but it seems tobe the destiny of this venerable man to follow all hisfriends to the grave, and to remain himself the solerepresentative of the times of his youth.Conscious of the deep sympathy of numerous friendsin the sorrow occasioned by the
wide-spread report ofthe death of my dear, noble friend and
fellow-trav-eler, Bonpland, I consider it my duty to give at
leasta brief notice of this event, for the particulars ofwhich I
am indebted to the kind services of Dr. Lalle-mant, author of an
important paper on the diseasesof Europeans in the tropics. This
talented gentle-man, after leaving the Austrian Royal Expedition
inthe frigate Novara, in February of this year, for thepurpose of
doing a kindness to myself, made thejourney from Rio Janeiro to Rio
Grande, and thenceby way of Porto Alegro through the former
JesuitMission to San Borgia, under the erroneous impres-sion that
Bonpland, who had gone there in 1831, wasstill resident at that place.
I have received two lettersfrom Dr. Lallemant, one dated at San Borgia
on the10th of April, the other written from the village
ofUmguaiana, after he had visited Bonpland at SantaAna. An
extended abstract of these letters havingbeen sent to the editor of the
widely-read and inter-esting botanical jonrnal, the Bonplandia, in Hanover,the following briefer extracts may
here suffice.“In San Borgia,” writes Dr. Lallemant, “I livedwith an intimate friend
of Bonpland, the Vicar Gray,with whom I visited the garden of the
botanist, solong cultivated with care, but now lying waste
anddesolate. It was near the close of the year 1857 thatthe Vicar
last received letters from Bonpland, sincewhen intelligence had come of
his severe illness.Letters of inquiry still remained unanswered,
andnotwithstanding the short distance between theplaces, the
people of San Borgia were uncertainwhether I should find your fellow
travellers yet inthe land of the living. In 1853 Bonpland had
leftSan Borgia and taken up his residence upon hislarger
plantation of Santa Ana, where he had longoccupied himself in the
cultivation of orange trees.The residence of the aged scholar in the
Estanciaof Santa Ana, consists of two large buildings,mere clay
walls, bound together by bamboo sticksand a few beams, and thatched
with straw. Thesebuildings have doors, but no windows, the light
beingadmitted through the chinks between the bam-boo sticks.
Despite the deep furrows which an event-ful life had engraven in the
beloved countenance, hiseye had not grown dim nor lost any of its
full-thoughted vivacity. But lively conversation, thoughstarted by
himself, appeared to weary him much, andhe suffered severely from a
chronic affection of thebladder. The privations he had so strangely
im-posed upon himself are by no means in consequenceof poverty, or
of any necessity for abstinence, but oflong custom, great self-control,
and characteristic in-dividuality. The Government of Corrientes has
pre-sented to him an estate valued at 10,000 Spanish pias-ters,
and he enjoys a French pension of 3,000 francsa year. He has never made
the practice of medi-cine a source of pecuniary profit to himself.
Thoughuniversally revered, he loves the solitude, and espe-cially
avoids all persons who might offer him assist-ance or advice. His
scientific ardor has not yetabated, and his collections and manuscripts
are depos-ited in Corrientes, where he has founded a
nationalmuseum.“On the following morning I found him visiblyworse, and sinking away. The night had
been apainful one. I pressed him to tell me whether Imight not, in
some way, be of service to him. ButI fared no better than his other
friends—he would ac-cept of no assistence. How gladly would I
have per-suaded him to return once more to civilized society!But
I, too, felt with him that his time was past. Hebelongs to the first
half of the nineteenth century,not to the second. I think that your
friend himselfwas moved when I took his wasted hands in mine
withthe pressure of farewell. For three months now hisattendants have remarked
his failing strength, andperhaps the old man had the same foreboding as
my-self at parting, that I might be the last ambassador ofEuropean lineage who should penetrate the depths ofthe
wilderness to offer him regard, love and thanks, inthe name of that
science which owes so much to hislabors. I mounted my horse and rode
northwardthrough the evergreen plains. No path showed myway, no
guide disturbed me; I was alone with my sor-rowful thoughts over the
departed Bonpland.“Yet how cheerful the last latter I received fromBonpland, bearing date the 7th of June, 1857! ‘Imyself,’ he writes, ‘shall bring all my collections and‘manuscripts to Paris, and deposit them in the Muse-‘um. My journey to France will be exceedingly short.‘I shall return to my Santa Ana, where I lead a quiet‘and happy life. Here shall I die, and my sepulchre‘and my grave shall be underneath the shadow of the‘many trees I have planted. Oh, how happy were I,‘my dear Humboldt, could we meet once more, and‘recall our common experiences! On the 28th of‘August next I shall be eighty-four years old, and am‘yet four years younger than you. A man lately died‘in this vicinity who had attained the age of one hun-‘dred and seven. What a prospect for two travelers‘who have already stepped beyond the eightieth‘year!’”The cheering, almost life-desiring tone of this letter,contrasts strangely with the
melancholy representa-tions of Dr. Lallemant. According to Herr v.
Tschudithe report was credited in Montevideo on the 29th ofMay,
that Bonpland had died at Borgia, the date ofhis death uncertain. Yet
Dr. Lallemant had spokenwith him on the 18th of April in Santa Ana, and
onMay 10 the report of his death was discredited atPorto Allegro.
Thus there yet remains ground forhope that the younger is not to be
first called away.Such remoteness often stretches uncertainty to a
pain-ful duration; such the solicitude felt for Edward Vogelin
Central Africa, and for Adolphus Schlagintwait inCentral
Asia—the sorrowfully missed!Berlin, July 12, 1858.
A LETTER FROM HUMBOLDT ON THEDEATH OF BONPLAND.
The Berlin correspondent of The Boston Journalsends the following letter of Alexander von Humboldt,on the recent death of Bonpland, his junior by aboutfour years. Humboldt hoped he might not survivethe warmest friend of his early years, but it seems tobe the destiny of this venerable man to follow all hisfriends to the grave, and to remain himself the solerepresentative of the times of his youth.
humboldt’s letter.
ALEXANDER V. HUMBOLDT.