To James Madison from Alexander von Humboldt, 13 November 1813
From Alexander von Humboldt
Paris ce 13 Nov 1813.
Monsieur le President,
Un jeune Americain plein d’esprit et d’amabilité Mr Dickins veut bien se charger de ces lignes pour Votre Excellence. Malgré l’interet dont Elle [sic] a daigné m’honorer pendant mon séjour a Washington, je n’oserois incommoder de nouveau le President des Etats Unis, s’il ne s’agissoit que de présenter l’hommage de mon admiration respectueuse au chef de la grande confederation americaine, au citoyen, ami des sciences et des hommes qui les cultivent! J’ai un autre interet qui tient aux Sentimens de l’amitié. J’ose recommander de nouveau à Votre Excellence le Consul americain Mr Warden. Nous savons que des bruits sinistres se sont répandus contre lui. Il ne m’appartient pas de les scruter, mais Mr Berthollet,1 Mr Gay Lussac,2 le General Lafayette et tant de personnes respectables de ce pays le connoissent comme moi, comme un homme simple, adonné aux sciences et incapable d’indelicatesse. Que je serois heureux si je pouvois penser que la voix d’un pauvre voyageur de l’Orenoque puisse être de quelque poids auprès de Votre Excellence! Je La supplie d’agreér l’expression de mon profond respect, et de la vive reconnoissance avec laquelle je serai toute ma vie Monsieur le President Votre trés humble et tres obeissant serviteur
Humboldt
CONDENSED TRANSLATION
A spirited and amiable young American, Mr. Dickins, has agreed to take charge of these lines for JM. Despite the interest with which JM honored Humboldt during his stay in Washington, would not dare to trouble the President again, if it were only to present his respects to the chief of the great American confederation, the friend of the sciences and of the men who cultivate them! Has another interest related to friendship. Again recommends to JM the American consul Mr. Warden. Knows that some sinister rumors have been spread against Warden. It is not Humboldt’s business to examine them, but Mr. Berthollet, Mr. Gay Lussac, General Lafayette, and many other respectable persons in France know Warden, as does Humboldt, to be a simple man, devoted to the sciences and incapable of indelicacy. Would be very happy to think that the voice of a poor traveler of the Orinoco could have some weight with JM!
RC (DLC).
1. Claude Louis Berthollet (1748–1822), a French chemist and physician, attempted to provide a new theoretical basis for the science of chemistry in his Essai de statique chimique, published in 1803. The ideas developed in the Essai, having to do with the effects of temperature, relative concentration, and quantity of reactants on chemical reactions, had their origin in observations Berthollet made in Egypt when he accompanied Napoleon there in 1798. A favorite of the First Consul, Berthollet was made a count and received several honorary offices in 1804. In 1807 he co-founded the scientific Société d’Arcueil, named for the Paris suburb in which he lived (Gillispie et al., Dictionary of Scientific Biography, 2:73–74, 77–78).
2. Joseph Louis Gay-Lussac (1778–1850), a protégé of Berthollet, collaborated with Humboldt in experiments with oxygen and measurements of magnetic intensity. He taught at the École Polytechnique, beginning in 1802, and was named professor of chemistry there in 1810; he was also professor of physics at the Paris Faculty of Science from 1808 to 1832 and a member of the Société d’Arcueil (ibid., 5:317–19).