The Invention of Nature

Chapter 9: Europe

1

frigate

Favorite

: AH to James Madison, 21 June 1804, Terra 1959, p.796.

2

AH’s collections: AH Geography 2009, p.86; Wulf 2008, p.195; AH, Aus Meinem Leben (1769–1850), Biermann 1987, p.104.

3

‘How I long to be’: AH to Jean Baptiste Joseph Delambre, 25 November 1802, Bruhns 1873, vol.1, p.324.

4

‘I’m so new that’: AH to Carl Freiesleben, 1 August 1804, AH Letters America 1993, p.310.

5

AH chose Paris: AH, Aus Meinem Leben (1769–1850), in Biermann 1987, p.104.

6

two elephants: Stott 2012, p.189.

7

Paris under Napoleon: Horne 2004, p.162ff.; Marrinan 2009, p.298; John Scott, 1814, Scott 1816; Thomas Dibdin, 16 June 1818, Dibdin 1821, vol.2, pp.76–9.

8

‘as if their houses’: Robert Southey to Edith Southey, 17 May 1817, Southey 1965, vol.2, p.162.

9

‘philosophers’ and ‘grimaciers’: John Scott, 1814, Scott 1816, pp.98–9.

10

‘devoted solely to enjoyment’: Ibid., p.116.

11

‘eternal agitation’: Thomas Dibdin, 16 June 1818, Dibdin 1821, vol.2, p.76.

12

classes and reading: John Scott, 1814, Scott 1816, pp.68, 125.

13

‘a discourse on some’: Ibid., p.84.

14

Gay-Lussac reached 23,000 feet: AH Geography 2009, p.136; AH Geography 1807, p.176.

15

AH shared room with Gay-Lussac: Casper Voght, 16 March 1808, Voght 1959–65, vol.3, p.116; see also Bruhns 1873, vol.2, p.6.

16

‘risen from the dead’: Goethe to WH, 30 July 1804, Goethe’s Day 1982–96, vol.4, p.511; AH as president of the Berlin Academy, Christian Gottfried Körner to Friedrich Schiller, 11 September 1804, Schiller Letters 1943–2003, vol.40, p.246.

17

CH in Paris: Geier 2010, p.237; Gersdorff 2013, p.108ff.

18

a ‘fantastical creature’: WH to CH, 29 August 1804, WH CH Letters 1910–16, vol.2, p.232.

19

‘as if he had only left’: CH to WH, 28 August 1804, ibid., p.231.

20

his ‘Deutschheit’: CH to WH, 22 August 1804, ibid., p.226.

21

‘one has to honour’: WH to CH, 29 August 1804, ibid., p.232.

22

never see Berlin again: AH to WH, 28 March 1804, quoted in WH to CH, 6 June 1804, ibid., p.182.

23

only ‘pulled faces’: CH to WH, 12 September 1804, ibid., p.249.

24

‘The fame is greater’: AH to WH, 14 October 1804, Biermann 1987, p.178.

25

Bonpland to La Rochelle: Beck 1959–61, vol.2, p.1.

26

AH at Académie: 19, 24 September and 15, 29 October 1804, AH Letters America 1993, p.15.

27

‘unites a whole Académie’: Claude Louis Berthollet about AH, in AH to WH, 14 October 1804, Biermann 1987, p.179.

28

critics now enthusiastic: AH to WH, 14 October 1804, ibid., p.178.

29

‘night and day form’: George Ticknor, April 1817, AH Letters USA 2004, p.516.

30

AH’s results used by others: AH to WH, 14 October 1804, Biermann 1987, p.179.

31

AH shared specimens: AH to Dietrich Ludwig Gustav Karsten, 10 March 1805, Bruhns 1873, vol.1, p.350.

32

pension for Bonpland: AH to WH, 14 October 1804, Biermann 1987, p.179; Bruhns 1873, vol.1, p.398; AH to Jardin des Plantes, 1804, Schneppen 2002, p.10.

33

AH missed South America: AH to Carl Freiesleben, 1 August 1804, AH Letters America 1993, p.310.

34

Bolívar and AH met: Arana 2013, p.57; Heiman 1959, pp.221–4.

35

AH introduced by Montúfar (footnote): Arana, 2013, p.57; AH, January 1800, AH Diary 2000, p.177.

36

Bolívar in Paris: Lynch 2006, p.22ff.; Arana 2013, p.53ff.

37

Bolívar’s teeth: O’Leary 1969, p.30.

38

Bolívar visited AH: Arana 2013, p.58; Heiman 1959, p.224.

39

AH painted with vivid colours: Bolívar to AH, 10 November 1821, Minguet 1986, p.743.

40

AH, Bolívar and revolutions: AH to Bolívar, 29 July 1822, ibid., pp.749–50.

41

‘hypocritical tyrant’: Arana 2013, p.59.

42

no leader for colonists: AH to Bolívar, 1804, Beck 1959, pp.30–31.

43

‘strong as God’: Bolívar to AH in Paris, 1804, AH Diary 1982, p.11.

44

desire for independence: Recounted by AH to Daniel F. O’Leary, 1853, Beck 1969, p.266; AH saw O’Leary in April 1853 in Berlin, AH to O’Leary, April 1853, MSS141, Biblioteca Luis Ángel Arango, Bogotá (my thanks go to Alberto Gómez Gutiérrez at Pontificia Universidad Javeriana Bogotá for making me aware of this manuscript).

45

‘government of distrust’: AH, 4 January–17 February 1803, ‘Colonies’, AH Diary 1982, p.65.

46

enthusiasm for Washington and Franklin: AH Personal Narrative 1814–29, vol.3, p.196.

47

racial divisions in colonies: AH, 4 January–17 February 1803, ‘Colonies’, AH Diary 1982, p.65.

48

‘white republic’: AH, 25 February 1800, ibid., p.255.

49

Bonpland encouraged Bolívar: AH to Daniel F. O’Leary, 1853, Beck 1969, p.266.

50

‘a time when we’: AH to Bolívar, 29 July 1822, Minguet 1986, p.749.

51

AH too quick in judgement: AH to Johann Leopold Neumann, 23 June 1791, AH Letters 1973, p.142.

52

exposing people’s missteps: Carl Voght, 14 February 1808, Voght 1959–67, vol.3, p.95.

53

‘pasta king’: AH to Varnhagen, 9 November 1856, Biermann and Schwarz, 2001b, no page numbers.

54

declared ‘a glacier’: AH to Ignaz von Olfers, after 19 December 1850, ibid.

55

gentleness and vulnerability: WH to CH, 18 September 1804, WH CH Letters 1910–16, vol.2, p.252.

56

letter written in French: WH to CH, 6 June 1804, ibid., p.183.

57

‘demonstrations of sentiments’: CH to WH, 4 November 1804, ibid., p.274.

58

serious letter to AH: CH to WH, 3 September 1804, ibid., p.238.

59

‘leave him by himself’: CH to WH, 16 September 1804, see also WH to CH, 18 September 1804, ibid., pp.250, 252.

60

‘all European countries’: CH to WH, 28 August 1804, ibid., p.231.

61

‘just the right man’: AH to John Vaughan, 10 June 1805, Terra 1958, p.562ff.

62

AH’s ideas for books: AH to Marc-Auguste Pictet, 3 February 1805, Bruhns 1873, vol.1, pp.345–7; AH to Carl Ludwig Willdenow, 21 February 1801, Biermann 1987, p.171–2.

63

carpenter and table top: Terra 1955, p.219; Podach 1959, p.209.

64

AH left Paris: Bruhns 1873, vol.1, p.351.

65

AH crossing the Alps: Ibid.; AH to Archibald Maclean, 6 November 1791, AH Letters 1973, p.157.

66

AH in Rome: WH CH Letters 1910–16, vol.2, p.298; AH to Aimé Bonpland, 10 June 1805, Bruhns 1873, vol.1, p.352.

67

WH and CH’s house: Gersdorff 2013, p.93ff.

68

Leopold von Buch: Werner 2004, p.115ff.

69

Bolívar walked to Italy: O’Leary 1915, p.86; Arana 2013, p.61ff.

70

Bolívar ‘a dreamer’: AH to Daniel F. O’Leary, 1853, Beck 1969, p.266

71

‘great wisdom and’: Vicente Rocafuerte to AH, 17 December 1824, Rippy and Brann 1947, p.702.

72

Bolívar as a ‘fabulist’: Rodríguez 2011, p.67; see also Werner 2004, pp.116–17.

73

eruption Vesuvius: Elisa von der Recke, Diary 13 August 1805, Recke 1815, vol.3, p.271ff.

74

‘compliment that Vesuvius’: Mr Chenevix about AH, Charles Bladgen to Joseph Banks, 25 September 1805, Banks 2007, vol.5, p.452.

75

‘asteroid next to’: AH to Aimé Bonpland, 1 August 1805, Heiman 1959, p.229.

76

Bolívar at Monte Sacro: Arana 2013, p.65ff.

77

‘I have broken the’: Bolívar’s vow, Rippy and Brann 1947, p.703.