Genre:

News-Commentary, Drollery

Subjects:

Astronomy, Language

    Announcing the recently published correspondence of Alexander von Humboldt (Humboldt 1860), discusses a letter from Prince Albert to Humboldt which praises his Kosmos but also appears to have misquoted the natural philosopher as claiming that heaven consisted of circling 'star-terraces' instead of 'star-carpets'. Thinks Humboldt was unreasonable in taking offence at the prince's mistake because both 'metaphors are of the same order as the word "livery" used for foliage'.