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PERSONAL. Celebrated European Chess-players. —The two celebrities, Morphy and Herr Harnvitz, met and shook hands. Morphy immediately asked the Prussian champion if lie would consent to play a match? Everybody in England was loud in praise of Harrwitz's skill, and prophesied a tough encounter. There was reason in this; for the Prussian player has given himself up, body and ! soul, to the game. Throughout the first game, Harnvitz display ed the most rollicking contempt for his antagon ist, and at the conclusion, wheu Morphy resign ed he rose from his seat, stretehed across the table, and taking the latter by the hand, he felt his pulse, and declared to the crowd: “ Well, it is astonishing! His pulse does not beat any faster than if he had won the game!” Every body was disgusted at such a contemptuous pro ceeding, but Morphy took it all as though it were a part of the match. Staunton's literary avoca tions now permit him but an kour or two weekly for chess, although formerly he lived in the Lon don Divan, as Harnvitz in the Regence, and was so rabid about Caissa, that ho actually wore shirts with kings, rooks, pawns, etc., printed over the bosoms and arms. Saint Amant was never a professional chess player, merely regard ing it as a pastime. Anderssen is absorbed in mathematics at the Breslau Gymnasium; Hey derbrandt's diplomatic career engages nearly his entire attention; Buckle has forgotton his former love; Boden, Bird, Medley, Walker, Mongredieu, Slous, Kipping, l)e lliciere, Laroche , are engaged in mercantile pursuits; Lowe is getting rich with his hotel; Horivitz is painting; Kling is a pro fessor of music; and so on, with nearly all the European players. Harnvitz is the only man I know of who seems to live for chess, and we can, therefore, easily understand why Morphy was so desirous of playing him. Loioenthal's duties as chess editor, and analyst, prevent his giving much time to play, and although he devotes a certain period weekly to the contests at the Lon don, St. George’s, and St. James’ Clubs, he sel dom contends for any stakes. His business led him twice a year to Vienna, and on those occa sions he improved his play with the amateurs of the Carle des Ecliecs of "that capital. In 1846, ho won a match of Hampe, beating him nearly two to one. About the same jicriod he visited Breslau, and won a majority of games (off-hand) from Anderssen. He then steered for Berlin, “the city of the seven stars”— Heyderbrandt, Bledoio, Bilguer, Ilanstein, Mayet , Horwitz, and Mendheim. The first of these paladins was ab sent from the capital, but Herr L. met him sulv sequently at Vienna, and Heyderbrandt won a majority of games. With Ilanstein, Lowenthal effected an even result, but got the better of Mayet. In Von Der Lasa's absence, Bledow was incontestably the strongest player of the club; but Bledow was jealous of his reputation, and declined opposing the Hungarian, until strongly urged by the mem tiers. Herr Lowen thal states that Bledow evinced the greatest generosity. Having a certainly-won game, but not wishing to damp a young reputation by de feat, he said: “ Oh, I suppose it can only lie a drawn game,” and forthwith made a move which allowed his antagonist to escape and draw the contest. Not many Bledows in this world I— (Morphy in Europe.) Professor Agassiz. —“ May Ibe permitted,” said the distinguished Professor when addressing upon a late occasion, a select Boston audience, “may I be permitted to relate here an anecdote personal to myself in connection with Baron Humboldt ? It exhibits the unostentatious gen erosity and benevolence of the man. I was only twenty-four years of age when in Paris, whither I had gone with means jjiven to me by a friend; but was at last about to resign my studies from want of ability to meet my ex penses. Prof. Mitscherlieh was then on a visit in Paris, and I had seen him in the morning, wheu he had ask me what was the cause of my depressed feelings; and I told him that I had to go, for I had nothing left. The next morning, as I was seated at breakfast in front of the yard of the hotel where I lived, I saw the servant of Humboldt approach. He handed me a note, saying there was no answer, and disappeared, I opened the note, and I see it now before me ns distinctly as if I held the paper in my hand. It said: “My friend, I hear that you intend leaving Paris in consequence of some embarrassments. That shall not be. I wish you to remain here as long ns the object for which you came is not ac complished. I inclose you a check of fifty pounds. It is a loan which you may repay wheu you can.” Some years afterwards when I could liavo re paid him, I wrote, asking for the privilege of remaining forever in his debt, knowing that this request would l>e more consonant to his feelings than the recovery of the money, and I am now in his debt. What he has done for me, I know he has done for many others—in silence and unknown to the world. Piccolomivi. —Among the passengers by the Vanderbilt from New York on Saturday morn ing was the prima donna Piecolomini, with the family, consisting of the paternal Piecolomini, the portly dowager, Mrs. Piecolomini, and the jietite and captivating sister Piecolomini. The little prima donna was honored by an escort of admirers, who almost rivalled the Hibernian en thusiasm of the Dublin students in notieeing her departure. She is gone: but after such a reception as she has had from us, it is not to la? presumed that she left us forever. It becomes, therefore, a mat ter of some interest to settle that much-mooted point, the pronunciation of her name. There are three modes of pronouncing the name, common in this country viz: Picco low meny. Pieco tow meny. Piccolo mee ny. Which is the correct mode of pronouncing this Italian name ? A gentleman who has resided some time in Italy, and who is a complete Ital ian scholar, writes in reply to a note of our's ask ing his opinion upon the question, as follows: “Piecolomini, unless, with woman’s well— known perversity and natural spirit of contradic tion, she chooses to run counter to the genius of her native language, pronounces her name with the accent upon the penultimate i, e, Piecolomini. It is quite possible, however, that, as the histo ry of her family has much to do with Austria, and Germany generally, a pronunciation, not Ital ian, may have been given in past time to the name, and retained up to the present time. I know of no Italian words, indeed, excepting those borrowed from foreign languages, and those tak en from the Latin, endmg in as, or us, that have their accent upon any other syllable than the penul timate." ■ ■! Rev. Dr. Stiles. —At the late meeting of the General Synod of the (N. S.) Presbyterian Church at Lynchburg, it was resolved to establish a Theological Seminary at Charlottesville, in the neighborhood of the University, and Rev. Joseph C. Stiles, D. D., now of New Haven, was unan imously elected Professor qf Systematic and i Pastoral Theology. IKK SQVWRBSS VXB&9 JUTO *X»BBX9B. [Written for the Southern Field and Fireside.] THE ORPHAN SISTERS. BY COUSIN JESSIE. “ Will you not loop baek the curtain Sister, and let in some of the sweet sunshine, and I balmy air upon me ?” exclaimed the sweet voice I ! of Amy Moreland, one afternoon, when the sun- j shine was gilding the old church spire, and rest ing, like a halo of glory, upon the heads of tlie i little children assembled upon the village green. ; Amy Moreland, the subject of this simple i sketch, was lying upon a couch of pain from which she was never to rise. She had a spinal ' disease; and for the last three years had lain ; where we find her now. Laying down her needle-work, Etfie immedia tely arose, andgathered baek the lace curtains into tlie golden hands that stood waiting to receive them, then, rolling the couch close be side the window, she stooped down, and softly and lovingly kissed the fair forehead of the in valid. Siie was very beautiful to look upon, as she la}' so patiently and calmly there, her face as white as tlie pillars upon which her head rested. Her luxuriant golden curls were lifted from the blue veined temples by tlie light winds, and her long lashes swept her cheeks as slio lay, with half closed eyeS! and folded hands, drinking in the air which eame through the casement, laden with the breath of a thousand flowers. “ Sister, I should like to die on a sweet April ! afternoon like this, everything seems so calm, j and quiet; and when I shut my eyes, I can fan cy that I can almost hear the whispers of the An gels !” “Oh! Amy Idon't talk about dying,” exclaimed Effie, passionately, “I cannot bear it! what would Ido without you ? When I sec you lying there in so much pain, I know w'hat a release death would be to you; but I cannot, oh! I cannot give you up! You are the light, and life of my life, my crowning joy; there would be no sunshine in the world for me, without you!” and with a burst of emotion which she could not suppress, she cov ered her face with her hands, and wept convul sively. “Eflle, dear Sister!” began Amy; but the ef fort was too much for her, and sinking back up on her pillows she fainted. “Oh! what have I done in my selfish sorrow,” exclainied|Effie, wringing her hands over the death-like form of her sister, then, hastily run ning for the restoratives which she usually ap plied, she chafed her icy hands, and feet, calliug upon her in tones of agony not to leave her. Roused by her sister’s tones, Amy’s eyes un closed, and the gentle smile stole again into the sweet face. “Sit down by me, Sister, and hold my hand, and let me talk to you. I have something to tell you, and now, while I feel stronger and (let ter, I should like to say it.” “You say you are stronger and better Amy,” exclaimed Efiie eagerly, perhaps you will loss the pain entirely, and get quite well again.” “Yes Efiie, I shall soon be quite well again; soon the pain will leave me, entirely, but I shall then be in that bright land, where the flowers never wither, and where the spring-time never ends—where pain and sorrow never come—even the New Jerusalem!” she added solemnly: “And just think Efliio! we know there will be no more partings there, and the Lamb himself shall wipe away all our tears.” The large tears gathered into Effie’s eyes, but she cautiously restrained her feelings. She continued —“ Effie sister, I know that wheu I am gone, you will be in the world with no near earthly friend, but God will lie witli you, even as He has been with me, during tlie days of my weary pilgrimage. And now my sweet sister, you must lot mo thank you for all the care you have taken of me. Kiss me! Effie.” Her sister aro.se, and threw her arms convulsive ly around the neck of the sick one. “ Near the heart so near to breaking, Lay the heart so near its rest” “And now, I think I should like to sleep,” she added, and closing her eyes languidly she fell into a quiet slumber. Kffio watched her, as her face grew brighter and brighter, until it assuror 1 pn almost un earthly radiance. Findin the .stillness too op pressive for her busting heart, , ‘ was on the point of rising to call some o ■ to watch with her, when Amy sudden!, ipened her eyes ex claimiug: “Efiie! sister! Mama has eorae for me! I hear the music of her golden harp! The gates of pearl are open! Look! Look! Effie, come too! Jesus take us both!” and sinking baek upon her pillow, she closed her eyes never to open them again upon this Sinful earth. Tearlessly, and like one in a dream, Efiie ar rayed her for her burial. She combed for the last time the golden curls back from the white forehead; she pressed the delicately veined lids over the blue eyes that had never rested upon her save in love ; she closed the beautiful lips, and meekly crossed the pale thin hands over tlie quiet breast, placing a white rose-bud lietweon the marble fingers. Then, as though the reality of her lonely position burst upon her for the first time, she sunk down beside the bed, and stretch ed forth her hands witli a mournful wail that start led the passers by. “ Amy! Amy!” Her cry was heard by tlie Lord of Sabbaoth, and he granted the desire of her heart. When the villagers entered the house the next morning, they found Effie Moreland kneeling, ap parently sleeping, by tlie side of her dead sister. They went to awaken her, but they soon found | that she slept, “tlie sleep that knows no waking.” The kind hands of friends arrayed her for burial, and the two sisters were deposited in the same grave. Very soon there appeared in the old church-yard a white slab, bearing the names, and ages of “Effie and Amy Moreland,” with this simple inscription: “They were lovely and pleasant in their lives, and in death they were not divided.” Cousin Jessie. Charleston, S. C., May 9th, 1859. nmu * • I Scotch Marriages.— There are too sorts of Scotch marriages, regular and irregular. The former are proceeded by publications of banns in parish kirk (not episcojial church) of the place where one of the parties has previously resided, and the marriage is afterwards registered in such kirk. In such case a certificate of registry may bo obtained by application to tlie parish clerk of such kirk, of course on payment of a small fee.— As to the irregular marriages, they may be con tracted, as is well known, without any formali ties—simply by the couple acknowledging them selves as man and wife liefore any witnesses, or by living together as man and wife, permanent ly. Sneh marriages exclude the idea of any reg istration at all. But “the blacksmith” at Grent na, Green and’other persons on the border, who were accustomed to assist runaway couples in perpetrating irregular matches, merely by wit nessing them, were accustomed to enter their names in a book. The excellent statute lately passed, requiring a certain length of residence in Scotland previous to marriages of the latter class, has now made them a matter of past history.— Holes and Querries. i BARON HUMBOLDT. "When announcing, in the first number of the j | Field and Fireside the*death of Baron Humboldt, j it was promised that a biographic sketch of this j illustrious naturalist and traveler slioirM appear j in a subsequent number of the pa]»er. That pro j mise is redeemed to-day. The notice below is ! compHed from various sketches of Humboldt's | life that have been published since his death, | from “The Men of the Times,” and front the En elycopcedia Americana. The critical remarks up- I on the character and works of Hum'whit are : ! taken chiefly from the Eulogy recently pronoun- j I cedbv PitOF. Louis Agassiz, before the Acad- j | euty of Arts and Sciences in Boston: than whom ■ no one can l>e more competent to speak with au thority, in all matters appertaining to the dis tinguished savant whose death the civilized world is now deploring. Frederick Heinrich Alexander Vox Hum boldt, (a younger brother of Charles William, j Baron of Humboldt, a Prussian Minister of State j and distinguished literary man) was born in Ber- 1 lin (Prussia) 14th September 17 G 9. His career was one of extraordinary intellee- ■ tual and physical activity. His early academ ical studies were pursued at Gottingen and Frankfort on the Oden He afterwards attended a commercial school in Hamburg. In 1790 hav j ing reached the age of 21, lie, in company with a ! couple of friends visited England, Holland, Bel gium and the Rhine. In 1793 appeared as the result of this tour, his “ Observations on the ba salt on the Rhine.” It was his intention origin ally to devote himself to commercial pursuits. Hence his studies at Hamburg. But his incli nation strongly tended to the study of the Phy sical Sciences: and as early as 1791 he yielded to this inclination by placing himself for the study of Mining and Botany at the school of Mines at Freyburg. The acquaintance of Sir Joseph Banks, and the enthusiasm of one of his companions, who had made a voyage to the South Sea, awakened the desire for visiting tropical regions, and gave a coloring to his future life. In 1792, he was appointed assessor in the mining and smelting department, and soon after removed to Baireuth, as overseer of the mines in Franconia. Here he introduced many improve ments, and likewise made valuable galvanic ex periments, an account of which was published at Berlin, in two volumes, i? 1796. In 1793, he had given up his office in Baireuth, from his de sire to travel, and during that year, he visited Italy and Switzerland. In 1797, he went to Paris with his brother. There he formed the acquaintance of Aime Bonpland, a pupil of the Medical School and Botanic Garden of Paris. And now revived his cherished desire to make a grand scientific tour in the tropical regions of America. The death of his mother, in 1796, had removed one of the most serious obstacles to the realization of this desire. He had pur sued, with a view to this, a thorough course of study in the application of astronomy to geogra phy, and in meteorological observations. He went with Bonpland into Spain, and the friends passed the winter of 1798 in Madrid. This was, in fact, the turning point of his life. Such a fa vorable impression did ho make on the Spanish authorities, that ho received permission to visit at pleasure any of the Spanish possessions in America or the Indian Ocean, with a guarantee of the free use of his astronomical instruments, and of no restraint in the collection of specimens in natural science. On the 4th of June, 1799, Humboldt and Bonp laud sailed from Corunna, and on the 19th land ed at Santa Cruz, Teneriffe. Here the)' made some observations in regard to the Peak of Tene riffe, and then sailed for America, arriving at Cumana on the 16tli of July. He explored Venezuela, made a scientific ex ploration of the Orinoco, and after other valuable researches in that country, visited Havana, Re turning, ho continued his expedition southward ly, and in January, 1802, arrived in Quito, the highest point ever attained on Chimborazo, crossed the path of the Andes, and thoroughly explored Peru; thence to Acapulco, and from there to Mexico, again to Havana, where he re mained for two mouths, gathering and arranging the materials for his “Political Essay on Cuba,” (Paris, 1826). He next directed his attention to the United States, and, accompanied by Bonp land, visited Philadelphia and Washington, where he was treated with distinguished attention by President Jefferson, and, after a brief sojourn, sailed for Bordeaux in July, 1804. The travel ers had spent about two months in Philadelphia and Washington. In America he had made very large and valuable collections of scientific objects in botany, zoology, geography, statistics, and ethnography. His researches in these vari ous departments have already been given to the world. Returning to Europe, a most brilliant career lay before him. He accompanied Prince Wil liam of Prussia, in 1807, on a political mission to France, where he pursued his literary avoca tions. In 1818, he visited Italy, with Gay-Lussac, and in 1826, traveled in England. He then returned to Berlin, where he enjoyed the personal favor and intimacy of Ins Sovereign; was made a Councillor of State; and was en trusted with more than one diplomatic mission. Iu 1829, he was commissioned by the Kin ! peror Nicholas to make an expedition to the j Altai and Ural Mountains, with a view to ex amining thcTmineral treasures of those regions. In May, 1830, he attended the Crown Prince | of Prussia to the last Diet of Warsaw, and soon j after was with the Ring at Teplitz; and on the accession of Louis Pliiiippe, was commissioned j by Frederic William 111, to acknowledge the j new dynasty at Paris, and to_forward political ; intelligence from that capital to Berlin. He re- j eeived many similar commissions within the j course of the next twelve years, which required i him to spend a considerable portion of his time iu Paris. Since 1842, he has resided at Berlin, engaged in the preparation of “Cosmos," which sums up the observations of a long life on what may be termed the “ Harmonies of the Universe,” re ceiving visits from strangers of every nation, who were atracted by his scientific fame, carry - | ing on an extensive correspondence with men of ! learning in various departments of research, and elierishing the curiosity of youth with regard to every new discovery and phenomenon in the realms of nature. This great man who was in many respects one of the most remarkable men of the nine teenth century, died in Berlin on the 6 May 1859, having, tints, very nearly attained the ex treme old age of ninety years. His death was not unexpected; for ill-health had been upon him for some time, and it was known that the infirmities of age were fast weakening the ties j of life. He predicted, we believe, his demise this year, and the prediction is now verified.— France is honoring his memory in an especial manner. One of the last acts of Napoleon 111, i before leaving Paris recently to take command ; of the army of Italy, was, at the instance of his minister of State, to order by imperial decree that a marble statue of Humboldt, be immedia tly executed to be placed in the great Historical Museum at Versailles. In his critical remarks upon the cliaraeter and scientific labours of Humboldt Prof. Agassiz, in the eulogy above rofered to, says, The “Views of Nature” i« a work which num- Istldt Ims always cherished, and to which in his : "Cosmos" he refers more frequently than to any j other work. It is, no doubt, because there he had expressed his deepest thoughts, his most [ impressive views, and even fore-sliadowed those i intimate convictions which he never expressed, I but which he desired to record in such a manner ; that those that can read between the line might find them there; and certainly here wo find them. His aspiration has been to present to the world a picture of the physical world from which lie would exclude everything that relates to the turmoil of human society, and to the ambitious individual man. A life so full, so rich, is worth j explaining in every respect, and it is really in ! struetive to see with what devotion lie pursues 1 his work. As long as he is a student he is real | ly a student, and learns faithfully, and learns j everything he can reach. And lie continues so for twenty-three years. (Jo is not one of those who is impatient to show that he has something in him, and with prcniature impatience, utters his ideas, so that they become insuperable bar riers to his independent progress in later life.— , Slow and confident of his sure progress, he ad vances, and while he learns, he studies also inde pendently of those who teach him. He makes his experiments, and to make them with more independence, he seeks for an official position. During five years, he is a business man, in a station that gives him leisure. He is Superin tendant of the Mines, but the Superintendant of the Mines who can do much as he pleases; and while he is thus officially engaged journeying and superintending, he prepares himself for his inde pendent researches. And yet it will be seen he is thirty years of age before ho enters upon his American travels, those travels which will be said to have been the greatest undertaking ever carried to a successful issue, if judged by the re sults; they have as completely changed the basis of physical science as the revolution which took place in France about the same time has chang ed the social condition of that land. Having re turned from these travels to Paris, there begins in his life a period of concentrated critical stu dies. It is not too much to say that his mode of re presenting natural phenomena has made it j»s sible to introduce iu our most elementary works the broad generalizations derived from the in vestigation of Humboldt in South America; and that every child in our schools lias its mind fed from the labors of Humboldt's brain, wherever geography is no longer taught in the old routine. Having completed his American labors, Hum boldt published three works partly connected with his investigations in America, and partly with his further studies in Europe since his re turn, and among others, a book, which first ap peared as a paper in the “ Dictionnaire des Sciences Naturelles,” but of which separate co pies were printed under the title of“Essai sur la Constitution des Roches dans les deux Hemis pheres.” This work has been noticed to the ex tent which it deserved by only one geologist, Elie de Beaumont. No other seems to have seen what there is in that paper, for there Hum boldt shows, for the first time, that while organ ic nature is the same ail the world over—granite is granite, and basalt, basalt, and limestone and saudstono, limestone and sandstono wherever it is found—there is everywhere a difference in the organized world, so that the distribution of ani mals and plants represents the most diversified aspect in different countries. This at once ex plains to us why physical science may make such rapid progress in new countries, while botany and zoology have to go through a long process of preparation before they can become popular in regions but recently brought under the bene ficial miluenees of civilization. For while w e need no books of our own upon astronomy, che mistry, physics and mineralogy, wo have to grope in the dark while studying our plants and animals, until the most common ones become as familiar to us as the common animals of the fields in tno old countries. The distinctions which exists in the material basis of scientific culture in different parts of the world are first made evident by this work. By two happily chosen words Humboldt has presented at once the results of our knowledge in geology at the time, in a most remarkable manner. He speaks there of “ independent formations.” Who, liefore Humboldt, thought there were successive periods in the history of our glolie which were independent one from another'’ There was iu the mind of geologists only a form er and a present world. Those words express ing the thought and expressing it in re ference to the tliingjtself, for the first time oc cur in that memoir; thus putting an end to those views prevailing in geology, according to which the ago of all the rocks iqion the earth can be detennined by the mineralogical character of the rocks apiiearing at the surface. The different geological levels at which rocks belonging to the same period liave been deposited, but which have been disturbed by subsequent revolutions, he happily designated as ' geological horizons.” It was about the same time he was tracing j these investigations that he made his attempt to determine the mean altitude of the continent | above the sea. Thus for geographers and geol ! ogists had considered only the heights of inoun , tain chains, and the elevation of the lower ! lands, while it was Humboldt who first made the distinction between mountain chains and table j lands. But the idea of estimating the average j elevation of continents above the sea had not ; yet been entertained, and it was again Humboldt, who, from the data that he could command, de | termiued it to be at the utmost nine hundred < feet, assuming all irregularities to bo brought to a uniform level. His Asiatic travels gave him i additional data to consider these depressions and swellings of continents, when discussing the phenomena of the depressions of the Cas pian Sea, which he does in a most complete manner. There is a fullness and richness of expres sion, and substantial power in his writing, which is most remarkable, but which renders his style somewhat involved. He has aimed to present to others what nature presented to him— combinations interlocked in such a complicated way as hardly to be distinguishable; and his i, writings present something of the kind. Yo« i i see his works, page after page, running «‘to ( volumes, without division into chapters or Wads of any sort; and so conspicuous is that peculiari ty of style in his composition, that f well re- j member hearing Arago turning to him while speaking of composition, and saving, “Hum- , I boldt, you don’t know how to write a book— , you write without end; but that ia not a book; , it is a picture without frame.” Such an ex pression of one scientific man to another with out giving. offense, could only come from a man | c ! so ultimately associated as Ilumbolt was with Arago. And this leads me to a few additional remarks upon his character and social relations. Humboldt was bom near the court He was brought up in connection with courtiers and men in high positions of life. He was, no doubt, im bued with the prejudices of his caste. He was a nobleman of high descent And yet the friend of kings was a bosom friend of Arago, and he was the man who could, after his return from America, refuse the highest position at the court of Berlin, that of the Secretaryship of Pub lic Instruction, prefering to live in a in Paris, in the society of all those illustrious men who then made Paris the centre of intellec tual culture. It was there where he became one of that Societe’d Arceuil, composed of all the great men of the day, to which the paper on ‘‘lsothermal Lines” was presented, and' by which it was printed, as all papers presented to it were, for private distribution. But from his intimate relations, especially to the court of Prus sia. some insinuations have l>een made as to the character of Humboldt. They are as unjust as they are severe in expression. He was never a flatterer of those in power. He has shown it by taking a prominent position, in 1848, at the head of those who accompanied the victims of the revolution of that year to their lastflplaco of rest. But while he expressed his independence in such a manner, ho had the kindest feelings for all parties. He could not offend, even by an expression, those with whom he had been asso ciated in early life; and I have no doubt it is to that kindness of feeling we must ascribe a some- I what indiscriminate patrouage of aspirants in science, as well as of men who were truly devoted to its highest aims. He may be said to have been, especially in his latter years, the friend of every cultivated man, ■wishing to lose no oppor tunity to do all the good of which ho was capa ble ; for he had a degree of benevolence and gen erosity which was unbounded. I can well say that there is not a man # engaged in scientific in vestigations in Europe, who has not received at his hands marked tokens of his favor, and who is not under deep obligations to him. From the year 1830 to 1848, while in Paris, he had been charged by the King of Prussia to send reports upon the condition of things there. Ac had before prepared for the King of Prussia a report on the j>olitical condition of the Spanish Colonies in America, which no doubt had its in fluence afterwards upon the recognition of the independence of those Colonies. The importance of such reports to the Government of Prussia, may bo inferred from a perusal of his political and statiseal essay upon Mexico and Cuba. It is a circmmstanee worth noticing, that, above all great powers, Prussia has more distinguished scientific and literary men among her diplomat ists than any other State. And so was Hum, boldt actually a diplomatist in Paris, though he was placed in that position not from choice, but in consequence of the benevolence of the King, who wanted to give him an opportunity of being in Paris, as often and as long, as he chose. But from that time there were two niln in him, the diplomatist, living in the Hotel dcs Princes, and the naturalist who roomed in the Rue de la Harpe, in_a modest apartment in the second sto rv; where his scientific friends had access to him every day before seven. After that ho was frequently seen working in the library of the In stitute, until the time when the grand seigneur made his appearance at tho court or saloons of Paris. j Tho influence he has exerted upon the pro gress of science is incalculable. I need only al lude to the fact that the ‘Cosmos,” bringing every branch of natural science down to the compre hension of every class of students has been trans lated into the language of every civilized nation of the world, and gone through several editions. With h im, ends a great period in the history of science; a period to which Cuvier, Laplace, Ara go, Gay-Lussac and Ducandolle, Robert Brown belonged and of whom only one is still living— the venerable Biot. —•«■»— CHINA TREES. The Tribune learns from a citizen of that city, that the China tree was introduced into this coun try before the revolutionary war, by a mercan tile firm of Philadelphia and Eatonton, North Carolina, which traded with China. The first tree was planted in the former city, but under an apprehension that it would not live in so Northern a climate, it was removed to Eatonton, where it grew apace and was greatly admired.— Aftct it commenced blooming, the people came • as many ns twenty and thirty miles to see it.— From this single tree, it was propagated through the country, and now. in mo3t of our cities, it is one of the commonest of our shade trees. The first tree was still vigorous twenty years ago. - —i Boarding European Steamers off Cape Race. —Tho idea of anticipating the news by European steamers, by intercepting them off Cape Race. Newfoundland, was started a num ber of years since by the New York' press, but has never been carried out with much effect, un til within a short time, though occasionally a steamer's news was received in this way. Cape Race, by sea, is between ten and eleven hundred miles distant from New York, or one third of the voyage across the Atlantic. Mr. Farrell, ofNew York, a boatman of great ex perience, formerly employed in tlje same busi ness ns now, in connection with the Sandy Hook telegraph, has taken charge of the news yacht at Cape Race. He succeeded last week in ob taining the news from four steamers, viz: the Arago, the Vigo, the Canada, and the city of v Baltimore. The plan of operations is briefly as follows: The European steamer runs from England or Ireland across the Atlantic, to within a wile or two of Cape Race Light, generally nuking the trip in seven or eight days. The pewsmen are on the alert, cruising near the spot, and the steamer usually throws up a signal, or fires a gun to attract attention. T&© news-dispatch is prepared by an agent in England, and placed in a buovant tin case, to which is affixed a flag so that it can be seen wr some distance in the water. The boatman hasten to the spot, obtain the news, and start for St. Johns, Newfound land. the nearest telegraph station, whence it is immediacy transmitted to all parts of the United Stages and Canada. Tho rwws before reaching Boston, traverses a distant by telegraph, of over a thousand miles. First, over the Newfoundland line, which is con tracted across a country tliat may be truly called a savage wilderness, with hills of granite, deep swamps, and almost impenetrable woods. Crossing, by sqbmarine telegraph, from New foundland to the American continent, the dis patch passes over a portion of the Nova Scotia line, then over the New Brunswick line to the borders of Maine, at Calais, where tho Ameri can line commences, by which it is transmitted to its destination. Occasionally, even now, a steamer is missed, as for instance the Vander bilt, which from its rapid passage across the Atlantic, must have reached Cape Race hi six days from Southampton.— Boston Traveller. 29