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Title: Letters from Edward Robinson to Moses Stuart, 1826-1830
Names: Robinson, Edward, 1794-1863, Stuart, Moses, 1780-1852
Date: 1826-07-01
Type: Correspondence
Pages: 215 images
Text: ----- New Page ----- Front Cover ----- New Page ----- Blank page ----- New Page ----- Blank Page ----- New Page ----- Blank Page ----- New Page ----- Blank Page ----- New Page ----- Blank Page ----- New Page ----- Blank Page ----- New Page ----- Blank Page ----- New Page ----- Blank Page ----- New Page ----- Blank Page ----- New Page ----- Ship Don Quixotte, in the British Channel Start point bearing N. W. about 20 mile July 1, 1826 Rev. & Dear Sir, A kind Providence has preserved me across
Show more----- New Page ----- Front Cover ----- New Page ----- Blank page ----- New Page ----- Blank Page ----- New Page ----- Blank Page ----- New Page ----- Blank Page ----- New Page ----- Blank Page ----- New Page ----- Blank Page ----- New Page ----- Blank Page ----- New Page ----- Blank Page ----- New Page ----- Blank Page ----- New Page ----- Ship Don Quixotte, in the British Channel Start point bearing N. W. about 20 mile July 1, 1826 Rev. & Dear Sir, A kind Providence has preserved me across the ocean, & brought me now within 150 miles of Harve. Yesterday about 4 o'clock on the clearing up of the fog, our eyes were agreeably saluted with the sightof land, -- being the point extending S. between Plymouth & Torbay, & comprehending Bolthead, the Start, etc. our passage has been a very long one, as is usually the case at this season, when light winds & calms are prevalent. The very short passages are made only in the winter & spring, when the winds are very strong. With a fair wind our ship sails from 6 to 10 knots per hour, & we have scarcely advanced at a less rate, when we have advanced at all. We were a week between Long. 19 & 16, & have been now for 2 days in the channel--needing only a few hours of good wind to carry us to our port. I have not had the pleasure of beholding a storm at sea, nor any thing which approached to it, exceptone stiff breeze from the N. off the banks of Newfoundland where the ice is said to be in unusually large quantities this season. We steered more to the southward than is common in order to avoid it, & have seen none. We came on very swift at first, & had accomplished half our distance in the first 13 days, but since then, our lot has been calms, light winds, & head winds for most of the time so that we are now on our 30 " day from N.Y. and if the present calm continues, we may yet be a week longer. our ship is a good one, & has outsailed every thing we have fallen in with ; and since we came near the channel we have had from 5 to 20 sail in sight most of the time. The London packet {Hudson), which sailed with us, has not yet arrived, as we learned from an English pilot who boarded us last evening. ----- New Page ----- The voyage has had a very favorable effect upon my health. For the first 3 days I experienced a slight degree of sea sickness, but have since felt no symptoms of it. All the unpleasant difficulties & complaints which hung around during the winter and spring have disappeared; & probably the general state of my health is as good as it ever will & perhaps better. I suffer most from want of exercise. The ordinary sea life can have but little of romance or even of interest. There has not been a moment since we lost sightof the American coast, when I have had any less feeling of security, than when quietly seated in your chamber. To eat, drink, & sleep, has been the principal occupation of most of the passengers; -- & shut up as we have been, without exercise or variety, there have been times when I felt capable of little else. I have chiefly occupied myself in the study of the French, --^mostly with the grammar. My fellow passengers, with one exception, are all French; & I have derived assistance from them. My chief difficulty will be in understanding the language as spoken; --the y speak with such rapidity & run the words so much together, that it is very difficult & requires much attention & practice to distinguish oneword from another. --^Besides this, I have kept a very 3 brief journal --merely the passing events of each day, which I shall forward to my sister at Southington.'' My time at New York was so short & so much occupied that I had not leisure to write or even to reflect upon the general topics of your letters. My own convictions, however, accord entirely with the views which you have there taken; and if God grants me health & opportunity, it will be my earnest endeavour to act ingeneral in conformity with them. I wish to feel that I am upon a business not my own & that I am at liberty to take time & ample time to accomplish all to which ----- New Page ----- my duty to my country & the church may call my attention. Never for a moment have I yet been led to regret the step I have taken, or to question its propriety; & every moment strengthens my feeling of gratitude, first to God & then to yourself & other friends, for the kindness which persuaded, & the facilities which promoted, the enterprise in which I am embarked. I have written thus far here in order to be in readiness toforward this letter by the Cadmus, which regularly should sail from Havre to day, but which may be detained till our arrival, or if not, we may meet her. Otherwise there will be no opportunity until the return of the Don Quixotte on the 15 " instant. -- Please to remember me to all the families on the Hil U --Your letter to Gesenius I found in the letter bag, & shall follow your directions respecting it. -- For the present my direction will be to the care of Mr. David C. Porter, No. 29 Ru e du Mail, Paris, where ineed not say how much I shall long to hear from America. July 2. 5 o'clock P.M. The Cadmus is in sight.^ We are 30 miles from Harve. I hope, Deo volente, to be in port tonight. In haste, adieu. Affectionately, Edw. Robinson ----- New Page ----- Address Page ----- New Page ----- Ship Rev. Moses Stuart Professor de Andover, Massachusetts New York Aug 16 ----- New Page ----- Paris, July 12, 1826 Rev & Dear Sir, A kind Providence has preserved me across the deep; and I am now comfortably settled for a short time in this great city. Our passage proved to be 32 days in length, having arrived at Havre on the evening of the 3"* inst. I remained there one day & then took the diligence & reached Paris on the morning of the 6". Havre, the portof Paris, is an ancient place; & the old grey tower erected by Henri I V still frowns impotently over the narrow entrance of the artificial harbour. The tide rises something like 25 feet & the harbour is entirely dry at low water. Ships lie in spacious docks, which, like the harbour, are surrounded by noble quays, builtof the fine free stonewith which France abounds & which approaches almost to marble. Havre exhibits a scene of great bustle & activity. There women and children are running about in wooden " Edward's sister, Elisabeth, was living at the Robinson family's home in Southington, Connecticut. ' The phrase "on the Hill, " which occurs frequently in Robinson's letters, refers to the hill on which the seminary was situated. According to the information on the "envelope" side of the letter sheet, this first letter was mailed from a "ship at sea." In other words, the letters written aboard the Don Quixotte were transferred to the Cadmus, which was en route to New York. 4 shoes & talking at the top of their lungs. Soldiers are every where mingled with the crowd-- a feature which one sees every where in France & forms a strong contrast with America. I had several letters to gentlemen at Havre, & was received with great politeness & kindness. From Harve to Rouen, I travelled the route along, or nearest to the valley of the Seine. Vegetation is now in all its beauty, & I have never beheld a region so beautiful. There are nofences & only occasionally a hedge or a wall near the towns or villages. The whole country is cultivated in patches of different crops, giving to it the appearance of leisure work & interspersed with clumps of elegant buildings. The cottages have wooden frames fitted in with mud, & thatched roofs. They have little appearance of comfort in themselves & can hardly be distinguished from the bams & outhouses; --but they are generally situated in the midstof an orchard or a grove, & thus form picturesque objects of view. The views of the Seine & its valley are magnificent. Below Rouen it does not differ much in size from the Connecticut & flows through ----- New Page ----- a vale of interval land, skirted by lofty hills, not unlike the Mohawk, buton a grander scale.^ The valley winds much, & is from 1 mile to 5 or 6 miles in breadth. Rouen, which contains 86,000 inhabitants, stands in the valley, where the Seine makes a magnificent sweep to the north. The view of the city from the lofty hill, which you descend into it, surpasses all that I had seen or conceived of beauty & richness. The city, with its towering cathedral, fills the interval between the river & the hill on the north; while on the S. the eye wanders over the green islands of the Seine, rich and extensive meadows, clumps of trees & towns & villages & scattered dwellings without number. You enter Rouen by a long avenue of trees ; butonce entered, the beauty disappears. The houses are old & the streets very narrow. I had time to visit the cathedral, which is considered one of the finest in France; I left it with the less regret, as I hope one day to visit it again. From Rouen my journey was mostly in the night. Around Paris the country seems on the whole less rich, though still a perfect garden. We crossed the Seine over the splendid bridge of Neuilly, erected by Louis XV ; there commences the splendid avenue of lofty trees, which continues over to the Place Louis X V in frontof the Tuileries, a distance of 6 or 7 miles. The barrier of Paris on this avenue stands on a spotof rising ground; & there Bonaparte commenced his grand triumphant arch which is yet unfinished, & which is visible at a great distance through the avenues. As you cross the bridge of Neuilly, the arch comes in view; when you reach the arch, you have before you the same splendid avenue, passing through the Champs de Elysees & terminating with a distant view of the dome of the Tuileries. All scenes seemenchantment; & the more closely one regards these scenes, the more is the enchantment increased. I can hardly persuade myself that these scenes, now so beautiful & lovely, are the scenes which a few years since were drenched with human gore, --or that this is indeed the place where the great despot rose & ruled & fell. Paris is indeed the very focus of loveliness & splendour, of gaiety & vice. I have been on the hill of Montmartre, which lies on the northern side of Paris. The line between city & country is very definite; --onthe one side you have the whole view of Paris, on the other, nothing but a rich succession offields, with scarcely a village to be seen. The apparent extentof Paris is not much greater than that of New York, but its streets are numerous & the houses much higher; -- & each house is usually ' The references are to the Connecticut river near Southington, C T and to the Mohawk river in the central part of New York State. 5 inhabited by several families.The population of Paris is estimated at from 400,000 to 800,000. I had the pleasure offinding here Prof. Goodrich & Mr. H. L. Ellsworth, & also Mr. Chauncy. The twoformer lefton Monday for Switzerland & down the Rhine to Holland, England & Scotland, & expect to sail for America about oct. 1. Mr. Chauncy sets off on Friday for the Netherlands, ----- New Page ----- & up the Rhine to Switzerland for about 6 weeks. He expects to spend the coming winter here, & then proceed to Germany & Berlin. Mr . H. E. Dwight is now at Gottingen but there is some expectation of his being here in a few weeks in order to return home this autumn.* His health is not good. My lodgings are at the Hotel Montmorency, No. 12 Rue St. Mare, where I think I shall remain during my short sojourn here. It is on the N. side of the river, near the center of the business part of the city, & also near the oriental schools. The other side of the river is the more literary part & lodgings there are cheaper, but at present it is not so convenient for me to be there. If Providence shall permit me to reside here at a future day, I shall probably go to that part of the city. In this quarter we cannot well live at an expense less than from 7 to 10 francs per day. The franc is nearest to 18% cents. I am just beginning to be fixed down & feel myself at home. I had letters for Mr. Wilkes, --he lives in quite a remote part of the city, two miles or more from me. I saw him a momenton the Sabbath, & yesterday received a note inviting me to dinewith him today at 6 o'clock. He has just received a letter from Mr. King [page mended here] dated at Smyrna, Dec. 31, 1825, which is the latest known of him here. Mr. Goodrich stated to me, as intelligence which he learned [from] Prof. Blumhardt at Bale, that since the death of Knapp, ' the king of Prussia had appointed Tholuck to be the head of the university at Halle (I suppose of the Orphanstropheum) --that the appointment was resisted by the professors etc., but that ultimately Tholuck has been established in the office.'" I could gather nofurther particulars. If this be so, it augers well for the cause of evangelical truth. My principal object here at present must be to acquire a familiarity with the language, & to see & hear as much of the general objects of interest as possible. I ought not to remain here longer than the middle of August, and then shall probably proceed to Bale. The school there has between 40 & 50 students all devoted to the missionary life. One of the young men is about to proceed to America to be professor of Sacred Literature in Mr. Schmucker's seminary." --^Mr. way & the Baron de Stael to whom I have letters are now in England. I shall recollect your desire for documents respecting the oriental schools. I shall obtain them * It is never made clear in Robinson's Journal (1826-1829) nor in these letters who H. E. Dwight is. It is known that Sereno Edward Dwight (1786-1850) did make a trip to Europe in the 1820s and that he was a very sickly person at that point in his life. Sereno had a brother, Henry, and it is conceivable that the initials may refer to him. In fact, both Sereno and Henry may have been in Europe at the same time, for in a Journal letter to his sister, dated 12 August 1826, Robinson mentions a comment made by Mrs. Wilkes, namely that "both the Mr. Dwights" had many peculiarities. ' Georg Christian Knapp (1753-1825) '∞ Friedrich August Tholuck (1799-1877) " The reference is to Samuel Simon Schmucker (1799-1873) and the Gettysburg Seminary in Pennsylvania. Schmucker, a graduate of Princeton, was a Lutheran pastor whose Fraternal Appeal to the American Churches (1838) offered an ecumenical proposal for "Catholic Union." at the earliest moment possible. -- My address will continue to be " to the care of Mr. David Porter, Rue du Mail, No. 29, Paris," where ineed not say how much I long to hear from the peaceful & consecrated spot where my best affections dwell . ----- New Page ----- Please remember me with all affection to your own & all the families on the hill & to the students. 1 shall probably have occasion to write again by the next packet. Very affectionately & sincerely I am. Yours, etc. Edw. Robinson Monday. Since writing the above I see by the papers that the Baron de Stael arrived at Coppeton the 30 instant just in time to see a great part of his buildings there burnt down, viz. two stables & a bam or granary containing all the harvestof the present year. ***** ----- New Page ----- Ship Rev. Moses Stuart Professor de Andover, Massachusetts Aug 13(?) Ship Don Leuifotte ----- New Page ----- Paris, July 27, 1826 Rev. & Dear Sir, Some of my American friends here. Dr. McKean of Cambridge, & Mr. Fisher of Dedham, the painter, being about to depart for America tomorrow morning, I prefer to send by them directly to Boston. With this letter I send you a little package of Pamphlets from the Baron de Sacy," to the care of Mr. Hill at the Missionary Rooms, Boston. I had intended to have written a long letter, giving some accountof the manner of living here etc. etc. as well as the little I have yet learned in regard to the state of religion & literature. At present I must confine myself to the latter point. You are aware that all the public lectures here are perfectly free to those who choose to attend, i.e., they are gratis; --for in some of the institutions the formality of taking a ticket is required, & no persons are admitted withoutone. At the observatory, Mr. Arag o delivers lectures on astronomy three times a week.'" I have been present atone. He is a dark & rather coarse looking man, though the expression of his countenance while speaking is pleasant. He is about 50 years old, speaks rapidly & rather indistinctly; -- the room too is large, all of stone, & is filled with the echo of his voice, --so that sitting at a distance, I was unable tofollow him. At the Jardin des Plantes are lectures upon almost all subjects. I have not yet been there. The medical & surgical lectures are almost innumerable; & in the practical part of the profession, as anatomy & surgery & in the hospitals, Paris offers greater advantages then " When Robinson asks to be remembered "to your own," he is referring to Stuart's wife, Abigail, and their children. The Stuarts were married 1 January 1805. The large house they built upon arrival at Andover notonly accommodated their large family but also others such as Robinson, who boarded with them during his initial involvement with the Andover Seminary. " Baron Silvestre de Sacy (1758-1838). Reference may be to Dominque-Franyois Arago. 7 any other place in the world. Subjects for dissection cost about $2, & during the winter more than 100 on an average are dissected every day. Students who bring their diplomas are admitted to all the lectures & hospitals gratis. Those who commence their studies here have to pay 120 francs, about $25 per annum. Many English students avail themselves of these privileges; & it is becoming quite fashionable for Americans. Of the American residents here, I should presume more than half are medical students. At the Sorbonne, or as it is now called, "the Academy of Paris," lectures are given also on literature & science ingeneral. Many of the courses are delivered by a substitute, who not seldom lecture better than his principal. The course of Guy Lussac, ----- New Page ----- for instance, in Nat. Philos. at the Sorbonne, is occupied by Mr. Pouillet, one of the best lecturers in France." I have attended two of his lectures. He is young, probably 35 or 37, speaks rapidly & with a very distinct articulation & much action. His statements offundamental principles of some of the phenomena of light, seem remarkably simple & clear. The room was crowded half an hour before the time by 500 or 600 learners, who rec^ him with clapping of hands. His lectures are now done. At the College Royal are also other courses in literature & science. Here were the first chairs for oriental literature, & lectures were delivered on the oriental languages long before the Revolution. At that time the college was suppressed; in consequence of which the oriental school was established at the Bibliotheque du Roi. Since the restoration, the College has been reestablished & the oriental lectures are given at both places, mostly by the same men, but not always. E.g., Baron de Sacy lectures in Arabic at the Bibliotheque & Persian at the College. At the former. Modern Greek is taught, but not at the latter. Gar… de Tassy [first name obscured by the binding] is attached to the School, but not to the College etc. etc. The instruction at the latter place is much less important & more thinly attended than at the former. I was present the other day at Quatremere's lecture in Hebrew. " There were but 3 learners seated with him around a table with their Hebrew Bibles. He was merely reading & commenting in an offhand careless manner on the 10* chap, of Exodus. He is a fine looking man, about 40, & seemed capable of doing much better. The lectures both at the School & College closed a few days since, & do not recommence until the latter part of November. I was introduced by Mr. Wilkes to Prof. Kieffer at a meeting of the committee of the Bible Society, & afterwards called upon him. He must be 55 or 60, & speaks with uncommon distinction & deliberation so that I could understand him perfectly. He also understands English so that I go along pretty well. He lectures on Turkish at bothestablishments. He was in his library, a room perhaps 20 feet square & crowded with shelves, filled with a valuable collection of books. He seems a man of great precision of manners, -- every thing with him is finished in the most perfect manner. I inquired of him about Quatremere's Syrian Lexicon. He knew nothing of it, but remarked that in Quatremere was a man of beaucoup de projects. -- that he had many great plans but was oft not to carry them through. He has promised to take me to Quatremere, & to the monthly seance of the Arabic Society. I yesterday met him again in a sitting of the committee of the Missionary Society, at which he was chairman. ----- New Page ----- A few days since, I enclosed your letter to the Baron de Sacy, & to day I have called on him. He lives in a central part of the city, but in one of the narrowness & darkest & most solitary streets in Paris. He was in his library, surrounded by books, & with a very feeble light. Every thing bears the mark of antiquity. He himself is a small & rather meager man, of a dark & sallow complexion & wrinkled --as he is more than 70 years of age. He speaks no English but I could understand him well, & could make him understand me. 1 asked first respecting the history & documents of the oriental School. He said (as also did Prof. Kieffer) that there were none; but that he should soon reply to your letter, & would give you its history. Lectures on Arabic were given at the College in his youth, but he studied chiefly by himself & often found that he had investigated a subject more thoroughly than the Professor. He showed me his edition of Hariri. " It is a folio of considerable size. The commentary is in Arabic, compiled chiefly from Arabic commentaries, with little of his own. There is no translation except a specimen of one into Hebrew without points by a Jew, which he obtained from a ms. [manuscript] atoxford. He is just finishing the second edition of his Arabic Chrestomathy, with large additions & improvements. The first vol. has been some time published,--the other is nearly through the press. When that is completed, hewill commence the printing of a second edition of his Arabic Grammar, for which, as you know, he has long been making preparation, & for which he has accumulated large materials. He told me also that the edition of Golius by Freytag is soon to be sent to press." Within the last year, Freytag has been commissioned by the Prussian government to visit Paris, England & Copenhagen to obtain materials connected with his work. He is the editor; but there are others labouring at the same task. --Mr. de Sacy also spoke of Quatremere, --said he had made additions to the Coptic lexicon by Scholz (or Ludolf?)"--ha d also been at work at an Arabic, as well as a Syrian lexicon, but as yet had put nothing to press. They all agree in acknowledging that Germany offers many more advantages for my pursuits, at present, than Paris. There the oriental tongues are studied principally with reference to the Scriptures, --here solely for their own literature. On leaving Mr. de Sacy, he gave me duplicates of the pamphlets above mentioned, & will write to you shortly. In the bundle is also an affiche, or notice of lectures which is stuck up around the gates of the College & of the professions, etc. I am aware that this is little compared with what you wantor with what I hope to acquire, but I thought it best to improve the presentopportunity, & send what I had. Mr. Wilkes is now out of town, in miserable health; & I have engaged to ----- New Page ----- preach for him for 3 or 4 Sabbaths. This is indeed missionary ground; some one is needed, like Mr. Wilkes, to take the lead, & bring others to act in concert; & some one is much needed to labour with Mr. Wilkes in the drudgery pertaining to many religious publications. I have succeeded, so far at this place is concerned, in establishing a regular correspondence & exchange of publications with the A. B. C. F. M. at Boston, & Mr. Hallock etc. at New " Reference is to Ibn Al-Hariri, an eleventh-century poet, who wrote Makamat, which De Sacy issued in an authoritative edition in 1822 under the title Seances d'Hariri. '* Georg Wilhelm Freytag (1788-1861), an orientalist, enlarged and revised the 1653 edition of Jacobus Golius' Lexicon Arabico-Latinum. "The lexicon may have been indeed by Hiob Ludolf (1624--1704), who was a noted Ethopian scholar and the author of an Ethopian lexicon (published in 1661). York. They had received none here from America in more than a year. A large bundle goes today to the Missionary Rooms at Boston, & onewill go by the packetof the first, ton. Y. I hope & trust thatour good people there will not fail to reciprocate the favour. I have to day seen Mr. Lutteroth Jr., the secretary of the Tract Society, a finewarm-hearted pious young man & have engaged him to write to Mr. Hallock. I cannot but hope that good will arise from this intercommunication, -- if not to America--^yet to the French Church, which needs all the sympathy & encouragement & aid, which our Christians can bestow. It is rather an unfortunate time for me here; most of the lectures have closed, -- & many of the religious & literary men are in the country. I shall probably remain about 3'Z? weeks longer, & then depart probably by way of Basle & along Schaffhausen, Tubingen, Stuttgard, Heidelberg, Frankfurt, Giessen, Cassel, etc. It is doubtful whether I can visit Erlagen now--i t is toofar east for my route. It will however be easy to send your letter & book to Winer. I had a letter from Kirkland at Gottingen a few days since.^" H. E. Dwight was then at Dresden, & was expected at Gottingen now. His health is very miserable. You will perceive that this letter has been written ingreat haste. I thought the information contained in it would interest you, & have therefore hastened to give it in this form, rather than make it be more formal. My wish is now to devote myself while here principally tofrench; but there are so many objects to be seen & so many things to call off one's attention that what with seeing & hearing & writing to America, I make very little progress. My health is not as good as while at sea. Yesterday I walked some distance with Dr. McKean, before breakfast, to visitone of the great hospitals. After having gone through all the wards & being almost sickened at the vast amountof misery & suffering, I sat down with him to wait & see an operation which was soon to be performed. In a few moments, I felt suddenly faint ----- New Page ----- & before I could rise & go out, I swooned & fell. I recovered very soon, but have since been quite weak & incapable of much exertion. I have been making some preparations to write, perhaps to the Society of Inquiry, on the religious state of France, --but find I must defer it until the packetof the 25*, --when too I shall hope to have more definite information. The Missionary Society here, which employs Mr. King (of whom nothing has been heard since December), are now turning their attention principally to a Seminary for the education of Missionaries. They have now here 6 pupils, under the care of Mr. Galland. He has recently lost his wife, is much depressed, & is about to leave. They have been hoping to obtain in his place Mr. Gaussin from near Geneva, --the coadjutor of Malan, but his superior in talent & judgment. I was told to day by Mr. Lutteroth that the last letters from him were rather unfavorable. --^A U the publications of this & the other Societies go with that letter to the Missionary rooms, where they can be seen, & probably borrowed if necessary. I have also written a few lines to Mr. Anderson. Thus far Providence has been most kind toward me; & I have only tofear on the score of my own ingratitude. The evils & difficulties which I feared have never presented themselves; while the privileges & gratifications have been much greater than I anticipated. --^As to the expense of living in Paris, the representations of Mr. Dwight were somewhat fallacious. For living simply, i.e. for room, food, light, etc., one cannot well get along at less than $1 a day; --few live so cheap as that. It is possible that in one part of the city, --^the Marais--one might live somewhat cheaper, --but is entirely on one side & therefore wholly inconvenient. In the business part of the town, living is 50 percent higher. Mr. Chauncy rates all his expenses. Presumably this is a reference to William Kirkland, son of Joseph Kirkland, the nephew of Samuel Kirkland. travelling, clothing, & all, at $100 per month; --though one might probably do with less. Be pleased to present my kind & affectionate remembrance to your colleagues & their families, to Mr. Farrar, Mr. Adams, etc & their families. If it be proper, I would also ask to be remembered to the Junior Class, & individually to other students. I often think of the class, --our course on earth is widely different, but I trustour aim is one & that we shall meet at the end of our race, if not before. to yourself & Mrs. Stuart ineed not speak--my obligations can be obliterated or forgotten only in death. ----- New Page ----- my address will continue to be "aux soin de Mons. David C. Porter, Rue du Mail, no. 29, Paris." As this will probably afford the speediest medium of communication, Mr. Porter has kindly offered to take charge of my letters & will forward them to me to every part of Europe. ineed not say how I wish to hear from Andover. I received one letter from my sister by the packetof July 1 & have seen no other sight in France so pleasant. With affectionate & grateful respect, I am your friend & servant, Edward Robinson ----- New Page ----- Rev. Moses Stuart Andover, Massachusetts By Doct. McKean [?] Arctic, ----- New Page ----- Paris, Aug. 11, 1826 Rev & Dear Sir, On the pointof quitting Paris, & before speaking of topics which will be more particularly interesting to you, I cannot perhaps do better than to give here the results of my observations on several subjects connected with Paris, & the manners of the French. On the religious state of Paris, I have spoken more at large in a letter to the Society of Inquiry, under cover to Dr. Porter; on the political state I have sent an article to Mr. Stonewhich you of course will see; of literary subjects I shall speak more at large in the sequel of this letter. Paris is situated on the N. or N. E. side of an immense basin, surrounded by hills of moderate altitude. On the N. is Montemartre, N. E., Belleville, E., Pere la Chaise; these are contiguous to the city. On the S. are hills at a distance; & on the W. the ridge of St. Cloud & Mont Valerian. These last are 5 or 6 miles from the city. The Seine runs through the middle of Paris frome. to W. & afterwards winds along under St. Cloud. It is a narrow dirty stream, & receives all the filth of this city; --^through all the extentof which it is skirted with stone quays, of very considerable elevation. Its channel contains about as much water as the Merrimac^' in summer. The ground ascends gradually on each side from the river, so that there is hardly a street in Paris where water would be stagnant. The streets are mostly either parallel or perpendicular to the river, though some are irregular. They are, for the most part, narrow & dirty. The drain is commonly in the middle & is usually full of mud & filth, flowing towards the Seine. In some there are two drains, but even in these there are no sidewalks, although there is sufficient room. The only sidewalks are in the Boulevards, or streets where the ancient walls used to be, but these have noflaggings & the least rain converts them into mire. The want of sidewalks is very annoying to a stranger. The crowd of carriages is usually such that he needs an eye in every hair of his head to avoid being run over. The streets are paved with large cubic stones, 8 or 10 inches on a side, which form a very solid bottom. -- The houses are generally high, & exceedingly irregular & The reference is to a river in Connecticut. without any outward show. The general style of building is around a court. There is a large arch or entrance under the front, & then, in large hotels, the court sometimes covers % of an area. Sometimes it is paved, -- in private hotels, it is more frequently planted with trees. Under the arch is usually a small room or lodge where the porter lives, whose duty it is to open & close the gate, receive letters, messages, etc, etc. The ground floor is commonly devoted to offices, store rooms etc. Next is a low story, called the entresol in which are rooms for servants etc. Next the premier or first story, & so on. Many buildings have no entresol. In the hotels which let lodgings, a person is not expected to take his meals there unless he chooses. When in his room, he leaves his keys in his door; when he goes out, he leaves it with the porter, who then knows what answer to give to those who may inquire for him. * * [the following two sentences have been written along the side of the page, but some of the words are hidden by the binding] The materials of which Paris is wholly built is [?] stone, resembling somewhat marble. It is at first very soft, but hardens by exposure. All the sculpture, etc. of the public buildings is executed in this stone. Many of the houses around courts are occupied by numerous families; I know onewhich has 24 & another of 36 families. ----- New Page ----- A great portion of the inhabitants of Paris live in hired apartments and have no kitchens of their own, but take their meals at the Cafes & Restaurants. There are thousands of Cafes, where you may get the fine French coffee & bread for 14 or 16 sous. They give also dejeunes a la fourchette if required. They are places of very general resort & furnish all the wines & liqueurs & delicacies which the city can afford. The restaurants furnish dinners. Besides these are the Fraiteurs, who send meals to the lodging of any one. The French, as far as I can learn, take nothing before about 10 o'clock. Their breakfast is then a cup of coffee & bread & butter with meat; or others take meals, wine & fruit. I had occasion to call the other day at 12 o'clock on Mr. Lutteroth, the Sec. of the French Soc. & a negociant, ´&. found him & his wife taking their dejeuner of wine & currants. They usually dine about 5 or 6, & take nothing afterwards, except perhaps ice, or something of the kind at a cafe in the evening. The French butter is not salted; --^this is done on the bread. The wine in Paris varies from a franc to 5 francs a bottle, according to its kind & quality. The vin ordinaire is indeed very ordinary; it is usually sour & lifeless, like common cider of a year old. I see very little but red wine. It was long before I could drink it at all, but I am now becoming reconciled to it. The water of Paris is so bad thatone needs to temper it with something. It is hard, limy, & has cathartic qualities. Much of it is brought in aqueducts, but the best is that which is clarified from the Seine. As far as I can learn, the literary men spend the evenings in their studies till one or two o'clock. As the breakfast takes up very little time, they have their morning almost unterrupted [uninterrupted]. After 2 or 3, they see company, or go abroad, or attend societies, etc. There is always some time in the day, when a Frenchman throws offall care, & lives only for the present moment. All the scholars whom I have seen are healthy & athletic men. The Baron de Sacy, whom I have seen several times (& who I find is 68) retains all his activity & bodily vigour. I saw him the other evening at the Asiatic Society. He was dressed quite a la mode, & walked with the vivacity & erectness of 25. Whether it be in the quantity offood, or in the more thorough manner of cooking it, or in their greater activity, I know not, but the French literati seem to know nothing of the horrors of the dyspepsia. My own health is tolerably good under this regimen, & I think I should soon become quite reconciled to it. 1 have usually taken my cup of coffee between 9 & 10 o'clock, & this does very well so long as I am on my feet most the long afternoon. If my life were to be wholly sedentary, I probably could not bear it. ----- New Page ----- August 12 I have seen the Baron de Sacy several times; atone time I called & was at first denied by the servant, until his daughter in an adjacent room heard my foreign voice, & admitted me. I then found him busy over an Arabic manuscript in his short white spencer, buttoned close around his body. He received me very kindly & as I came away gave me the large quarto pamphlet to send home. I made known to himyour object in desiring information; & yesterday he called at my lodgings, while I was out, & left the enclosed letter with permission to peruse it, and also a large bundle of pamphlets etc. which I forward to day, to the care of Mr. Hill at the Missionary Rooms, Boston, assuring him that whatever expense may arise on them, you will gladly pay. The letter, pamphlets, and affiches contain all the information which I can give relative to the Schools. As to expense, the Baron seems to have thoughtonly of the establishment, & notof the students. The latter have no expense, save that of their living, books, etc. The school is in connexion with the king's library, where of course they have free access to the greatest collection of books & Mss. [manuscripts] perhaps in the world. I cannot learn that any native teachers are retained. There may be Arabs & Turks in Paris, & probably are, but I cannot find that they are attached to the schools. I have also been at the oriental bookstore of Leuttel & Wiirz & of Dondey-Dupres to obtain catalogues etc. but without any great success. Mr. Wiirz gave me theirs, but it is small. Mr. D.-D. gave me several prospectuses & extracts from his catalogue--but has no general one. I forward them all. The price of Champollion's Preces etc. was 26 fr., but it is now out of print. He is in Italy; & there will probably be another edition soon. The Seances d'Hariri, a folio vol, is 60 fr. The price of the new edition of de Sacy's Chrestomathy is not yet known, --there will be 3 vols. --the former edition in 2 vols was 36 fr. The Arabic Grammar, 6* ed., is 24 fr. These are the retail prices; & I learn that it is not customary here to make, as with us, an indiscriminate discount, nor a very large one. The pamphlets etc. will give you the history & doings of the Asiatic Society. They are quite active, & are publishing elementary works in all the modern oriental languages, even to Japan. They have founts [fonts] in most of them. The circumstances alluded to by the Baron in his letter I have not learned. The society is patronized by the Duke of Orleans, by the King, & also by the King of Prussia, who has recently presented to them a fountof Sanscrit type. Their Journal is published monthly --an oct. pamphletof 44 pages--composed of translations often from the Arabic & Turkish, & of dissertations & notices of nations & languages still farther cast. Through the kindness of Mr. Warden (to whom I had a letter, & who has shewn me many favours) I have been able to examine several vols, ----- New Page ----- of this work. It is 20 francs a year, & I at first thought to subscribe & send home the current numbers. On the whole, there is very little that has any thing to do with Sacred Literature, although it could be very pleasant & desirable to have it. In this view, I thought it better to leave it, as you can write for it if you choose. A work better adapted to our purposes, --^though still having nothing of Sacred Literature, is the Journal des Savans. It appears monthly in a Quarto pamphletof 44 pages. The form is that of the little memoir of the Baron de Sacy on the rollsof papyrus, which you have already received. It is a review, --or rather the articles are analyses and accounts of the most important literary & scientific works. Through the kindness of Prof. Kieffer & Mr. Abel-Remusat, I have been able to examine the numbers back as far as the commencement of the last year. The Baron de S. is one of the largest contributors; -- I should think there was an article of his in almost every number. As he remarks in his letter. Sac. Lit. does not come within the plan of this work. The few last pages are usually devoted to intelligence respecting this institute, & to the mention of new works, both French & foreign. Some of these are short analyses, some give only the titles. The annual subscription is 36 fr. Another periodical work in Literature is the 7* section of the Universal Bulletin des Sciences, which you will find described in the catalogue of L. & Wiirz. I have not seen the work. The sections may be subscribed for separately. -- There is one general fact about all these French works, --^they glide over the surface, rather than penetrate the depths of a subject. There would be no difficulty, I think, in obtaining any of the works you may wish, through the agency of Mr. Porter. If you were to deposit a sum sufficient to cover the purchase & expenses here, with Knowles Taylor Esq. of New York, his employer, (which might be done through Mr. Hill, or Mr. Hallock) & then write to Mr. Porter, stating very definitely the works, the expense, & the place where they are, I think he would be very glad to render such a service to our Seminary. He is the brother of Mrs. Hill. I have not yet spoken with him on the subject, but shall do it before I leave. His address you know, as all my letters come to his care. -- Mr. K. Taylor is one of the most active Christians in New York, & would take pleasure in facilitating any such object. I have just returned from calling again on the Baron de Sacy, to thank him for his letter & the pamphlets. He shewed me a work of Tholuck's ingerman on the idea of a Trinity as held by the eastern nations, just printed, in which he styles himself Prof of Theologie at Halle; so that there can be no doubtof his being there. I shall therefore probably be strongly inclined tofix myself at Halle for the semester,* probably for most of the time. Tholuck spent the winter of last year in Paris. The Baron spoke of him as very promising ----- New Page ----- & distinguished for his acquisitions, but as being somewhat flighty & deficient in calm judgment. He has, to use the B.'s expression, un tres mauvais corps, & suffers much from ill health. * [along the side of the page, with some words obscured by the binding, is written]: The Baron, I perceive, has the same views of German exegesis etc. that we have been accustomed to understand. I hope indeed that I may be able to take the good & leave the bad. I shall leave Paris, if God will, on the 25* or 26*, in the diligence for Bale. The distance is about 320 miles & will occupy 3 days. Thence, if the routes should be feasible, I think to go to Schaffhausen, Tubingen, Stuttgard, Heidelberg, Frankfurt, Giessen, Cassel, & Gottingen. The distance from B. to Gottingen is about the same as from Paris to Bale --onthe direct route it is a little less. This of course is the last letter which you will receive from me at Paris, probably for a long time. I find that I must curtail much of my correspondence. It would give me pleasure to write much to my friends & for the public, but I cannot do it without sacrificing the more importantobjects of my voyage. For instance, I send off to day, to go by the packetof the 15*, no less than 15 letters. To you I must, & shall expect to write; -- if my letters can be interesting to my friends & those of the Seminary, or to the public, you will best know what to do with them. My sojourn here, though short, has been full of interest & gratification. The little study which I have been able to do, has been wholly French. I have formed acquaintances, I acquired information, which will enable me on my return tofeel myself at home, & to profit atonce by all the privileges which are here so richly supplied. If I can but rightly improve the price which is put into my hand, & exceed that humble & docile spirit without which all human privileges are vain, I shall owe may thanks to God; & shall have new & powerful motives to consecrate all that I have & am & can acquire to his service, in the present, having to promote the best interests of his church & of our beloved country. My warm affections rest with you, & with your family. Be pleased to remember me to your colleagues, & friends, -- & to their friends whom I may have among those who will be gathered at the anniversary, --probably about the time when you will receive the letter. I have sometimes had occasion to wish I had taken some credentials from the trustees; but the worst is probably passed, or probably will be, before any could reach me. With affectionate & grateful respect I amyours, Edw. Robinson ----- New Page ----- [on the back of the previous page, which is really the outer fold of the envelope, is written the following]: As the postage of letters on the continent is regulated by weight, & minewill have to travel 700 or 800 miles, I must thank my friends to write on the thinnest & lightest paper. The French ….[?] paper on purpose, of which this is a sample. -- The rate of postage is higher, if any thing, than in America. ----- New Page ----- Bale, in Switzerland, Aug. 20, 1826 Rev. & Dear Sir, Before speaking of this place & of my journey thither, I wish to go back & say a few words more of Paris. After sending off my letter of Aug. 12,1 again saw Prof. Kieffer, & found that my remarks on the subjectof native oriental teachers was correct. In reply to an inquiry of this sort, he was so good as to send me afterwards a note of which the following extract relates to this subject. "11 n' y a pas de natifs des contrees, dont les langues sont enseignees au College de France et a I'Ecole orientale de la Bibliotheque du Roi, attaches a ces deux etablissements. Mais i l arrive souvent, que les Professeurs qui conseignent ces langues, ont ete plusieurs annees dans les pays o u elles sont parlees. C'est ainsi que M. Gaussin, Prof. d'Arabe vulgaric, a appris cette langue en Syrie meme. C'est ainsi que mo i meme j'a i ete 8 ans a Constantinople, en qualite de Secretarie-Interpete de 1'Ambasade Franqaise, ou j 'ai apprix la langue Turque. Iine se trouve point de Turc en ce moment a Paris, qui pourvait m'aider pour la version de la Bible Turque. Mais il est plus facile de trouver des Arabes a Paris, dontonpourvaitobtenir Tassistance. A u reste, toutes les langues de TOrient sont plutot enseignees sous le rapport litteraire, que sous le rapport usuel pour apprendre a parler ces langues." Kieffer. -- I should have said that he shewed me the edition of the old Test, in Turkish which he had just completed; & also the first sheet in manuscript beautifully written, of a new version of the N. T.[new Testament] --^the first (1819) not having been perfectly satisfactory. He has been about 6% years engaged in the work & expects to complete it by the close of 1827. He took the address of our Seminary in order to send a copy when finished. --^As to Arabs, there are now many of them at Paris; within 2 weeks 30 of them have arrived fromegypt, sentout by the Pacha to be educated in order to become teachers & professors in Egypt. The French government patronize them, allow theminstructors & a mosque. 1 saw 7 of them walking in the gardens of the Tuileries, in their national costume, --probably however a military uniform, as it was scarlet, with scarlet turban, richly embroidered, --one of them, probably an officer, having blue turban & jacket with scarlet trousers. Were I in a situation to speak the Arab [Arabic] now, they would afford a fine opportunity. I spent six weeks in Paris, very pleasantly, & as I would fair hope, not without profit. I have formed acquaintances & acquired a knowledge of localities, so that when I return, it will be like home; & I can set myself down at work without delay. In some of my former letters, speaking under the first impressions of a stranger, I may have expressed myself inaccurately on points on which a further acquaintance may have altered my views. For instance, I may have said that Paris was apparently not greater in extent than New York, & that its domes did not surpass that of Boston in effect. These conclusions were drawn from looking down upon the city from Montmartre; but when one comes to travel through the city, he finds it much larger than N. Y. It is about 15 miles in circumference, & from 3 to 5 in diameter, in different quarters. The dome of Boston derives its affect solely from the ground on which it stands; those of Paris are grand in themselves. that of the Pantheon, or Church of St. Genevieve, is the highest & finest externally; that of the Hotel des Invalides is the first in internal splendour. It is indeed very superb; if such is the justness of the proportions, in the columns, & in the figures of the paintings, thatonewould not suppose the interior more than 50 or 60 feet high, though it is said to be 190. Aug. 21 I left Paris in the evening of the 15* inst. for this place, by way of Mulhausen & Huningue, & arrived on Sat. morning, the 19*, after travelling constantly 3 nights & 3 days, & resting one night at Mulhausen. One gentleman & myself occupied the coupe, so that we were not crowded & were able to sleep quite comfortably. The first day I felt somewhat fatigued, but afterwards was quite well. Our route was along the Seine & its valley, through Charenton, Provins, Nogeut-sur-la-Seine, to Troyes; there across the valleys of the Aube & Mame, through Bar-su-Aube, Chaumont, Langres, Vezou l [Vesoul, Lure ,] Befort [Belfort], to Mulhouse. This town is a little off from the direct route; but the diligences do not go out of the kingdom, & this is the longest frontier town. Bale is distant from it about 18 miles. The partoffrance through which I have now travelled, though exhibiting many portions of great beauty & fertility, is on the whole not equal to that which I saw before reaching Paris. the rivers cause verdure & fertility ontheir banks, but elsewhere vast plains are often to be seen arid & sterile, & without wood or even trees to relieve the eye. not a fence is to be seen, & not a brook or pool of water. The heartoffrance, through which I have now passed for near 500 miles, is a species of table land of a clayey soil lying in limestone; & the few rivers are long, turbid, discoloured, & run in vallies or ravines which seem as if worn out from the higher plains. At Lure, the face of the country changes; we enter among hills & woods, & the road winds among mountains of gentle elevation--^they are the Vosges. From Befort we enter upon the fertile plain between the Vosges & the Jura mountains, which runs N. E. till it strikes that of the Rhine at Mulhausen. Thence to Bale the road is skirted on the right by gentle hills covered with vineyards, & on the left by the rich illusion of the Rhine. Beyond the river are the mountains of the Black Forest, coming down occasionally to dip the feet in the "Father of Wine. " Bale is mostly on the S. side of the Rhine, just where it issues from the Jura mountains & sweeps off to the north. The river is here about 35 rods wide, turbid, & running with a rapid strong current. The country around is very rich; & from a little chapel on a knoll, about a mile S. W. of the city, the view resembles very much that from the Round hill at Northampton.^^ From some of the adjacent hills are visible the summits of some of the snow-capped Alps which I also saw from the plains near Mulhouse. They are some of the Northern Alps, viz., the Schreckhom, Wetterhorn & Jungfrau. As seen here, they resemble bright fleecy pointed clouds hanging from the horizon. ----- New Page ----- Wed. Aug. 23, 1826 I have been received at the Missionary Seminary here, like a brother indeed. After being in France, where the world and the present day seem to be the only object of consideration, it is most delightful to come to this spot, where is accord in heart & soul & spirit with our own beloved Andover. I have never met with more hearty or more heartfelt expressions or demonstrations of Christian affections. All feel a lively interest in Andover, & speak of the letter which they received a year or more agofrom the Society of Inquiry. The Seminary has grown up from small beginnings, since the year 1816, & can now receive and instruct about 45 students. Just at present there are but 33, but a class of 10 is to enter in Sept. Of its history & general regulations, I have sent a sketch to Mr. Anderson for the Missionary Herald, --or if not inserted there, to be sent to Andover. A view of the house is also sent. It is on high ground, near the vale of the city, --is retired & pleasant. It was not built for the purpose, & the students study in the class rooms, & sleep in dormitories, 15 or 20 in a room. As tofurniture, appearance, etc. the rooms are about a medium between Bartlett & Philips halls.^* The head of the institution, Mr. Blumhardt, has the title of Inspector, & lives in the building, as also the other instructors. He is truly the head & also the soul of the whole establishment. His exertions & influence probably are more efficient in pressing its claims upon the public than those of all others. He published a Quarterly Missionary Magazine from the profits of which the buildings & land have been paid for. He also issues monthly a sheet in French & German of missionary extracts, printed lithographically, for which purpose a small lithographic press is attached to the Seminary. He has moreover recently translated & The reference is presumably to Northampton in Massachusetts These are two buildings at Andover Seminary in Massachusetts. published Mrs. Judson's book, which takes much improving.'^'' Mr. Blumhardt is rather a small man, 47 years old, of very dark & rather rough features, but with a heartoverflowing with Christian love & humility. He speaks English rapidly, but not very correctly. In prayers his manner is rather vehement; --in his lectures, animated & dignified with a very distinct enunciation. He was a pupil offlatt at Tubingen, & holds his master in the highest veneration.^* There are at present but 2 assistants, although the usual number is 4. One of these is the English teacher, --rather a hireling, who stays but a short time & teaches nothing but English--^the other, Mr. Stier, is about 28 years of age & is the friend & correspondentof Tholuck, has attended the lectures of Gesenius, & is quite a Hebrew scholar. Students are not without previous education, & spend two years in preparatory studies, such as the Latin, Greek, arithmetic, etc. etc. The theological course then occupies 2 years. The students of the 3 older classes are all inscribed as members of the university, --in order that they may enter the church by the regular door, & not climb over the wall ; --they even attend some lectures there but as few as possible. The instruction given in the Seminary is chiefly by lectures, Mr. Bl. taking the dogmatik. & also the principles of interpretation, & Mr. Stier the Hebrew & Greek department, etc. I have attended their lectures; -- I do not perceive that the general manner differs much from our own. I heard Mr. S. on the 10* Psalm, --his lecture was a minute critical commentary than otherwise. He also lectures on Romans. Mr. B. uses no text book. For Hebrew they employ Gesenius' lexicon & have heretofore used his smaller grammar; but finding that insufficient, Stier is now at work at another, with a view to publication. I know not how much to expect from it; --he is not acquainted with the kindred dialects. He uses chiefly Rosenmuller's commentary.^^ On the N . T. they make no use of Schleusner^' whatever; --they have WahF * and also Schoetjena, but not Bretschneider." Kuinol is beston the historical books ingeneral,*" though Mr. B. describes him as a man perfectly cold & frozen, & a mere walking dictionary. On the gospel and epistles of John, Liicke has recently published a work, of which they speak well. He was a neologist, but has come over to the orthodox and has a good spirit. On Romans, Tholuck is considered the best, another by Mr. Stier & by De Wette. Flatt also left his manuscripts to his son-in-law, Steudel, who has published his Scholia on Romans & will publish on the *" Ann Hasseltine Judson (1789-1826) and her husband, Adoniram Judson, were missionaries in Burma. The reference is to Ann's A Particular Relation of the American Baptist Mission to the Burman Empire (1823). -* Karl Christian Flatt (1772-1843) was a professor of theology at Tilbingen. ** It is not clear if the reference is to J. G. RosenmuUer (1736-1815) or Ernst RosenmilUer (1768-1835). " Johann Friedrich Schleusner (1759-1831) ** Christian Abraham Wahl (1773-1855) " Karl Gottlieb Bretschneider (1776-1848) wrote anumber of books, including//ancfhwc/! der Dogmatik, 1814. '∞ Christian Kuinol (1768-1841) wrote Commentarius in libros Novi Testamenti historicos, 4 vols., Leipzig, 1807-1818. other epistles,*' --Mr. B, of course prefers Flatt. Liicke is also about to publish on the Apocalypse. ** In Saered Literature, they seem here to getover about as much ground as with us. The dogmatik & Homolitik are objects of less exclusive attention than with us. All are carried along together. In the two last years the pupils also study English because this is the Missionary language. Generally speaking, they do not, & cannot, make professors, scholars, or divines, --but that is not their object. --The effectof the Seminary upon the German Church has been great, --first by exciting interest in the Seminary itself & then in missionary operations generally, & then there has been a powerful reaction & revivification in the bosom of the church. It has been as in our own country, --^the actions of Christians in sending the gospel to others, have by the blessings of God, resulted in a wider diffusion & more powerful influences of the spiritof the gospel at home. I have seen De Wette several times, & at his invitation have attended one of his lectures on Job. He is a rather under the middle size, of dark hair & complexion & keen black eyes, & about 48 or 50 years old.** He is retiring & rather diffident--i.e., his manners. His countenance has a mild & rather sad expression. He speaks no English, so that all our communications have been in French, which he speaks no better than I do. His manner of lecturing is slow, soft, & at most stammering, without animation or effect, -- & was a mere commentary. The room was very ancient, & with its furniture resembled much one of our old country school houses. He had 25 learners. He lectures twice a week on Job, of which he is able to take only the more striking & difficult parts, -- 3 times on Romans, & 4 times on Dogmatik, --in all 9. --De Wette is at present in a very interesting state of mind. His political views have driven him from Germany ; --both parties have abandoned his theology, ----- New Page ----- & he finds & feels himself left by the world a disappointed man. In this situation he finds more consolation in the piety of Christians than any where else & is continually approaching to & associating with the orthodox. His head and heart are at variance; atone time, he does nothing but reason, & then is as wild as ever, --at another, you find him softened, feeling, & using the language of the orthodox. A society has recently been instituted here for the purpose of sending out a mission to Greece, & two young men of the Seminary are designated to go. De Wette is at the heartof this society & wrote the address to the public. Mr. Blumhardt has strong hopes that he will ultimately be brought to sit at the feetof Jesus. The University of Bale is now at a low ebb. Exclusive of the students of the Missionary Seminary, there are now less than 100 students. In the cathedral which dates back to 1000,1 have gazed on the monumentof Erasmus & of the Buxtorfs,*"* --a descendantof the latter, a Buxtorf, still holds the chair of oriental literature, --an old man who has reached the years, but not the fame of his father. De Wette attracts more pupils than any other professor. " Johann Christian Steudel (1779-1837) " Gottfried ChristianFriedrichLucke(1791-1855), a pupil and friend of Schleiermacher, studied theology at Halle and Gottingen. " Wilhelm Martin De Wette (1780-1849) wrote many books, including Hebrew Archaeology (1814) and Old-Testament Introduction (1817).. *" Beginning with Johannes Buxtorf (1564-1629), four generations or more of the Buxtorf family held the professorship of Hebrew at the University of Basel. Germany has recently lost some of its best men. Knapp is gone, Vater** is gone, BengeP" is gone. The latter died in consequence of an unsuccessful operation for hydorcele; - his Archive will be continued by Stundel [Steudel]. Tholuck, who was Prof. extr. at Berlin was appointed by the King of Prussia Prof. ord. in the place of Knapp. He is zealous & somewhat imprudent, --so that the whole faculty of Halle protested against the appointment; but the King would not rescind it. He is now at Halle. De Wette speaks of him in the highest terms, --says his commentary on Romans is the best & is tres excellent, though occasionally hyper-orthodox. De Wette says Gesenius is the first Hebraist ingermany--(his great lexicon is begun)--but that Tholuck is his superior in the other oriental languages. Tholuck was the son of poor parents; but his peculiar genius for learning languages being discovered, he was taken & placed in situations where it might be cultivated. At Breslau he learned to speak Arabic; at Berlin, Prussian; & he also speaks the English, French, Spanish, & Italian, & some more. De Wette's remarks were a proof of great candour in him, for Tholuck has been his opponent. Meyer's translation of the Bible is obtaining great currency ingermany. A second edition of it has been printed for common use, without the notes. It is not considered as a new version, but simply an emendation of Luther's. Meyer is not a regularly educated scholar.*'' He was for many years in some public employment at Frankfurt, but left it in order to devote himself to the theory of the Scriptures. After 10 years he produced his version. He is regarded rather as the leader or champion of the orthodox at present. He has been for some time publishing essays, etc. on theological subjects, which are said to be very good. From all that I can yet learn, the spiritof pure Christianity [words missing because paper is to m] to be revives ingermany very extensively. Over all the country there are Missionary & Tract & Bible Societies; -- & in almost, & perhaps quite all, the universities there are some whofearlessly maintain the truth. Even at Gottingen, I learn there is one orthodox professor, -- a young man whose name I forget. --The Planets are described as neutral, --extending a hand to either party. We may hope in a few years to have philology & criticism from the Germans, perhaps equally learned & much more evangelical. May God hasten the time. I think to setoff tomorrow directly to Heidelberg. I cannot go by Schaffhausen & Tiibingen without losing a week, -- & besides, until I have the language, I cannot go with the same pleasure nor profit. I may stay 2 days at Heidelberg & hope to reach Gottingen in about a week. The more I hear, the more my purpose strengthens tofix myself at Halle for the winter. My health is now quite good; & I have much occasion to render thanks to God for the many pleasant circumstances which have thus far marked my journey. If it be his will, I hope next to write to you form Gottingen. My affectionate remembrance to all the families of the hill, as well as your own. Gratefully & affectionately I am yours Edw. Robinson. ----- New Page ----- " Johann SeverinVater(1771-1826) Johann Albrecht Bengal (1687-1751) " Johann Friedrich von Meyer (1772-1849) published in 1812 his Bibeldeutungen and in 1819 a revision of Luther's translation of the Bible. [on the reverse side of the paper that folds to create an envelope is written]: Since writing the within, De Wette has again called and given me letters for Heidelberg & Gesenius. He says Umbreitof Heidelberg has published on Job & Proverbs, but has rather erred by affecting originality. I have just come from visiting the public library, which contains about 36,000 vols. --some ms. [manuscripts] of the N. T., particularly that which Erasmus used, --autographed letters of Luther, & of the reformers, --^the library of the Buxtorfs, etc. etc. ----- New Page ----- Ship Rev moses Stuart Prof. of Lit. Andover Massachusetts New York Oct 11 ----- New Page ----- Gottingen, Sept 6, 1826, Wednesday Rev. & Dear Sir I left Bale on the 26* ult. & travelled down the Rhine tofrankfurt, stopping two days at Heidelberg. The plain through which this "Father of wine " rolls his waters is rich, verdant & fertile in the highest degree. It varies in width from 10 to 30 miles --it is bounded on the West by the mountains of the Vosges, while in the East the Black Forest still crowns the adjacent mountains with its dense & gloomy shades. In frontof the mountains gentle eminences, the favorite abode of the vine, often crowd out upon the plain, while in other places they disappear & the mountains rise atonce from the meadows & cornfields. In one of these latter spots where the summits retire in a semicircle, & a little river issues from a narrow valley, stands Fribourg [Freiburg], the residence of Hug.** It was impossible to stop to call upon him ; & I had only time to catch a hasty glance at the cathedral, one of the noblest in Europe, & much finer than any in France. We breakfasted at Kehl opposite Strasbourg, & this view across the river was all I saw of the latter city. Before reaching Heidelberg, the Schwarzwald disappears for some distance; but again the mountains press forward on the plain & at their western point the Neckar bursts from its mountaingorge. Hither the entrance of the narrow valley, as a strip of ground on the Southern bank, stands Heidelberg. The mountains rise on each side almost perpendicularly in several summits from 1000 to 2000 feet high. Justover the Eastern part of the town frowns the imposing ruin of the castle, generally considered as the finest in northern Europe, while behind it the mountain still rises 200 feet. I visited the ruin, & some other places, with an English gentleman with whom I had fallen in on my way. The famous tun is still seen in its primeval state; but it sinks into insignificance in comparison with the vats of the breweries in London. It was built in 1750, holds about 1200 barrels, & was never filled but three times. ** Johann Leonard Hug (1765-1846) wrote Einleitung in die Schriften des neuen Testaments, 2 vols, 1818, a work that had many editions, including one in English (1836) by Fosdick, with notes by Moses Stuart. I had letters to Professors Schwarz,*' Umbreit,''" & Schlosser, & the latter introduced me to Paulus.'" Schwarz is Prof, of Theol. orthodox, & the editor of a Theol. Jahrbuch which is well spoken of. Umbreit has just published (as I have before said) commentaries on Job & Proverbs. He is perhaps 30, & is I should think rather a common man. Schlossen is celebrated as a historian, & has one of the most pleasing & sprightly faces I have seen ingermany. But for fire & energy of expression, old Paulus surpasses all. He is now rising of 70, with keen black eyes, spare, erect & vigorous. He speaks English & was amusing himself much with a work just sent here fromengland, in which the author calls him the most atrocious rationalist ingermany. Paulus told me he was going on with his commentary of the N. T. & that he was now printing the latter part of John. I could not stop at Darmstadt, where I had letters to Leander Van Ess. ''^At Frankfurt I was detained 8 hours, & had time to run about the city, & call on Meyer, the translator of the Bible. He was last year Burgomaster offrankfurt, i.e., one of the two chief magistrates of the state. He is a mild looking amicable man, about 45 years or perhaps 50, very polished in his manners & speaking French well, & having more a tone of piety in his conversation than almost any one I have met. As to his critical skill I should doubt. Having finished his version, he seems to think nothing more is to be done. Schleusner is his best book; he had not even seen Gesenius on Isaiah. From Frankfurt my route turned more into the interior of Germany, & brought me to ----- New Page ----- Cassel. The territory of Hesse Cassel begins very near Frankfurt, while the capital is near the northern border. The surface of the country is uneven, rising often & every where into hills, which become higher as we advance, & are usually covered with wood, forming the Thuringian forest. The villages & inhabitants are ingeneral more filth & squalid than in the worst parts offrance. We passed Giessen at Tuesday night, --I could not stop without losing 2 days, which I could not now afford. Marbourg also with its university I was forced to leave unseen, except so far as to discern that it, as well as Giessen, is ill built, narrow, & filthy. The principal part of Cassel is new, & is very regular & pleasant. I was detained there over night; & the next day (the 28*) reached at last the renowned seat of Georgia Augusta. Gottingen is situated in the Eastern part of a wide & tolerably fertile plain or valley, near the little river Seine, a muddy stream about the size of the [?]. The town contains about 1000 inhabitants & like most of the German towns, is surrounded by a rampartor mound of earth from 10 to 20 feet high, & 30 to 40 broad on the top, planted with two rows of Linden trees, & forming a very fine & pleasant promenade, the only one indeed in the place. The circuit is about 2 miles, but can hardly be said to have a local habitation. The only buildings are the library which was formerly a convent, -- & a small observatory. The Professors live in their own houses, & have their own lecture rooms, which are usually on the scale of our old New England " Friedrich Heinrich Christian Schwarz (1766-1837) Friedrich Wilhelm Karl Umbreit (1795-1860) focused his writings almost exclusively on the Old Testament. ' Heinrich Eberhard Gottlob Paulus (1761-1851) was a professor of church history at the University of Heidelberg from 1811 until his death. Leander Van Ess (1772-1847) schoolhouses, as to appearance & furniture. The law school at Litchfield is exactly on the plan of the University of Gottingen. The library now contains about 230,000 vols. & is probably, as you know, better arranged then perhaps any other in Europe. There is an alphabetical catalogue occupying about 150 vols. fol. in Ms. & also a catalogue raisonnee, which is smaller. Of the Professors here, I have only seen Blumenbach, Eichhom,''* & H. Planck.'"'' The first is as much distinguished for his oddities as for his science, & is perhaps as much of a curiosity as any in his collection. He speaks English a little & received me very kindly. The Germans are all proud of him --^his walk is such that he comes athwartof none of them, & they therefore let him live in peace. Eichhom is very affable & polite in his manners, --is short & thick, & resembles the print you have of him, making proper allowance for 40 or 50 additional years. He wears his hair yet in the same style. He is however becoming feeble & is giving up his lectures by degrees. The last semester he had butone course. He still recommends his edition of Simonis as the best Hebrew Lexicon, & still affirms that no improvements have been made in Hebrew philology for the last 30 years. H. Planck is apparently about 40, & is certainly the most heavy, stupid, frowzy looking German I have seen. He is subject to epileptic fits, which have probably had an effecton his appearance. He is short & thick, the top of his head is perfectly flat, -- his eyes are heavy & when lecturing are usually closed, & he sings, or rather whines, out his words in a soft, feeble, feminine voice --so that in so far as externals are concerned, I can hardly conceive of any thing more uninteresting. He lectures on the N. T. which he goes over in 2 years. During the last semester he has been through Romans & I Cor. He is generally understood to be working at his lexicon, but no one knows its progress or present state. --Pott ----- New Page ----- is also here, a tall thin man, but I cannot learn that his lectures are much frequented. There are here about 40 institutions of all grades. Professors ordinary & extraordinary, & Privatlehrer. During the summer there have been 1300 students, viz.. Theology, 309; Law, 700; Medicine, 258; Philosophy, i.e. all other branches, 185. The average annual expense is estimated at about 300 Rixdollars for each student. The annual appropriation for the library is 3000 Rchth. But in important cases they have the liberty to exceed that sum. The library is universally conceded to be the best ingermany, & for printed books, so far as practical use is concerned, it is better than that at Paris. Orthodoxy, as you may well suppose, is a thing which is here almost unknown. There is only one man who is called orthodox. He is a Privatlehrer in theology, by the name of Bialloblotzky; but I fear that although he may be learned & well meaning, his manners & character are not such as shed much lustre on the cause of evangelical religion. He has recently been several months in England, & has brought home new views of the practical tendency & power of Christianity. He stated the other evening that although he is the son of a clergyman, yet until he was 24 years of age, he never saw nor heard of such a thing as family worship, & that it is almost unknown throughout Germany. Tholuck is in bad odor here & his book is denied almost as much as De Wette praised it. Of the Lexicons of Wahl & Bretschneider, the preference is generally, though not always, given to the former. Stundlein, Prof, of Theology, has recently died; --his place is not yet filled; & it is supposed that it should be given to De Wette, if it were not from fear of the Prussian "* Johann Gottfired Eichhom (1752-1827) Heinrich Ludwig Planck (1785-1831) government. Bretschneider is also mentioned as a candidate. -- My own decision is made to go to Halle for the winter & probably longer. I think to remain here till about the middle of October & [paper torn here] reach Halle about a week before the commencementof the lectures. It is reported that there has recently been a quarrel there, between the students & the police, & that many of the students will come to Gottingen; --^this may be true, but is most probably exaggerated. The number there is about 1200, of whom nearly 800 are in the departmentof theology. It has given me pleasure to meet here Mr. H. E. Dwight. He had been here a few days before my arrival, & has setoff this morning for Paris, hesitating whether to go thence to America, or to pass the winter in Halle. His health is very feeble, & he is pale and thin. His lungs are very irritable, & have a constant tendency to bleeding. He spent the last winter at Berlin, & the summer at Dresden & Leipsic [Leipzig], reading where he could the general literature of Germany, but wholly unable to pursue a regular course of study. There is great reason tofear that he is destined to an early grave. Mr. Kirkland is now absent in Switzerland. He is pursuing studies calculated to qualify him for his Latin Professorship, --wil l spend the winter here & return home next year through France & England. Mr. Cunningham from Boston, the best Cambridge scholar of last year, is also here, pursuing theological studies, & will go with me this winter to Halle. He is a very sensible, intelligent, & gentlemanly young man, & although brought up in the atmosphere of Boston & Cambridge, holds his mind open, & is willing & desirous to learn the truth. He regrets much that he did not spend the first year at Andover, as a preparation for his residence here. He is the only American in Europe whose pursuits at all coincide with mine & on this account as well as many others, I am most gratified at the prospectof having his company at Halle. Mr .Chase left (it is said!) a very unfavorable impression on the mind of Gesenius & many others; I hope we may be able to make a better one on behalf of the American name. --I have found here also Prof. Elton of Brown University, who seems to be running over Europe, searching out all the distinguished men, & visiting all the universities; but I cannot learn that he has any definite object in view, or that any thing is likely to result from his travels. He certainly is not calculated to make a very favourable impression in regard to American Professors. I have as yet received no letters from my friends in Mass. but am now looking out for some every day. My address still remains "to the care of Mr. David C. Porter, Rue du Mail, no. 29, Paris" --but should you ----- New Page ----- know of a vessel sailing from Boston to Hamburg or Bremen, letters sent by it to Halle would reach me perhaps as soon & at a less expense. At present my business is to acquire the language & collect information --afterwards, I hope to be able to communicate it & also to purchase & send home some books. Indeed, if I can obtain them here, I think soon to send you Tholuck on Romans, & the 2^ edition, of Meier's Grammar, & perhaps one or two other little things. If I send them, they will go to the care of C. & Hilliard. In coming down the Rhine, I have passed most of the way over the route of Russef* & have examined his accountof places upon the spot. The general character of his work is very correct; but in many points he has sacrificed not a little to piquancv of manner, & has chosen to say a thing pointedlv rather than correctly. Such are his remarks on French cooking & the Germandiligence, & also on the Jews' quarter at Frankfurt. He has also sometimes spoken of things as characteristic of a particular town, which in fact are common to many. Such is his description of the old part of Cassel, which applies in a much higher degree tofrankfurt. "* Robinson is referring to Russel's guidebook for travels in Europe. His accountof the German students is here considered as presenting a pretty fair picture except that perhaps the duel is more prominent than he has made it. It is now vacation here; so that I have no opportunity of attending lectures. All American friends are gone or are soon going on excursions, so that I shall be quite alone. This however will be an advantage in regard to the language. As my business now is to see & learn, rather than to write, my letters for a season may perhaps be less frequent. Thus far a kind Providence has been my guide, & I feel that I am in a region where I can & ought to make rapid improvements. If I can butoccupy my one talent right, & make it two, I shall have great gratitude & thankfulness to God. My kindest remembrance to your family & the families of the hill, & to the students. My heart is with you all; & in this region of spiritual death, clings with still greater fondness to the privileges which every day remains to you. Most affectionately, I amyours etc. Edw. Robinson ----- New Page ----- Gottingen, Sept 21, 1826 Rev & Dear Sir I did not... [paper torn] to have written again to you so soon; but considering that I am to be at least a year ingermany, & probably at Halle, I though it would be well to open a channel of communication with you through the Messrs. Searles at Boston & their correspondents at Bremen, by which packages of books etc may be forwarded to you with some regularity & dispatch; & the sooner this is done the better. Will you not therefore have the goodness to communicate with Messrs. Searles, & let me know the address, & that of this house in Bremen. If they also would write to their correspondents, & their correspondents to me, it would be still better. Mr. Tappan was so good as to give me a letter to a house in Bremen (F. & E. Delius) but as Messrs. S. are regular traders there, it would be better to communicate with their agents. Mr. Hilliard also gave a letter to Pitcairn, Brodie, & Co. at Hamburg h [Hamburg], which I shall use in order to open a channel through Hamburgh. I have been led to think more on this subject, & to write now, from the uncertainty there is in sending by way of Hamburg. A day or two since Mr. Cunningham sentoff a box, in which I also sent for you, to the care of C. & Hilliard, Winer's 2"'' edition, & the Gottingen catalogue of the last term. The box goes to Hamburgh, & may lie there for ought we know, till spring. I should have sent Tholuck & Flatton Romans, but they were not to be obtained here. As I shall frequently wish to be sending in a similar manner, an intercourse with Bremen, by which I may learn when a vessel is to sail, will be peculiarly convenient. It is now fall vacation here; --^the lectures recommence about the 25* of Oct. I sent in the bundle the schedule of the lectures of the Professors; -- the other, which includes all the teachers, was not then published. All the American have left the place on excursions, & I am quite alone. It is well, however, as I am applying myself exclusively to the language. The Germans articulate their words, ingeneral, much better then the French, so that could I read the German now, as well as I could French on my landing, I should find little difficulty in understanding most that is said. Thus, when I could distinguish the words, I knew what they meant, but here, I distinguish the words without knowing the signification. Gesenius, to whom I forwarded your letter from Paris, has been so good as to write to me here, welcoming me to Germany, & offering me, if I come to Halle this winter, a room in his house, "wodurch, " as he says, "ich nahren und bequemer Gelegenheit, als sonst vielleicht hatte, Ihnen mi t Biichen, mi t Rat h und That, so viel als in meinen Stuckekrafte steht, niitzlich z u worden. " Every body allows that Halle is the great theological school of Germany. During the summer there have been there 1170 students, of whom near 800 were theological. Berlin rather take[s] the lead in numbers, having rising of 1600 in all. I see in the Jena Gazette a long review of a commentary on Hebrews by Bohmer, a Pastor. I have not read it, nor heard the work elsewhere spoken of. If it proves to be any thing, I shall send it as well as those on Romans by the firstopportunity. There is here a young Privatlehrer, Ewald, about 23 or 24 years old, who seems to be [?] Sac. Lit.''" He has published on Canticles, & on Arabic Prosody; & is preparing a Hebrew Grammar to come between the large & small ones of Gesenius. I do not know in what estimation he is generally held. ----- New Page ----- Ship Rev. Moses Stuart Professor de Andover Massachusetts New York Nov 17 The place of Stiindlein is not yet filled, & probably will not be before Spring. Many persons are mentioned for the place, such as Gesenius, De Wette, Schleiermacher,''^ Bretschneider, Winer, & etc. but it is nothing more than rumors in any case. -- The younger Planck is spending the vacation at the house of his brother-in-law, the pastor of a little village about 4 or 5 (Eng) miles N. W. of Gottingen.'** I was there a day or two since, but he had just had one of his fits, & was unable to see company. I learned from his brother that he had completed several of the letters in his lexicon as A. B. Q, etc. & had made collections for the whole, but that as some lexicons had recently been published he is now bestowing more labour on it, & had no idea of speedy publication. The ideas we have had in America respecting the number of hours which the German students study in a day are quite erroneous. A few may be in their rooms 14 or 15 hours, --as Eichhom, who never goes out of his study except when he comes downstairs to his lecture; the most part do not study more than 8 or 10 hours, or at most 12. They take a cup of coffee or tea in the morning, dine from 12 to 1, & sup on meat from 8 to 9, than go to bed. I dread the prospectof a German winter. The weather is said not to be so cold as with us, but very rainy & unpleasant. There are nofireplaces; --all the rooms have stoves, which differ not from many of our ….[?] stoves, except that they open through the wall without, so that while one avoids the dust & dirt, he is also unable to regulate his fire or the temperature of his room . 1 had written to Mr. G. Hallock of Boston, to send me outoccasionally American periodical publications, which he offered to do before my departure. He will send through Hamburgh & Bremen. Should there be any thing at Andover of interest to me, as the catalogue etc. etc., will you not have the goodness to send it to me through him? *" Georg Heinrich August Ewald (1803-75) was considered by his peers to be one of the most learned of orientalists of the nineteenth century.." Friedrich Schleiermacher (1768-1834) ** The reference is to Heinrich Planck, son of Gottlieb Jakob Planck (1751-1833). Both men were professors of theology at the university ingottingen. Kind remembrances to ail friends, Affectionately & respectfully. Yours, Edw. Robinson. ----- New Page ----- Halle, in Prussia, Oct. 20, 1826 Rev. & Dear Sir My time ingottingen was profitably spent in reference to the acquisition of the German language, although 1 was able to learn little of the place or people. On my first arrival there, knowing no German, I delivered my letters & made my calls through the medium offrench. For 5 weeks I devoted myself almost solely to reading, writing, & speaking, so that when, before my departure, I again called on Eichhom, Blumenbach, Riesen, Miiller, etc. I found myself able to maintain a conversation ingerman, much better than before in French. From Gottingen (which I lefton the 11 * inst.) I came across the country through Nordhaus & Eisleben, in company with a Halle studentof theology with whom I had fallen in at Gottingen, & as we spoke nothing but German, made more progress than I could perhaps have done in any other way, so that now, with the practice I have had since my arrival, I can understand most that is said, & am able to take part in promiscuous conversation. At any rate, the chief difficulties are overcome so that I can hear lectures with profit. --At Eisleben I had the pleasure of visiting the house where Luther was born, where now a school for the poor is kept; -- & also the church where his pulpit still remains, which is used only 3 times a year on solemn occasions. The offer of a room from Gesenius, which I believe I mentioned in my last, imported, as I had supposed, nothing more than that he had rooms to let, & that if I took one of his, he would perhaps be better disposed to lend me books than if I were located elsewhere. I am in one of his rooms --his best is perhaps not so good as the little chamber which I occupied with you, to which my thoughts so often remain withendearing recollections; the second, which I occupy, is somewhat inferior, but I hope to obtain the other. The living, etc., here is cheaper than ingottingen. My room, including all the Aufwartung or servants, cleaning boots & clothes, etc. is 1 Rixth. per week; dinner at an eating house is 4 Rth. the month, or 1 Rt h the week, & the same if brought to your room; coffee, tea, & bread & butter etc. cost about another Rth. weekly; washing, fuel, etc. another; making the whole weekly expense about 4 Rth. or 3 Americandollars. The fuel is commonly Peat, which is cheap & good, --fuel for the season costs about 8 or 10 Rth. I think we may live here very comfortably for 200 Rthl. per annum, including clothes, books, excursions, etc. for 300, & at most 400, i.e. for $250 or $300 the year. Halle is situated in the midstof an extensive plain or rather tractof slightly undulatory country, through which flows the Saale on the E. side of which the city is built. Just above the town the river separates into 2 branches, & unites again below. It has as much water as the Merrimac," 'but is not so broad. On the islands & beyond are pleasant meadows forming in summer agreeable promenades. The city contains about 2600 inhabitants, is badly built, with narrow & crooked streets without sidewalks & badly paved. About the The Merrimac is a river in Connecticut. middle is a paved square of some size where the market is held; in the midstof it rises the Roth Turm, or simply a steeple; on the west side is a large church or cathedral with 4 towers; & on the Eastof the square, among other buildings, is one belonging to the University, in a hall of which Gesenius & some of the other professors read their lectures. The library also occupies a separate building in the N. W. part of the town. The Frankens Stiftungen are in the southern part; they occupy immensely larger, but rather mean buildings; & are said not now to be in a very good state. The piety & faith in which they were founded & so long administered expired with the good, old Knapp, who was superannuated for some time before his death; --^the institutions have for some years been mostly supported by the crown, & have thus lost the confidence, or at least the sympathy of the Christian public. On this subject I shall probably have more to say at a future time. ----- New Page ----- Gesenius received me very kindly, & invited me to sup with him in the evening, when he introduced me to his lady. He is now 40 years old, but looks younger; has keen light grey eyes, a round & full, though not fat face, high & open forehead, & is deeply marked from the small pox. He is rather under the middle size, and in conversation is very animated & lively. The Germans, in speaking of him, say he is lebhaft und munter. He is extremely flessig, sees no one till 2 P.M., & is again shut up in the evening. In the afternoon he walks or more frequently rides, & has a horse of his own. In his liveliness & gaiety, there is however occasionally some thing constrained, which leads one to suppose that it is sometimes factitious; indeed, it requires no long conversation with him to discover that literary ambition is the ruling passion of his breast. He has also the general reputation of being somewhat zeitzig: & if so, he is likely to be gratified. He reads constantly 2 courses, each of which is 5 Rth. or in all 20 Rthl. the year; & has usually at least 300 learners; making 6000 Rth. per annum. Besides this, is the revenue of all his works ; & he also has a large house & lets 10 or 12 rooms. The title of Doct. in Theol. is higher than Professor; so that his general title is The Hen-Doctor. --The Frau Doctorium is 29 years of age, & seems to be amiable but I should think not particularly distinguished. They have 6 children & have lostone. The Hebrew-Latin Thesaurus has been 2 years in the press, & is printed to Gimel in twoforms, folio & quarto. He is bestowing great pains upon it, & seems to rest his fame in a great measure there. In the mean time a 3"* edition of the small lexicon is now printing, the copy of which, after 1, is entirely new, & written out with his own hand. If Mr. Gibbs should print a new edition of the translation, Gesenius is very desirous that it should be amended from this new work, & offers to lend out the sheets, of which 8 are now printed. Of the Lehrgebande, a large number were printed, & the edition is not yet sold; he intends at a future day to give a curtailed edition of it in Latin, somewhaton the plan of yours. The biblical atlas makes no progress; 3 or 4 maps have been prepared, & have lain for some years. He has also the intention of publishing an Einleitung [Introduction] to the Old Testament, which he considers as being much wanted. The proposed Hebrew Bible to which his name was attached was a booksellers ruse, to hinder others from undertaking a similar work, --Gesenius has no definite intention respecting it. He was invited to superintend the last edition of .Simonis (Rosenmuller's) but refused, on accountof the matched [notched ?] type. -- As to lectures, I am told (not by himself) he now reads a two years' course, viz., this watch Psalms & the last part of Isaiah, & the 1" part of Church History; next summer. Job, & the second part of Church History next winter, Genesis & Einleitung; & the following summer, Isaiah & Jewish archaeology. He has also this winter a class or society, with whom he has an exercise in Hebrew, similar to our recitations, & in which the whole is carried on in Latin. We Americans are in this respect so deficient, that I fear I shall not at first be able to join this society, though it is my intention to acquire more familiarity with that part of a Latin education. ----- New Page ----- Tholuck I have seen several times, & have been received by him with but kindness & Christian friendship. He is now about 28, slender, with pale & interesting features, & a most melodious voice. He suffers much from ill health, --dyspepsia, proceeding probably from want of care of himself. He speaks English well ; his pronunciation is uncommonly good, --better than his grammar. (Gesenius speaks it but little, --not better than I do German). Tholuck is extremely intelligent, & at the same time modest & unassuming. so far as I have yet seen, as to matters of exegesis etc., he stands precisely with us at Andover. He remarked as I left him last evening how much pleasure it gave him to find Americans possessing views so much more liberal & enlarged than he had met with in England, --^where he had been somewhat lost under constraint by the narrowness & prejudice which he encountered on many subjects of theology & exegesis. so far as I can now judge, his acquaintance promises to be more valuable to me in a social, moral, & religious view than that of any other person I am likely to meet with in Halle. -- The works which he has already published, he says, have been composed very hastily, & he feels himself yet too young to repose on his laurels. I do not know that he has any work now on hand. -- Gesenius on the contrary is slow in publishing, but exceedingly cautious & sure in execution. --Tholuck reads this winter in Christian ethics. & on the Encyclopedia & Literature of Theology. The other professors I have not seen. The most prominent are Niemeyer, Wegscheider, & Thilo, the son≠in-law of Knapp.*" Niemeyer reads on Practical Christianity; Thilo on Corinthians & the following epistles; & Wegscheider on John & Acts, & on the history of Dogmatik. the latter usually has about as many learners as Gesenius, & often admits poor students gratis, which Gesenius never does. Reisig is celebrated as a classic philologian; -- but I do not now remember any other of whom we have heard in America. -- During the last semester there were here 1170 students, of whom about 800 were theological. There are plenty of duels, & these too of course are mostly theological. During the summer, they had a falling out with the police, & assaulted the Rathshaus, & were guilty of other excesses; so that the curator, or person who manages between the University & Prussian government issued a public notification, advising parents not to send their sons here, because of the rough & savage demeanour of the students. The professors were exceedingly nettled at this, & Gesenius & some others published a counter statement. It yet remains to be seen what effect this may have on the number of pupils. [on the vertical edges of the second and third pages of this letter, E. R. has written a couple of sentences, but the binding obscures most of the writing. What can be seen are these words: It would give me great pleasure to hear fromyou at least every month 1 am not agreeably at means to decide on what to begin.] August Hermann Niemeyer (1754-1828); Julius August Ludwig Wegscheider (1771-1849); Johann Karl Thilo (1794-1853). Evg, 4 o'clock I have this afternoon been walking with Gesenius, who was very pleasant & agreeable. He promised to write to you now, as I offered to transmit his letter to Paris; but he has not done it. He professes not to be a very good correspondent & thinks it more important to write books than to write letters. He preaches occasionally in one of the churches. I am not yet settled down to work. The lectures commence in about a week. I shall hear those of Gesenius on Psalms & Isaiah, but probably not those on Ecc. Hist. I wish also to hear some on the ----- New Page ----- N. T. where the choice lies between Wegscheider & Thilo, the latter of whom is a supranaturalist. I should like to hear something of Wegscheider, in order to taste for once the very cream of Rationalism, but he & Thilo read at the same hour, so that I must give up one. Private instruction is easy to be attained & is good; & although in Syriac & Arabic one can get along without, yet the time saved by a good teacher is immense, & I shall therefore probably employ one.-- I may also attend the lecture of Gesenius on Ecc. Hist, principally because that is a subjecton which I am somewhat deficient, & also as an exercise in accustoming myself to the German; although I already understand all that he says. Of the work of Neander on Ecc. Hist., 2 vols are already published,*' --^the whole will be compressed in 8 vols, octavo, rather thin & not very closely printed. Tholuck speaks very highly of it. I have put Dr. Murdoch's letter into his hands, to see whether the work is such an one as is wanted in America, & have not yet got his opinion.** Some complain of it that there is not a sufficient shew of learning & quotation of authorities. Neander himself stands very high as a man of talents, learning, & piety. In his Each, [specialty], i.e., Ecc. Hist., he seems generally to be tacitly acknowledged as the first ingermany. A kind Providence has thus far watched over me, & brought me for the present to the end of my wanderings. I am now in the midstof the highest advantages which the world affords for the prosecution of those studies which I have loved so much & which are so important; & also in habits of daily intercourse with those men whom we have been accustomed to respect & venerate. I have also the pleasure of being not entirely alone, -- my young countryman, Mr. Cunningham of Boston, is here, & is amicable & desirous offinding the right way, preserved fromerror, & led to such exertions & consequent acquisitions, as may qualify me best to subserve the interests of our beloved cause & country. -- My heart is with you all -- E. Robinson Mr Robinson Halle Oct 20 1826 ----- New Page ----- [across the back side of the paper that forms the envelope is written the following:] On my arrival here, I found waiting for me a packetof letters from America. There was none fromyou as I had hoped, but there was one from the Jr. Class, which had wandered first tofrance. Please to thank the class in my name for their kind expression of their good will, & which was doubly pleasant here in this distant land. Oct 30th 1826 ----- New Page ----- Johann August Wilhelm Neander (1789-1850) James Murdock (1776-1856) was a professor of church history at Andover Seminary from 1819 to 1828. Halle, in Prussia, Nov. 19, 1826 Rev & Dear Sir I omitted to say in my last, that the package for you (care of C. & Hilliard) mentioned in a former letter from Gottingen, was sent in a box directed to A. & F. Cunningham of Boston. As there was no vesselfrom Hamburg to Boston, the box was shipped by Pitcaim, Brodie & Co. to their correspondents in New York & has, I hope, by this time reached the place of its destination. A kind Providence has thus far led me on, & has placed me, where, a year since, I little expected to be, --in the midstof one of the most renowned universities of Germany, & in frequent personal intercourse with her most distinguished men. I am fully plunged into the strong currentof a German student's life & hope to be carried forward by it to some thing which may be of service to our Master's cause at home. I am pleasantly situated, have enough to occupy me every moment, with the perfect control of my time, --my health is good & improving, --so that in view of all these mercies, I surely have reason to "call upon my soul & all that is within me to bless the Lord for his goodness & for all his loving kindness." In making out my plan of study, I thought it best, for several reasons, to grapple all atonce with the Arabic, and am accordingly at present devoting most of my spare time to that language. By taking hold of it this early, I have time before me, & need not feel myself hurried, but can adopt the German method, & go slow & sure. I have as yet read 10 or 12 fables of Lokmann & have been somewhat disappointed in finding the grammar so much less irregular than that of the Hebrew. There is a class in Arabic, who are some little in advance of me, & inow give myself up to it more exclusively, in order to over take them. Besides this, which occupies me mornings till 11,1 hear Gesenius on Ecc. Hist, at 11, & on the Psalms & Isaiah at 2. At 3 comes my Arabic Stunde, at 4 one ingerman, then I walk, & spend the evening in miscellanies, principally German. In this way I hear, read, write, or speak German 5 or 6 hours daily. I at first attended Wegscheider's lectures on John at 9 A. M. but found it interfered too much with my time, & was besides too cold & dry. The lectures of Gesenius I am able to take down almost in full, in English, for the good of my American friends; tho' it would be easier & for myself better to write the German, than to translate on the spot.**-- so far as the language is concerned, I am able now to go into society with pleasure, --can understand the ordinary conversation, & can generally make myself understood on common topics. The German philosophical language, of which Tholuck uses a good deal & Gesenius none --is yet quite beyond my reach. Of Gesenius, I see not much except in the lecture room, as at his leisure hours, I am particularly engaged. He has been once or twice in my room, has invited me to his 8 o'clock supper, & taken me once to the Professors Club, --which meets every Monday evening over a supper in the principal tavern. He has the power of making himself very agreeable & interesting in conversation; but when you meet him in the street, & in his ordinary intercourse with the students & others, there is an affected gaiety & loud laugh, which strikes me unfavourably. --The following circumstances respecting him I have learnt principally from himself. He was born at Nordhausen; his father gave him a ----- New Page ----- private instructor, who urged on his mind at the expense of his health. At 10 years he spoke French & Latin, at 13 was ready for the University; but the consequence was ill health till he was 30, since when he has been well. He was at the U. of Gottingen, & was afterwards Repetitor there with the younger Planck. At 20 he had found the plan of his Hebrew Lexicon -- These lectures and others that Robinson took down ingerman are preserved at Hamilton College. at 24 the first vol. was published, & at the same time he was made Extr. Professor here. His Lehrgebande of course was published at 29. The booksellers wished him to undertake a similar Lexicon of the N. T. but he determined to devote himself to the Old, & recommended Planck for the New, --^this was the origin of P.'s undertaking.** In his lectures on the Psalms, he follows, almost ganz und gar, De Wette ; & where he occasionally differs from him, it is not always for the better, for in matters of taste, the latter is far his superior. He commenced the 25* of Oct & is now on the 9* Psalm lecturing 4 times a week. His manner, i.e., his delivery is very good; --he enunciates distinctly, & his arrangement is always natural & clear. The manner here is to dictate what is to be written, very slowly, so thatone easily writes the whole --^the occasional illustrations are uttered more rapidly. I began to write, because itoccupies the attention & prevents weariness, & I continue it for the same reason & for the good of my friends. --On Isaiah, his public lecture, he merely gives an abridgment of his commentary; --he is reading on the latter part, & takes a selection of similar passages together, as e.g., convolutions, etc. 40:1-12,41:8-20,49:10-27, 52:1-12, etc. As to the Unechtheitof this part, he speaks still more decidedly than in his Commentary, probably because he has repeated it too often, --but addresses nothing more in the way of proof. His Ecclesiastical History I hear as an exercise ingerman, & because I have paid little attention to the subject. His division& arrangement are good, --but Christianity is there but in name. His views apparently coincide entirely with those of Wegscheider. Ch. 7 is a mere modification of Judaism, --all its doctrines come either from the O. T. or from Jewish philosophy. Even the love of our enemy occurs in Is. 53:12. --He thinks Jesus came out of the sepulcher after 3 days, but whether he was really dead, is a question which he passes over. A more difficultone he thinks is, what became of him afterwards, -- for the ascension he cannot admit in any shape. --As to miracles generally, he seems to agree with De Wette & Schleiermacher, that part is traditional exaggeration, part [?] etc. etc. --These views are sufficiently painful to me who professes to be a follower of Christ, --but this pain is increased by the great Leichtsinnigheit, with which he treats these subjects, & the pains he takes to excite a laugh by placing every thing in a ridiculous pointof view. Eve n the passage " A voice crying in the wilderness, make straight etc." was the occasion of a laugh at the expense of the prophets of the O. T., which, however, I was glad to learn, wounded the feelings of many students, even in Halle. Besides the public lectures, there is what is here called a Seminarium. into which only a limited number are admitted of those students who have been here at least a year, & submit to an examination. There are 4 classes, one in O. T. with Gesenius, 1 in N. T. with Thilo, & the other two in Dogmatik, etc. with Wegscheider & Tholuck. Gesenius has invited me to meet with his class, & it promises ----- New Page ----- to be very useful. The first exercise is to translate the sermon on the mount into Hebrew, & afterwards some recitations & discussions on difficult passages in the O. T . Of Tholuck I have seen more, & his character grows upon further acquaintance. He is gentle, delicate, amiable, &withal learned, humble, & exhibits deep piety. I sometimes wish it could be possible to translate him to Andover. His views, so far as I have had opportunity to become acquainted with them, are entirely coincident with your own ; -- & in 6 months he would speak the English so as not to be distinguished from a native. This power of speaking languages is his peculiar talent. Like most of the Germans, he is perhaps ** The reference is to Heinrich Planck. too metaphysical, has too much of the "reaching after the infinite," --but this does notoften appear. Wegscheider is not far from 50 years old, & has very much the air & appearance of one of our country lawyers of the better class. His Wortrag [Vortrag] is extremely dry & uninteresting, but his auditorium is well filled. His Rationalistmus is driven rather toofar even for this atmosphere, -- they say of him that his followers become Atheists. Whatever slight he may puton the authority of the books of the N. T., he is yet a staunch defender of their authenticity & genuineness, --of John especially, --the gospel against Bretschneider, & the Apocalypse against De Wette, whose Einleitung ins N. T. has just appeared, which Tholuck says is the best. From the propensity of W. to praise always Ch[ristianity], has arisen a pun upon his name, which is sometimes changed to Wegschneider. My instruction in Arabic I receive from Dr. Roediger, a young man, a protege of Gesenius, by whom he was recommended to me.** He is a fine oriental Scholar, --is perfectly at home in Hebrew, & apparently well advanced in Arabic. He is engaged as the curator [?] for Freytag's new edition of Golius, which is to be published by a bookseller in this place. The copy has been received within the last fortnight, complete, for which the bookseller pays him 1200 Rth. Much has been expected from Freytag, but Roediger expresses much disappointment in the result. Freytag has merely made additions to Golius, without any Umarbeitung. --so that it stands as before, a mere vocabulary, with no citation of passages, or arrangements of significations, or comparison of the kindred dialects. --It is supposed that it may appear in about 2 years. -- In the mean time the helps for Arabic are sehr schlecht. A Golius is not to be obtained, --even Gesenius has never been able to purchase one, --for Scheid one must send to Holland, -- & in the mean time put up with Oberleitner's Glossarium, which is very imperfect. I hope to be able to get a copy of Castell from the library,*" --but even that is not certain. As to my plans of the future, it is yet perhaps too early tofix them. One conviction however faces itself upon me more & more every day, -- that whatever works I may wish ----- New Page ----- to publish in America, it will be best to make the preparations here, & execute them at home. The privileges here are too great to be neglected for any thing that can as well be done at home, & besides, one needs very many English books which are not here accessible. I mean by preparations every thing except the composition etc. Such also is the course which Gesenius advises. As yet, I have not heard a single word from Andover since I left New York, except the letter of the Junior class, which contained no intelligence. By other channels I am sorry to learn that my letters from Paris of Aug. 15, had not reached the place of their destination so late as Sept. 26 .1 had hoped that you would have had the mere the anniversary. I am of course extremely desirous to learn how it is with you all, & with the Seminary; I cannot help hoping that letters are on their way, which shall give me full intelligence. The average time of letters is about 5 weeks from N. York, --those from my friends in Conn, by the ship of Oct. 1, came a fortnight ago. -- Should Providence ever call me back to Andover, there are already many things in which I think I could be more useful than before, -- & were I even to go now, I should not regret any voyage. To human view, I am likely to enjoy all the privileges which I anticipated & even more, & if God ** Emil Rediger (1801-74) was a decent and then a professor of oriental languages at the university in Halle. He edited several editions of Gesenius' Hebrew Grammar and broughtout a new edition of Gesenius' Theasurus. *" Edmund Castell (1606-85), an orientlaist, was the King's chaplain and a professor of Arabic. preserves my health, & gives me grace to improve them all,I may hope to derive great profit for myself, & perhaps something for my country & our Am. church. --Am becoming acquainted with the German mode of study, I am more & more led to the conviction that the quantum of Hebrew fixed upon for admission at Andover is too high & that the requisition of 20 chapters ingenesis, accurately & thoroughly, ganz genau. studied, --would be enough, & much better than the present quantity. I should not hesitate to advise an alteration in this point, --atonce & decidedly.** In the midstof all my present privileges, ineed not say how my heart clings to you all at home, -- in the midstof this spiritual desert, it is pleasant to renew even in thought to an oasis so bright as Andover. ----- New Page ----- My future plans are of course not yet definitely fixed, further than that I will stay here, Deo volente, at least a year; --^then the question would be, whether to spend the succeeding winter here, at Berlin, or in Paris. Could I stay 2 full years ingermany, & the third winter in Paris, & then take another year for travel in Italy, etc. I could find enough to occupy me ; but there arises the question of duty at home. At any rate, I am here for a year, & when it shall be necessary to decide further, may God lead me in the right Path. My warmest love to your family & all the families & friends on the hill. Most affectionately yours, E. Robinson. Paris Nov 28th 1826 ----- New Page ----- Halle, Dec. 18, 1826 Rev & Dear Sir, The time has come in which I must make my monthly report, which I cando with pleasure, altho' as yet I have received notoneword fromyou or from any of my friends at Andover. It gave me highest satisfaction however to have by a letter from my Sister of Nov. 1. which reached me Dec. 5 that she had seen you at New Haven, & that you & Mrs.S. were in comfortable health. But I know nothing of Andover, of the anniversary, of the classes, or of the way in which my humble labors are supplied. In this land of strangers, the smallest particulars from home assume an interest & importance, which once I could not have conceived. As you can hardly yourself have the time, I wish that some of my friends among the students would write. My own time is too much occupied & too precious to allow me to maintain a very general correspondence; -- I have thus far written regularly every month to you & sometimes oftener, & also to my Sister, -- & these letters must serve for all my friends at Andover & in Connecticut. I enclose a letter from Tholuck, which he sealed from formality, & which has been broken in order to alter the size of the fold. I see him not infrequently, & find him a most valuable acquaintance. As a scholar, however, I apprehend he is rather extensive than accurate. -- his head is full of books in all languages, which he often quotes, -- but he exhibits more of the Genauigkeitof Gesenius. He is turning his attention here rather to Dogmatik -- & seems quite at home in the language of the German Philosophy, with which his Dogmatik is intimately connected. He advises me to become acquainted with their philosophy, which 1 ** Robinson is referring to a new entrance requirement at the seminary that was recommended by Stuart. Giltner, in Moses Stuart (p. 22), states that Stuart suggested this requirement in 1824 and that it was put into place in 1827. He cites, as his source for the latter date. Woods, History of Andover (p. 286), but clearly the requirement was in place by the time Robinson penned this letter to Stuart in 1826. should indeed like to do, should there be time. It is not gerade that of Kant, but is derived from it, & to an English ear is at first utterly unintelligible. I believe I have not yet spoken to you of the University here, & of the modes of lecturing & study; at any rate I will do it again, tho' at the risk of some repetitions. The University was founded in 1692 & opened in 1694. Its style was the Fredericks-Universitat; --but within a few years that of Wittenburg has been dismantled & united with it, so that it is now styled the Fred. & Wittenburg-Univ. - H., or Academi a Friedericiana Halensis ut Vitebergarsis consociata. Great part of the library of Witt, was also brought hither; & the whole now consists of some 80,000 vols., & is particularly rich in biblical literature. The Officers are the Prorector, who is the head, & has charge of the i m culation [?] etc. He is chosen yearly from the ordinary professions of any of the faculties; this year it is Geolach of the philosophical. The Kanzler is rather an honorary title, given by the gov't; -- & held for life; --Niemeyer has had it for 20 years or more; -- & his business is principally to represent the Univ. on occasions of State, etc. It was probably for this reason that Napoleon carried him as a hostage to Paris. The Deans of the several faculties are chosen half yearly, & have charge of the examinations & degrees. at present the theol. faculty has 6 ordinary & 3 extraord. Professors, viz, Ord. Niemeyer who will next year celebrate his 50 years jubilee, Weber of whom I know nothing, Gesenius, Tholuck, Wegscheider, & Thilo, son-in-law of Knapp., Extr. Marks, the Univ. preacher rather orthodox, but not decided, Wegnitz a preacher in one of the churches, & Stauge; there are also 2 private-docentin. In Law there are 6 Prof. ord. & 2 privat-doc. In Medicine, 8 Prof, ord., 1 Extr., & 2 privat≠doc. In philoso. 17 Ord, 1 Extr, 1 Privat-doc. The place of Vater is not filled, & will not be, -- It was created merely for him, & expired with him. Halle has not been ----- New Page ----- wanting in distinguished men, as the names offrancke,** Baumgarten,*' C. B. Michaelis,"" Scruler, Noesselt,"' Cillarius, Budducus, Wolf the philologist,"* etc. etc. will testify. -- The Government appropriate annually to this University 80,000 Rthl. which goes to the supportof professors, poor students, library, apparatus, botanic garden, etc. etc. The professors receive different sums: the Kanzler, as one of the oldest & the most dignified members, 220 0 Rthl. Gesenius had 1600 & was examiner of students for admission, --in order to be relieved of this, he gave up 200. Under the new organization the intercourse between the Govt. & Univ. is managed by the Curator appointed by the Government, with very extensive powers, but precisely of what nature I do not know. He manages all the external concerns & fiscal matters, pays the Professors etc, etc. The only buildings of the Univ. are an old one on the pubic square where some of the professors read, & the library in another part of the town. The former is called the Wage, because the lower part is appropriated *' August Hermann Francke (1663-1727) was appointed professor of oriental languages and theology at Halle in 1691. *" Siegmund Jacob Baumgarten (1706-57) was professor of theology at Halle. "" Christian Benedikt Michaelis (1680-1764) became a professor at Halle in 1713. *' Johann August NOsselt (1734-1807) was a professor at the university and head of the theological seminary in Halle. "* Johann Christoph Wolf (1683-1739) was professor of oriental languages at Hamburg. to the public scales, there are 2 or 3 rooms above, the auditorium is as plain as possible & sufficiently dirty. Here read Wegscheider from 8 to 10, Reisig from 10 to 11, Gesenius from 11 to 12, & 2 to 3, & Tholuck from 3 to 5. Wegscheider has between 200 & 300, Gesenius some 300 in Psalms, & less in Ch. Hist. Tholuck 150, & in his publicum on Sat. some 300. The number of students the last semester was 1170, of whom 800 were theological. The Catalogue of the present semester has not yet appeared, but it is generally understood that there are not now so many. Here in Halle the students are mostly poor; tho' I do not perceive any great difference in their general appearance from those at Heidelberg & Gottingen. Attendance on lectures seems the great & only mode of study among them. I know some who begin at 7 A. M. & are at lectures till 7 P.M., i.e., 10 each day. This perhaps is rather unusual, --but if they do not generally hear so many, they do little else. They are extremely punctual & very orderly in the lecture room. The professor generally comes in about 5 minutes after the hour has struck, -- his little box or desk is as near the door as possible, -- & he begins the moment he steps into it, --generally recapitulating in a few words the close of the preceding lecture. The students have each their mappe or portfolio & ink horn with an iron spike stuck into the bench before them, & their pens are ready at a moment's warning. The greatest part of the lectures are dictated, --slow distinct regular dictation, which any one may write, & of which I am able to write the whole in English. It is only the explanations & accidental remarks & illustrations, which are uttered more rapidly & are not taken down. Many of the Germans write every word, -- they all use the German hand with many contractions & the omission of the vowels, so that to a foreigner their hefte are mere hieroglyphics. The heftof Gesenius on Job, which Mr. Chan has, I do not believe he can use or that it would be at all legible to you, unless perhaps he had it transcribed for himself. There is one thing which strikes the stranger in the auditorium; --the moment the professor appears, he is received with a hiss; I supposed at first that it was signal for silence, like hush. & so perhaps it is; --but if the professor goes a little toofast, or speaks a word indistinctly, they hiss, --if he dwells too long on one point, they hiss, -- if the hour is up, they hiss. The professor generally understands what it is for & governs himself accordingly, -- repeats, or goes slower, or breaks off, -- but I have known Gesenius [to] stop short & ask what is meant. With Wegscheider, I am told they make other noises & are disrespectful, such as scraping, hawking, etc etc. These things are unknown at Gottingen. in addition to the last, there is also the theologisches Seminar, which I have before mentioned; there are four divisions, of some 10 or 12 in each; --none are admitted but those who have been here at least 1 year & submit to an examination; & prizes are given by the govt. Mr. Cunningham however attends the division of Tholuck, & Gesenius invited me to his. The exercises of the latter at present are translating the sermon on the mount into Hebrew, & withexercises on difficult phrases & passages in the O. T. I find it very profitable. Each one translates --then the passage is read over & remarks made on the proper words & expressions; after this each corrects & makes a fair copy of his translation ´& sends it to Gesenius who corrects them all. The last helps for this are Tromine, & Buxtorf, & the London version, which by the way is very imperfect, & needs very much Verbesserung . ----- New Page ----- The best commentaries on the Bible, I believe I have already mentioned, & we have most of them in Andover. Rosenmiiller on the O. T. is almost the only general one; he has recently added Jeremiah in 2 vols."* Ernst Friedrich Karl Rosenmiiller (1768-1835) was known for his excellent linguistical and archaeological explanations of the Old Testament. Dathe is also prized here,"* De Wette on the Psalms & Gesenius on Isaiah are the standards. Umbreit has published on Job & Proverbs, -- the last is said to be better than the first. On the N. T., Kuino l is used, but not prized so highly as with us, though the character which Wegscheider gave of him accorded perfectly with our views. Liicke of Bonn has written (orthodox) on John, & Tholuck has also a commentary on John now in the press, which will appear in the spring. Tholuck on Romans is the best, --on the minor epistles there is nothing good, --on Hebrews you have all except the work of Bdhme, which I shall endeavor to send, tho' it seems not much thoughtof. Fritzsche,"* formerly of Leipsic & now of Rostock has also begun a commentary on the historical books, & published on Matthew; he is said to have made good use of the Greek grammarians. As to Einleitungen. Gesenius hopes sometime or other to publish on the O. T. and on the other side Hengstenberg of Berlin will perhaps publish an orthodox one (Tholuck says) in about 5 years."" On the New, Hug was the best, but probably De Wette's, which is justout, is better. -- In Arabic, Oberleitner's Chrestomathy & Glossary is used most: a lexicon of any kind is scarcely to be found. I hope to obtain a Wilrnel at Leipsig, tho' it is uncertain. The new edition of Golius is just beginning, -- it will be published in 2 vols, quart. -- the type & paper are beautiful, but we cannot expect it under 2 or perhaps 3 years. -- In Syriac, Michaelis' grammar is as yet the best, & his Castell the best gen. Lexicon. Prof. Hoffmann of Jena is publishing a Syr. grammar, which will probably be finished this winter, & of which Gesenius speaks very highly."* -- Winer's Chald. grammar seems good, tho' I have not as yet used it. -- As to German, I do not know but I have already said that Rosbothain's [?] grammar, as to the etymological part & the general plan, is the best; but the syntax of Nochden [?] is better, & he has also some remarks on the construction of sentences which I have found very important, & of which R. has no trace. The best German & English Dictionary is by Kuttner & Nicholson, in 3 vols, octavo. It contains many phrases, but is not always good authority. It is far better than any I have seen in America. Of the German, Heinsius is generally said to be the best, tho' Adelung perhaps has yet the most authority. -- In Hebrew of course no works are prevalent but those of Gesenius -- his Thesaurus will indeed be a treasure when it comes, -- it is now in the beginning of 1, & goes slowly. It is etymologically arranged, & intended for the gebildete. The small one is also yeton ï),, & has been all rewritten to it & not from it as I at first understood him. He has promised to write to you in the Christmas holidays, & send the sheets so far as printed, in order that Mr. Gibbs may use them if possible. As to myself I have to thank a kind Providence for better health than I have enjoyed since the winter of 1824-5, & for the many comforts & privileges by which I am surrounded. On the whole, I find things better than I had ever anticipated; & if I am strengthened to improve the prise [prize] which is thus put into my hands, 1 need not fear. My chief study thus far has been the Arabic, & I am now so far advanced, as to permit "* Johann August Dathe (1731-1791), professor of oriental literature at Leipzig. "* Karl Friedrich August Fritzsche (1801-1846) "" Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg (1802-1869) became a very influential professor at the University of Berlin and also the editor of EvangelischeKirchen-Zeitung in 1827. "* Andreas Gottlieb Hoffmann (1796-1864) studied oriental languages under Gesenius; he was appointed professor of theology at Jena in 1821. some relaxation of effort. I am glad that I grappled with it at first, because inow have time before me to pursue it, & have not the terror of it hanging before my eyes; -- still Syrian will be comparatively lighter. -- It is yet early, perhaps, tofix a plan for the future; & yet it is in a measure necessary to have some general outline; --at present, my general plan is something like this--subject, however, to change from circumstances at home or even here --viz., to spend the next winter ingermany (as offering better means of studv then Paris), here or at Berlin. Tholuck advises the latter, as being the place where there is more philosophy & theology strictly so called, & more Christian society; --^then to spend 5 or 6 months in Paris, visit Switzerland in the fall of 1828, Italy & if possible Palestine in the fall & winter, & return by England etc. ill the spring & summer, making a 3 years absence from home. On this plan I should like your judgment & advice. For myself, I could well fill out still another year, but perhaps my duty to my friends & country & church would not permit it. In the mean time I shall make preparation to be in readiness to return even at an earlier period if circumstances should so require. I am causing to be copied for me the Hefte of Gesenius on Genesis, Einleitung, ----- New Page ----- & perhaps Archaeologie, tho' this last is said not to be particularly good, & to be almost einerley with De Wette. his Job I shall hear next summer. -- the Einleitung of Hengstenberg of Berlin, the Heumeneuntik of Schleiermacher who is said to be uncommonly good,--the exegesis of Neander on soine of the epistles, etc. etc. His Dogmengeschichte is said to be his best, but this will appear in his Ecc. history. This last, on the whole, is the Hauptwerk ingermany & ought I think to be translated. Two vols, only of the 1^' partor period (3 first centuries) are yetout. The costof transcribing here in Halle is about 10 or 12 cents the sheet, or 8 quarto pages closely written, without contractions but in the German character, -- for writing in Latin letters they demand double. The expense of hearing lectures or of having them copied is just about the same. In Berlin & Gottingen copying is dearer. As to expense ingeneral here, an American cannot complain. All my expenses, exclusive of clothes, travel & books, amount to about 5 Rth. a week, or perhaps $200 a year; -- & this includes lectures & lessons in Arabic & German, & all the expenses of living whatever. Clothes & books are cheaper than at home, --^travel does not perhaps differ much. I dine at present at a very respectable hotel, where every thing is neat & very well cooked. I have a choice from 2 kinds of meat & 3 or 4 kinds of vegetables, with soup, bread & butter & cheese, for 4 groschen, i.e., 12% cents a day, & may go or stay away as I please. at home I certainly could not dine as well under a double price. What at home we call board, i.e., food & washing, amounts here just about to $1.50 per week, -- a room fumished, & servant to do every thing & go of your errands, i. e., Aufwartung, from 75cts. to $1.25 per week. Wood is very dear, but I have it in preference to Torf [peat] because the latter has a villainous smell. -- I mention these items merely that you my judge of the expense here; ingottingen it is higher, & in Berlin higher still. At Christmas the lectures cease for 10 days; & I shall improve the opportunity to visit Leipzig, in order to purchase some books, & inform myself respecting the booktrade ingeneral, so that I can write home, & give you data where with to make an effect for the library. This much I have already learned that books here may be bought much cheaper than we have usually obtained them. I have written to Pitcaim, Brodie & Co. at Hamburgh, & tof. & E. Delius at Bremen, & as soon as the way is open I shall endeavour to send you a package. These latter, F. & E. Delius ----- New Page ----- Ship Rev. Moses Stuart Professor de Andover Massachusetts U. S. A. Feb 13 of Bremen, I have learned are the agents of the Missionary Society of Boston, thro' whom I requested you to open a way of correspondence. I had a letter to them from Mr. Tappan, & any thing sent to them will reach me. Through them probably can funds be sent to me, should any onewish to purchase books. Dca. Newman wished me to buy some for him; butour funds are all in Paris, & it is almost as easy to get money from America as from there. Mr. Hallock I learn has left Boston; -- I have therefore written to Mr. Hill, requesting him to send me the Missionary Herald etc. regularly, & through him can you send pamphlets from Andover. [his closing remarks are obscured by the binding] ----- New Page ----- Halle, in Prussia, Jan 1, 1827 Rev & Dear Sir That I wish you, & all upon that consecrated hill, a happy new year, I hardly need to say: --may the Lord lift the lightof his countenance upon you all,& grant you his constant presence & guidance & blessing! All he has brot in kindness through the dangers of another year, -- & tho' he has led me by a way which no one anticipated, yet I have even on that account reason to acknowledge his great goodness & to sing of all his mercies. My last letter of Dec. 18 was scarcely gonewhen yours of Oct 31 came to hand in 32 days from N. Y. where it seems to have lain 10 days. You may well suppose it was most welcome to me, as being the first & only intelligence I have received directly from Andover. I thank you for its length & minuteness & should be glad to receive such another every month. The trustees really deserve great credit for their constant efforts to build up the Seminary & augment the value & amountof active duty, both as it respects the instructors & pupils. I think you gentlemen at Andover would hardly like the life of a German Professor: very few have less than two lectures daily, & often 3: -- it is true, that after the course is all prepared, their lectures do not cost much previous study; & they also continue to get about 17 weeks of holiday in the year, viz. 6 between each of the semesters, & 2 or more in the middle of each, i.e., at Christmas & Pfmgsten or Whitsuntide. Still, their task is laborious; & some of them, as Gesenius, make nothing of omitting a lecture or two at any time, --^though Gesenius gets a nill name thereby. During the present holidays I have executed my purpose of visiting Leipzig.I went there on Tuesday last, & spent two days in the city. Leipzig pleases me much, for although it stands in the midstof a vast plain, -- & all this part of Germany & Saxony is nothing butone continued plain, -- yet there are so many towers, & the houses are so lofty & well & completely built,& it is surrounded by such a forestof gardens & fruit trees, that it strikes the eye of the stranger very favorably even in winter. There are about 33,000 inhabitants, & there is such an air of wealth & comfort, with something of elegance, that to one coming from the dirt & dinginess & meanness & discomfortof Halle, it seems like passing from the valley of the shadow of death into paradise. 1 had introduction from Gesenius to RosenmuUer & Hermann, & from Tholuck to Heinroth, prof, of medicinewho has written on anthropology. It was evening when I arrived, & calling on Ros. & Heinroth, I found them both gone to the theater. The next day however I saw Heinroth, & found him very intelligent & courteous; -- he introduced me to Hahn,"* who has recently been called from Konigsberg to a theological chair in Leipsig, & also to Lindner, a prof, of Theol. & a very active promoter of the missionary August Hahn (1792-1863) cause. At his house I also met l Ugen,"' another prof, whose Fach [specialty] I do not know. Heinroth was also going with me to Hermann, who is his friend, but we met him riding outon horseback. This Grecian Coryphaeus has quite another shape from what I had anticipated. He seems a tall, gaunt, rawboned figure, with hard, rough, dark features, something like the portraits of H. Clay, but coarser. He is 54 years old, & is quite gay & lively. He rides every day on horseback, in the German scientific style, & was now in his hussan boots & buckskin pantaloons. He was very courteous, & invited me to call on him, when he should be at home; but I had not afterwards the time. * fE. R. adds a sentence along the edge of the paper, but the binding obscures some of the words:] Jettmann [?] I had not time to see ; & Tzschimer is sick & will probably soon die.ô Rosenmiiller I visited alone; I spent an hour with him. He was very courteous; but had some- ----- New Page ----- thing of that air of a student, which seemed to say he had rather be at his books. He is 56 years old, tall & thin, but straight, with a very round head & short thin soft hair, perfectly white. He speaks very rapidly & stammers badly, though I had no difficulty in understanding him. He had on a drab frock coatof shag, probably the same which S. E. Dwight saw & wondered at, but which is quite common for an undress, & such are not infrequently worn abroad.*' He was most gratified to learn that his commentary was so well known in America & complained of the English, that they were so far behindhand, as not apparently to know of his later editions, but continue to charge upon him opinions expressed at an earlier period, which he has long since abandoned. He had read your article in the N. American [Review], & spoke of it in terms of warm approbation. He has instant published (as you probably know) on Jeremiah, & will next take up the Solomonic writings; & intends ultimately to cover the whole O. T. -- He is now also publishing an important work of which the 1" vol. contains Hebrew Archaeology, the 2"" Sacred Geography, & 3 others will treatof the Nat. hist, of Palestine etc., etc. The 1 " vol. has been some months out; the second is just ready. -- The journal of Lutzen is also soon to appear; & there is also a Prussian (whose name I forget) who has traveled to Egypt, Palestine etc. etc. as a Naturgeschichteforscher [natural history researcher], & who will soon publish his journal, which is awaited with great interest. I also spent an evening with Tauchniz, the great book Verlager [publisher]. He has an immense establishment & lives in a good deal of style. In person & manner he reminded me of the late Jac. Odgen of New Haven, -- tho' he is much more of a gentleman & is very intelligent & well informed. His son, who is also his only child, & whom he had educated expressly for his own business, has left it, & is now pursuing theol. studies, with a view to the ministry, & as it is said, to the missionary life. The father seemed tofeel himself as it were abandoned; & there would really seem to be some question, whether the son might not be quite as extensively useful with the control of such a press, as in any other course. -- I also visited several "' Christian Friedrich Illgen (1786-1844) ô Heinrich Gottlieb Tzschimer (1778-1828) *' Sereno Edward Dwight (1786-1850), son of Timothy Dwight and great grandson of Jonathan Edwards, was presidentof Hamilton College from 1833 to 1835. of the great booksellers' establishments, & was on the whole most pleased with Barth: he seems quite a gentleman, & conducts his business on a systematic & scientific scale: he made many inquires about America & the booktrade there, & wished to open a correspondence with our principal cities, -- and had all his inquires, with the information he had been able to collect regularly entered in a large manuscript volume. Recl….[?] is also very pro….[word hidden by the binding] &obliging,buthe isold & seemed less intelligent. Barth is some 38 or 40. The following is the result of my inquiries hitherto as to the book trade. All books here are sold in sheets. For a quantity, one has even a discountof 25 percent from the Laden-price; -- & from a Verlager, when one takes a quantity of the same book, 33,40, & sometimes 50 percent, according to the quantity, or the character of the book. At any rate, one can purchase German books here for much less, often for half what we have been accustomed to pay for them in America. E.g., Heinsius' Dictionary in 5 thick vols, costs here in sheets 10 Rth. & bound perhaps 12, = $9, & the freight & duties would not bring itover $10 in America. C. & H. had 3 of the vols, for which they asked $15. A single copy of Kuinol bound can be bought for $7.50; --freight & duties would perhaps make it $9. -- C. & H. asked $15, Hale $14, & at N. Y. it was $20. Were a quantity to be taken, it might come $l or $1.50 less. ----- New Page ----- Michaelis & Simon's Hebrew Bibles would probably come bound at not far from $4, -- or by the quantity, less. There is a new edition of Schneider's Greek lexicon by Passow, which is much esteemed; -- single copies here cost bound $4.50 --freight & duties could not make itover $6. -- while a bookseller could not charge less than $10. -- I adduce these instances & shew that a person here on the spot, & acquainted with the subject, can purchase to much greater advantage than one cando in America thro' the medium of a bookseller. Nor will it be difficult, I think, to establish such a correspondence here, as to be able hereafter to obtain books very speedily & reasonably; so that if a class, for instance, should wish to supply themselves with Kuinol's, with Bibles, etc. etc., it would be easy to do iton much better terms than usual, -- & much better at Leipsig than at Hamburg. I feel also assured that if the Trustees could appropriate a sum for the library, or Mr. Bartlettor other friends should think proper tofurnish some thousands of dollars even, I could in the course of this year lay itout for books more advantageously than any bookseller, or than any mere agent who should only visit Europe for a few months. As yet, I have bought for myself only books which were absolutely necessary, but am constantly acquiring information & initiating myself into the book mystery, so as to be able hereafter to purchase to better advantage both for myself & others. As to old books, i.e., those which are out of print & not regularly in the bookstores, the price is altogether fortuitous. They are to be picked up in auctions, or at the Antiquar's, a species of bookseller who deals chiefly in such books. Such are e.g. all the works of the Buxtorfs. The Chald. Reb. Lex. may be bought here in Halle for $3. In Leipsic I saw 2 copies, one for $4.50, the other for $6. The Hebrew concordance is about in the same proportion. The most noted Antiquar is Weige l in Leipsic -- he has a very large collection, but is also not extravagantly dear. --There would of course be more difficulty in procuring books of this kind, but I think it could be done. Sometimes they may be purchased very cheap. Mr. Cunningham bought a copy of Jablonsky's Hebrew Bible for $0.75**; & Tholuck has a very fine copy of Castell's Lexicon Heptaglotton which cost him $4.50. Daniel Emst Jablonski (1660-1741) Should it be thought worth while to transmit any funds for this or any other purpose, my present impression is that the best course would be thro' Paris; --by depositing there with J. Tappan, who would give me credit in his Banke a Paris. I find that at Leipsig I candraw on Paris at a premium of some 5 or 6 percent. -- & need only a letter from my Banker there, authorizing me so to draw. What the exchange is direct between Boston & Hamburgh or Bremen, I do not know, but think it cannot be sofavorable. --Should Dcac. Newman wish to send out funds, he cando it in the same way. I would, as it is, make some purchases for him, had I the funds with me, or could I atonce draw on Paris; but this I am not in Stande [in a position] to do until I get my letter from thence, which will be 6 weeks or 2 months, & then it will be better to wait till Easter, when I shall again visit Leipsig. [Along the side of the page, with some words obscured by the binding is the following:] Gesenius greets you, & shall try to send a packet in a week or two by Hamburg, & Gesenius promises to write & send the sheets of his small lexicon. From Leipsig I accompanied Mr. Cunningham tofreiburg, a little town 20 m. S. W. of L. & as many S. of Halle. Our object was to see Jahn, the gymnastic man, with whom the Cambridge folks have had some correspondence in order to get him there. I was glad however to find him disinclined to go, -- he would not do at all in America. He is a wild, visionary jacobin, & has ruined [?] gymnastics ingermany by connecting with them his absurd radicalism. He ----- New Page ----- seems indeed the very prince of Burschen [?], with long hair, open collar, close frock, etc. etc. & is rude, coarse & boisterous. Gymnastics are now taught ingermany only in Stuttgard, & on a very contracted scale atone place in Berlin. -- Our road from L. lay over immense plains; --about 6 miles from L. is the mean & dirty village of Markt-Ranstadt, where Charles XI I of Sweden made peace with Augustus, & turned back from his southern campaign; --about 10 miles is the plain & village of Lutzen, where in 1813 Napoleon defeated the allies, & where in 1632 Gust. Adolph of Sweden fell in the arms of victors. A rude stone, about 100 rods E. from the village & close by the southern side of the road, marks the spot where he fell; --stone seats are erected round it, & two poplars cast their shade over it. The spot seemed much frequented. -- All this part of Saxony & Prussia seems peculiarly adopted to military movements, -- & has for centuries been trodden down by armies. Tuesday Jan, 2. The preceding pages were written yesterday in haste, & in a state of great exhaustion, & I hardly know whether they are legible, or if so, intelligible. I send them off now, because I suppose the information as to books to be important; & if any effort is to be made for the library, the sooner the better. -- In speaking of Leipsig, I forgot to say that the New Year's fair was just commencing; --it is the smallest, & was only interesting as shewing the concourse of traders from all nations. most of them hire rooms; & there were multitudes of signs in all the modern European languages, --^many in Hebrew, & some in modern Greek. The Hebrew however was ingeneral only the German. Again would I thank you for your welcome letter, & hope I may hear from Andover regularly for the future. Indeed, I wish a letter from someone might be despatched from there by the ship of the 1 " of every month, --it would need to leave Andover about the 25*. My letters to you are of course intended for the whole circle on the hill, as I cannot find the time to write to all; & if I had the time, could only write the same things. I wish however to write to Mr. Farrar, & shall try. I am glad if my hasty sketches afford you any gratification; --^they have now been written in this space, & their merit is that they were written on the spot. In the meantime, I should be glad to have them preserved because at a future day, they may be interesting to me, by serving to review & deepen the impressions under which they were written. Till I was separated from home & friends by a barrier which renders personal intercourse impossible, I was never sensible of the strength of my attachments. The recurrence of this season renews in all their strength the associations & fond recollections of home, while everything around me makes one feel that I am in a land of strangers. It is for this reason that I long to have letters ----- New Page ----- Ship Rev. Moses Stuart Prof. de. in the Theol. Sem. Andover Massachusetts U. S. A. Mar 8 come regularly, --they seem thus in a measure to do away the ocean which rolls between me & my country. I would fain write to Dr. Woods & Dr. Porter, but could only say what I say to you. They will, I hope, take the will for the deed. If Leonard W. should think of visiting Europe, let him first learn to speak & write French, German, & perhaps Latin. He is young & such a preparation would give him great advantages. -- To all the families on the hill, present my kindest remembrance; & give also to Messr. Flagg & Gould my new Year's greeting. I am glad to hear that Wahl goes off so well ; -- a new edition is now in press in Leips. with corrections and additions, in most of which Wahl informs me I have anticipated him. -- ineed not repeat that my heart clings to Andover, to the Seminary & all its holy privileges, & beloved members; --^to yourself & family, Gott Segne euch alle! E. Robinson ----- New Page ----- Halle, Wed. evg. Feb. 14* 1827 Rev & Dear Sir I have suffered six weeks to elapse since my last letter to you, partly because that was written a fortnight before the regular time, & partly because here, as at Andover, the unvarying tenor of a student's life affords little of novelty, --little that can interest, even after being ripened by a voyage across the Atlantic. I have still to thank a kind Providence for the continuance of health & comfort; indeed my general health was never better; -- inever found more to do, & never filled up my time more assiduously; --with what advantage, I _ will not, because I cannot say. I rise every morning before 5 o'clock & from that hour till 7 at night, there are not 2 hours, which are not directly employed in reference to the objects of my voyage. Arabic yetoccupies me from 3 to 4 hours daily; --after reading Lochmann's Fables, the P ' & great part of the 2∞'' [?] of the Koran, & long extracts from Abdallatifs i/frtory of Egypt, I was gratified to find, in turning to the 24* ch. of Genesis, that I could read it with almost as much facility as the Hebrew. The words were not all so perfectly familiar, & yet there were hardly more in the Arabic than in the Hebrew of which I had not some knowledge. We are now reading a Cousissus [?]of Hariri; & I use De Sacy's Chrestomathy in order to acquire the mystery of reading without the points. The Commentary of De Sacy in his edition of Hariri, is of course to me yet inaccessible; it is in Arabic without points, & is a compilation from various Arabic commentaries & Scholiasts. What he has himself added he says is infiniment peu. Freytag is now publishing the Hamason with a full native Arabic commentary also unpointed. My Hebrew for the present is mostly confined to Gesenius' lectures on the Psalms; He does not read the whole book, but takes a selection of the most important & most difficult. The 68 * he considers the most difficultof all. He is now on the 74*. His Publicum on Isaiah I have not for some time attended, because he simply read extracts from his printed commentary, without subjoining a single new remark. I thought I should be able to derive more profit from reading the Com. itself. --In his Seminar we are now occupied with the book of Proverbs; --one or two of the students write a regular commentary on a portion, & Gesenius then takes it up & makes his running remarks; they are sometimes interesting, & sometimes very tedious. --I have known ….[?] Schwatzen [chatter, talk] for % an hour over a single word, without coming to any conclusion after all; --but this is the way in which the Germans acquire their familiarity with languages & sciences; --they go very leisurely, turn every thing over & over & talk about it forever, & the consequence is that they never forget it. It strikes me that this is a Hauptzug [main trait] in the German mode of education, & that in consequence, while they thus dwell on minutiae, they as a body lose in a measure the power of generalization, -- that grasp of thought, -- which the English possess; to this however there are exceptions. One of my chief labours hitherto has been to grapple with the German, which after all must be considered as a very difficult language; & altho' one seems never to advance & sometimes even to lose ground, yet in comparing different points of time, I can perceive a very sensible progress, e.g., I can read many more pages in an hour, & my exercises are much less blotted than 4 weeks ago. I have now read twice as much German as I even did French, & yet cannot read it with half the facility. As to the speaking, that I can of course never hope to acquire in perfection; this depends much on temperament; a person who is always talking, like the Dwight family, will learn to speak a language much more readily than onewho is inclined to be silent. But I can now make myself verstandlich [understood] on all common topics, -- & the rest must come from Ubung [practice]. I have a young man who walks with me regularly an hour every day, for the purpose of conversing ingerman (thus taking exercise at the same time); & twice a week I read English with a lady, who in return corrects my German exercises & gives me frequent opportunities ----- New Page ----- of conversing ingerman; she is a friend & correspondentof Goethe, & is herself somewhat distinguished as a writer. I find her a very pleasant & valuable acquaintance, & she is the best instructor I have had. With this much regular attention to German, & the reading of books connected with my pursuits, I must leave it to time to enlarge & refine my knowledge of this most difficult tongue. -- Were I to advise any onewho was coming to Germany or even tofrance, I should urge them strongly first make themselves acquainted with the German & French --at least so as to read them with fluency, & to be able to understand them tolerably when spoken, & also to converse at leaston some of the common topics of life. The means of doing this much are now open in our country & although one here would perhaps learn more rapidly, yet the inconvenience & unpleasantness of being among strangers with whomyou cannot hold conversation, & above all, the great proportion of one's time which must here be devoted to the language of the country are more than sufficient to counterbalance any small advantage. One's time here is too valuable to be employed on [?] or merely preparatory objects, which can as well be learned at home. When one is young & has time enough before him, it makes not so much difference; but when one is limited to 18 months ingermany, & must in that time acquire a knowledge of all the oriental dialects, & the customs & manners & character of the people & of their literature etc., it is grievous to be compelled to lose 1/3 of the time merely on the language. -- I make these remarks for the benefitof any of your acquaintance who may think of coming out here, -- & particularly with reference to Leonard Woods, should his father still think of sending him abroad. -- In my own case, the difficulties are now vanquished; but I pity any onewho has the same fire to pass through; --as is the case with Mr. Hodge, who informs me that he shall fix himself at Halle, & whom I expect in a few days. He will however have the benefitof all my recent experiences, -- & will not therefore have to break his path, like me, unaided & in uncertainty. Among the books which I have been reading is Neander's Ch. History. I have read it in order to judge for myself of its merits; & to see whether it was adapted to the wants of our country. My present impression is that it is not, --it is not a narrative of parts, but a lofty philosophical survey of the whole field, --^taking for granted that the reader already knows the facts, -- & therefore merely pointing out their mutual bearings & relations, & assigning this cause & describing these effects; being much like Leander's //w f of Germany, & (as I supposed) Hessen's Ideen, etc. The work is eloquent, & breathes a pure & evangelical spirit; --^the style is verwickelt [complicated], & would demand a skillful translation. The P ' vol. is to contain the 3 first centuries, -- 2 parts of itonly are yet published, --^the 3rd goes to press this spring & will contain the Dogmen-Geschichte. The whole is expected to make something like 8 oct. volumes. -- As a textbook, Gieseler** of Bonn is much better, tho' it has no vital sparks in it. It is a running narration offacts & gives all the literature very fully, with copious extracts from the sources. I was not before aware that Ecc. Hist, occupied so large a share in the theological education of Germany. Indeed there are 3 Haupt-Facher [main specialties], which are perfectly distinct: Sacred philology, Dogmatik, & Ecc. history (Homoletik is a minor thing here.) In the latter they do not take in (ingeneral) the Jewish, nor the Pagan, nor the Mahomueden [?]church, except as they have had a direct bearing on the focus of X y [Christianity]. --The general course now is to make 5 or 6 periods, & then in each to treat I. of the external, & II. of the internal relations etc. The I. includes the Ausbreitung [expansion] or Beschranke [restrictions] ----- New Page ----- & (2) the relation to the state. The II. includes the hist, of the Kirchenlehre [teaching of the churches] as developed in common life, & scientifically, Dogmengeschichte. hist, of Xy n morals, literature, worship, & the internal constitution of the Churches. By connecting with all this--^the history of all the sects, the influence of Jewish & heathen philosophy etc etc. --^they continue to make a very wide & interesting field, --sufficiently wide to be the principal object of a man's attention. I have spoken hitherto so much subjectively that I may perhaps as well go on & finish what I have to say of myself. I can of course lay no definite plan for the future, from which I will in no wise depart; --God has taught me not to will, that we know not what a day may bring forth. Yet situated as I am, I must have a general plan, which may be varied & suited to circumstances. so far as this, it is rather my present inclination unless circumstances at home should cause me to decide otherwise, to spend the coming winter in Halle or Berlin, --the spring of 1828 ingottingen, & a month or two in the summer at Bonn, August & Sept. in Switzerland, & return to Paris in the autumn of that year. The basic features are something like the following: the coming vacation is so early, i.e., from Ap. 1 to May 10, that travelling is yet unpleasant. -- I shall "Johann Karl Ludwig Gieseler (1793-1854), studied at Halle, and became professor of theology at Bonn in 1819 and at GSttingen in 1831. His most important work was the five-volume Church History, published over the course of many years (1824-1855). Several English translations of the work were made, including one by Cunningham (Robinson's companion in Europe) of the first three volumes (1836), and one by H. B. Smith of the five volumes, which was published in New York (1857-1881), withedward Robinson's daughter, Mary, completing this edition after Smith's death. See Philip Schaff, ed.. Religious Encyclopaedia (New York, 1888), vol. 2, p. 872. probably remain here until the latter part, & then visit Leipsig, & Berlin, --perhaps also Weimar & Gotha; --or the latter in the Pfingsten holidays. The fall vacation from Sept. 1 to the mid. of Oct. inow set apart for a visit to Dresden & the vicinity, & if possible I think also to go to Vienna & thence along the Danube to Munich & up thro' Tubingen, Erlangen, etc. As to the winter, I cannot yet determinewhether to spend it wholly in Berlin, or remain in Halle till March, & spend 6 weeks or a month in Berlin. -- If I regarded only expense, & wished only to study, I should probably remain here, --one can accomplish much more in a place where one is already at home; --but then, as to society, living & general information, Halle is probably one of the most undesirable towns ingermany; -- I wish to see more of German maimers & character, -- & above all at Berlin, there is more Christian society. From Berlin out, I would in the spring visit Hamburg & Bremen & perhaps Copenhagen, spend some weeks at Gottingen & make an excursion to the Harz., then visit the universities etc. along to Bonn, & make this a resting place for a time on acct. offreytag & oriental literature; thence visit the Rheingau, a mountain scenery on the Rhine below [?], which is the most beautiful part of the whole, --spend August & Sept. in Switzerland, & return to Paris for the winter. This is all of Germany, which I can expect to see, & includes the most important parts. From Paris, I could visit Italy very early in the spring, England in the summer, & return home in the autumn of 1829, after a 3 years absence, or if Providence should open the door for me to go to Palestine in the following winter, I could so arrange it as to return home early the succeeding spring. --You will see that this must in part be merely imaginary, --I can only say if the Lord will, I shall live, & do so & so. --for the next summer my studies will be to keep along my Arabic, & also Syriac. The grammar of Hoffmann, which is only a Bearbeitung of Michaelis is to appear at Easter; & Gesenius also reads on Syr. grammar etc. I shall also hear his Job, which is said to be his last course. Of his Einleitung I have obtained an excellent Heft. & shall probably procure one of his Job; because then I can write what additions I choose, & can also be occasionally absent without losing any thing. --I hope also to be able to take up again gradually the speaking offrench, in order to prepare myself for travelling, & to be ready against any return to Paris. -- On all the preceding points I should wish for your views & advice, since the execution of my plans depends very much on circumstances at home. you will think perhaps, & with reason, that I might speak less of myself & more of general topics. This is true, & there are several great subjects on which I keep a constant eye in order to acquire information, such as the Schulwesen [system of education], the Geistliches Wese n [spiritual character], the universities & the practical influence of the German mode of education on the great body of students etc. & above all the religious state of Germany; --but on all these, I do not feel myself sufficiently informed, either to form a judgment for myself or to undertake to speak of them to others. * [added sentence along side of paper, caught in the binding:] on, especially the last, Halle is no place to get accurate information; I must to see for myself. --Tholuck, at my request, has written to Dr. Spring on the subjectof the Jews, & would be glad to open a correspondence with the Am. Board at Boston. --by ----- New Page ----- the way, Mr. Kurtz, the agent for Schmucker's Seminary, is expected here in a few days; he was recently in Berlin, & has been in Russia. As to new books, I have nothing to communicate more than I have already said. Tholuck's John comes out at Easter. Rosenmueller is publishing very slowl y his Alterthumskunde; 1 % vols, are out, & the other % of the second also comes at Easter. the first vol. contains the biblical Geography out of Palestine; the 2"'' vol. that of Phoenica & Palestine. the other vols, are (as I mentioned in my last) to continue Nat. Hist. Archaeology & History. -- I had intended on this to have sent a bundle to Hamburg for America, but the intercourse in winter is so uncertain & infrequent, that I have not hitherto done it. There has been no ship from Hamburg to Bostonor N. Y. since the P' December, & none from those places to Hamburg. This is probably the reason why I get no newspapers from America for which I wrote in Sept. -- but it cannot be the reason why I get no letters from Andover. Friday, Feb. 16 The accompanying letter of Gesenius was intended to be enclosed, but as he has left a blank page, ineed all my room, I make mine the Einlage [enclosed]. He is preparing his packet &will forward it to Hamburg ere long. -- I shall also enclose something, --at least, the Lectionsblatter of some of the universities,& the Commentary on Hebrew by Bohme, --an oct. vol. of 800 pages in Latin. the sheets of the small lexicon will probably be too late to be of any present service to Mr. G. [Gibbs] in his second edition. --canno t learn that Gesenius meddles at all at present with the book of Enoch--he means probably to take it up after some years, when his other books are off his hands, --as alsoanEinleitung--a Latin edition of his grammar Lehrgeband, -- & his bib. geography; he said to me the other day that he had thoughts of giving sometime or other to a new edition of Roland. --the numbers of the Jena^. L. L. which contain his review of Kopp, he has not now, but proposes to obtain them for you. --the new edition of Griesbach, of which he speaks, has been 4 years in press, & the 1 " vol. is just finished. Extreme care is taken in the connection of the press. --what the editor has added I do not know. -- the books for Winer have been long forwarded to him, & he writes me that he has sent a letter & some small works for you to Hamburg, whence you probably will in time receive them. --the Hebrew grammar of Ewald I have not yet been able to examine, & know of it no more than Gesenius says;itis a large work, some 700 pages oct.** Dr. Roediger, my Arabic instmctor, speaks of it in pretty much the same manner, tho' he has not examined it so critically as Gesenius. Ewald is yet very young, some 23or24, a beardless student of 17 hours a day; --his work de Metris Arabrum is highly spoken of; he has applied in it Hermann's system of Greek meter to the Arab, poetry.** --the handwriting of Gesenius is to me somewhat illegible, --perhaps you are more accustomed to it; --but I thought it might save you some trouble if I wrote some of the words over. The character of Gesenius does not I think improve onfurther acquaintance. As I become more familiar with the language & able to converse with more ease, I am able to draw from him more that relates to my pursuits, -- & he is friendly & very good in lending books etc. -- on the other hand his extreme levity & frequent want of dignity, & the constant endeavor in his lectures to cast ridicule on things which ought at least to be treated with respect, is quite repulsive. his wife is a very magnificent personage. Gesenius as well as most of the learned men here plays well on the piano. the 3"" instant was his birthday, when he completed his 41 " year. According to the German custom, it was celebrated by a family party to which we were invited. '* Schaffs Religious Encyclopaedia of 1888,1:781 offered this assessmentof Ewald's grammar: "His Hebrew grammar inaugurated a new era in Hebrew learning." ** Gottlieb Hermann (1772-1848) had developed principles of grammar for classical Greek. In the early part of the evening, the children, aided by 2 or 3 students had a little drama in his honor, which, as I went late I did not see. After supper, i.e., about 10, they had a family dinner to the music of the piano, which was played by different persons. It was rather auffallend. to see Wegscheider, etc. seated at the piano gravely playing for Gesenius & the rest to dance. I said to the latter that I must write to America that I had seen two Doctors of Theology in the predicament; -- he seemed rather struck with the incongruity of the thing & excused himself by saying he did itonly in his own family circle. -- Besides this, he drinks much more & is sometimes partially intoxicated. my paper is full, & I must close for the month. I wrote a fortnight since to Mr. Farrar, which you have probably seen. the longer I live here in this land of Christian heathen, the more tho ' I long for the privileges which you at Andover enjoy & which inever knew how sufficiently to prize till since I am deprived of them. May God preserve & bless you all; -- & I would also fain ask to be remembered in your prayers. -- my warmest love to you and the other families, to the professors & especially to the students. Most affectionately yours, E. Robinson ----- New Page ----- Halle, in Prussia, March 17, 1827 Rev & Dear Sir As I write the date of my letter, & am thereby reminded that I am in Prussia, it seems almost like a dream; -- & I can hardly realize that I am near 4000 miles from home, & in a foreign land with which my earliest associations are connected, & which my late studies have set before me as the chief seat of biblical learning & Sacred Literature. Yet there is enough around me to keep the thought ever in my mind, --^tho' I am now become here so eingewohnt as to feel myself in a great measure at home. after the lapse of another month, I have still to render thanks to God for the continuance of health & comforts, -- & I trust I May properly add, for the successful prosecution of the objects for which I came abroad. the month has been chiefly marked by the arrival of Mr. Hodge, which, of course, to us as Americans, could be no otherwise then interesting. His object in coming, it seems, is not so much to learn as to see; -- he has been 2 % months in Paris, will spend a year or more ingermany, spend the summer of 1828 in England, & return home in the autumn. He has come here without a single letter of introduction, & has the language to learn, of which he does not appear very eager to take hold. He does not seem, & does not feel himself, in much danger of being affected by German philology or theology; -- he is too entirely satisfied if the perfect correctness of all his own views, to be easily disturbed in them. Gesenius, by doubling his Stunden. has closed his lectures 10 days earlier than usual, & is gone for 2 or 3 weeks with Niemeyer to Berlin. my attendance has been very regular, -- I have not missed a single lecture. my notes on the Psalms, or those of them which he has read, amount to 40 sheets of letter paper, in my fine close hand; --^those in Ch. Hist, fill about 70 sheets. the latter comes down to Gregory VII, & include also the crusades in the next period. I heard this course as an exercise ingerman, & because I had not attended [?] to the subject, -- & in both these respects the time has not been thrown away. in the next semester I will read the part of Ch. Hist, which will of course be very general & which I shall probably not hear, -- & Job at 9 A. M. 4 times a week, which is said to be his best course. in this last, I am making preparations by having the Heft copied, so that ineed not be compelled to write so much, but need merely to make additions & can also be absentoccasionally if I please. He reads also, as a publicum, Syriac grammar twice a week, --merely the elements.-- As to the Exegetical lectures on the N. T. I have heard enough to see their manner, & to ascertain that I canderive no manner of benefit from them, --^they are much less complete than the commentaries, & after my labour on wahl would be to me profitless. -- during his absence, Gesenius has lent me his Arabic apparatus, & I am now devoting some time to the study, & breaking myself in to read without the points, --which does not come so hard as I had expected. the study begins to be, notonly not dry, but somewhat anziehend [attractive], & I hope to devote some time to it daily thro' the summer.-- In Hebrew I am now reading the Psalms which Gesenius has omitted, --using the sheets of his Thesaurus so far as printed, which however is only to H. It is indeed a Thesaurus. & he finds himself compelled to hold ----- New Page ----- in a little, so that at present he is not so weitlduftig [detailed] as at first; --his object being not to say all that can be said, butonly what is to the purpose. --the sales of his works have been immense; the smaller grammar 31,000 copies have gone off; -- of the small lexicon 5,000 copies of each edition were printed & are all sold, -- the last was in 1823. In my last letter I forgot to mention that in a conversation with Wegscheider, I told him of your work on Hebrews. He expressed a very earnest desire to see it & to procure it as soon as it should be accessible. (I have mentioned, I believe, that the work of Boehme on Hebrews is lying by me, waiting only for the opening of the navigation from Hamburg, in order to be sent with Gesenius' bundle.) Wegscheider reads this summer Romans & Hebrews, with 2 or 3 of the smaller epistles. -- Thilo reads the synopsis of the gospels. I read the other day in a newspaper that Hug is now publishing an Introduction to the old Testament, & is also preparing a work on the ancient Greek music. He is described as an old man of 70, & for the first time in his life had recently delivered a discourse or sermon on occasion of some public celebration. Tholuck, amiable & lovely as he is, has yet so strong a Trieb [instinct] for philosophy that I fear his usefulness will be diminished, if not to the German world, yet to the world at large. Berlin, where he was educated, is the great seat of the present philosophy, & since he has in a measure quitted the Gebiet [sphere] of Philology for that of Dogmatik, he seems to have given himself up almost to the reigning hobby of the day, -- of which the prevailing character is wholly Pantheistic. The present philosophy seems to have originated with Kant, & has come down thro' Schelling & Fichte to Hegel, who is the present Coryphaeus. God is all, & all is God: matter & spirit, body & soul are all of the same essence with God, & have no individual existence out of him, or he out of them. -- in the general principle, that mind & matter are of the same essence with God, Tholuck & others of the Mystik (as they seem to me not very improperly to be called) agree with the Pantheists, but differ from themin assigning to God & to the human soul etc. an individual personal existence. Tholuck does not admit that all things were created from nothing, because he cannot conceive it possible, but regards God's giving to his own essence this separate individual existence, as the highest conceivable effortof Almighty power. the idea of the existence of God he considers as implanted by the creator originally in the human mind, -- & regards the proposition that there is a God capable of being proved, while the contrary, that there is no God, he supposes is susceptible of mathematical demonstration. -- in his exegesis, he holds to a double sense. & here Herr Hodge kniipft sich sehr german ihm. He believes also that the world is not the only state of probation, & that the state of the world does not become fixed at death, -- & forwards his opinionon the locus vex. of Peter respecting Christ's preaching to the spirits in prison, which he takes literally, -- & hence draws the conclusions that their state was susceptible of change. --I mention these things as tending to unfold in part the character of the German school of orthodoxy, at least the orthodoxy of Berlin, for at Basel there is nothing of all this philosophy, nor among the few pious persons whom 1 saw at Gottingen. ----- New Page ----- in Tholuck this tendency is the more to be regretted, as he is gifted with such uncommonpowers, & might (if guided by the dictates of sound commonsense, which, by the way, he does not like at all) exert those powers for the lasting benefitof the world. -- after all, we cannot judge 49 of the opinions of the mass from those of one or two or several distinguished leaders; ingermany every man (who thinks at all) thinks for himself, & pushes his conclusions just where & to what extent he pleases, --so that this of all countries is the one, where the greatest & strangest diversity of opinionprevails, & where nothing could be more unfounded or erroneous than to form general conclusions from the observation of any thing less than a great number of particulars. -- This much probably can one say of the character of the German mind--^that as a nation they delight more than any other in abstraction, --in pushing their reasonings to the utmost limits, regardless of consequences, -- & hence have strayed oftener & wider beyond the limits of the human faculties than any other people; --nothing is more true than that they hol d the "empire of the air," & have had more strange conceits & fancies than any other nation; -- & the general cause of this seems to have been, at least in part, the condition of society among them, by which so many are removed from active duties of life, & lose all relish for practical objects. There are now & usually from ten tofifteen thousand pupils at the different universities, the greater part of whom can never have the opportunity of becoming practical men, who are yet taught to think, & so have to build their speculations without any foundation ….[paper torn by the seal] experience & practical commonsense. Is it then wonderful that they should …. [paper tom] … -- Still, to all this there are very many exceptions and some are very striking ones. Since I commenced this letter, Mr. Hodge has informed me that before he left America, he saw an article in some newspaper, contradicting some statementof mine respecting some professor who was to go out to one of the German Theol. Seminaries. -- the statementof mine, whatever it was, must have been made from Paris, & all the information I then had was from Prof. Goodrich. I do not now recollect the statement, & it is possible that Mr. G. migh t have confounded the two German Seminaries; --^but this much is fact, that Riley, the agent for the Carlisle Seminary, strongly urged Tholuck to go out there as professor, -- & at Basel, one of Mr. Blumhardt's assistants actually determined to go & made his arrangements for that purpose, -- though my present impression is that he has given up the project. my authorities for this statement are Tholuck himself & Mr. Blumhardt. -- if I remember right, Mr. Goodrich did speak of the seminary at Gettysburg, instead of that of Carlisle, --^tho' he too had his information from Mr. Blumhardt. More than 9 months are now elapsed, since I bade adieu to my native shores, -- a dreary ----- New Page ----- winter has passed away & spring begins to send forth its balmy breath. -- in all this time, I have written regularly every month & some times oftener; from my friends in Conn. I have had regular returns, -- but from Andover, as yet, only one letter. I know not what May be proper for me; but I cannot help thinking that were you in m v case, you would think you had reason to complain. But this I will not do, --but rather entreat you again more earnestly to write, --&, as my letters are intended for many, & are probably seen my many, so would beg that some of these many will let me hear from Andover every month. I am really envious of Mr. Hodge, when I see him receiving letters from Dr. Alexander & Mr. Patton every few weeks, -- & I can only say, " I had one letter from Andover last November." from some cause or other no American journals or newspapers have reached me, except a few Boston papers, which Mr. Amor y was so good as toforward to me from Gottingen. Still, I will not complain. All circumstances seem to lead me more & more to decide on spending the next winter in Berlin, --so much so that I have given up the idea of visiting it this spring. I shall probably remain here & study till the 20* of April, &, in the 3 or 4 weeks of the vacation which will then remain, visit Leipsig, & perhaps make some other little excursions. Ere that time, if God will, I shall write again. ineed not repeat how my best affections cling to the "consecrated hill," nor with what longing my soul looks back to the privileges there. It is a feeling, however, which one cannot conceive, who has not himself been in a foreign land, & been shutout from such privileges. The blessing of God rest on you & yours, & all around you! Most affectionately, E. Robinson ----- New Page ----- Halle, Ap. 19, 1827 Rev & Dear Sir In commencing my monthly letter, it is with sincere gratitude to God that I recall to mind that in all my letters hitherto, I have had reason to thank him for health, continued health, & strength to devote myself to my studies to a degree which I had not known at home. -- That blessing, thanks to his gracious Providence, still continues; --tho ' the [?] of spring relaxes the frame & brings to light all the defects & increases the friction of the different parts of the corporeal machine. The winter broke up in the last days of feb. --changing in a week from 18∞ below zero to a very warm rain, -- a few days in the early part of March were pleasant, but the rest of the month & the first days of April were distinguished by nothing but rain & cold storms & mud ; --for a fortnight past the weather has been warm & pleasant, much like the beginning of May with us. the trees are putting out rapidly, plum trees were in blossom on the 15*. the season just in the vicinity of Halle, however, is always earlier than in the vicinity, e.g. at Leipzig, for what reason I know not. The beautiful weather, which it has taken away my energy for study, has allured me to walk abroad, & I have made several little excursions to interesting spots in the vicinity, --at Rossbach, one offrederic's battlefields in 1757, -- again to Lutzen, -- & to the Petersberg. at Lutzen, the stonewhich marks the spot where Gustavus fell is merely one of rough granite, & is mentioned by Schiller as having stood there at the time, --it now bears the name of the "Schweden Stein." onit are simply the initials & dates: "G. A. 1632." Around it are stones planted in the ground in the form of a cross & level with the surface; --on one of these stands rudely sculptured the inscription "Gustav Adolph Konig vonSchweden fiel hier in Kampfe fur Geistesfreiheit am 7sten November 1632." the battle was a most terrible one, tho' the numbers were small & the victory not decisive. of 32,000 men the whole number engaged, 9,000 were left dead on the field. --the battle of Lutzen in 1813 was rather a series of attacks, -- the chief one was at a village about 3 miles S. W. of Lutzen itself. -- the Petersberg is an eminence which rises in the form of a cone from the plain about 9 miles north of Halle; it is 400 or 500 ft. high, & commands a view over the vast level plain, which nothing but the level horizon bounds. not a mountain nor a hill of any size is visible, except thatona very clear day the distant summit of the Brocken May be seen. -- all the north of Germany, i.e., north of Dresden, Leipzig & the Harz is one dead level, extending even to the Nevga, & including also Poland. --Had I followed merely the bent of inclination or perhaps consulted only my health, I should probably have been travelling for a fortnight past, --but it was yet too cold, & the season is not even yet far enough advanced to render the ----- New Page ----- country interesting & travelling pleasant. I have therefore remained here, busying myself with miscellaneous reading etc. but intend on Saturday to go to Leipzig for a few days, & then probably to Oschaz to visit Wahl ; -- if the season be then pleasant, I [ink smudged] to go by Torgau to Wittenberg, & thence thro' Dessau (a favorite place of resort) & Cothen, home, -- Mr. Chauncy expects to visit Germany this summer & go as far as Copenhagen & perhaps Stockholm after which he hopes to accompany me to Wien & the South of Germany. It is not impossible, tho' hardly probable, that I may accompany him to the North. Mr. Kurz [Kurtz], the agent of the Lutheran Seminary at Gettysburg, was here 3 weeks since.*" He has been very successful in making his way among the great & that has given him access to all the classes. He has no delicacy or feeling of propriety & his consequent boldness, altho' accompanied by many blunders & some of themludicrous, seems by its novelty to have made rather a favorable impression on the Germans, altho' at the same time they laugh at him. One praise he merits & that is the greatest --^that in all his preaching he has not failed to declare the whole counsel of God, in a plain, simple, &, I May add, impressive manner, -- so that the really pious have been delighted &, as he says, many have been led to inquiry & [?]. There can be little doubt, I think, that if the plain practical kind of preaching were heard ingermany, a very great change would, by the blessing of God, soon be produced, --the pastors are & must be learned men, but they either preach not the gospel or also the gospel diverted of its simplicity & directness of practical application. Mr. K. told me he had received from seven to nine thousand vols, of books as presents, --many of themprobably worthless, but many also very valuable, --^the amountof money he could not or would not tell, but the Germans say it is very large. The good people of Halle have been for some weeks, & even months, much occupied in making preparation for celebrating the Jubilee of Niemeyer, which occurred yesterday. These Jubilees are the 50th anniversary of one's being made Doctor of Philosophy (which is equivalent to our A. M.) -- & it was this which Blumenbach & Eichho m celebrated last year. --Niemeyer is not a learned man, nor a profound man, but he has been for 50 years a very active man as professor & especially as Vorsteher [chief] of the Pedagogue here where very many of the male nobility have been educated, & all give him the creditof having alone preserved the university of Halle in the time of the French invasion & govemment. Hence he has many pupils among the better classes all over Germany, ----- New Page ----- & all who wish well to their Alm a Mater at Halle look upon Niemeyer as the deliverer & preserver; --besides, he is courtly & dignified in his manners & very kind & obliging to all, so that he is much & generally beloved. He also enjoys the favour of the king, & in his late visit to Berlin was invited by the King to preach in his palace, where he has had private worship during his lameness. in consequence of all this, there presented themselves yesterday deputations from his former pupils in different districts, bringing him congratulations & presents; --the University of Berlin sent Schleiermacher; Leipzig, Tittman n & Wachsmuth, --^to congratulate him -- Jena sent also deputees; -- & Gottingen, Erlangen, & Breslau sent letters. the King sent a superb porcelain vase with his portrait. Benjamin Kurtz (1795-1865), a Lutheran pastor, co-founded with Samuel Schmucker (1799-1873) the Gettysburg Theological Seminary in 1825. From 1826 through 1827, he traveled in Europe, seeking funding for the Seminary and books for its library. Kurtz was successful on both accounts, securing $10,000 in funds and more than 7,000 books. --several noblemen & others of his pupils another, nearly as large & beautiful, --others a silver vase, --others had a beautiful medal struck & presented it; -- & there was a table full of congratulating poems, etc. etc. printed & bound for the occasion. Gesenius gave the P' vol. of the superb fol. edition of his Thesaurus (ending with >) with a special dedication, superbly bound in morocco. the University had also bespoken a marble bust, which was exhibited for the first time. the public exercises were first an address in Latin by old Schiitz, the editor of several Greek classics, now 82 years old; -- then the delivery of a new doctor's diploma (the old one being now perhaps obsolete) --^then the delivery of the King's vase, then the congratulations of the Ministr y for Ecclesiastical affairs, delivered by Bishop Eilen [?], one of their members, & 40 years before a Halle student, --^then congratulations in Latin from the Leipzig professors. After this Niemeyer spoke his gratitude, well & feelingly; among other things, he remarked that of all those who 50 years before & in that room were present & assisting at the ceremony of his taking his degree, notone remained, except the aged Schutz. He also took occasion to announce that the King, in addition to his present to him personally had given his wor d that the University should have a building for its cabinets etc. etc. & had appropriated 40,000 Rixdollars towards thatobject. -- After this, the prorector made an address over the bust, -- & the whole concluded, as usual, with a public dinner. to day Niemeyer is to preach in one of the churches, & will see his friends this evening in the Kronprinz, a large hotel. Just at this moment a card of invitation has come to me inviting me to "Thee und Abendbrot i m Kronprinz. " The German love for "Farben & Fedem " has on this occasion show n itself. for some time it has been whispered that the King would either give Niemeyer the high privilege of writing Vonbefore his name or would bestow on him an Orden. of which the ribband would be broader than the one he now has; and a general feeling of disappointment is expressed that he has received only a vase. now the vase is in itself worth a thousand Vons & Ribbands. & besides is a species of present given by Kings only to princes or men like Wellington, etc. But every ----- New Page ----- body here decries it, & even Gesenius, wh ofirst told me of it, pronounced it "ein schlechtes Present." the little wor d Von, which this poor man would have written for a few years, would doubtless have been considered by him & his friends as of infinitely more value. my paper is full & yet it contains little, I fear, that can interest you or my friends at home. Si x months residence in Halle leaves little to be learned of the place or people, -- & as for the general state & character of Germany, in order to learn it, one must travel & see for himself. Halle itself has few charms -- & as for the mere article of study, --^that which one must every where dofor himself, I should probably'be as well off at home. Moments of despondency sometimes come over me, & then I feel an inexpressible longing for that land between which & me an ocean rolls; --but I feel too that I am ingod's hand, & that I am almost alone on earth, & that it matters little where I am, or where I breathe my last. Peculiarly do I feel this, when I reflect, that it is now almost 11 months since my lingering eyes lost sightof my native shores & that altho' I have written repeatedly & regularly & personally, yet from Andover I have received butone letter. -- if my letters are worth any thing, they are surely worth an occasional reply; -- if they are worth nothing, the sooner I cease to write, the better. -- when I left Andover, & bade adieu to my country, I did not think to leave it as an exile; --but still, here, as in all other things, I would say, "Lord, thy will, not mine, be done." ----- New Page ----- Whatever may be my lot, I cannot forget that sacred hill where I have spent so many happy, holy hours. my heart, my affection, my prayers, and with & for all that happy circle, where God so delights to dwell. --his blessing rest upon them. Affectionately, E. Robinson Forwarded By DeLaunayLuuyt & Co Havre ----- New Page ----- [An undated letter from Dr. Christian Abraham Wahl to Moses Stuart, written ingerman, is included in the bound volume. on the outside of the paper is written: Dr. Wahl's "Griiss"] Damir Herr Robinsonseit gestem die Freude nicht nur gemacht hat, mich in Oshatz zu besuchen, sondem auch vonhier und vonmeinem Studierzimmer aus in die liebe Heimath zu schreiben, so kann ich diese Gelegenheit nicht vorbeilassen, de m Hochwurdigen Her m Doctor & Professor Stuart selbst meinen freundlichen Gruss darzubringen & die hohe Achtung zu bezeugen, mi t welcher ich denselben verehre. Mog e unser lieber Reisender Ihnen nicht viel Erwiinschter [?] & der Aughebens werthes aus Deutschland mitbringen! Mog e mir bei Ihrer und bei Ihnen immer eingiitiges, wohlevollendes Andeneken bleiben! Vielleict h horen & lesen Sie nicht ehre giitige Theilnahme, wi e dei Theologische Facultat zu Leipzig nur am 29* April 1827 aus eigenem Antrie b die Wurd e eines Doctors der Theologie ertheilt hat; vielleicht vmrdigen Sie auch ein kleiner Sehristehen vonmir iiber ei & eis in N. T. einiger ----- New Page ----- Aufinercksamkeit. Ich unterzeichne mic h mi t hoher Achtun g fur den hochverehrlen Her m Doctor Stuart als D. Christian Abraham Wahl Superintendent & Pfarre zu Oschatz ----- New Page ----- Blank page ----- New Page ----- Dr. Wahl's Griils ----- New Page ----- Oschatz, in Saxony, May 3, 1827, Thursday Rev & Dear Sir I begin my letter in this place, intending tofinish it afterwards in Halle. I came here yesterday & thought perhaps you migh t like to receive a few lines of salutation from the study of Wahl, where I am now writing. I left Halle onFriday lastonfoot, to make a little excursion over Cothen, Dresden & Wittenberg, -- & thence have come over Torgau hither. my walk has been thus far very pleasant, -- I hope to day to find an opportunity of riding to Leipzig, there to remain untill Tuesday or Wed. of next week, in order to see the fair, which has just begun. -- Cothen is the chief & I believe onlv city of this duchy of Anhal t Cothen, -- it has nothing of interest. Dessau is the capital of Anhalt Dessau. Besides these there is also Anhal t Bemberg, --altogether making out a territory as large perhaps as the state of Rhode Island, entirely surrounded by Prussia. they are governed by 3 collateral lines of Dukes & when one line becomes extinct, its territory falls to the others. Dessau is a pleasant little city on the Mulde, 1 % or 2 miles from the Elbe, -- the country is rich & very very beautiful. the city is surrounded by gardens, --one belonging to the Duk e extends to the Elbe, & is a exceedingly well arranged with great taste & skill. the Elbe is here a broad & rapid stream, -- as wide as the Connecticut at Hartford, but not so deep. It winds thro' meadows as rich as any our country can boastof, & its floods spread themselves out for miles. Wdrli z [?] is a village 9 miles E. of Dessau, where are grounds of the Duke's laid out in the English style. the road for most of the distance is thro' a park of noble oaks from 2 to 5 feet in diameter, standing singly or in clumps & covering some thousands of acres, reminding one at every step of the description of English forests. Wittenberg is a small, but strongly fortified place, directly on the N. bank of the Elbe, along which it lies in 3 narrow parallel streets. I had letters to a young clergyman, who was so good as to shew me all the antiquities & Merkwiindigkeiten. at the western end of the city, close on the wall, & forming indeed part of it, stands the old University church, on the N. door of which Luther posted up his celebrated theses against Tetzel, the first germ of the Reformation. the inside of the church has been within a few years rebuilt, the old pulpit removed & a new one placed at the end, the body divided into slips, so that the whole appearance is more like an American church than any I have seen in Europe. Three aisles lead from the entrance up, & in the middle is a cross aisle. in this, on the right hand as one faces the altar & near the side aisle, is a slight depression in the stone floor, with an inscription and underneath lie the ashes of Luther. -- under the corresponding spotonthe left upon those of Melancthon. on the wall over against each, hang their portraits; the inscriptions give merely the name & the date of their decease; -- & this is all their monument. But it needs no more, --their names are written in the world, & so long as time endures will the world bear the impress of Luther & Melancthon. -- Exactly at the opposite or E. end of the city stands the old convent where Luther lived, --^the university was founded in 1502, -- & its building erected in frontof the convent, which now forms the back part of the square court. A round tower in the middle of the frontof this old building contains the staircase. the room of Luther is on the second story & looks upon the court. It remains as he left it: the walls are wainscoted with boards placed perpendicularly, --the ceiling is also wood, divided into compartments & painted, & a fixed bench runs all around the room. In the comer by one of the windows stands the table, in the window is a fixed seat with arms and another to lay the legs upon. the whole room is of a dark red or brown colour, & many names of visitors are scribbled with chalk on the walls. Over the door of the bedroom is the cypher of Peter the Great, written by himself in chalk, -- it is now covered with a glass in order to preserve it. An album is kept in the room, which extends already to many volumes. --the emotion which one feels in visiting ----- New Page ----- this spot are perfectly indescribable, -- & to an American especially are they enhanced by the recollection that all that is interesting here dates back a century before our fathers first set foot upon the rock of Plymouth, -- & that from this spot went forth the spark, which has kindled up all the civil & religious liberty that exists in the old world, & lighted the way tofound an empire of freedom in the new. When the University of Wittenberg was removed & connected with that of Halle, the King founded in Wittenberg a theological seminary, where 25 theological students, who have finished their course at a university, May yet spend 2 years in practical preparatory studies, & receive 180 rix dollars a year, with a room & wood. they occupy the old university building. There are 3 directors or instructors, Nitschc [Nitzsch],** Schleusner, & Huebner. the first is very old & does not much. Huebner is between 40 & 50 & is a man of great learning & energy. He is better acquainted with American theology than any man I have met with, --^has Edwards' & Dwight's works, & likes the latter well. his principles are said to be generally those of Storr, with more warmt h & feeling & piety. He is the pillar of the seminary. Schleusner is now 68. The portrait which you have seen gives the features well, but the expression is more animated & bold than Karl Immanuel Nitzsch (1787-1868) the reality. He is small in stature, -- & it May too be said, in influence. his day is vorbei in Deutschland. His lectures & exercises with the pupils are in Latin, are wholly taken up with kleinigkeiten. & very uninteresting. He knows nothing of the modern commentators or grammarians, --nothing that has some acct. in the last 40 years. at the same time he holds to the old dignity of the profession, & will have no intercourse whatever with the students, except ex cathedra.-- I had a card of introduction to him from the Kanzler Niemeyer, -- found him in one of his best humours -- he was sociable, seemed quite surprised & gratified when I told him that the library at Andover had so many copies of the German edition of his Lexicon, exclaimed against the English edition, & said they had not even generosity enough to send him a copy, but left him to purchase it. He showed me his library, which is very large & excellent. in his study, one side of the room was filled with books, his Leibwache. as he called them, & below, a room as large as the chamber which I occupied with you was entirely filled with double rows. He kept me for an hour & a half, which for him, was something quite unusual. He seems to me querulous, & has the air of a man who has outlived his time & feels himself neglected. From W. [Wittenberg] hither, the country is not interesting; Torgau is a strongly fortefied town, & near it is one offrederick's battle fields. the country round Oschaz is an undulating plain, & the city is in one of the little hollows or basins, so that nothing but its lofty church is visible at any distance. It is half way between Lutzig & Dresden on the great road, & has about 4000 inhabitants. the place itself & its environs have nothing at all of interest. I was received with great joy by wahl& his family, consisting of a wife & six children, 3 of which are grown up. Wahl is 54 years old, rather diminutive in his appearance, but active. He is devoted to his lexicon & the studies connected therewith, --knows little of Hebrew or indeed of other branches. He cannot, I should think, be a man of great personal influence. his duties are laborious; he preaches once every sabbath, & is bishop over 52 pastors & churches, all of which he has to visit twice every year, besides the other duties connected with this oversight. He is however diligent & laborious, & makes out to accomplish much. the new edition of the Clavis is entirely rewritten, & will be some 250 pages longer than the first. For the first edition he received 10 Rth. the sheetor 16 pages, -- for this 5. -- His family is probably a fair specimen of a German pastor's ordinary life, -- & differs not very essentially from the life of the corresponding class in America. He himself sends you a Griiss. [There follows, in Robinson's own hand, the same German greeting that appears above as a separate note to Moses Stuart from Wahl. what is interesting is that the style of writing used by E. R. is that of the northern parts of Germany, whereas wahl writes in the style of the southem parts, and hence much easier to transcribe. Note: Oschatz is the spelling given by Wahl ; Oschaz, that of E. R..] ----- New Page ----- Halle, May 19, 1827 Leaving you to make out the Gruss of Wahl as you can, I will proceed with my narrative. 1 stayed in Oschaz a day and came onfoot to Leipsig, where 1 remained 4 days. Leipsig was very full, it being in the midstof the fair --it was the same as last winter, except in a far greater degree, --people of all countries & languages were there, Russians, Poles, Germans, English, French, Italians, Hungarians, Servians, Wallachienes [?], Turks, Greeks, Americans, etc. etc. the general appearance of the [a large square has been cutoutof the page, affecting the Last few words of each of the next 7 lines.]... --^the general difference is that Paris is every day in the year what Leipsig.. [paper torn]. Prof. Heinroh, whom I saw in the winter was out of town. I dined one evening. . [paper torn] been very kind to me, -- & met at his table many-booksellers. He is rich,. . [paper torn]. my principal intercourse this time was with Hahn. one of the. . [paper torn] last fall from Konigsberg. He is diminutive in his appearance, But. . [paper tom] much respected. his Fach is N. T. Exegeses. I heard Tzschimer*^ preach .. [paper tom] disappointed; He seemed old & dull & stiff, & his sermon had nothing of the gospel in it; -- Calling on him 2 days after with Hahn, I was better pleased, -- he seems about 56, a keen black eye, round face, & has much vivacity of manners. He is counted as orthodox, -- he is about to publish a work on early ch. [church] history, from the special Gesichtpunctof the down fall of Paganism. Tittmann, who is esteemed the champion of orthodoxy there was out when we called. Rosenmueller I again saw, & found him in better humor than before. the 4 * partor V. II, pt. I I of his Altherthumskmde comes out at this fair. I have not seen the Messcatalog [?], but have heard of no important works in our Fach who are to appear. Wahl told me of Winer, that he had undertaken the edition of Simonis' Lexicon because that of Gesenius was not sufficiently philosophical, was too practical!!! This Winer had said to him . As Gesenius has not yet sentoff his promised package, I think in 2 or 3 weeks to send off a box for you to Hamburg, with books for the library * some pamphlets etc. together with those mentioned by Gesenius. It will contain of course Bdhme's Hebrews & also Ewald's Hebrew Grammar (which to me is [?]), De Wette's Einleitung to the O. & N. Test, (the latter recent), Bachiene's Palestine, Pococke's Description of the East, German translation, Simonis,Arcan Fornici (a fine copy of which I bought for 37 cents), Tholuck's commentary onJohn etc. etc., Umbreiton Proverbs, etc. Also the Lectionsblatter for the last & present semester of several universities; --an acct. of the Frankischen Stiftungen in this place, notices of Knapp, of Niemeyer's Jubilee etc. etc. I have just purchased a fine copy of Kincklemann's Koran for 3 % Rthl. which I retain for the present, as also Umbrei t & Rosenmiiller on Job. if I can obtain themhere in season, I May also send Rosenmuller's Alterthumskunde as far as published, & the Messcatalog. There is here a fine copy of Raumer's History of Hohen- ----- New Page ----- taufen for sale for 16 Rthl. = $9.45 in 7 vols., but as it is already at Andover, at least in part, I have not purchased it. The lectures commenced here on Monday last. Gesenius reads Job, & is immensely crowded, -- there must be at least 400 hearers. I hear only this, & his Syriac publicum, which will not be much. my principal business for the present is to continue Arabic, begin Syriac, recover my Chaldee & my French, & keep up my German, -- & this would seem to be enough for one semester. I have the promise of the sheets of Hoffmann's Syriac grammar, which is an Umarbeitung & enlargementof Michaelis, & which with the exception of a few of the last sheets has been ready for 2 years. -- Tholuck reads this summer Biblical Kirchische Dogmatik, 4 times a week. Encyclopaedia & Methodi k twice, & John from his commentary, 3 times. Wegscheider goes on with his Exegese, & reads Dogmatik from his Institutionis. By the ship of April 11 received a letter from the Society of Inquiry, but none fro myou, or from any onewho gives me the least acct. of the situation of things at Andover. I am really envious of Mr. Hodge, when I see him receiving every month letters from Dr. Alexander, or Dr. Miller or Mr. Patton; I caimot help feeling ** Tzschimer was the pastor of St. Thomas's Church in Leipzig and a professor of theology at the University of Leipzig. now how hard it is to maintain a correspondence which fall so wholly on one side. my letter from the Soc. of Inqu. mentioned the death of Mr. Brown, -- of him it may, I trust, be said, whatever his former days may have been, that his latter end was peace. my affectionate remembrance rests with you & with your family, & all around you. how precious would sometimes be to me a single hour at Andover, if one could be transported there! how much, to be learned & to be felt, would be crowded into that hour! But alas! many a day, & month,& year must first roll off, ere this can be. In the mean time my prayers are ever for you all, & I hope also to be not unremembered in yours. Respectfully & affectionately, E. Robinson. ----- New Page ----- Ship Rev Moses Stuart Professor de a (?) Theol. Sem. Andover Massachusetts New York Jul 11 ----- New Page ----- Halle, June 18, 1827 Rev & Dear Sir I have at last succeeded in sending off that long promised box of books, of which the following is a list. 1 Pococke's Beschreibung des Morgenlandes, 3 vols. q. cost 4 Rthl. -$2.80.1 purchased it because it is low, has many plates, & May be often useful in the absence of the English copy, which costs some $15 or $20. 2 Francke's Erkldrimg der Psalmen, 2 thick vols, some qu. 18groschen = 53 cents. This is perhaps not very valuable as an exegetical Hulftmittel [?], but it contains the views of the pious Franck, & Tholuck commends it. 3 Selden. Uxor Hebraica, with some tracts by Voss. 1 vol. 1 Rth. = 70 cents. not in the Library. 4 Rosenmueller, Handbuch der Altherthumskunde, 4 vols in 2.7 Rth. 5 g. = $5.10. the 4 * part has been outonly 4 weeks.I understood him to say that that would close the geographical part; but this cannot be so, as neither Egypt nor Greece is yet touched. His Jeremiah is now completed, but I did not learn this fact till it was too late to procure it to send in this box. the printing of his Commentary on the Salomonischen [?] will soon begin. He is also publishing a Compendium of all his Scholia -- the 1" vol. was [?] for the Easter fair, -- I sent for it a few days since, but it is not yetout. 5 Bachiene, Beschreibung von Palastina, 4 Theile, 2 Rt h 18 g. = $1.95. Weitlauftig, but Gesenius speaks well of it; as also Tholuck. 6 Winer, Comparative Darstellung der Lehrbegriffs, etc. 1 vol. g. 1Rthl 10 g. = $1. Useful for the comparison of the different creeds. 7 Simonis' Arcanen For [?] 12 gr. = 35 cents. I am not sure whether this books is yet in your hands, but it is not in the catalogue of the library, & it cost so little that I took it atonce. 8 Knapp, Vorlesungen iiber christliche Glaubenslehre, a Biblische Dogmatik. 2 vols. 3% Rth. = $2.45. This work is justout & I thot it would be interesting at Andover. the good people here complain of it as being merely philological, without any philosophy. I have not read it. 9 De Wette,Einleitung in A. [Alte] undN. Test. 2 vols. 3 Rth. = $2.10. the 2"" vol. appeared only ----- New Page ----- [?] winter, & the U ' not in the library. the end is considered as having quite a sceptical cast, --eve n so much so that Wegscheider combats his doubts over the authenticityof the Apocalypse & Gospel of John. A new S"* edition of Hug is also out. 10 Ewald, Heb. Grammatik. 11 Ewald, D. Hohelied, 16 g = 47 cents 12 Umbreit. Commentary on Proverbs, -- said to be better than his Job; the latest work, but I cannot say that I like his manner. 13 Bocknie [?] Commentary on Hebrews, 2 Rt h 16 = $1.87 [?] [14 -- E. R. skips this number] 15 Tholuck, on John, 1.08 Rth. = 94 cents. This seems to bea popular work & is selling off well. It is on the same general plan as his Romans, but intended more for students. 16 view of Halle, which when you have donewith it, May be placed among my books in the library. [17 -- E. R. skips this number] Pamphlets, etc.: 18 Ubersicht der Frankischen Stiftungen, which I supposed might interest you . 19 Bretschneider's Apologie etc. This is a revision of Rose's sermons.ô I do not like the spiritof it at all, but it is no less evident that Rose's assertions are not always well grounded. I see by the N. A. Review of April, that Mr. Hodge republished Rose in his Repertory. -- he has been very whist about it here & never gave a hintof it. Tholuck was charged with having given Rose his information, -- but stated openly in the papers that he had never seen Rose; besides Rose is a hig h churchman, & is as wide from Tholuck as from Wegscheider. 20 Epicedian on Knapp.*" 21 Humboldt, Bericht etc. A Report from Alex. Humbol d on the results of the journey made to the East by 2 young men sentout by the Prussian govt. etc. the full account is awaited with much interest. Besides these are the "Index Lextionnus for Halle " for the winter & summer semesters, a catalogue of the University; 3 Lectionsblatter of Leipzig, 1 of Gottingen, & no. 105 of the Hall. Lit. Zeitung, containing the acct. of Niemeyer's Jubiliee. Also the Report for 1826 of the Basel Miss. Society, & a little tracton Missions from Lindner of Leipsig; these two last are for the Miss. [Missionary] Rooms, whither I will thank you to send them. ----- New Page ----- The above are all destined for the library, or for such use as you & Mr. Farrar May see fit tofix upon. For yourself there is the pamphlet from Wahl onei & eis, mentioned in his few lines to you, & also the things from Gesenius, viz., his small Heb. Grammar, 8* edition, not much altered, but containing his new views on T essentiae, 2 copies of his tract, Inscriptione Phoenica Graaeca, one of which I suppose is for Mr. Gibbs, Exercitationes Ethiopiene, the only copy he could get; 3 engraved sheets of Inscriptionis & 2 Bogen of his Thesaurus. -- There are also 2 copies of the prospectus of a periodical work about to be published in Paris in Arabic, destined for circulation in the E. These were put in by Mr. Hodge, who bro't themfro m Paris. *' Not clear which of the two Rose brothers is being discussed: Henry John Rose (1801-1873) or Hugh James Rose (1795-1838). Epicidian auf Andenken auf Knapp (1825) The box is directed to C. Hilliard & Co. & sent to Hamburg, with directions toforward it by the first vessel to Boston, o ri f there is none soon for Boston, then by way of New York. Having occasion to write toflagg & Gould, I have enclosed also a list of the books for the library to Mr. Farrar. Monday P.M. June 18. we are now here in the midstof the longest days & schonsten Jahrzeit. the sun sets at % past 8 & the twiligh t is very long, so that at 10 o'clock it is not darker than with us at% past 8. the weather is not yet very hot; still the pleasantest part of the day is from 6 to 10 at evening & so the Germans seem to think. Halle is surrounded by gardens that is to say planted enclosures, & after 6 o'clock the people all stream out of these to lounge & walk & take their tea in the open air. There is something in the climate here which permits this without harm, our cold damp evening air is unknown. the family in which I am most intimate, that of VonJakob, lives this summer in a garden about 2 miles out of the city; I often walk thither & ingood weather always find themin the open air & they never leave the garden till toward 9 o'clock. I have just returned from dining with Tholuck. He & a large number of the orthodox literati throughout Germany have combined to publish a religious jouma l at Berlin, to be edited by Prof. Hengstenberg & to be called the Evangelische Kirchenzeitung}^ the English & Americandepartment is assigned to Tholuck; & I wrote for himbythe present ship to obtain the Miss. Herald, Chr. Spectator, & N. Y. Observer in exchange. ----- New Page ----- I have lately received some of the Herald, with which he is extremely delighted, & has himself written to Mr. Evarts. I think I mentioned in a former letter that I might possibly visit Copenhagen this summer. I had for some time given up the projects but am now expecting to setoff on the 29 * instant to meet Mr. Chauncy of N. Have n at Brunswick, & go with him to Bremen, Hamburg, Copenhagen, & then probably across to the Southempointof Sweden, Stratsand [?], Stettin, & Berlin. Mr. C. will afterward accompany me to Vienna. my reasons for this determination are that as I hear at presentonly Gesenius on Job, & have a very full & perfect heftof the whole, I shall lose nothing in the score of lectures, -- & thus I shall have the longer time next spring to remain ingottingen; -- besides itwill be much pleasanter travelling with a country man like Mr. C. than to run [?] the venture of going alone; & in this way I make sure of him for Vienn a & the south of Germany. I go under favorable auspices, having the promise of letters form Tholuck, Niemeyer, & others toall the places which I expect to visit in this way, before I leave Germany, all the universities, except perhaps Rostock, Konigsberg, & Breslau. I shall probably continue to write to you upon my route, -- tho' I must confess there seems to be little encouragement thereto. I find by my minutes that this is the 16* letter which I have sentoff to you from Europe, & I have yet received butone! my most affectionate remembrance & regard to your family & to all upon the hill. Respectfully & affectionately yours, E. Robinson ----- New Page ----- Mr Pobinson Halle. June.18.1827 (boutaining an Invoice of books sent on June 1827?) ----- New Page ----- Kiel, in Holstein, July 13, 1827. Friday. Rev & Dear Sir Your letter of April 10 reached me at Halle on the 20* of June, two & a half months after the date, & 2 days before my appointed time for setting off on my journey to Copenhagen. I am sick of having letters come The joumal was first published in 1829. Hengstenberg was the editor for more than forty years. over Hamburg; -- had yours been sentover France, I should have received it a month earlier & could then have sent all the books specified in the box which wen toff 2 weeks before the letter actually came. I left Halle on the 28 * ultimate & came over Magdebourg to Brunswick, where I met Mr. Chauncy on the evening of the 30*. we have since travelled over Hildesheim, Hannover, Brenen, & Hamburg to the places where we arrived day before yesterday, in order to embark in a steam boat for Copenhagen. the boat was to have departed yesterday P. M. at 4, -- but the win d for the last 3 days has been so violent from the S. W. that she has not yet arrived from Copenhagen, -- & we have n o recourse but to wait with patience. Brunswick has about 37,000 inhabitants & is for Germany well built; & has a solid sober appearance. Here, as also in all the cities thro' which we have passed, the former ramparts have been leveled & converted into beautiful promenades; --so that what with the public & private gardens, the cities seem to be embosomed in verdant grounds. This is a feature in the German cities which strikes me very pleasantly, -- & one often is led to regret the absence of such public grounds & walks at home. --but with us they would not exist, --^that spiritof mischief, which defaces even our milestones & girdles the trees onN. Haven green, would inevitably destroy all such Anlagen. ingermany the spirit is unknown. we visited in B. the vault where the Dukes are deposited & where also the late Queen of England rests at last undisturbed. we wished to have made an excursion to Wolfenbiittle, where is a valuable old library, -- but had not the time; -- & indeed there is little pleasure in looking merely at the outsides of books, or in visiting libraries ingeneral, except the more importantones. Hildesheim is the most antiquated city I have yet seen; its cathedral is yet catholic & dates from the 9* century, & the city seems to be of the same age. It is one of the oldest bishoprics of Germany. --Hannover has 27,000 inhabitants, -- is rather more lively than Brunswick, but does not strike me so pleasantly. Thus far the villages & the peasantry ingeneral seem to me to be better off than those of Prussia & Saxony. the soil is not sofertile, but there is an air of greater neatness & comfort. the Kingdom of Hannover has its constitution granted by the Pr. Regent & its Parliament; but the sittings of the latter are not public & little interest seems to be taken in them. I have not Russel [i.e., the guide book] with me, but what he says of the political state of this country is probably correct. what he says of the sandy roads is exaggerated, as far as he speaks of the E. part of Hannover & Brunswick. -- from Hannover to Bremen the country is one flat tractof bleak, barren, desolate Haide. as it is called, --hardly susceptible of cultivation, & with a few miserable towns & villages scattered over it at distant intervals. Bremen stands on both sides of the Weser [?] about 70 miles from its mouth. the river is here about as large as the Merrimac at Haven hill. the city has a neat & lively appearance, several handsome houses, & a beautiful promenade around it, --^the former fortifications. We visited of course the fa- ----- New Page ----- mous wine cellar of the city, where they profess to have wine of20 0 years old, -- & the more remarkable vault under the cathedral, which preserves dead bodies undecayed, -- & in which the bodies of birds, men, animals, etc. become perfectly dried in 8 or 10 days. I called here on the Messrs. Delius & found themfriendly & obliging. -- from B. to Hamburg, one passes still thro Hannover, & the country is the same dreary Haide as before. Carriages go only to Hamburg, from which a steam ferry boat & other boats ply on the Elbe to Hamburg--some 5 or 6 miles. At Hamburg you find yourself atonce in a sortof new world ; --^the forestof masts, the hustle of the port, the crowd of boats on the water & of persons on the streets, & learning atonce that you are in the largest trading city of Germany. Hamburg has 110,000 inhabitants & stands on the N. side of the Elbe, also about 70 miles from its mouth. the navigation of the river is not good, & ships are sometimes 6 weeks between the city & Cuxhaven [?]. the little river Alster [?] comes in from the N. & flows thro' the city, on the N. side of which it forms a large & beautiful basin -- a greatornament to the city. the Anlagen around are mostly new & in Werden. as the French in 1813 destroyed every thing in the vicinity to deprive their besiegers, the allies, of all means in their approaches. Abou t 1 English mile W. lies the Danis h city, Altona, a sombre, regular, & quiet-looking city of 23,000 inhabitants, where the battle of Hamburg seems to be utterly unknown. Further to the Wes t is a fine avenue of Linden, terminating at the village of Ottensea, where Klopstock lies buried beneath a beautiful Linde; -- in the vicinity are gardens with pretty views outover the Elbe & its meadows, & much frequented by the Hamburgers. Of course I visited the bookstore of Perthes & Besser. Besser has been dead for several years, & Perthes has for several years resided in Weimar, where he continues to be the Verlage of books & puts Hamburg on the title page. the house at Hamburg publishes no books, & have no connexion with F. Perthes as Verlage, more than with any other publisher; --his stock lies mostly in Leipzig. they had sentoff a package of books for you, the day before my arrival, & my box was also shipped onboard the same vessel, the Curlew, Capt. Ellis, for Boston, which sailed Monday moming, the 9* instant. I found that they had also sent a copy of Rosenmiiller''s Alterthumskunde, & also Hartmann's Linguist. Einleitung. --the gentleman who has charge of the house, Mr. Mauker [?], says that you are quite too gewissenhaft. & that they are ever desirous tofurnish books to your order. As there will probably soon be another vesselfrom H. to Boston, I directed him to send you Rosenmuller's Jeremiah, Flatton Romans, Tholuck's oriental doct. of the Trinity, Neander's Ch. History so far as & also his "Gnosticus"; -- & further, the New Kirchenzeitung from Berlin, which will appear in a month, & promises well. -- I think these are all the books which you specified, which were not previously sent. --^Your bills here are made out in conventionsgeld. with a discountof 10 percent without further change of any kind. In Leipzig the bills are in Prussian currency, which is from 3% to5 percent less than the conventions geld. -- the discount is 25 percent, & one gets there about 2 percent more for a draft on Paris. the difference then in favor of Leipzig is about 20 percent from which must ----- New Page ----- be deducted transportation to Hamburg etc., which could in no case vary 5 percent, --leaving a balance of 15 percent in favor of Leipzig. Still it is always convenient to have a correspondent in a seaport & for small orders the difference would also be small. the house of Pitcaim, Brodie & Co. to whom Hilliar d gave mea letter is about to close its business, --Brodi e is dead, & Pitcai m is on the pointof sailing for America. they are very obliging, --^they receive & forward packages, etc. without charge, --for the box I had nothing to pay, --the freight being to be paid in Boston. At Hamburg I was gratified to meet accidentally with Dr. Alex. Nicoll, Prof, of Hebrew in the Univ. of Oxford. He had come over in order to purchase for the university a very unique library of Hebrew books which is now for sale in Hamburg. It consists of 5 or 6 thousand vols, wholly relating to Hebrew Literature, --being the most complete collection known. He had offered £2080 sterling, & expected to obtain it for that sum; -- tho' the books could not now be collected for £20,000. He had just returned fromanexcursion to Gottingen, where he attended the funeral of Eichhom, who has wo m out & died of old age; -- & where he says the say was that Gesenius would be called as his successor. I spent several hours with Prof. Nicoll, & was much pleased with him. He is the particular friend of Gesenius, who says that he& Dr. Lee are the only two orientalists now in England. He seems about 38or40 years old, & is very amiable & gentlemanly in his deportment, his [paper tom, affecting three lines of text] manners reminded me of Prof. Kingsley. He lectures in Hebrew & Persian; -- in the former from the elements, & has in Oxfor d some 10 or 15 pupils. He has your grammar & likes it Prof. Lee's grammar is also justout, a large book, but Nicoll had not had time to examine it yet. He reads Persian because the university wishes to afford facilities to young men going out to India & qualify themselves before hand; --inasmuc h as the E. India College at Hertford is declining & will probably be given up. His chief occupation however is with the Arabic, which he says he has spent 12 years upon; & being also librarian, he has long busied himself in examining & making out a full catalogue with contents of all the Arabic Mss. in the University & Bodleian libraries. This labour is now nearly completed, & the work is ready for the press. --he seems to know most all of our Andover publications; & said of his own accord that we were doing much more for Biblical literature than the English. I mentioned to him Dr. Lee's remark respecting Gesenius' Commentary on Isaiah; he said the reason of it probably was he reads scarcely at all. NicolTs own opinion corresponds with yours. -- Gesenius has often spoken to me of this gentleman, & I had long looked forward with pleasure in the hope of seeing him after 2 years; -- it was therefore much the more pleasant to meet him thus unexpectedly now . The establishment of public posts & diligences in this part of Germany & in Denmar k is wretched; from Brunswick to Hamburg we hired private conveyances but from Hamburg one must take extra posts; we have come therefore 40 or 70 Eng. miles, paying about 10 cents a mile for each, & dragging thro' the deep, dead, heavy sands of Holstein. the country is almost a dead flat with a very feeble vegetation; yet the few villages are by far the neatest & best built which I have seen ingermany. Towards Kiel the country becomes somewhat uneven, but the hills are still of sand; the fields however are enclosed by bush hedges, which serve diversity & to give an appear- ----- New Page ----- ance of verdure, where else all would be bald & barren. Kiel itself stands at the head of a little bay which .runs up from the Baltic & is here from % to 1 mile wide. the shores are elevated, & resemble somewhat those of Lon g Island. the tow n has about 7,000 inhabitants & is the seat of a small university with between 2 & 3 hundred students. the only Prof, of note I believe is Twesten,** who has published a Dogmatik. & was called (invited) to Gottingen -- in the place of Stundlein. He is in the main evangelical but with some Abweichungen. Here lives also the Pastor Hamis [?], a man distinguished for his decision & energy of character, & vain piety: he first kindled the present controversy with Rationalism by republishing in 1817 (the 3"* Jubilee of the Reformation) the thesis of Luther, together with several more of his own pointed against the rationalists. I have been much gratified by my intercourse with him He says that rationalismyet widely predominates in this region, as also still more in Denmark, but that he thinks the good old faith is gaining ground, especially among the younger clergy. Mr. Kurz [Kurtz] seems to have made quite an impression here, as well as in Denmark generally; --so much so that the Danish consul in Hamburg sent word to me before he signed my passport that if I was going thither to collect money for a Theol. Seminary I might save myself the trouble, as the King had ordered him to say that no permission for such an object would again be granted. As I had however no such desperate intention, he was content to let me proceed. --the inquiries respecting type etc. I shall make when I get back to Leipzig; -- I do not see how I can purchase any because I have no pattern or measure for the body. the better way would doubtless be to send samples of the different sizes wanted to P.´fe Besser, who would procure that which would match ----- New Page ----- --^without August Detler Christian Twesten (1789-1876) samples this would be impossible. I had not intended to send off this letter till we reached Copenhagen, --but as the boat is not yet arrived, & we are likely to be delayed, I chose to make sure of its reaching Harve in season for the ship of Aug. 1. -- Cunningham is gone to Switzerland, Hodge is yet at Halle, where all continues as usual. I trust there is yet another letter from you on the way. in the hand of X y [Christian] fellowship ´& strong affection, I remain etc., Edw. Robinson ----- New Page ----- [written on a piece of paper, 4" x 3" is the following note] Copenhagen, July 17, 1827 After being detained at Kiel 32 hours we were at length hurried off at midnigh t so that I could not get my letters off from that place. we left at 2, i.e., Saturday morning; --our course was along the E. side of Langeland, round the N. pointof Lualand, then along the S. coastof Seeland, leaving Falstu [?] & Mon a [?] on the right. These islands are every where low, & can hardly be called fertile. we reached Copenhagen at 4 Sunday moming. I was disappointed in the approach to the city, -- a long lo w island lies before iton which it is partly built; there are very few towers & steeples, the trees hide all the buildings. I twill bear no comparison to the approach to New York. the site is low & flat; --indeed, ----- New Page ----- a hill seems here to be unknown. The streets, however, are broad & clean, the houses well built, & many of the melegant. Denmar k however, is poor, very poor & in debt. Mr. Wheatonwil l have a hopeless task in coming here to prosecute the claims of our citizens. I have as yet seen little of the city or culture of the Merkwiindigkeiten. -- nor made any calls, altho' I have some letters of introduction. we have seen the King & royal family; -- he is a poor white headed ugly mean looking man; -- he is the second I have seen, & I should hardly think, from these specimens, the breed was worth importing to America. we shall remain here a few days longer & then go over Elsineur to the S. pointof Sweden whence a steam boat runs to Grafewald [?] in Prussia, -- & so to Berlin. ----- New Page ----- Leipzig, Aug. 17, 1827 Rev & Dear Sir, I received your letter of April 10 on the 25 * of June, two days before setting off for Copenhagen & yours of June 20 * on the 7th of August, the day after my return. I wrote to you July 17* from Copenhagen, over Paris. we remained in that city 5or6 days after I wrote, & the impression which I brot away is a very pleasantone. I saw Bishop Munster, who is distinguished as a classical Antiquarian, -- & also Prof. Hohlenberg of the University, to whom I am indebted for much attention & kindness. Dr. Rudelbach, also a privatlehrer of the University, was very kind, --he is an evangelical & pious man, --has been long a private instructor but cannot become professor onacct [account] of his religious sentiments. the University system of Denmark seems quite as exclusive as that of Germany, & more rigorous; --for the first year all pursue a prescribed course, in which they are examined, & it is only after this that they can pursue professional studies. the examinations are very full & severe. There are more than 660 students. From C.[Copenhagen] we went west to Roskilde [?] to visit the cathedral where reposes the "buried majesty of Denmark. " many of the tombs are very splendid. we then proceed N. E. tofriederichsberg, a royal seat, -- & thence to Elsincus [?]. the view of the sound here a German mile wide is very fine, & it was rendered to us still more beautiful by the long display of the Russian fleet, which was passing just as we arrived. the fortress of Cronborg is strong, but it would hardly serve to command the strait -- & the duty demanded here can hardly be viewe d in any other light than as a pecutical exaction; --^yet it is said to form a very important item in the revenue of this miserable kingdom. Denmark contains but 1,100,000 inhabitants, including Holstein, --far less than the state of N. York, -- & is moreover in debt, has a depreciated currency, inefficient govemment, & not a fertile soil. the only way of travelling is by extra post, for which the govt charges the moderate rate of about 22 cents the Eng. mile for 2 persons. in Prussia, where the posts are much better, the cost is about 15 or 16 cents. In Copenhagen, I forgot to say that Prof. Hohlenberg took me to the Univ. library, the collection of Rumi antiquities, & the Roya l library. the latter contains 400,000 vols. & many Mss. especially oriental. in these it is reckoned the 4*, i.e., next to Oxford, Paris, & Vienna. the books are all scientifically arranged, & a catalogue raisonnee is completed in 132 vols. fol. -- that of Gottingen is only alphabetical. the oriental Mss. collected by Niebuhr are here, & also many superb ones in Persian & the languages of India, bro't home by Rask, of whom I shall speak below. the apartments are too small & crowded. the collection of Rumi antiquities is unique & interesting, & have been mostly found in barrows, of which there are very many scattered over the land of Seeland. the Univ. library has about 80,000 vols. & a large collection of Icelandic Mss. which were shewn us by Prof. Rask. the gentleman has paid great attention to the Northemlanguages, & undertook a journey to India, hoping to find perhaps some trace of the origin of all of them among the mountains of Caucasus etc. in this he was disappointed; --he thinks however that all the occidental tongues are related ----- New Page ----- to the Sanscrit, but that the connecting link is lost, in as much as the Tartars have sweptover the intervening regions, & destroyed all traces of language & customs older than themselves. He considers the Icelandic as the original of the northemlanguages, from which the Danish & Swedish are immediately derived, while the German comes from another branch of the same stock. Danes & Swedes are able to understand each other without difficulty. Dr Rudelbach, who has also studied these matters, holds the some views. The higher clergy of Denmar k are all together rationalists; --but among the Pastors are many of a pure evangelical spirit, -- & the people are said to be desirous of hearing the gospel. & listen to it with eagemess. There is in C.[Copenhagen] a religious orthodox periodical journal, which is well supported, --^while the other party have not been able to circulate one permanently. the influence of the Gov' t is of course on the scale of the higher clergy. There is in C. a missionjuy society, which has existed about 5 years, & is very active; --^they have as yet sentout n o missionaries of their own, but have aided other societies, -- & now, in connexion with Basel, are about to act in the establishmentof a mission in Africa. We crossed at Elsineur, where we had to pay pretty soundly for letting us out of Denmark, & landed at Helsingsborg, where we had to pay something less, for letting in to Sweden. we travelled thence to Ystad, the S. pointof Sweden, with Swedish extra post, -- a single Einrichtung, i.e., the peasants have the privilege of carrying travellers, & the postoffice is nothing more than the place where there is a man who must round & bespeak the horses. if one has his own carriage, it goes very well, --otherwis e they take their little waggons, which are miserable enough. the horses are small, but generally canter off at the rate of 6 or 7 miles the hour, over very fine roads. the expense, including every thing, is from 6 to 8 cents the mile for 2 persons. the difference on the two sides of the sound is very striking --^the Danis h Postillion demands his 12 or 15 cents a German mile for Trinkgeld; -- I gave a poor Swedish peasant, who drove us 5 German miles, about 8 cents as Trinkgeld, & have hardly ever seen a man so thankful. Our course was over Landesau [?] & Lund; --^the former is merely a large struggling ville; --^the latter is a poor city, meanly built, with about 3000 inhabitants & is the seat of a University, the only one in Sweden, except Upsala. I had no letters here, & saw no one, --altho we made two ineffectual attempts to visit the library, etc.. in 1818 there were 516 students. Ystad is merely a dirty hole with 2600 inhabitants. A steamboat runs from here to Ersifswalde in Prussia, in order to carry the mail between Stockholm & Berlin. the boat is well enough, --^the passage is usually 14 to 16 hours, i.e., less than from N. Y. to Albany, --but the price is near $7, & they give you neither bed, nor a mouthful to eator drink. we had a strong win d partly across our course, which caused the vessel both to pitch & roll, & this, added to the movemen t caused by the engine, produced a motion incomparably worse than any I have felton the ocean. we passed near the coasts of the Isle of Rixgen, which is celebrated by the Germans for its scenery, but which can be fine only comparatively speaking. Ersifswalde is the smallestof the Prussian Universities, having only 150 students. (Rostock in Mecklenberg has 150.) The library however is larger than that of Halle & the library building is the finest I have seen devoted to thatobject except in Berlin. Here I was indebted for much ----- New Page ----- kindness to Prof. Niemeyer, son of the Canzler at Halle. I saw also Kosegarten who is distinguishing himself as an Orientalist. -- he is young, fat & sour looking. -- we came next to Stettin on the Oder, a well built city with 25,000 inhabitants, but with nothing else remarkable. I had some letters to individuals here from friends in Halle, & learned on my arrival that the friend to whom I was indebted for themwas no more! the Staatsrath vonJakob, who had shewn me so much kindness & in whose family I was more intimate than in any other, had been suddenly castoff by a stroke of apoplexy, at a cottage a few miles from Halle, whither he had gone for a ride, --awa y from his family, which would not reach him till after he had expired! the evening before my departure, he bade me adieu, with cordial wishes for my journey & speedy return. I have retumed, but he is departed forever! The road from Stettin to Berlin is over the flat [?] levels, which form the whole of Pmssia indeed, --varied only by a greater or less degree offertility. you approach B. [Berlin] on this side without the least indication that you are in the neighborhood of a great city, --^you enter a gate, & pass atonce from a vast plain to long streets & lofty houses. I spentonly 3 days in Berlin, --Mr. Chauncy staid 8. Having got my impressions of Berlin principally from Russel, I must confess I was much disappointed, i.e., on the favorable side. It is by far the most regular & best built city which I have yet seen, --Paris has a few finer buildings & finer streets, but as a whole can stand w…. [paper to m -well in] comparison with it. This too is the opinion of Mr. Chauncy. who has seen all the five cities [paper to m]…. the public statues are finer than those of any other city, especially a new one of Bluchen in bronze from Ranch. Russel has written of Pmssia in the tme spiritof John Bull, who tums up his nose at every thing, & cannot shew his taste & tact, unless by way of censure. from his description onewoul d suppose that Berlin stood in a dessertof sand; this is not so, --the country around is of a sandy soil, but it is by no means either so sandy or so barren as the soil round new Haven. He raves too at the paved sidewalks, --^to be sure these are not flagged, but Berlin is n o worse in this respect than every other city on the continent; --it is better to have paved sidewalks than none at all, as in Paris, where one must have eyes on four sides of his head, to avoid being ru n over. to none but a determined fault finder would it have occurred to censure the statue of Luise, or her tom b at Charlottenburg, as stiff. I can conceive of nothing of the kind more perfect in the execution, --nothing more beautiful & lovely in the female form & features. the expression is that of calm, serene repose. the King is now at Topliz; we visited his apartments in Charlottenburg, --his private library, study, cabinet, etc. they are on the ground floor, --^plain & simple like those of a private gentleman, --far less splendid than the study officknor, for example. Over the table where he sits to read & write hangs the portraitof Luise, as he married her, -- a little to the left hangs an engraving from the statue on her tomb. These & many other little traits speaks much for the tenderness & sincerity of his heart, & lead me to esteem him as a man, whatever may be his merits as a king. I reached Halle on the 6* & received your letter on the 7*. I have never complained of the length of your letters, --but onl y that they were sofew & far between. I had before determined to sit down this winter to work at a [?] Geography --Gesenius has promised his advice, & offered me his Hefts & papers; -- & I shall therefore probably remain in Halle, for a part of the winter, at least. Having now no trouble from the language, I shall be able to command at least Va more time, -- tho' what with Arabic, Syriac, Ethopic, Rabbinic, etc. I can hardly expect to have time to be idle. ----- New Page ----- We came here yesterday & leave tomorrow moming for Dresden. Our proposed route is over Bautzen, Hirschber, as far perhaps as Glatz, --Prague, Ratesbon, Augsburg, Munich, Salzburg,--thence to Passau, Luiz, & so on the Danube to Vienna. Thence Mr. C. goes to Italy, & I shall probably return thro' the Tyrol to the Lak e of Constance, & so up thro' Tubingen, Stuttgard, Numberg, Erlangen, etc. to Halle, & hope not to be abroad more than 8 weeks. Barth is now out of town, but his foreman says he will be very glad to send a consignmentof books to Boston, -- & from what I have heard him say, I think he would too. I have given the order for type to Breitkop f & Hartel, -- the former is just dead. the present head of the house copied down very carefully & correctly all your description, -- so that if any mistake occurs, it will be their fault. They have no good (") but he promised to have a new one cut, --as also to be very particular in packing. they have now several similar orders on hand & will not be able to get the type ready under 6 or 8 weeks & will send it as directed. the expense will average not far from 6 Rth. the pound, so that the whole will not exceed about 200 Rth. = $140. if therefore you could transmit either to Delius at Bremen or to Hottuguer in Paris thro ' J. Tappan say $150., it would be sure to cover all expenses here. they tume d atonce to the former order from Perthes & Besser; --the application from Converse did not take. they have now a smaller size, both of Arabic ife Syriac, which I should suppose was needed at Andover, -- tho' I think the Berlin Arabic is handsomer than either this or the French. Dresden. Aug. 19*. I was too late for the mail at Leipzig, & so have brot' my letter hither, where it will go as soon as from there. the road is quite uninteresting, -- thro' a level fertile country, till you come near Meissen, where it strikes the Elbe & the scene changes. the river flows here between high banks of which the northemone is studded with vineyards. the old castle of Meissen frowns from its lofty rock near the narrow vale beneath, --but its glory is departed, & it is now the seat of the celebrated porcelain manufactory. Above Meissen the lake retreats from the view, & Dresden stands in a wide valley, skirted by distant hills in a state of high cultivation. we have but just arrived, & therefore can ----- New Page ----- give you nothing of description. we think to remain nearly a week, visiting [in the] meantime the Saxon Switzerland. -- I called a momenton Wahl in Oschaz. He hopes to complete the 1 " vol. of his new edition for the fair at Michaeli. I have only this little comer left to express my affectionate regards for yourself & 'family & all on the hill. E. R. ----- New Page ----- Munich, Sept. 14, 1827 Rev & Dear Sir My last letter to you was sent from Dresden, where we spent 10 days, 3 of which were occupied in an excursion to the Saxon Switzerland. There is in Dresden much to interest the stranger; the environs are very beautiful, --^the river, tho' not "majestic," is yet fine, & the hills on the right bank of the stream, covered with vineyards, & studded with white cottages & country seats, are objects which ever fascinate the eye. The city itself has been over praised. It is ingeneral well built, but there are few edifices which particularly arrest the attention; --^the most strikingis probably the Catholic Church, -- &. this strikes from its being fantastic. The bridge, of which so much is said by some, is in no respect remarkable, --it is merely a good, substantial stone bridge. Dresden claims much onaccountof its collections, in the fine arts, etc. of these there are many, such as the library, the gallery of paintings, the so called green vault, the Kiinstkammer, the Antiques [?], the cast by Mengs, the porcelain, the collection of curious mechanical works etc. etc. Except the tw ofirstof these, however, there is nothing to interestone very deeply. the green vault has a vast multitude of pearls & precious stones made up into Spielerung. toy works, --exhibiting a vast waste of human ingenuity & time without producing one beneficial result. the Riistkammer disappointed me, instead of the hamess of ancient days, which had been actually wo m as the fashion of the time, it consists mostly of modern armor, & suits of armor made for shew within the last century, or at most 2 last centuries. the casts by Mengs are interesting, as bringing together in one spot models of all the celebrated statues of antiquity. the porcelain disappointed me, --there are specimens of the earliest made at Dresden, which are interesting, but most of the rooms contain only that of Chin a & Japan, as century old & very ugly, procured originally tofumish out the palace & now deported here for shew. The library is a noble one, well arranged in many fine apartments & containing more than 200,000 vols. It is rich in historical works & tolerably so in theology, --^there are also some Arabic works, and a Mexican Mss. the gallery of paintings is splendid. inever expect to see a finer painting than the Madonn a di San Sito by Raphael, & I cannot conceive of one. It is the very perfection of ideal beauty, & I had before no idea of the power of the pencil. the famous "Night " of Corragio is also here; but there is something antic in the figures, & it pleased me far less. Raphael has given to his Madonna an expression so pure, so mild, so tranquil, so heavenly, thatone tums involuntarily from all the other paintings to gaze on this alone. With all the boasted taste of Dresden, there is a great want of liberality in regard to the collections; -- the library & picture gallery are open to every one, but the others cannot be seen without paying about 18 Rth = $13. For this sum, six persons may be admitted at once, but a single person must ----- New Page ----- pay the whole. Indeed, I could not help thinking that thronged as Dresden is with strangers, there is a strong propensity to make the most of them, -- a spirit totally opposite to that which prevails in most German cities in regard to their collections. -- of Russel, I have long become sick, as a guide; his remarks on Dresden are ingeneral as much too extravaganton the one side, as those on Berlin are on the other. As a city. Dresden cannot be compared with Berlin, -- but Berlin has n o environs. the story he tells too of Moreau's monument shews atonce that he never visited it, altho' he speaks so positively & "professionally" of it. The wor d Held has never been touched; some rude hand has scratched a wor d on the upper edge of the large block of granite, which is illegible, but which was iiot "Verrater." The Saxon Switzerland is one of the wonders of nature, & God has thus exhibited his power in the creation of scenes most wild & beautiful & strange. Viewe d from a distance, the region is an elevated table land, 500 ftor more above the surface of the Elbe, & surrounded by lo w mountains. onthis plain, & in the midstof this amphitheater, start up atonce isolated masses of perpendicular rocks several hundred feet about the plain, --^their bases surrounded by the debris of the sandstone, & their tops flat & covered with [?]. The principal of these (in all some 20) are Lilienstein & Konigstein, on opposite sides of the river & very near it. the surface of the latter has been converted into a fortress, which has never been taken & would seem to be impregnable. This tractof tabled land is there closer to its base, first by the Elbe which flows between banks from 300 to 500 feet high, precipitous, often of naked rock in the most fantastic shapes, sometimes wooded & j ust far enough apart to afford a passage for the stream, & sometimes with a little strip of land on either side. to this Hauptthal come in on each side smaller vallies or Grunde, of a still wilder character. the elevated plain seems rent intofissures in every direction, ´& onewalks through the fissures, of 5, 10,20,40, 100 feet in width, with perpendicular rocks oneither hand from 100 to 200 feet in height. the rock is soft sandstone, divided into layers both horizontally & perpendicularly; & the principal point is the "Bastey " -- a pointon a wall of rock 800 feet above the Elbe, from which one also looks back into an abyss behind, full of these gigantic rocks in their most horrid forms. the scene is perfectly unique, & no description can convey the remotest conception of its character. We left Dresden on the 28 of Aug., passed over the battlefield of Bautzen, which includes that of Hochkirch, where Frederick was defeated in 1758. we spent some hours in Hermhutt, & it was to me most interesting to visit this source of all the establishments & exertions of the United Brethren. the first building was erected here in 1722 by Moravia n exiles under the patronage of Count Zinzendorf, -- in 1727 the commonbond was ratified, in which they clai m to be only the witness of the ancient discipline of the followers of Huss. the tomb of Zinzendorf is in their simple burying ground. the village has now about 1000 members & is situated in a pleasant valley or basin, bounded on the W. by the blue Bohemian mountains, & on the other sides by lesser hills. -- from here we took a carriage across the country to Hirschberg & travelled over execrable roads in a heavy rain. Hirschberg lies ----- New Page ----- nearly in front of the Schneekopp, the highest of the Giants, about 5000 ft about the sea. the first day was too unsettled to venture upon the ascent, --we visited therefore the Kynast, a noble ruin ona spine of the mountain toward the N. W. overlooking the valleys of Hirschberg & Warnbrunn, etc. etc. This is the scene of the legend of Cunigunda, --but to onewh o has been on the spot, it would be unnecessary to say that the story is a fable, or at least the exaggeration of some slighted incident. on the 1 " of Sept. we ascended the mountain from Schmiedebey, which is much nearer than Hirschberg, -- we went up onone side & descended on the other the same day, without great fatique. the accent is most of the way not steep, & where it is, there is a good path with steps. the last summitor cone of the mountain is bare face rock; the top is a level circle of some 10 rods in diameter. the day was warm & pleasant, & the air tolerably clear, -- ….[?] prospect is very extensive, but the position is too elevated to have a fine view, -- all the picturesque hills & vallies which give to this part of Silesia an unrivalled beauty, & which, lower down, are seen in all their grace & loveliness, are on the summit melted down into one vast plain, over which the eye wanders without finding a resting place. the finest [?] is an Alpin e vale which opens directly behind the Koppe, & sinks off almost perpendicularly 300 0 feet; --thro ' its green bottom winds a brook, one of the sources of the Elbe, & 10 or 12 lovely mountain cottages are sheltered on its bosom. This part of Silesia is the loveliest region which I have yet seen. Hill & dale, mountain & valley, meadows & cultivated fields, & green forest succeed each other in picturesque variety. the villages too are neat & comfortable, far more so than those offrance & the rest of Germany. we travelled onthro' this delightful region, near Landshut & Salzbrunn & Frustenstein]; ?]. This latter is a castle with [paper tom, affecting three lines] ruin, situated on a most romantic glen, justonthe borders of the great Silesian one looks out as over the sea, & grasps, atone view, hundreds of cities & villages visited the rocks of Aderbach. they are of the same general character as the vallies of the Saxon Switzerland, --but the columns [?] are loftier, more isolated, & more fantastic; --one seems to be walking through the streets of some petrified city. we passed on tofrautenau [?], & thence took extra post to Prague. onentering Bohemia, one finds himself atonce surrounded by crosses, & all the emblems of Catholic piety--^they are much more frequent than those here in Bavaria. the country to Prague is varied & pleasing, but less rich & far less beautiful than Silesia. Prague stands in the deep valley of the Moldau, surrounded by hills, ´& is a fine old city with 107,000 inhabitants. we visited the "Linz. " the university is now wholly Catholic; I looked over the catalogue of Professors, very many in numbers but found notone name that I had ever seen before. the Austrian universities differ from those of the rest of Germany ingoing down to the elements, --^they begin at the foundation & it is only after 9 or 10 years that a youth is permitted to pursue professional studies & then only on a prescribed course. These exists at present no ostensible prohibition against studying at a foreign university, --but all places, all support, is made dependanton a course at home, -- a young man must have a certificate of good standing from the profession of an Austrian university, --as having studied in that university, --else he can hope for no support. From Prague we came to Ratisbon over a similar region of country. Here we visited the halls of the Diet, --with plain naked walls & floors like a stable. The Danube is here a noble stream, flowing with a strong majestic current. In coming from Ratisbon to Munich, we travelled for some miles along its banks, as it rolls along between lofty & precipitous banks, & I know not when 1 have had so charming a ride. This side [of] the Danube, the country is much finer. At Frissing [?] we came upon the Isar, & from a gentle hill ----- New Page ----- behind the town looked out upon a wide plain rich & beautiful as that of the Rhine, extending S. & E. as far as the eye could reach, --^till the horizon was terminated by the wild & snowy summits of the Tyrol Alps. Munic h has 60,000 inhabitants, & is a much finer city thandresden, --^next to Berlin it is the best built city I have seen, -- & some of the private houses are finer than any in Berlin. the library contains over 1,000,000 vols. & is rich in all the branches of theology. the gallery of paintings is fine, --but it has no chef d'oeuvres like that at Dresden. There are also collections of antiques, casts etc. etc. & all is as open & free as in Paris; --onthis aspect it is far, very far before Dresden. the new university seems to have gone into successful operation, --in the last semester they numbered over 1400 students; --it is now vacation. - Munic h has probably the finest public promenade in Europe, extending 4 or 5 miles along the Isar, with beautiful lawns, running streams, shady 1827 Munich- (?)14. walks, & carriage roads; a plain monument records that itowes its existence to the taste & exertions of Count Rumfor…[?]. we think to setoff tomorrow to Innsbruck, thence to Salzburg, Linz, & so down the Danube to Vienna, where I hope to be by the 25 * instant. We have travelled so slowly that I shall have to rest satisfied with seeing those parts of Tyrol which this route will embrace, & they are the finest. I had hoped to have retumed over Tubingen & Stuttgard, --but shall probably have to leave them for another opportunity. I feel a great longing to be back at work. There is great pleasure & profit in travelling but I feel that it is not my greatobject, & I wish tlrst tofulfill my duties. -- I am well aware that this letter is but a skeleton, --but 1 have been compelled to write in haste, --every moment indeed is occupied with seeing or travelling. my most affectionate remembrance to your family & all the families around you -- I am, in the bonds of affection & Christian fellowship. Yours etc. E. Robinson ----- New Page ----- Vienna, Thursd. Oct. 4, 1827 Rev & Dear Sir My last letter was from Munich, a fortnight since & I write again now, more perhaps to say that 1 have written to you from Vienn a than from any better motive. the journey from Munic h hither has been in the highest degree interesting, & the short time which 1 candevote to this city promises to be most amply filled up withemployment. The season was so far advanced, & we had travelled so slowly on accountof the inability or unwillingness of my companion to travel faster, that we concluded to make an excursion to the Tyrol & Salzburg before coming to Vienna. we therefore setour faces towards Innsbruck, by the way of Tegernsee thro' the mountains. This road is very fine, & the little lake of Achen, surrounded by mountains from two to three thousand feet high, along the footof which the road is much of the way cut in the rock or carried along the side of iton bridges, is a fine foretaste of this still more splendid scenery of the lake of Berechtalsgaden [Berechtesgaden]. Innsbruck is in the valley of the Inn, which is here a fine rapid stream, navigable for rafts etc. the valley is an English mile in width, hemme d in by almost precipitous mountains from four tofive thousand feet high, with pointed summits of naked jagged desolate rock. Some of these however are wooded to the summit, & some covered with new fallen snow. It is this great & striking contrastof the grand & the beautiful, the most naked desolation & the richest cultivation, which gives to the scenery of the Tyrol perhaps its most striking feature. Innsbruck itself contains little of interest, except the tomb of the Emperor Maximilia n II, & the grave of Hofer. the road to Salzburg follows the valley of the [river] Inn for half the distance, full of beauty & grandeur, & then strikes off through other vallies to the right, in which the scenery is still more grand. at Lofer especially one finds himself after descending a ----- New Page ----- wild pass, in a little basin surrounded by ragged lofty cones of the utmost magnificence. at Reichenhall we left the road to Salzburg, in order to visit first Brechtalsgaden & the lake beyond. This is a beautiful sheetof water 7 or 8 miles long winding among precipitous & mostl y naked mountains, which rise atonce from its waters, & precludes all possibility of any path along its shores. they are from three tofour thousand feet in height, & the pointed Al p which rises near its S. W. side is naked, jagged, desolate, & covered near its summit with eternal snows; --it is more than 9000 ft above the sea, & of course from 6 or 7 thousand above the lake. from its base a ravine runs down to the lake, & the sand & gravel which have been swept down in the course of ages, have formed a spotof level ground, -- a little meadow on which the K.[King] of Bavaria has erected a small hunting lodge. at the head of the ravine, under the very base of the mountain, is the so called Chapel of Ice; -- a glacier of 5 or 6 acres in extent, under which the little stream has wo m an arched passage, up which one can ascend for a considerable distance. This is wildest & most desolate spot, which I have seen. Above is the rugged lofty Alp, desolate to its summit, -- on each hand [?] are precipitous walls of rock four or five thousand feet high, & hardly a stone's thro w apart, -- & as one looked down towar d the lake he sees only the strip of blue water & the equally desolate mountains beyond. -- the whole scenery of this lake is said by all to be equal to the very finest part of Switzerland. It is one of the spots on earth, where perhaps one feels most deeply the power of the Creator, & the powerlessness of man! At Hallein we vistied the celebrated salt mine which is situated up the mountain, which overhangs the tow n on the W. the mine has been [?] for 11 centuries & is very extensive, --^having n o less than 16 entrances or shafts. the whole substance of the mountain seems to be salt, mingled with earth & rock. Comparatively very little, about 1560 cwt., is dug out in substance & used for cattle & other [?] purposes & much more is obtained by a different process, viz. in the mine are 17 large reservoirs, in which fresh water is admitted which becomes saturated & then is drawn off, carried down to the town, & ----- New Page ----- then evaporated. in this way 200,000 cwt are made yearly, -- & much more migh t be made, were there a sufficient demand. But the whole region is full of salt & salt works.--the demand is never equal to the supply; -- & there would seem to be no export. all is in the hands of the gov't, so that there can be no competition, nofall of prices. In order to visit the mine, one has to puton a miner's dress over his own, follows a guide into a passage at the upper part of the mine. -- Onewalks a very long distance, makes several long descents, sliding down sitting on two smooth parallel spurs & holding a rope in his right hand. you are ferried over one of the subterranean lakes, around which a few di m tapers serve to make the darkness visible; the boat moves off impelled by some invisible hand, you dip in your finger & taste the water & find it salt & bitter; every thing conspires to realize before you the fabled Styx. the whole descent is 1364 fathoms, & at the footof the last slice you mount a sortof carriage or wooden house on wheels, & are trundled out through a straight passage 1300 fathoms, or nearly 1 % miles. at the distance [paper tor n - of not] yet 400 fathoms, we saw the first faint glearn of day after just an [] which we were walking very fast, or riding at a good trot, we emerged again in [] the other side of the mountain & comparatively near its foot. the mine is perfectly dry, & the air pure. Ladies frequently visit it, -- two English ladies had gone down the day before. Of all the views which I have seen, that from the park of Prince Schwartzenberg near Salzburg is the finest. Salzburg stands in a fertile plain, surrounded by Alpin e mountains on the south, with a lofty citadel, reminding one of the Acropolis of Athens. Under this ridge of the citadel passes one of the entrances of the city, cut through the solid rock, 400 feet long & 40 high. the view spoken of above comprehends the city & its citadel, the whole fertile plain, & wider views out upon the plains of Bavaria. the river Salza sweeping through, & on the left those everlasting mountains, in forms of awful grandeur, whit e with snow & glittering in the beams of the setting sun. There one has most superbly the contrast between richness & desolation, 72 verdant plain & snow cap mountain, the loveliness of summer & the sternness of winter. We came from Salzburg to Lin z & sailed down the Danube. the scenery is beautiful, but cannot be brought into comparison with that which we had already seen. many ruined castles are scattered along the banks; & among themthat of Durenstein, where Richard of England was confined. the navigation of the Danube is very uncomfortable; the stream is so rapid that boats seldom return & are therefore very slightly & coarsely built without any reference to passengers. It is matter of astonishment to me, that steamboats have ----- New Page ----- not been introduced.Had the people half the enterprise of Americans, there would have been hundreds already built. I have now been 6 days in Vienna, & have done little but walk & ride about, "urn mic h zu orientieren"; & visit some of the principal Merkwurdigkeiten. 1 have letters to Oberleitner & to the director of the royal & university library, but have not yet delivered them. I think to remain a week or 10 days longer & then take the direct route by the Schnellpostover Prague & Dresden & reach Halle as soon as possible. I take this route because 1 can visit Eilwagen & Tubingen from the Rhine out, next year, at a much less expense of time & money than now ; I have been so long wandering that inclination & duty call upon me to return & set myself down at work. It is yet somewhat uncertain whether I remain a time at Halle, or go directly to Berlin. I cannot decide till I reach Halle & see how things go there. Vienn a is a finer city than Paris, & quite as lively & crowded, but my remarks about it mustof course remain tofill out another letter. in the mean time my affections long for home & for that "sacred hill"; on the day of the anniversary, I was on the Danube, & did not forget you. Affectionate remembrance to all, Yours sincerely, E. Robinson ----- New Page ----- Halle, Nov. 12(?)'1827 Rev & Dear Sir My last letter to you was dated from Vienna, Oct. 4. -- I reached this place on the 18* of Oct. & intended to have written by the ship of the 1 " instant in order to have finished all notices of my journey. Circumstances prevented the accomplishmentof this purpose at that time, & I have it now to execute. in the mean time, I know not but I May have lost a letter fro myou, at any rate some from America. your letter of June 26 came by the ship of July 1 & reached me Aug. 7. on the 16* of Aug., I setoff for Dresden etc. Toward the close of that month, 2 or 3 letters came here for me from America, which Mr. Hodge enclosed & forwarded to me at Vienna, Posterestante. This packet I have never received & it probably never reached Vienna, as I was several times at the post there, & received several other letters. the lostones must have come by the ship of July 15, -- ^they were not from any of my family friends, & I can only conjecture that they must have come from friends in Andover, Boston, or New York. I mention these particulars, that if any such friends have written to me, they May not htin k hard of me for not acknowledging these letters. Meantime the kind postmaster here has very kindly interested himself to recover them if possible, & has written both to Vienn a & to Dresden, where Hodge sent themby a servant to the Post. I have, however, little hope of his success. V'ienna is a very interesting city, -- I spent 15 days there, which after all, afforded me but a glance at it. 73 The city stands, notonthe proper Danube, butona small area of it, which sweeps round to the South, while the main stream is 2 or 3 miles farther north. the real Vienna, the city, forms but a small portion, the heart, as it were, of the whole, --this is nearly circular, touches the southem bank of the Danube arm, & is surrounded by a ditch & bastions, which now serve merely as promenades. the circumference is perhaps 3 miles, as one easily walks round the bastions in a hour. without these comes the glaces, a strip of level ground IZ of a mile wide, extending from the stream around the city to the stream again, & now laid out for public walks. Beyond this, stretch outonevery side the interminable suburbs, like so many huge arms, & these again are all surrounded by a wall, a mere instrumentof police, to prevent all ingress or egress of men or those without the leave of the police, which, if Argus had a hundred eyes, has here a thousand. The suburbs contain nearly % of the houses, & more than half the population; the largest is Leopoldstadtonthe N. side of the Danube arm, & separated from the city by this stream, while the others are separated by the Glacis. in the city, the streets are generally narrow & often winding, & the state of building solid, massive, & imposing, with little attempt atornamentor effect. the houses are here generally 5 stories.high, --few are either higher or lower. In the suburbs the streets are wide & more airy, the houses generally 3 & 4 stories high. the city is excellently well paved, --^the suburbs are not paved at all. Rents in the city are very high, -- it follows that the lower classes live mostly in the suburbs, but the Emperor & many of the noblest families have also palaces & gardens there. of public buildings there are none, except the cathedral, which attracts attention by the architecture; --some parts of the Burg or palace exhibitonly an unsuccessful attempt at elegance, & the churches are ingeneral mediocre. The cathedral of St. Stephens takes rank with those of Strasburg & Cologne, as ----- New Page ----- the noblest specimens of the German Gothic. This in Vienna is the largestof them all, & its shape & lofty roof is seen far & wide above all the rest of the city, altho' its site is not elevated above the general level. On the middle of its southern side rises the great tower, 400 feet high, & surpassed in altitude only by that of Strasburg. It was two thirds completed by the first architect in a style of Gothic splendor; he died, -- his successor carried up the remainder in a lighter, slenderer style of open work ; --^the consequence has been that the upper part is too slender & when seen from a distance produces an unpleasant effect, -- & moreover the upper part has lowered 3 feet from the perpendicular, --occasioned first, as is said, by the bombardment of the Turks in 1683, & increased by that of the French in 1809.Had the original design been completed, the tower would have been still loftier & tml y magnificent. the interior of the church is simple, grand, solemn & sublime; --^the effect rises however solely from the massiveness & the sacred gloom; for there are no ornaments except paltry ones, no monuments of illustrious dead, --except a small one in a small chapel atone comer, to the memory of Prince Eugene of Savoy. The public collections of Vienn a are interesting, well arranged, & freely open to the stranger, --exhibiting in this respect a striking contrast to the illiberal spirit which prevails at Dresden. the Ambros collection, as it is called, contains several hundred suits of armor, which belonged & were actually wo m by many of the most distinguished personages of European history, --mostl y of the age of Charles 5 & the preceding century. the collection is notonl y much larger, finer, & better arranged than the Rustkammer at Dresden, --but the persons whose armor is here collected, were more important & better known. in an adjacent room is a collection of arms, utensils, etc. from the south sea islands, made mostly by Capt. Coo k & purchased a few years since at auction in London. There is also a similar one from Greenland. There is a cabinetof antiques, consisting of statues, cameos, coins, Etruscan vases, etc., which is very full & interesting; --some of the cameos are splendid. The royal gallery of paintings is said to be fine; it was shut & had been sofor a year in order to be rearranged, so that we could not see it. we visited those of Princes Lichtenstein & Esterhazy, which are very extensive & good.--tho' there is here no chef d'oeuvre of any of the great masters, like the Madonn a at Dresden. In that of Esterhazy are several pieces of sculpture by Canov a & Thorwaldsen. Vienna, you know, possesses two of Canova's greatest works, which are in a manner public, --^the monument of the Archduchess Christina in the Church of the Augustine, & Theseus killing the centaur, which stands in a temple erected for the purpose, in the middle of the Volksgarten. Bot h are exquisitely wrought ; the design of the monument is simple & touching, the figures full of grace & beauty; still the simple statue & sarcophagus of Luise in Charlottenberg affects the heart more deeply. I do not describe these more fully because Russel has already done it, --^tho' his remarks on the location of the Theseus are utterly unfounded & ingreat part false. -- the arsenal is worth y of a visit, notonly on accountof its numerous & well managed arms, butone sees there also the huge chain with which the Turks more than a century ago barricaded the Danube, & which Napoleon also used in 1809 to strengthen his bridge of boats --here too are shewn the hat of Godfrey of Bouillon, the buff coat of Eugene, which he was want to wear in battle, -- & also that of Gustavus Adolp [Adolphus] in which he fell at Lutzen, & which was bro't to the Emperor as a trophy; -- on the left sleeve & back are seen the holes made by the fatal bullet. the royal vault is remarkable chiefly from the huge sarcophagus of M. [Maria] Theresa; --at the footof it repose her sons, Joseph 11 & Leopold. -- the Royal library is a noble one; --it is in a part of the Burg, created for the purpose, --an immense saloon which contains all the printed books, amounting to near 300,000 vols. The hall is a splendid one, but still not large enough, & the ----- New Page ----- books are huddled together without classification or any arrangement but their size. among themis the collection of Prince Eugene, in elegant binding, containing books in about every Fach, many theological & among them all the Fathers & Polyglotts. There are here n o less than 3 copies of Walton's Polyglott, a royal & two republicans, and, which is said not to have been elsewhere remarked, the dedications of the republican copies differ considerably fromeach other. the Mss. are kept in a separate apartment; --^those of oriental literature are much finer than I had supposed, & are mostl y unimportant. VonHammer has made a catalogue of them, & has a private collection of his own, & the Austrian consuls in the East are frequently employed to purchase particular works. Still, in comparison with Paris, it is but a drop of [in] the bucket. There are several Mss. reaching back to the 4* century, mostly fragments, -- & one of the genuine Mexica n books of painted hieroglyphical figures. the most rare & valuable curiosity of this kind, however, is a real Senatus consultumengraved in copper, as hung up in public 2 or 3 centuries before the Christian era. It relates to the suppression of the rites of Bacchus, & is mentioned by Liv y in C. 27. (I think). The librarian was so good as to give me a facsimile of it for the library of our Seminary. -- the university library has about 80,000 vols.; --^this I did not see. The university of Vienna, like all those of the Austriandominions, differs essentially from those of the other German states. It is merely a continuation, an extension of the Gymnasium. Instead of a freedom of choice among the courses of lectures & professors, the youth must pursue a certain course & hear certain professors. onentering the university, he must pursue a specified course of philosophy for 2 years; --^this all must learn. Afterwards they divide off into professions, --^the Theologian pursues a specified course for 4 years, --^the Jurist for 4 years, -- & the Medicus for five years. all these courses are accompanied by strict examinations, & no one can hope to obtain a place in any way dependenton the gov't (& every place is so) without a certificate of good behaviour & diligent study. There is no ostensible prohibition against studying at a foreign university, butonewh o does it cannot hope to earn his bread at home, -- for every place, civil, judical, medical, every place whatever as an instructor of youth & all the catholic ecclesiastical places, are in the hands of the government, & are never bestowed without this testimonial from a domestic university. The study of all history, except that of Austria, has recently been excluded from the course, & the young men are kept so busy as to allow them no time to pursue it in private. all this I heard in Vienn a & had previously been told the same in Prague, in relation to the university there. the consequence is, of course, a great stagnation of intellect, & a dearth of learned men. the guide of Vienna contains a list of the Wiener Gelehrter; --^among themall were only 4 names which I had ever heard before, viz. Fred. Schlegel, VonHammer, Oberleitner, & a Mr. Kopitar to whom I had a letter. VonHammer & Oberleitner were both spending the vacation in the country, so that I did not see them. The former is connected with a school of oriental languages, founded by Maria Theresa for training up diplomatists, & exclusively for such. Oberleitner was the pupil & is the successor of Jahn as professor of oriental languages, --is a monk of the Benedictine order, & lives in the conventof the Scotch Benedictines. On calling there, I was taken to the Superior, who is also a professor, & the particular friend of Oberleitner. He said they both took great interest in the United States & in the progress of development there, both moral & physical, ----- New Page ----- & often spoke of it together; "though," added he with a significant shrug, "we dare not here speak our feelings aloud." I thought even this was much, from the head of a catholic convent, in the capital of Austria. Oberleitner just completed the Glossary to his Syriac Chrestomathy. Jahn was not Archbishop of Vienn a as we supposed. He was originally a mon k in a convent not far from Vienn a -- the convent was suppressed by Joseph & Jahn was transferred to Vienn a & made professor. He was afterwards Domherr in St. Stephens Cathedral, & hence, ex officio, one of the counsellors of the Archbishop. He died in 1816, & has experienced the fate of all the German literary dead,; --being now little regarded or even remembered!! The inhabitants of Vienn a are a light & openhearted, jovial race, lover of eating, drinking & amusement, with as much gaiety as the Parisians, but with less levity, selfishness & corruptness. Dwelling in the midst of a country luxuriant in co m & vine, they have little anxiety for the wants of the day, no thoughtof tomorrow, & no remembrance of the past. they have fine theatres for their diversion, which are said generally to be not well filled, -- & more than 40 churches for their devotion, which are still less frequented. The Viennese are indeed most celebrated for their hospitality & love of good living. the bread of Austria & the wines of Hungar y are the finest in Europe; --al l over Vienna, within Hotels, & in many houses are eating rooms & win e rooms, where one May dinewell for 25 cents, including a % bottle of excellent wine. Excellent table win e costs in the win e rooms about 8 cents the bottle; --in Paris, win e of an equal quality would cost from 3 to 4 francs. Coffee rooms are scattered in every part of the city & on the promenades, & are much frequented. Ther e is one on the glaces surrounded by trees & numerous seats, where in the evening thousands May be seen sitting & sipping the coffee or liqueurs. As late as the 10* of Oct. I saw thousands there at 7 o'clock, i.e., an hour & a half after sunset. Every festival day & every Sunday towards evening, there is a general turnoutof the Viennese upon the Prater, a magnificent Park on the island, N. E. from the Leopoldstadt suburb. Several long allees lead off from the entrance, --^the greatest mns E. for about 2 miles, & has a border onone side for horsemen, & on the other for those who walk: the center is occupied by carriages, which line up in a long line on one side & back on the other. This is the standing Sunday Promenade of all the Viennese, & here are often to be seen 100 to 1800 carriages, from the imperial coach & six & the princely chariot down to the humble hackney & the "chaise & one." Here is no distinction of rank, the hackney rushes past the imperial equipage, or dashes across from one line to the other, & cuts in before an Archduke or a Prince. on the one side DonMigue l was displaying his skill in horsemanship, & on the other the Crow n Prince was stalking [walking slowly] unnoticed among the crowd. Abou t the middle of the allee are several coffee houses with tables & bands of music in the open air, --^here many descend from their carriages & while they sip their coffee, gaze upon the line of equipages that roll ceaseless by. Farther back upon the law n are other coffee houses & amusements for the commonpeople, who spread themselves over the grounds & take their full share of the enjoyment. with all this, there must necessarily be conjoined much corruption of morals; but I have no doubt that Russel's statements on this subject May be justly accused of excessive exaggeration. at any rate, there is not a shadow of that loathsome publicity which ----- New Page ----- renders a walk at night in the streets of Paris so disgusting; there is nothing in the appearance of the thousands whom one sees in all the public places, that would lead to the suspicion of an unusual degree of corruption; -- any more than one sees every day in Boston, New York & Philadelphia. -- in other respects, the Viennese are a quiet, peaceable, contented race; -- I did not see a quarrel, a drunkard, nor a beggar. The imperial family mingle freely & without parade among the people; I saw themseveral times, --^the last time at a review of the garrison where the Emperor, his sons & brothers were also onhorseback & in uniform. the Emp. is well represented in the prints, which one every where sees of him ; --^he is a very ordinary looking man, --not a stupid, but a very commonface, & you would never loo k at him a second time, were it not for his station & the recollection that he has (nominally) acted so conspicuous a part in the great drama of the last 35 years, & still, like a demon of the night, weighs down the mora l & intellectual energies of 30 millions of the human race. -- He is now 60 years old, but looks 70. The Empress is a Bavarian princess, 35 years old, but looking 50, very ugly, but sagacious, -- a bigot in religion, & having great influence in this respectover her husband. the crow n prince is 35 years old, with the loo k of an idiot & the manners of a boor. the Archduke Charles is the best looking man of the family, -- he is regarded as a man offine taste & cultivated understanding, an affectionate husband & father, & lives without any participation in political affairs. He is very popular among the Viennese, --ou tof the city & especially with the army, quite the reverse; -- he is accused, & probably with justice, of having lost through wan tof skill & judgment the battles of Aspe m & Wagram, -- & that too against the advice and entreaty of the other generals & officers. It was for this reason that he had no share in the events of 1813. his wife has a fine face, full of amiable expression. the most interesting member of the family however is the young Napoleon; he is now in his 17* year, tall, slender, & graceful, with the features of his mother, but with n o trace as I could perceive either of the features or of the stern unquiet expression of his father. It is said that he is to be a Cardinal; --but the Austrians seem generally to believe that he will one day mount the throne offrance. Of the Austrian gov't & of the police of Vienna, an American can of course speak only in terms of appearance. the gov't seems tofeel the truth of the maxi m that "knowledge is power," & to be determined that its loving [?] subjects shall never possess this power. the greatobject seems to be to keep the people in ignorance, or at least to let themkno w only just what the gov't wishes themto know, -- & thus by cutting off all sources of information except what it chooses itself to give them.anAustrian cannotobtain a passport to travel out of the kingdo m under a delay of a month or 6 weeks, & then must pay 2 gulden = $1. for every month that He is absent. all books & newspapers are subjected to the census of the priests, --newspapers from abroad are examined & often kept back. many of the books at the Roya l library are also shut up by the census --amon g these must be of course the Edinb. Review, the series of which I saw there. in Vienna, with its 300,000 inhabitants, are only 2 political newspapers; --one the Observer, the mout h piece of the gov't; --the other the Gazette, which is merely mercantile. the Observer publishes from abroad what the govt wishes to have carried, -- & n o paper in the Empire can publish a political article, which has not already appeared in the columns of the Observer. when I was there, the great topic was ----- New Page ----- the alliance of the three powers in favor of the Greeks, which Austria regards with a jealous eye. the Observer quoted much from the English papers on this topic, --but the quotations were only such as tended to disparage the treaty, --thus wishing it to be believed that the English people were opposed to it. Under all this Druck. many sigh for better times & look back upon the short reign of Joseph I I with fond recollections. they hope for nothing better during the life of the present Emperor, -- but live in hope of some change at his death,--feeling that no change can be for the worse. Of the religious state of Vienna, & of that part of the Austrian Empire which I have visited, little can be said; the Roman Catholic religion prevails in its full form, & in fact, tho' not in name, with all its intolerance. Since the time of Joseph II, Protestants enjoy legally equal rights, but both custom & public opinion exclude them from all civil employments. the number of Lutheran churches in the whole empire is stated by Hussel [Russel?] in 1822 at 807, of which 451 are in Hungary; --those of the Reformed confession at 2,035, of which 13 86 are in Hungary; --in the whole of Austria proper, 34 Lutheran churches & 2 Reformed. No tone of these are permitted to have bells. There is in Vienn a one church of each confession, & the head pastor of each is Superintendent for Austri a proper, & there is also here a Consistorium, as tribunal of the highest instance for these churches in the hereditary states. in 1824 the number of communicates in Vienn a were: Lutheran, 8,000, Reformed, 800, so that probably we cannot reckon more than a twelv e or fifteen thousand Protestants in the whole city. Since 1820 they have had here a theological school, commonto both confessions for the education of pastors; --it is not much frequented, & mostly from Hungary. Protestant-students of theology prefer to go abroad to the northem universities, inasmuch as their future place does not depend on the gov't, buton the voice of their own churches. --under these circumstances, we can look for little of life or activity in the protestant church; nothing of course can be printed, which the catholic censer does not approve, & any steps which should excite public attention would of course be counteracted by the whole efficiency of the East. --the catholic clergy are every where predominant, & I was struck with the fine & noble appearance of many of the younger priests. in Paris it was entirely the reverse. The environs of Vienna are very beautiful & have an air of vastness & grandeur. A range of low wooded mountains rise S. fto m the Danube, about 3 miles west of the city, with many spurs & vallies, --in the S. are seen the mountains of Styria, --in the W. the low mountains of Moravia. from the tower of St. Stephens, one looks down upon the city at his feet, N. to Moravia, over the fields of Wagram & Aspem, W. near the Danube is the Kahlenberg, from which Sobieski made his triumphant attack on the Turks in 1683; towards the E., the view is interminable, -- & all around the eye rests only upon meadows, cornfields, & vineyards, interspersed with white villages, country seats, princely palaces, & ruined castles. About 14 miles S. W. from Vienn a is Baden, with its warm sulphur springs, -- the resort in summer of all the indolence & disease of the capital; --it is a poor place, & when I saw it, deserted. The little valley of St. Helena beyond it, has lost 78 beautiful much of its romance, --it was formerly inaccessible to carriages, but last year a passage was blown for 100 feet through & under the rocks on one side, & a regular Chausee now winds through the whole length of it. on the same road, about 10 miles from V. is the Beubel; --you pass from the village of Modling, thro a rocky chasm guarded by ruined castles, for % a mile into a beautiful circular valley, surrounded by hills which are crowned by ruined castles & chapels. on the highestof them is a temple erected by Prince John of Lichtenstein, in memory of 7 soldiers who sacrificed their lives for him in the battle of Aspem. from this point the view outover the great basin of Vienn a is peculiarly striking, & I know not which one could be found atonce so vast, so rich, & so beautiful; -- & with all these inviting in itself so many historical associations. ----- New Page ----- One of the pleasant things of travelling in a foreign land is the occasional meeting of one's countrymen, --the name of American is here ingermany almost equivalent to that of brother. As we were walking one moming, soon after our arrival in one of the principal streets of Vienn a we encountered a Mr. Crowninshield of Salem, a young man whom we had known in Paris & who had now just arrived from Moscow. Tuming the very next comer, whom should we meet but Cunningham, who had come hither from Milan, & whom I supposed to be already in Berlin. the police had also told us that there was another American in tow n who had come from Trieste, --we had leftour cards for him, & he soon called on me. He proved to be Mr. Bryant P. Tilden of Boston, an acquaintance of Cunningham --so that we were now 5 Americans, all in a measure old acquaintances, who had thus equally & unexpectedly met in Vienna. we met however butonce. Mr. T. & Cunningham left the next morning, --Mr. Crowninshield remained with us. I left Vienn a on the evening of Oct. 13* in the Eilwagen, & reached Dresden (280 miles) in 65 hours, including a stop of 7 hours in Prague. the next day brot me to Leipzig, & the following on to Halle. The poor old king of Saxony, who has come to the throne at the age of 75 is now going about in his second childhood to receive the homage of his subjects, -- & one sees as much parade to please him, as was formerly made for Napoleon. onmy arrival here I found Hodge & C. [Chauncy?; Cunningham?] had gone to Berlin--the aspect of Halle as I entered it, after coming from Wien, Prague, Dresden & Leipzig, was so mean & gloomy that I was almost tempted to abandon it & follow their example. my resolution, however, is taken, to remain here for a portion of the winter. A kind & gracious Providence has thus preserved me & carried me in safety thro' a long, very long journey, & brought me again --not to my home, but to my resting place, -- & that, with butone trivial accident & without the slightest loss or damage of any kind. May I be truly gratified for his goodness & be enabled to give myself, with all that I am & have, with more entire & universal devotion to his service! November 2"'' This letter has grown so much under my hand that you will not have occasion to complain that it is not as large as any of yours. the hour for sending itoff has nearly arrived; there remain yet some little notices to be given. The German language as spoken in Austri a & the South of Germany, differs widely from that of the North. Words, which in the Nort h & in the written language are obsolete, are there in common use,--the diminution in ^el is also the commonone, --those in -lein & -chen seem to be unknown. The common people 79 pronounce the name Wien precisely like the French, Vi-enne. & this was probably the original pronunciation. Natives of the north understand, & are themselves understood in the South, with difficulty. in my own case, the question invariably was, not from what countrv. but from what part of Germany I came. they were aware that I did not speak as they did, but this was the case with so many of their own countrymen, that it did not occur to them that I was any other. ----- New Page ----- Here in Halle there is little new. Gesenius reads this winter Einleitung & Genesis, -- I do not hear him because I have already both the Hefts, & his room is so crowded as to be almost intolerable. I have been recently reading some of his Einleitung, --it is, of course, written in the very finest spiritof philological enquiry, attributing to the Bible no more authority than Heysis does to Homer, & far less veneration. the difficulties of Genesis he disposes of very easily as Mvthus. --so also Jonah. Daniel is the latest book of the Canon, written in the timeof the Maccabees. the Hoheslied is only the stringing together of ten disconnected idylls, probably from one author about the time of the Exile. I mention these things because as he has printed nothing on the subjects, his opinion May be unknown to you. -- He has recently received a Ru f [call] to Gottingen in the place of Eichhom, which he will probably not accept, --^he does not like to give up the certain for the uncertain. He has here already 1400 Rth. & from 400 to 500 Ziihorer. & will doubtless receive an increase from the Govt. --ingottingen he is offered only 1500 Rth. & will not have half as many hearers. Biabloblotsky at Gottingen, who had established meetings of the pious students, has been offered a living in another part of the kingdom, with an intimation that if he does not accept it, he must quit the service of Hannover; --he has taken the latter course & is at present in England. This is much to be regretted; --^he was the only pious instructor at Gottingen; & I fear he has not been sufficiently prudent. Poor Tholuck seems quite discouraged, --he reads this winter Dogmatik, --but has very few hearers; --opposition & calumny against him are the order of the day, & the students prevent as much as possible all newcomers from hearing him. Mos tof the few pious students have left, & scarce any new ones of some character have come in. As a publicum he reads the Hist, of religion in the 18* century. This Heft Hodge has translated & sent home for his Repertory. Tholuck is now at work on a new edition of his Romans & intends afterwards to write a commentary on the 3 first gospels. The 30 part of Neander's Ch. Hist, has appeared, containing the Dogmengeschichte of the 3 first centuries & completing the work for that period. De Wette has also published a new work, which I have purchased to send home, --it is a history or philosophical view of Religion or the religious Anlag e of man generally, from its lowest form in Fetischismus up to its perfect form in X y [Christianity]. in speaking of Xy, he seems guarded, but seems to consider it as divine, & to regard Christ also as divine. I have as yet looked at the book only cursorily, --it is beautifully wirtten. --the Kirchenzeitung has appeared since July, -- I cannot say that it altogether answers my expectations. in the late numbers is an Einleitung to Canticles, which I take to be from Hengstenberg; --he adopts RosenmuUer's --or rather, the Jewish view. Hengstenberg reads this winter the history of the Theocracy & the prophecies' relation to the Messiah. Neander reads the first part of Ecc. Hist. & the Corinthians & Schleiermacher reads only Dogmatik. -- 1 saw yesterday the annunciationof a new edition of Plato's works by Schneider of Breslau, --to contain the excellencies of all former editions. November 3 I saw Gesenius again yesterday; --he has not yet made his decision but nobody here thinks he will go. --There is here this winter a new sort of a Professor. C. F. Fritziche (some of whose writings are not academic) was Superintendent somewhere in the Russian Lausitz; he became so deaf as to be unable to discharge his duties, & the government turned him off with a pension ----- New Page ----- & have now given him permission to read lectures here, with the title of Professor honorarius, -- he receives a salary & is of course, except in name, nothing more than a Privat-lehrer, --^much as Niebuhr is at Bonn. --he is the father of the Fritziche, who while at Leipzig published onMatthew, --since which he has gone to Rostock, & has published nothing further.** In my letter of Aug. 19* from Dresden, I mentioned that I had executed your commission at Leipzig respecting oriental types. As I had no patterns, all I could do was to go directly to the principal & make him copy your order carefully & correctly. This I did, & am sure that the copy was correctly made; --he also read your directions respecting packing etc. This, of course, is all that 1 can be responsible for, --i f any mistakes have been made, or any thing omitted, the fault is not mine. onmy return thro' Leipzig, the type was already completed & packed, except the small Hebrew, which would not be finished before Christmas, -- & they were only waiting to know whether I would have it forwarded without that. As 1 supposed you were in need of it, I told them to send it, & it is probably directed thro' Delius to T. & I. Saule, Boston. Belo w is the bill; --^the small defi [?] Heb. & Gr. letters are not specified, but Hartel assured me that all were [paper to m & mended but words are missing] the Arabic one. the amountof the present bill is about $96., --the Heb. will probably [be] something like $40 more, --so that the sum which I formerly mentioned, viz. $150 will probably cover the whole expense ingermany. I hope the draft for this sum is already on the way, -- as in accordance with your letter 1 told themthey migh t expect to receive their pay about Christmas, -- & my own funds at present are brot into rather close quarters, --eve n 1 must have my letter of credit in Paris renewed, & 1 write to Mr. Tappan to day for that purpose. if you have not already sent the money, --it will be better to deposit it with him, & let him .. [paper to m]. his letter of credit accordingly. He will write by the first packet. Sachs Rth. 150.18.5. is equal to Pruss. as 137.6. The Lot h is the 32"'' part of a florin. the pounds differ very much in different parts. we sentour baggage from Dresden to Prague, --in Dresden it weighed 90 lbs., in Prague, 69. --my trunk weighed in Vienn a 37 lbs.--in Dresden, unopened, 45 lbs. ** Karl Friedrich August Fritzsche (1801-46), a studentof Gottlieb Hermann, was appointed professor at Rostock in 1826. He always lectured in Latin and his principal works are Latin commentaries on Matthew (1826), Mark (1830), and the Epistle to the Romans (1836-43). Robinson only knew about the 1826 publication when he made his remarks. [bill for the type] bl. 1th. Rth. gr≠ pf. 4 2 Mittel Hebraisch 3 13 4 4 5 Corpus Hebraisch 5 4 8 9 4 Grobe Canon " 6 2 - % 4 Corpus f. Cicero Griechisch 11 3 27 'A Corpus Rabbinisch 20 20 6 44 Cicero Samaritanische 36 12 3 45 y 4 Cicero Aethiopisch 37 20 8 32 % Tortia Abtiqua Griechisch Vasal 18 20 9 Capital 2 2 Tex t Hebraisch 1 9 Saifr [?] 130 18 5 1 Kisten, Nagel, und Vil a [?] 131 18 5 ----- New Page ----- Winer has recently published "Exegetisch Studien," i.e. Exegesis of select passages & several dissertations, --^the work is said to be good, -- I have not yet seen it. Please remember me affectionately to your wife & family & to all upon the hill. May God preserve & you & yours, & uphold all the interests which center onthat sacred spot. Respectfully & affectionately, yours etc. Edw. Robinson ----- New Page ----- Halle,Nov. 27, 1827 Rev & Dear Sir your letters of Oct. 6 & 13, the latter enclosing a draft for 770 fr. onParis came to hand the 24* instant. & I hasten to answer them in part now, altho' I May not send off this letter for several weeks to come. The specimens of type were of course now useless, --the box of type has been long at Bremen, if not already far onits voyage to America ; that is to say, all except the smallest Hebrew, which could not be got ready before Christmas. in your former letter, this last was distinctly ordered & therefore I bespoke it, --although your last letter seems to speak less definitely about it.bythis letter too, I perceive what I found before, that there was a mistake in our former one in regard to the Greek types for capitals, --it stands here three tts, --but in the former it stands distinctly 30 tts. I tho't very strange of it at the time, but as I had no authority to alter, & knew not how much was actually wanted, I could only follo w the order. I could only go directly to the principal, make him copy the order literally, & explain it to him, -- in this I did, & thus far only can I be responsible for any mistakes, either in the order itself, or in the execution of it. The drafton Paris I see you had to pay very high for, --something like a premium of 4 percent; --when I left New York the exchange on Paris was at par, -- & hence I have commonly supposed that the Pruss. Rix dollar has cost me from 69 to 70 cents. on this draft however it will cost (including conversions etc.) at least 72 to 73 cents. --Your letters too have always been so directed that they have been forwarded directly from Havre & have never come into the hands of Mr. Porter. -- thus increasing the postage & giving opportunity for miscarriage. the postage on those two last letters was 3 Rth.--ha d they been enclosed from Paris, it would not have been more than two thirds as much. my address is simply "aux sous de Messrs. B. Curtis & Porter, Ru e du Mail, no. 29, Paris" & not to Halle or to any other place. I read to Gesenius those parts of your letter, which related to him & to his works. He says he will send the sheets of his Thesaurus &Handlexicon as requested. I have written to Bremen, to know if any ship is likely to sail for America this season, & if so shall send another box of books if possible. if Mr. Gibbs waits for the completion of the Thesaurus, he will wait many years; & after all, it must be the small lex. which must be adopted in our country. This contains all the results of the larger in a compendious form. It is now printed as far as D, & will probably be out in January. There are many improvements in it; --^the articles on the particles have all been rewritten. --he has recently paid a visit to Gottingen, & came back in exceeding good humour, determined to remain here. ----- New Page ----- ô DieNeuigkeiten aus Andover iiberraschten mic h sehr; und ich hoffe, die Zeit seyjetze endlichgekommen, war die alten Unannehmlichkeiten in Unsichig bey Seite gelegt werden konnen. was mich selbst berift, rundsche ic h nur, den Wille n Gottes ergeben zu seyn, und mein einziges Talent in seinen Dienste zu verbrauchen. Should it be this will, that I should be called to teach Ecc. History, the first thing would be the preparation of a Handbuch, --for in the teaching of it by lectures 1 have no great faith. As to the rest, my taste & previous habits would lead me to prefer giving aid in Sacred literature --from Rhetoric I should beg to be excused. December 3* I have concluded tofinish & send off this letter today, for the ship of the 14* instant. -- I have no special news to write, --still as it is a month since the date of my last, & always something to be said, Iwill not defer any longer. Copies of Ludolfs Ethiopic Lexicon & Grammar are scarce, especially the second edition, as published by himself. Tholuck has a copy of the f edition, which he says He would sell for a trifle; -- I told him 1 would take it, because even this is better than none; & I May be hereafter able to procure the other also. These works however do not at all answer the present wants. Hupfeld of Marburg has promised to write a grammar, butitis yet ein weitern Felde. --Tholuck's three works I shall try to send. with all his extraordinary powers of acquiring languages, he is not an accurate philologist, --he seems to swallow them whole, i.e., he learns themas a merchantor like avalet de place, --it is so easy for him to master languages, to remember words & phrases, that he does not regard the usual difficulties, & is not led to pay particular attention to peculiar idioms & forms of expression. He is now preparing a new edition of his Romans, The reference is to Gesenius visiting Gottingen University and deciding whether or not to accept an offer to join the faculty as Eichhom's successor. 83 somewhat abridged. --the works of Neander are all of them important, --^but he deals rather in philosophical speculation upon the facts of history than in the facts themselves. the 3"* part of his first vol. has appeared, & completes the first period, i.e., the 3 first centuries, by giving the Dogmengeschichte. He will proceed with the History, probably about as fast as heretofore. --the best Greek lexicon is that of Passow (2"'' edition 1826) in 2 vols, quarto.*' It was only by mistake that it did not go in the former box. the Hedericus [?] I have not yet sent, --^the only advantage of it probably is that it is in Latin. --^ I know not what Latin Lexicon ----- New Page ----- you refer to unless it be Scheller' s, --^this is very common& cheap,--the Thesaurus however is that offacciolati, of which a new edition is now in the press. --of Griesbach only the 1" vol. is republished,** --many copies of the 2"" vol. remain on hand, & the Verlager will not print it till these are sold. the f vol. is very handsomely printed with much improvement in the arrangement. of Scholz & his books, both Gesenius & Tholuck speak very contemptuously, -- & expect nothing from his N. T. of which, by the way, nothing more is heard. his Critische Reisen I have not seen; but his personal narrative of his journey in Egyp t & Palestine is the merest mass of hotchpotch, without arrangementor interest. This book at least is not worth purchasing. --the Syriac Grammar of Hoffman n is at last finished, but not yet published, -- I am daily expecting a copy. It is an entirely new work, a real Lehrgebande of the Syriac, on the system of Gesenius & very full & copious. were there now a lexicon equally good, the acquisition of Syriac would be comparatively a trifle. It is a great …[paper tom] that this system cannot be atonce carried through all the oriental dialects, i.e., there is still [paper tom] a Syriac lexicon, a grammar & lexicon of Chaldee, the same of Ethiopic, & a lexicon [paper tom] of the Arabic. the new Golius however will be as good as any new Glossary can be. they have at last induced Freytag to go over his mss. again & to give all the results of the Camoos, which he had not before done. He had often preferred the authority of Golius to that of the Camoos & other native writers. the letter Glif is finished, & the work will now go on much faster. It is most beautifully printed, & will make a quarto vol. perhaps as large as your Schneider's Greek Lexicon. -- Wegscheider's John (Einleitung) was published 20 years ago & inever heard it spoken of except by himself. Liicke's second vol. is said by all to be much better than his first. Fritsche [Fritzsche] has as yet published only Matthew, --he has dwelt mostonthe grammatic constmction, but, as is said, without any great result. --the Leipzig corps is not so evangelical as you seem to suppose. Hahn, Lindner & Heinrot h are the only pious men, --Tittman n & Tischnauer are tolerably orthodox in sentiment, but cold & indifferent. Heinroth is a physician, & has written onanthropologic & psychologic, --his works are praised by the evangelical & scouted by the liberals, -- I have not read them, but he himself is a man of very moderate talents apparently, --as are also Hah n & Lindner. the lexicon of Heinsius I shall send, -- I have been somewhat disappointed in it, --it contains no etymology; --in other respects the plan is similar to that of Mr. Webster. --Rosenmueller's Compendiu m is not yetout, & it is quite uncertain when it will appear. He has constantly 3 or 4 works in the press, & advances ----- New Page ----- one at the expense of another. I know not whether he intends *' Franz Passow (1786-1833) ** JohannJakobGriesbach(1745-1812), wasaprofessoratHallein 1771 and then at Jena in 1775 until his death. He was one of the first ingermany to edit a Greek New Testament that took into consideration the results of critical studies. 84 to publish an atlas. There are many maps of Palestine etc. but Gesenius says the best is a small English Atlas, about as large as that of Butler, --^the name I forget. He says it is correct & full.--Kruse's Historical Atlas contains maps of every age, a new edition is publishing, which Ihad before intended to procure. Hengstenberg is publishing on the O. T. prophecies relating to the Messiah, --his Einleitung has lain on the shelf since he has undertaken the Kirchenzeitung; I shall endeavor to get the Heft copied. I have already obtained here a copy of some of Neander's exegeses, viz., onEphesians &, the catholic epistles; --it is not very philological, but develops the sense, the coimexions, very well . It had been rather my purpose to have spent the whole winter here, as I have now very comfortable apartments; but as it would seem fromyour letter, that it May possibly be proper for me to return to America next autumn, I have concluded to remove to Berlin at Christmas. my next letters will probably therefore be written from that place. my letters from America, as I said, should be directed only to Paris, since as I cannot specify my address at Berlin they might be there in the office forever without finding me. Mr. Porter always knows where I am. No answer has yet come from Bremen; should there be a prospectof a ship this winter, I shall send a box immediately; but this is hardly probable, as the cold weather has already set in & I see by the paper that the Elbe at least is nearly closed already. Please to remember me most affectionately to all the Professors & families on the hill etc. & to your lady in particular; I often think of & miss her kindness in this land of strangers, & long for the time when perhaps I May again enjoy it. ----- New Page ----- [E.R. has added a sentence across the side of the sheet, with the first part hidden by the binding. the part that is visible reads:] was brot me from Mr. Delius; -- they sent the box of type to Messrs. Searle some weeks since by the ship Franklin, vi a N. York., -- and the ship is soon to sail for N. York ; but I cannot get a box ready in time for it, & they know of no other opportunity this season. ----- New Page ----- Halle, Dec. 18, 1827 Rev & Dear Sir As I was closing my last letter to you, a letter arrived from Delius, saying that no ship for America was then there, but that the Wm. Painewas daily expected, & would return immediately ton. York, and offering toforward any thing 1 might wish to the Messrs. Searle by her. when 1 sentoff the letter to you, 1 had almost decided not to send any thing to Bremen, as the time was so short & the opportunity somewhat uncertain; but as I had already determined to go to Berlin & must mov e all my books, I thought it better to send then atonce to Bremen. I sent accordingly a box on the 8* instant, directed to you thro' Messrs. Searle, for the library, -- but I could send only such books as I already had onhand or such as I could procure in Halle. for the same reason, i.e., wan tof time, the sheets of Gesenius' Lexiconcould not be got from Leipzig. This however seems now not to be of so much importance, since it will be out in January, & ----- New Page ----- Mr. Gibb's work is already laid by. -- I send herewith an invoice of the books to Mr.Farrar ; a list was also sent with the box, which will probably be sent to you. the large dictionary of Scheller I could not find in Halle, but sent the small one, as 1 happen to have it. --I f not wanted, it can easily be sold for double the costof it; --the 2 vols, bound here cost something less than 3 Americandollars.I have sent all Tholuck's works, including his essay in the Denkwiirdigkeitof Neander. the extracts from the Zohar [?] he sends you himself as a present. I presume you will not find it what you expected. in the course of the summer Paulus reviewed his oriental works & charged him with ignorance etc., making himself merry with the recession of a particular passage. He wrote to De Sacy & some other orientalists for their opinion on the subject, -- & has recently published an Antikriti k on the Hall. Lit. Zeitung, bringing forward their authority in this support. the particular passage most dwelt upon by Paulus is translated by Dr. Sacy in the same manner as by Tholuck, who seems to have come off very handsomely. ----- New Page ----- There was not time to have the volume of Griesbach bound. the P ' vol. of Twesten 1 also sent; it will [paper to m - arrive?] long before the 2"'' appears. I have not read it, but it is highly recommended by Tholuck & is much in his manner. Leipzig, Dec. 19 The draft for 770 francs has yielded me 208 Rth. Prus., which makes 72 1/10 cents to the Rth. I have paid for the type, including the fountof small Hebrew which is now ready to send (viz. 36y4 lb. = 3 6 y4 Rth.), --17 4 Rth.; --^the balance after deducting expenses etc. I hold subject to your further orders. I have ordered the box to be sent by the firstopportunity; -- 1 found some days since a copy of Ludol fs Eth. Gram. [Ethopic Grammar], T"^ edition, at Halle, & today have purchased here a Lexicon, 2"" edn. the whole hence cost 7 Rth., which is about the usual price. Mr. Woolse & Mr. Yates of Schenectady arrived here a few days since, & will remain here for the winter. 1 go in a few days to Berlin, --whence my next letters will probably be dated. I came down here now merely tofinish the business of the type, --^the weather is bad & I have seen nobody. I shall yet see Barth, & talk with him about Boston. ----- New Page ----- Rev. Moses Stuart Andover A kind remembrance to your family & all friends. Respectfully & affectionately. Yours, E. Robinson ----- New Page ----- Berlin, Jan. 5, 1828 Rev & Dear Sir I arrived here on the moming of the P' instant, --thus commencing with the new Year a new mode of life,orat least a residence in a new place. I am for the present comfortably situated in the west end of the town, near the university, in the great street "Unter der Linden," & from my windows look down upon all the pride & wealth & fashion of Berlin, as they roll past inglittering equipages,orlounge along the noble promenade. for my room, with every convenience, including service, cleaning of boots & clothes, errands etc. I pay 13 Rt h the month. with a little more leisure to look around I think I can probably find a better room in a quarter not quite sofashionable, for the same or less money. in the vicinity of the university, however, it is somewhat difficult at this season to obtain just such rooms as onewoul d wish. --in other respects, the experiences here are not much greater than at Halle. One candine in his room very well for 5 Rth. per month & his coffee & tea will cost him about as much more. wood costs here less than in Halle, or rather the stoves are here so much better, that it requires much less wood. A fire is made in my stove at 6 in the mroning, & this is sufficient for the day. at 12 o'clock last night my room was yet comfortably warm, altho' it was a cold & snowy evening. Mr. Hodge, Amory & Cunningham are here this winter. I have not yet waited upon any of the important men here, except to hospitiren bv Neander & Humboldt. Neander reads 3 hours successively, --exegesis of the Corinthians &. Ephesians, then church history, & third, Patristik four times a week, & twice the apost. Zeitalten. I shall attend the exegetical lecture, & probably the second, altho' he is now in the same portion which Gesenius read last winter. Alex. Humboldt is giving a public course at the university twice a week on physical astronomy & geography; --i tis interesting & is thronged by public men. ----- New Page ----- It was at first too full, that he was induced to give another course in a large public hall once a week, --^this is attended by the King & court & all the fashion of Berlin. --Schleiermacher reads only Dogmatik 2 hours in succession. Ritter reads geography & a course twice a week onAncient geography,'* --^this last I hope to hear. the only Arabic lecture or exercise is by Bopp [?] who reads the Movallaker [?], & has 4 hearers. so far as 1 can yet judge, the advantages for oriental & biblical study are here at most a minimum. Even Hodge, who never liked Halle, & seemed never to thank me for advising him to come there, now says that it is a much better place for our studies. Still, the external of life is here far pleasanter, --^there is here Christian society & Christian preaching, -- & there are many men & things, which one could regret to leave Germany without knowing. On arriving here, I happened to inquire at the postoffice, & very unexpectedly found there the packet of lost letters of which I have formerly spoken. It was most unpardonable negligence in the postmen at Vienn a to overlook it so many times, --as I inquired four or five times, & received other letters at least twice After my departure, it seems they found it, & as my passport was there endorsed for Berlin, they sent it hither, & then were again so careless as to send wor d that it was sent to Dresden. It has been lying here since the 3 P' of Oct. There were 4 letters, one from Mr. Farrar, one from his wife, one from Strale, & one from Dr. Turner of N. Y. I beg you will mentionthis to Mr. & Mrs. Farrar, & say to them that I shall write to them after I become a little more at home in Berlin, perhaps by the next ship. Mr. Strale wished some information respecting missionary efforts in Sweden, -- I have none to communicate, -- & probably before this time, he has already decided onhis course. I shall however interest myself for him, & send all that I can learn. -- 1 will mention here that I received a few days since Morse's [?] paper as late as Oct. 1. It seems to me not as judiciously & carefully conducted as formerly. One sad & inexcusable blunder occurs in speaking of the Marshall vonBiilow, who led the Pmssia n army at Waterlo o & is now a missionary on the coasts of Norway, & who was converted in 1829, etc. etc. "now von Biilow the Prussian general, who fought at Waterloo, died ----- New Page ----- in 1817, & his statue, with those of Blacher & Schumhorst [?] stands on the public place, almost before my Karl Ritter (1779-1859) was professor of geography at the university of Berlin. 87 windows. No one here knows any thing of the person described as a missionary. I saw Gesenius several times before leaving Halle. He hopes to be able to get thro' with his Thesaurus in 4 years. many of the articles are already prepared, especially the particles. the Geschichte der Heb. Sprache is all sold, & He expects to prepare a new edition. the small lexicon will be out in a month or 6 weeks; --^the particles are all rewritten, & he has taken immense pains to have it correct, & more especially the references. There is one piece of intelligence about it, however, which you will like to hear & Mr. Gibbs will not. He has made arrangements to have Dr. Roediger (my Arabic instructor) translate it into Latin, to be completed in the course of the present year, or soon after, in order to meet the wants offoreign countries. A large edition (5,000) will be printed; -- & it will come so low, that copies to supply the seminary May be imported bound & paying duties for $3.50 at the very highest. This will probably put an end to Mr. Gibbs further proceedings. --mentione d in one of my former letters that Gesenius had 2 copies of the Camoos ….[paper tom] … & asked whether I should purchase one for our library: --my hesitation arose not from myself but because I feared Mr. Farrar might think I was exceeding my commission.byhis letter I learn that the affairs of the library are in a better state. Gesenius gave me the refusal of one of the copies as I left Halle, & I shall now write to him that I will take it; -- should the library decline taking it from me, I can easily dispose of it here. Gesenius paid 13 guineas, or rather is to pay them& lets me have it for the same. It is in sheets & like all the copies, almost without exception, has been injured by the salt water,; --some of the comers are defective, & must be filled out with the pen. This will make it cost not far from 100 Rth, or about $70. --the work is now excessively rare, --only 150 copies having been printed. Gesenius gave 11 guineas for a copy in England in 1821, -- & Kosergartner told me he gave 105 Rth . Hilliard, Gray & C o have written to me, at your request they say, to purchase Knapp's N. Test. they sent a bill which amounts to about 200 Rth. I have ordered 200 copies which cost 150 Rth. = sheets, --binding cost, 41 % Rth. -- & then the expenses of a box, postage, etc. will leave only 3or4 Rth., delivered in Hamburg, --the further expense will be freight to America, & duties. the cost in America will therefore probably not fall much shortof 85 cents a copy, bound. the Heb. Bibl e of Michaelis can now be purchased in sheets by the quantity for 2 % Rth., or about $1.60.'* ----- New Page ----- I had hardly retumed from Leipzig the other day after having settled with Breitkop f & Hartel for the types, when 1 received a letter from them, stating that they had made a sad mistake in respect to the small Hebrew type, & that the price of it was 2 Rt h the lb. instead of one, as they had reckoned it; & that therefore there was still due to them nearly 40 Rth. Pruss. 1 have written to themthat I will arrange the business when I visit Leipzig in the spring. in the mean time, it would be well to examine the type sent by them, & if there are any defects or blunders, insist upon their making themgood. There will probably be time to send me wor d on this subject before I go to Leipzig. --the amount yet to be paid exceeds considerably the balance in my bank [? the word is in the binding]. I have not yet gone into society here at all, but find I have the means of doing it to any extent I May wish. There is a class of young men, who are in fact the editors of the Kirchenzeitung, & whose society is said to '* Michaelis: refers to three learned orientalists and biblical scholars who, atone time or another, were associated with Halle-- Johann Heinrich Michaelis(1668-1738), Christian Benedikt Michaelis (1680-1764), and Johann David Michaelis (1717-1791). be very pleasant. when I write again I hope to be able to speak more of the inside of Berlin. Please to present my kind remembrance to all friends. Respectfully & affectionately Yours, Edw. Robinson my address remains simply to Paris, as before. ----- New Page ----- Berlin, Feb. 19, 1828 Rev & Dear Sir Your letter dated Dec. 25 & postmarked at Andover Jan. 3, reached me on the 17* instant after lying 10 days at New York & losing 3 days by going first to Halle. I must again repeat & urge that my address is simply & solelv "aux sous de Messrs. B. Curtis & Porter, Ru e du Mail, No. 29, Paris," and not to Halle or any other place whatever. your letters have always been so diverted, that notone of themhas ever gone into the hands of these gentlemen, --^thus increasing the expense & the danger of loss.bythis same arrival 1 have also letters fi-om the Society of Inquiry & from Hilliard, Gray & Co. These both obtained my address anonymously fro myou, & the letters all went to Halle, increasing from this fact & from having come unenclosed, the expense more than a dollar/ -- you mention that you have enclosed a renewal of the order from Mr. Stoddard, but I find no trace of it, --^this however can be of no consequence, as I obtained the money onit in December, as you have already been informed by my letter of Dec. 19. --you speak also, as if you had sent the 1^' vol. of your Commentar y along with the letter, --^this 1 do not understand, as it would be of course impossible to send it by mail over France, unless at an expense of some 15 or 20 dollars. --Mos t of the books which you particularly mention, were forwarded in a box which was shipped from Bremen about Dec. 20, & have therefore, I trust, reached you before this time; --^the rest I will endeavor to send in the course of a month or two. --the type ought also to be with you by this time, tho' 1 am not informed whether the small is yet actually shipped, it was ready in December. I informed you of the mistake which was made in the bill as to the price of the small, -- I have heard nothing more about it, but hope to learn fromyou whether there are any deficiencies in the founts sent, in order to insist upon their being made good. the mistake about the Greek capitals, if it was one, was not so important as I, in my first anxiety, imagined, as the costof the whole 30 lbs. was only some 12 or 13 dollars. in respect to small Greek type, hohe non pareil. I have not thought it worth while to write to Leipzig about it, because from the prices of the other founts, a tolerable estimate can be made. the price of the large Greek was VA of a Ri x dollar, the smallest therefore would probably not vary far from 1 % Rth. -- at least would not [?] this, -- & migh t probably be taken with sufficient accuracy at $1 per lb. --Shoul d it be wanted, I can order it at any time, & it would probably soon be ready. --H. G. & Co. have written to me to obtain for them from Lauchniz a set of plates copied from those of his beautiful immaculate edition; -- I have written to him but as yet have no reply. --S o much for business: I turn now to other matters. In regard to the advantages of study in every thing which relates to oriental biblical literature, I have been much disappointed in Berlin ; --^the arrangement, character, & ganz of the university itself please me more than any other which I have seen. It occupies an immense pile of building, formerly the palace of Prince 89[?], brother offred, the Great, & standing in the very center of the most fashionable & splendid point of the city, oppo- ----- New Page ----- site to the Opera house & nearly so to the king's palace. the main body of the building stands back from the street, & two long wings project forward to the street, thus enclosing a large court. Back of it is also a large area, planted with trees, a garden, etc. There are about 20 large lecture rooms in the two lower stories; --^the third is appropriated to the collections, cabinets, etc. the library is in a larger separate building on the opposite side of the street. in most of these halls, lectures are going onfro m different Professors in succession for 6 or 8 hours daily, -- the names of the Professors & their hours are affixed on each door. the universal rule here is that the Professor is punctual to begin at a quarter after the hour has struck,-- & reads till the clock strikes again; --the intervening quarter is allowed for the students to pass from the different rooms, take their new places, men d their pens, etc. Nor is this too much time, for in this interval the halls, passages, staircases etc. are crowded by the different streams of students working their way through each other to the amountof many hundreds. the number present this winter is rising of 1700, --^their appearance is on the whole better than I have elsewhere seen, --because being here lost, as it were, in the mass of inhabitants, they have comparatively nothing of that assumed rudeness, coarseness, swaggering, renowning character, which distinguishes this Studentenmassen atother universities. Their behavior also in the lecture rooms is more still & quiet. the most fi-equented lectures are those of Neander & the Geographer Ritter, --^they have each from three tofour hundred hearers. the theologians constitute about V3 of the whole number, --the jurists about as many, -- & the Medicines & Philosophers make up the rest. the fullest lecture of all however is that of Alex. Humboldt, where it is the fashion for every body to crowd in. Among all this great body of students & more than a hundred Professors & teachers the literature connected with the old Testament has little place. on the new Test, the exegetical lectures of Neander are highly & deservedly popular, & much frequented. But the only lecture onHebrew this winter isbyHengstenberg, who reads merely the Massionsohn [? possibly German wor d for Messiah] prophecies, & has about 20 hearers. Bopp began to read in Arabic, had 4 hearers, & broke off. Wilke n & Ideler are also Arabic scholars, -- the first however merely as a historian, the latter as a Mathematician. Bopp learned it after he came here as professor at the instance of the Ministerium. Hengstenberg was a pupil offreytag, & was distinguished as an Arabic scholar, but at present he does not pursue it at all. --in Syriac & Chaldean & Ethopic & Rabbinic, there is no instruction whatever, nor can I learn that anybody here knows much about them. Books onthis Fach are very difficult to be bought, begged, or borrowed. Still, there must be some who pursue these studies privately. I applied the other day at the library for White's AbdoUatif''^& De Sacy's version, & alsofor Bar Hebraica, but double copies of each were already lentout, & nonewere left for me. ----- New Page ----- Die Akademie der Wissenschaften existed before the University (dating indeed from 1700), & the latter may be said to have grow n out of it --^though the manner in which this was done, as related by Russel, has little resemblance to the fact. the university here was founded because that at Halle was broken up by the French; --and most of the Academy are Professors. the regular members, at least those who are not professors, have a salary; --ho w large, I don't know, & have also the privilege of reading lectures in the " This could possibly be a reference to Joseph White (I746w-1814),a professor of Arabic and Hebrew in England. University if they please, --it is in this footing that A. Humboldt reads his course. the academy holds 3 public sittings annually, viz. on the birthday offred. the Great, of Leibnitz, & of the reigning king. the former took place a few weeks since. W. Humboldt sent me a ticket & I went; -- the assembly was not large, but select & splendid, i.e., all the princes of the royal family were there, --^the king, not. Schleiermacher, as Secretary, read an eulogium on the literary spirit & [?] offrederick, -- W. Humboldt read an Essay on the language of the Tongataboo Islands in so lo w a tone of voice as not to be heard; & the Astronomer Encke read also an Essay in his Fach. W. Humboldt I have visited, & was received very kindly. He is apparently 67 years old, with perfectly whit e hair, & of a dignified commanding figure & appearance. He was formerly Minister of State & retains the title still, tho' he is said not to be in particular favor with the king. his private character is not good, --he is accused of licentious habits. He busies himself constantly ingeneral philology, & stands there very high. He speaks very highly of Mr. Pickering, with whom he has formerly corresponded, & regrets that for a long time he has received no letter from Mr. P., although he has himself written to him. He wished me, if I had opportunity, to intimate this to Mr. P. -- I know of no better way to do it then through you, should you have opportunity to see him or write to him. Alexander Humboldt looks ten years younger than his brother, --his hair is also white, & he has lost one of his front teeth, which injures the distinctness of his articulation, & gives to his voice a tone like that of a man of 70. He delivers a course of lectures onphysical Astronomy & geography twice a week in the largest room of the university, which has seats for 400, but into which at least 600 crow d themselves. He gives also another less extensive course on the same subjects once a week in another larger public room, --^this is thronged in like manner, & especially by ladies, who go an hour before hand in order to secure a seat. I attend constantly at the university, & have a very good seat, altho' I come so late. his course affords a very excellent & comprehensive view of the present state of knowledge in all that relates to the earth & heavens, -- & for this reason it is interesting & useful. Humboldt fails in clear systematic arrangement, --^the facts which he addresses are often too isolated, & he has not infrequent repetitions & supplementary additions. ----- New Page ----- Buttmann is a member of the Academy, & second librarian, but is nototherwise attached to the university. Gesenius gave me a card of introduction to him, & I have called upon him. He seems to be 60 years old, & was sitting in his chair, in a state of almost perfect helplessness -- his feetoncushions & his arms hanging benumbed & useless by his side, --unable to walk or write. his middle grammar was lying before him, which he was looking over preparatory to the new edition, the 14*, -- & when any thing was to be altered or added, it was done by one of his sons, who acts as his amanuensis. 1 think 1 have before mentioned that he had completed the etymological part of his larger work.--^this I have & shall send by the earliestopportunity. He will never be able to proceed any further onit. his son told me that the middle grammar was just translated & published in England (as is also Hug's Einleitung) --Buttman n remarked that his grammar had grow n up by degrees, --^that the earliest Ke m of it was a little work of 5 or 6 sheets. Of the theological professors, Schleiermacher & Marheinecke'" confine themselves principally to Dogmatik. of the latter I know little, except that he has the reputation of being a philosophical divine, & exceedingly dunkel, & inclining to the pantheistic views of Hegel, altho' he calls himself orthodox. Philipp Konrad Marheineke (1780-1846) Schleiermacher is also sufficiently obstruse, -He places religion altogether (like De Wette) on the Gefuhl. He reads this winter only Dogmatik, 2 hours in succession from 8 till 10. He is now near 60, small, deformed, & ugly, --but his countenance has still great sweetness of expression. He exhibits in his sermons, hymns, etc. a great deal of real Christian feeling, but still he lives rather like a man of the world. His conversational powers are not great, --he speaks rather in short interrupted sentences, often with great naivete, often with great shrewdness. his wife is an elegant & intelligent lady, & they have a large family of children. His place as clergyman is in the Dreyfalligkeitskirche, where he preaches every Sunday alternately at 7 & 11. As he has constantly been an inveterate foe to the king's new agenda & has attacked this his Majesty's Lieblingsstiick both with argument & satire, he has lost all favor with the king, who it is said, would gladly displace him, could a pretext be found; but the old fox is aware of his Majesty's gracious intention, & takes care not to explore so much as a hair beyond the shelter of his own proper hole. Strauss is the Homiletiker, & is also one of the 5 or 6 preachers in the Cathedral. He is apparently about 50, a short, thick set, dark looking man, & one of those men who are restlessly active, --^who can never be still, either body or mind. He is considered the most eloquent preacher ingermany, as to his manner, --but it is the eloquence of any thing else, rather than of insinuation. He reminds me much in this respectof Dr. Griffin, --he is strong, ----- New Page ----- impetuous, overbearing, & sometimes overpowering, --^but there is nothing of the gentleness of persuasion. This manner he carries with him into the lecture room, --he is thus often familiar, often vehement, full of illustration & anecdote. I am told that it is the same with him in private. He is orthodox & pious; in what relates to externals, ultra-orthodox & loyal; & in this respect is just the opposite of Schleiermacher, holding that the king is of right head-bishop of the church & can regulate it as he pleases. Hence he is quite a favourite with his majesty. Of all the men here, however, Neander pleases me most. Althoug h he is a swarthy little Jew, & his little sharp black Jewish eyes twinkl e out at you from under a huge mass of black eyebrows with a constant & irregular motion, & although he is awkwar d & unpolished in his manners, & has none of the courtesies of social life, --sits constantly in his chamber, & never goes out except to his lectures or to a short walk after dinner, --^yetone cannot be five minutes in his society, without perceiving that his heart is full & overflowing with genuine Christian love. A maiden sister lives with him & takes care of him, for he cannot provide for himself any more than a child. Before 11 o'clock he sees nobody whatever; --he then goes to his lectures, 3 hours in succession every day, --after dinner he is ready to receive calls for an hour; --and then goes usually, unless the weather be bad, to walk "Under den Linden " & so a little ways into the Thiergarten, --always taking the same route & accompanied by his sister, who goes, as they say, to shew him the way home again. Saturday evenings he devotes to students, who wish to visit him ; & Sunday evenings to other company. the walls of his room are covered with books; he himself sits usually onan old ragged sofa with a small table before him strewed with books, pens, etc. with only a small shaded lamp. the sofa he generally resigns to his company, & after awhile the books & pens are scraped from the little table, or at least a part of them; --te a is brot in & served by some one of the party, --he himself never taking any, & his sister never making her appearance. He is a man of large & liberal views on all general subjects, especially in regard to America & the progress there of political & religious development; quite unlike most of the orthodox here, who profess to believe & stoutly maintain, in spite of all the facts to the contrary staring them in their eyes, that religion cannot long maintain its ground with us because forsooth it is not dependenton. & fostered & controlled by the State; -- & thatour civil form of government cannot long endure because it has not at its head that precious thing called a king. Neander sets himself in opposition to all this, & interests himself much in the activity & energy of our religious Thatigkeit.I was there last Sabbathevening, & he kept me talking almost the whole time on this topic. -- He manifests more sound judgmen t & discretion, more patience of investigation, than Tholuck,--^without of course having any thing of that extraordinary "giftof tongues" which distinguishes the latter. He has sich einstudiert into the fathers & the Scholastik of ----- New Page ----- of the middle ages probably more than any man now living, altho' he appears to be not much, if any, over 40. among them he seems perfectly at home, --^they are the daily companions of his life. of his Kirchengeschichte, nothing further has yet appeared, --he expects however to continue it with about the same rapidity, i.e., a part of a volume every 6 months. the remarks which you make upon this work are those which led me to suppose it would not be much calculated for our country; --he takes for granted many Vorkenntnisse in his readers, which are not to be found with us, but which are commonhere. He reads this as one of his courses; Patristik 4 times & the Hist, of the Apostolic age twice, make out another hour. at this last He interweaves the discussions on the dates of the several epistles, & usually gives a synopsis of their contents, & a view of the circumstances which occasioned them to be written. the third course is exegesis, covering this winter I & 11 Corinthians, Galatians, & Ephesians & with this I am more pleased than with any which I have heard or read. It is not as purely philogical [philological] as Kuinol or as Fritzsche nor so erbaulich as that of Tholuck, --but wherein philogical [philological] discussions are necessary, he enters into them; his greatobject is the logical exegesis, i.e., to give the full & precise meaning of the writer, & to pointout in all cases the connexion between the different parts; --onthis last point he is uncommonly particular. the whole is also donewith that mild, fine. Christian spirit, which shews that his only object is the truth, & that what he teaches he alsofeels. I hope to be able to obtain copies of all his exegesises, & of his hist, of the apostolic age. It is interesting to be present at this lecture, --he always stands behind a high desk, --^resting his head upon his hand & his elbow on the desk, tuming round every moment to spit, as he is afflicted with a disease of the saliva glands; --it is interesting to see there three or four hundred men in this hall, formerly devoted to princely & ….[?], listening to the fine accents of divine truth which flo w from his lips. --^His salary is 1000 Rt h & for his lectures he cannot receive less than 1300 :Louis d'or a year, or near 7000 Rth. For his Kirchengeschichte he receives three Louis d'or the printed sheet. In Hengstenberg I have been somewhat disappointed. He is quite young, of a soft &. effeminate appearance & voice; but at the same time such an air of perfect self-complacency, dogmatism & intolerance, as to make an unfavourable impression. He is also exceedingly narrow minded, & whatever does not exactly square with his views is either infidelity & so is to be cut down root & branchesorelse deserves only contempt. in this way he always speaks most contemptuously of Gesenius, -- & never agrees with Neander. I was present a few evenings ago, when H. maintained against Neander, P' that the church could not exist & flourish without the direct supportof the state, --2. that Rationalism & liberal political principles were inseparable from one another; and 3"* that the life of seclusion & penance which Pascal adopted was necessary for him, & that he accomplished more for the church in that way than he would have done in any other. As to arguing with H. you might aswell talk to the winds or to the ocean. --he has a very extensive library, &is now writing on the Prophecies respecting the Messiah, --^the first vol. will be out this fall & will contain all to Jonah, inclusive; -- & a considerable portion of the vol. is to be taken up in discussing the Echtheitof the last 20 chapters ----- New Page ----- in opposition to Gesenius. H. says he has settled the question & no one will hereafter have any reason to be in doubt. I have seen a Heft of this Einleitung, but do not think itof sufficient importance to go to the expense of having it copied. It contains nothing on Job, the Psalms, nor Isaiah; --he dwells mostl y on the Pentateuch, & discusses all the later books with paragraphs of 8 to 10 lines each. He reads n o Englis h & it would therefore be useless to give hi myour book. -- I cannot say that the Kirchenzeitung has fulfilled my expectations; --as yet it has only seven or eight hundred subscribers. among the Privat-docetan in theology are Black, who has written on Daniel & is about to publish on Hebrews, -- & Rheinwald, who has published on Philippians with a preface by Neander. the general opinion here & elsewhere ingermany except among the Tubingen school, is that Paul himself was not the writer of the epistle to the Hebrews. Ritter I have not yet seen,--his lecture ongeneral geography is very full; He is also employed in instructing some of the royal family. Savigny, after a year or more of absence in Italy on the score of his health, reads again this winter; --he ranks at the head of German, or at leastof Prussian, jurists, --but is an ultra monarchist. I have not yet seen him, altho' I have a letter to him. VonRaumer, author of the Hist, of Hohenstaufen, is also here, -- a very ordinary looking man, & so far as I can learn, in very ordinary estimation. He reads a Publicu mevery Sat. at 11 on the hist, of the Reformation in England, which I attend in order to receive my seat by Humboldt wh ofollows, & for no other reason in the world, for a more dry, superficial & uninteresting translation of the most common English histories of that age cannot be imagined. The best reputed history of the Cmsades is by Wilken, in 4 thick vols. oct. --he has used the Arabian historical [paper tom] & consulted many Mss. for this object both here at at Paris. Berlin is considered as the chief seat of evangelical religion in the north of Germany, & this is probably correct, --but there is a vast difference between the appearance of Berlin and Boston or New York in this respect. two of the preachers of the Cathedral are evangelical & besides these there are 5 or 6 others in different churches, --^when these men preach the houses are generally full, --otherwis e not. But besides this, there is nothing by which a stranger can see that piety prevails here more than any where else; -- there are no public religious meetings, nor any private ones to which a person can go without a particular introduction, -- & this cannot be got without asking for it. There is here a missionary society, & a seminary for missionaries, of the former I can learn nothing, & of the latter only that it is a very lamentable state. the Berlin Christians seem not yet to have learned how to act in concert, nor to bring into the cause of the Redeemer those united & systematic effects, which have affected so much in other countries. --^It is just so in regard to the Kirchenzetiung, --i tis now six weeks since I have been trying in vain to get from themsome definite decision about exchanging with the Miss. Herald & some other American joumals. --it is throughout that practical inefficiency of German character, which never disappears except sometimes in individuals who have devoted their lives to a single object. My letter is already grown to twice the length which I anticipated when I began, & there is yet much that might be written; this however must be reserved for another time. --^In Halle, Ersch is ----- New Page ----- dead, -- Schutz retains the editorship of the A. L. T. in name, but the theological dept has passsed into the hands of Gesenius & Wegscheider, --^the philosophical, unto those of Gruber & others. the Verla g of the great Encyclopedie has failed & the work will probably be stopped, --having reached only the latter part of C. --the place of Gesenius for publishing his Heb. Schullexicon in Latin, to be out in a year, will probably prevent the necessity of a new work at Andover. --Tholuck, rather to the surprise of all his friends, has obtained leave of absence, & is going for a year to Rome as chaplain of the Prussian embassy--^the ambassador, Bunson, the successor of Niebuhr, is a pious man; it is through his influence that Tholuck goes. the matter was decided without the knowledge of any of his Berlin friends & much to their surprise. I have some doubts whether he will even return to Halle; --^there is a restlessness about him & a Trieb [instinct] for the languages & above all the mysticism of the East, that makes me think he may not improbably wander off thither as a missionary. My first intention was to have remained here in Berlin till June, & then to have travelled to Gottingen & Cassel to the Rheingegend & so to Switzerland. But I find here so little for my Zwec k [purpose], & living here is so much more expensive & [German wor d ?], that so soon as the lectures close, I shall probably return to Halle inasmuch as that lies directly onmy route. Altho' I long to be at home & at work, yet as there seems to be no definite prospectof immediate employment, I see no reason for curtailing my previous plans; & am therefore looking forward to spending the next winter in Paris. -- the letter of the Society of Inquiry, postmark is Andover Jan. 12, reached me also on the 17*. instant. --^ I shall endeavor to answer it by the next ship. --^my most affectionate regards to all who remember me. --with grateful respect & esteem, Edw. Robinson ----- New Page ----- Halle, May 20* 1828 Rev & Dear Sir I have long had to look in vain in the hope of a letter fro myou ; your last is of the date of Dec. 25*. -- a few days less than five months ago. Since that time I have n o intelligence from Andover, except a letter from the Society of Inquiry written about the same time; & a few lines from Mr. Stowe for the book committee of the Rhet. Society. I regret this the more, because I wished instructions in respect to the purchase of the copy of the Camoos of which I formerly wrote, -- & also to know whether there were any deficiences in the types sentout, which needed to be supplied. I have also no intelligence of the arrival of the box of books which was shipped at Bremen in December. In a few days more, two years will have elapsed, since I left my native shores.They have rolled swiftly away; & in looking back upon them, I find everywhere cause for unspeakable gratitude to God for mercies & blessings; --and abundant reason for regret & self humiliation, that I have improved them all no better. I am well aware that I have not accomplished all that you expected of me, --muc h less all that I myself expected to perform; but my own plans, & perhaps yours, were laid with an imperfect knowledge of the circumstances of the case; & as to myself, I do not consider that in many things the performance has fallen shortof the purpose. the first winter, I know not well how I could have done more, unless I could have .. .. [?] without sleep; --it introduced me to the Arabic & German, to the acquaintance of learned men & to their lecture rooms, to the manners, customs, & social life of a foreign & remarkable nation. The summer was mostly spent in travel, which with its other advantages, brought with it such health as I had never before enjoyed. The recent winter has not indeed afforded me as much palpable improvement as the former; because there all was new, -- & now there is only progress. the principal objects have been the prosecution of the 95 study of Arabic without ----- New Page ----- points, Syriac, and more recently Ethiopic. -- what it May be the pleasure of the Most High to do with me, I know not. I fI know my own heart, my only wish is to be placed in the station where I May b e of the most service to his church & to my fellow creatures. Tha t He will place me there, I cannot doubt; and for myself, I am not anxious; but in the expectation of returning as a married man,ô it would be more pleasurable to have some definite expectation. S ofar as Andover is concerned, the circumstances that I have not been a settled clergyman occurs to be a difficulty which has recently suggested itself; in all my conversations with the Trustees & Professors this was never mentioned; nor isit deemed essential, at least not a sine qua non, in other theological seminaries, as at Princeton & Yale. in With the return of spring (which by the way is here very cold & backward) the birds of passage are taking flight, --i.e., changes are taking place among those who have been here friends & acquaintances. Tholuck setoff a few weeks since for Rome to spend a year as chaplain to the Prussian Embassy; if God will, I hope to meet him yet in Rome. his place here is supplied ad interim by a young man by the name of Bohmer from Greifswalden, of similar views but less character. Gesenius jogs on in his usual course. the Heb. German Lexiconis within 2 sheets of the end, --^the Lat. translation is advancing at the rate of a sheet (6 pages or more) a week. He received your Hebrews early in April, but has not yet looked into it; --^this is not his Fach. He is now publishing a new edition, the 9* of his small Heb. Grammar. --Prof. Hodge left the 1 " of May onhis route to England, where he expected to arrive early in June & embark at Liverpool early in August. He spent about 6 months in Halle, & about 7 in Berlin. As to studies, he has not done much, --in Arabic he has read the apothegms at the end of Rosenmuller's Grammar & Lokmann's Fables, -- in Syriac about as much. His friends at home need not fear that he has become too liberal ingermany, --he says himself, & truly, that he has been cast in a mould, -- & his opinions are too much the resultof habit, to be changed by any argumentor demonstration. --Mr. Woolsey, after spending 4 months in Leipzig, has gone to Bon n for 2 or 3, & will then travel in Switzerland & spend the winter in Berlin. ----- New Page ----- so far as I can learn, He has no definite objector plan in his studies or for this residence ingermany. Prof. Yates of Schenectady has fixed himself here, as his object is oriental literature. He is a very pleasant amiable man & openhearted companion; but seems like all newcomers to ai m at too many things. The box of books I sent in March from Berlin, -- a list of which was contained in my letter to Mr. Farrar of March 21" -- was shipped in the early part of April by Messrs. Pitcaim, Brodie & Co. of Hamburgh, onboard the Furopa, Capt. E. Nicoll, for N. York, to the care of Hilliard, Gray & Co. of Boston. A box containing 200 [of] Knapp's N. Testament was shipped by the same house to H. G. & Co., onboard the Minerva, Capt. I. G. Gallis, a few days previous, also by way of N.Y. --Sinc e my return to Halle, I have also made purchases of books to the amountof some $200. -- ^mostly very cheap & such as ought to bein the library. the greater part of them I hope to send offin about a fortnight, shall probably send the list to Mr. Farrar by the next ship. -- others will not be ready to send before Aug. or so. the most expensive [paper tom] in which I hesitated most is the Camoos. the cost was 13 guines. & like all [paper tom] .remaining copies it was damaged, & requires some filling out with the pen at the comers; this with the binding will make it cost not far from 105 Rix dollars: the same which Prof. Kosegarten told me he gave for his copy, & for which their remains no copy to be had. I concluded to take it, because there is no copy in (The reference is to his forthcoming marriage to Therese von Jacob. 96) America, & the cost is less than Golius is selling for in France & England. Woolsey thought himself fortunate to get a copy of Golius for $60. --the next work is the great Thesaurus [?] Lat. by Gesenius & Bauman n in 45 vols. fol. bound in 23. This I bought at the recommendation of Gesenius & Tholuck for 72 Rth. --it is seldom found for less than 100. There is also the Lat. Diet, offacciolati, 23 Rth., the large one of Scheller, 7 vols, for 9 Rth. --^the Diet, of Morini, 8 large vols, for 10 Rth. --the best edition of Pliny, the older, for about % the Laden preis. --Knodia n [?] by [?] etc. etc. I have also been able to obtain the whole Aethopic Apparatus of Ludolf, except his archaine Gram. & Lex.,--viz., the Gra m & Lex. 2"^ ed.. Psalter, History & hist, commentary. the Psalter I bought by favor from the Orphanhouse library, --^the copy was a present from Ludol f himself. the arcaine En. & Le x are alsofor sale by Weigle in Leipzig, but the price is extravagant, & as they are of less importance, I thot it better to let it be for the present. I will thank you to say to Dr. Porter, & thro' him to the book committee of the Rhet. Society, that I have been able to find almost all the books in the list made out by Dr. P., except French & English; --^to this, I have added many more of the standard German works in the same department. many of these I shall be able to send in about a fortnight, --the rest perhaps not till August, as it requires much time to collect & bind them. ----- New Page ----- my Braut & her mother setoff in a few days for Dresden, & will go afterwards to the baths of Topliz. About the middle of June I propose to follow them & spend a week or 10 days in Dresden & the vicinity. Mr. Yates will accompany me; & we purpose there to travel over Topliz, Carlsbad, Eyer & to Eckargen [?] & Numberg, thence to Heidelberg & so down the beautiful part of the Rhine to Bonn, -- & thence back up the Lah n over Giessen, Marburg, Cassel, to Gottingen & so through the Harz Mountains back to Halle. my present plan for the future is, if God will, to be married early in August & setoff immediately with my wife for Switzerland, & return as early in the autumn as possible to Paris, --^whether we should have time to go to the north of Italy would depend much on circumstances. [this letter does not end with usual closing phrase nor with E.R.'s signature] ----- New Page ----- Numberg, July 7* 1828 Rev & Dear Sir In a short note, enclosed in my letter to Mr. Farrar of June 19*, I informed you of the receiptof your letter of Ap. 24* at Dresden, and also that I had without delay reordered the necessary type. in Topliz I received a letter from B. & Hartell [Breitkopf & Hartel], saying that they would complete themas soon as possible. --Befor e leaving Halle I sentoff three large boxes of books principally for the Seminary library, --^the rest for the Lib .of the Rhetorical Society. in the list of the books already sent to Mr. Farrar, you will find many of those mentioned in your letter as wanted, --others will follow in the box which I expect to send off in the beginning of August; --others are not ready, --such as Gesenius' Thesaums, small lexicon (of which the Register drags), Golius etc. etc. --and finally those which do not come under those categories I shaH endeavour to obtain & send at a future time. --the work of Ehrenberg & Humboldt, e.g., is not yet out, --it is to be published in parts, of which the 1" has not yet appeared. the journey was more in reference to Nat. Hist., etc. than to biblical literature. of Ritter's Erdkunde only the 1" vo l Afrika is out, & that is already on the way to you. I have taken particular care tofill out imperfect works in the library, e.g.. Liicke's Comm. on John, Spalding's Quintilian, & De Wette's Sittenlehre; --as also Rosenmueller's ifwt. of Interpretation. -- the Camoos I hope also to send in the next box; --the Golius will not be ready at least under two years. Winer's Simonis was justout as I came away, -- I could not get it bound in season to send then, --it will go when I return to Halle. Gesenius had looked at it, & thought that in comparison with it he had no reason to be ashamed of his own new edition. the translation of this latter into Latin is going on, --but it will hardly be ready in a year, -- I mean the printing. My letters, giving you the interior of the Berlingelehrten must have been long since in your hands. I regard Neander as by far the most important man there or perhaps ingermany, --I mean in reference to the course of evangelical religion. He has far more judgment & fineness of character than Tholuck, --^though not his giftof tongues, nor that affable familiarity of intercourse which distinguish the latter. in what I have before said of Hengstenberg, I have never found reason to make any change, --there seems to me a want of large & liberal views, and adogmatical positioning in his opinions, which is any thing but pleasant. He reads no English, so that it would be useless to send him any of your works; the same is the case with Winer. There is some ----- New Page ----- probability that he will leave Berlin & return to Bonn, --at least such a thing was talked of but the good people of Berlin are so give n to talking, thatone never knows what to believe or to expect. I cannot help thinking that their religion is somewhat iibertreiben & approaches somewhat mysticism. they believe notonly in actual possessions at the present day, but also in visions, dreams, ….nings [?], etc., so that poor Hodge, who happened to dream a few days before he left Berlin that his child had fallen in the fire was quite terrified; -- indeed Hehad become infected to a considerable degree with the same views.--the Kirchenzeitung does not by any means answer the expectations which I at first formed of it, --nor will it ever be brought up to the character you wish. It is not the intention of its editors to make it adapted either to the learned nor to the unlearned, but to strike a middle course. only about 800 hundred copies of it are yet distributed. the most interesting parts of [it] as yet have been the letters of correspondents, giving information respecting the state of religion in different countries. Tholuck's present journey to Rome & residence there will probably enable him tofumis h interesting articles. --the editors are all high toned royalists, & staunch defenders of the dependence of the church on the state, -- & one of themtold me He meant to write an article on that subject. they loo k with a sortof contempt, --^not indeed expressed, --onthe constitutionof our American church, & prophesy early ruin & downfall, because there is there no royal hand to support religion. --^Neander is the reverse of all this, & combats manfully in the cause of religion as well as civil freedom & toleration. Hengstenberg, if he could have his will, would tolerate nothing which did not exactly square with his own creed. When I left Halle, all remained then in status quo. Gesenius was reading Heb. antiquity, just like De Wette's, & an extract from his comm. on Isaiah with fuller verbal criticism. Tholuck's place is supplied by a young man, Bohmer, from Greifswald, who reads church history, & is a particular friend of Neander. in Leipzig I called onRosenmueller; he is now working on his writingsof Solomonwhich will soon go to press, --^the continuation of his Alterthumskunde, viz., Nat. Hist, which lies still for the present; -- & nothing has yet appeared of his Compendium. in Dresden I spent a fortnight with the family of my Braut. --making in the mean time an excursion to the Saxon Switzerland, which interested me not less than when I saw it first. The literary men of Dresden were all verreist. I had hoped to see Ammon,' * but in vain. I accompanied the family to Topli z & spent 5 days there, on one of which we made an excurison on the Elbe from Lobositz to Aussig, --^the banks are lofty, picturesque & romantic, --equal I think to the finest ports of the Danube. --Prof. Yates of Schenectady is my ----- New Page ----- travelling companion. we left Topli z about a week since, & came over the celebrated baths, Carlsbad & Eger; -- the former has a very romantic situation, more so than Topli z though the remoter environs are not so beautiful; the latter lies in the midstof a bald & somewhat barren region. Carlsbad is the most visited of all the Bohemian waters, --Topli z almost as much & Eger comparatively little. This city is historically remarkable, as the closing scene of Wallenstein's career. in the old citadel stands a remarkable tower, said to have been built by the Romans; --^what is singular about it is that it is built wholly of huge blocks of black lava! I am not aware that lava is found nearer than Italy. Between Eger & Baireuth [Bayreuth] we pass the highest ground N. of the Danube, --^within a very short distance of each other are there the sources of the Eger, which runs off east to the Elbe in Bohemia, --of the Saale which runs north to the Elbe near Magdeberg, --of the Main e which flows W. to the Rhin e at Frankfurt, -- & of the Na l [?] which runs S. to the Danube near Ratisbon. Baireuth itself lies in a beautiful valley, & is a still city of 14,00 inhabitants. Thence to Erlangen, we travelled through a romantic & beautiful valley resembling in some parts those of the Saxon Switzerland, & visited on the way the celebrated caverns of Maggendorf, --^which however are not so important as I expected. Erlangen lies in the midstof a somewhat sandy plain, with 11,000 inhabitants, & except its university has notone earthly thing to detain the traveller. of course, my first enquiry was after Winer ; -- I sent a billet to him to know when I might call upon him ; --he came himself immediately to me, & did not let me come near his house the whole time, I suppose out of politeness, but I would rather have seen him in his study. I was utterly disappointed in his appearance. He is rising of 40, with reddish hair, small eyes, very bad teeth, red beard, rather full & very commonfeatures, & an expression which I cannot call otherwise than mean. He speaks rapidly & well & seems to love to hear himself talk. One thing was to me very striking, --^he asked men o questions, director indirect, about America! I have never before met a German & especially the literary man, who was not full of enquiries about the state of things among us, our institutions, etc. etc. Winer was very polite & kind, & seemed flattered by my visit. He laboured 3 years on Simonis & says he has entirely changed the work, --he bitterly refers to having undertaken it, which he did at the requestof the bookseller, who wished to supply England & France. He is now at work on a supplementary vol. of his N. T. grammar, -- & hopes for a new edition in order to incorporate the whole together in one continued work. He does not now meddle with Hebrew, & knows very little of the other dialects, --of Arabic nothing. He would be glad to publish a Hermeneutik, but has not now leisure; --he would separate that of the O. T. from that of the New ; because he says they agree in nothing except the first principle. After having seen W., I cannot believe him a great man, nor a man of genius, --^yet he seems ardent, & has affected much in waking a spiritof study. Ruckart [Ruckert?], the Orientalist, has much more the look of ----- New Page ----- a man of genius, which he really is. in his exegesis of the O. T. however, he handles the text just as he would an Arabic poem, & spends his strength in an artificial literal translation. the library at Erlangen has about 90,000 vols. Erlangen is the only Protestant University of Bavaria; & is principally supplied with students from the protestants of the country. There are Christ off riedrich von Ammon(1766-1850), preacher to the court in Dresden. 99 about 400 students, of whom some 250 are theological, -- & there are more than enough to supply all the openings in Bavaria. the whole population of the kingdom is rising of 3 millions, of which one third are protestant. the university receives little aid from the govemment, as all the royal favor is at present tumed upon the new catholic university in Munich . we expect to leave in a few hours for Stuttgard & Tubingen, thence to Heidelberg & so over Mannheim, Worms, Maynz, & down the Rhine to Bonn, Cologne etc. thence to Cassel, if possible by way of Eisner & Marburg, then to Gottingen & so over the Harz mountains back to Halle about the 1" of August. Abou t that time, if God wills, I shall be married & setoff immediately with my wife for Switzerland, & the north of Italy; --my present purpose is to return to Paris for the winter. I see that I have written in such haste, as to omit saying anything of this city, Niimberg. It is much sunk from its former splendor as a Reichsstadt, -- has now only 36,000 inhabitants instead of 90,000, & its trade is at an end. the appearance of the city is antique, --but the buildings are good, & were in their day splendid. Please to present my most affectionate remembrance to your family & all friends. Affectionately & gratefully yours, E. Robinson ----- New Page ----- Halle, August 5, 1828 Rev & Dear Sir My last letter to you was dated July 7* at Numberg; since then I have had the pleasure of receiving yours of May 20 * at Bonn, as also one from Mr. Farrar, informing me that he expected to send me in August $1000 for the purchase of books during my residence in Europe. I should wish to be more explicitly informed whether among these are to be reckoned the books which I have already bought; -- or whether I am still to expend the thousand dollars. will you have the goodness to give me the necessary information on this subject? --from Breitkopf & Hartel I have nofurther intelligence --^their assurance was that the type should be ready as soon as possible. From Numberg we continued our journey over Ansbach, Diimpelbiihl [?] & Ebwangen[?] to Stuttgard; and from Stuttgard made an excursion to Tubingen. I had letters to Steudel, the son-in-law of Bengel, who is in fact the only man of note now there, --but he was absent at a bathing place in Switzerland. I found there young Tauchniz from Leipzig, who is now pursuing theological studies there, --he is a very intelligent & interesting, as well as pious, young man, was extremely kind & polite & gave me much information. He intends tofinish his theol. course, though he does not expect to become a preacher; so far as I could learn from his conversation it seems to be his purpose to act as a sortof agent in awakening ingermany a spirit of active Christian exertion. --Besides Steudel there are 3 theol. professors, all young men recently appointed, one of these evangelical in his sentiments, the others not so. the Kingdom of Wiirtenburg makes more provision for the thorough education of its clergy than any other country. There is in the university a Seminarium, as it is called, in which 200 young men, members of the university, & destined to be preachers, are entirely supported by the govemment. they are chosen at about 12 years of age out of the common 100 Gymnasia and sent to the primary theological schools, of which there are 4 in the kingdom, --here they remain 4 years, & are then sent to the university, where they remain 5 more--s o that for 9 years the govt maintains them, & trains them for their profession, & from these the churches are mostly supplied. ----- New Page ----- It is obvious, of course, that personal piety can have nothing to do in the case, -- & that the boys devote themselves merely to a profession. There are in Tubingen about 900 students, of whom about 500 are theological, viz., of Protestants, 200 in the Seminary & about 110 who study on their own expense; about 150 in a similar Catholic Seminarium, & a few others. Mr. F. describes the clergy of Wurtenberg ingeneral as cold & inclining to rationalism; among the people however there is more of the life of religion, & meetings for social prayer are frequent, --what in the north of Germany is very rare. --at Stuttgard I had wished to have seen Susskind, who is now court preacher there, & has general charge of the theological schools, --but I had no letter to him (I had hoped to getone from Steudel) & our stay was so short, that I was obliged to omit it. He is described as meaning to be orthodox in sentiment, but cold & afraid of mysticism. Tubingen lies on a steep ridge on the bank of the Neckar, which is here a small stream winding thro' a rich valley. the city is old & mean, & steep & filthy. Stuttgard lies in a basin surrounded by hills covered with vineyards. the distance between the two is 15 miles --^without exception the most hilly road I ever travelled, -- & none of the hills less than a mile in ascent. from Stuttgard we came along the valley of the Neckar over Heilbronn to Heidelberg; & there the rich & splendid valley of the Rhone atonce burst upon us. the impression which Heidelberg & its fine old ruins, & the Rhine valley made upon us was still stronger than before. Here was the first spot where I struck my former route, & I could not help contrasting my present feelings with those with which I then saw Heidelberg, -- a stranger also, unacquainted with the language & customs. I saw again Schwarz, Umbreit & Schlosser; the first is a very excellent & amiable old man, & received me like a parent. Umbreit I like better in conversation than in his books. Paulus was absent, but I saw him afterwards in Wiesbaden; he has failed much within the 2 years since I saw him. from Heidelberg we walked thro' the beautiful gardens at Schwetzinger & so to Mannheim ; --here I had always heard that Danach died, & I spent several hours in endeavouring to ascertain where he was buried; --but not an individual knew of any such occurrence, & no such death was recorded in any of the church books. from Main z to Bon n we took the steamboat, & were [?] thro' the celebrated scenery of the Rhin e at the rate of 10 miles an hour. I cannot say that the scenery answered my expectations, --altho ' I am not disappointed; --it is rich, beautiful, & romantic in the highest degree, --but not grand. the only point which approaches to grandeur is the Drad- ----- New Page ----- enfels, just above Bonn, -- a steep, craggy, pointed cliff, surmounted by a ruined castle. There are many such ruins along the river, which add much to the romance of the scenery, tho' in themselves they are mostly unimportant. ingrandeur, the scenery of the Rhin e has no comparison with that of the Hudson, --in richness & beauty it surpasses it. at Bon n I saw Freitag [Freytag], Gieseler, W. Schlegel, Nitzsch, & some others. Niebuhr has been absent the whole summer in Holstein. Freitag seems about 37, is short & thick, lives 1 % miles or more out of the city, & walks in every moming & lectures at 6 o'clock. I was not pleased with him as a man; he seems disinterested with every thing, & both jealous & envious of all the orientalists except Dr. Sacy, & unhandedly self conceited & vain. the Hinasa is nearly completed, & he has prepared an Arabic Chrestomathy for beginners, which he does not mean to print till his edition of Lockman n is sold. Schlegel is also vain & ostentatious as a butterfly,--although he has done so very much for elegant [?] literature ingermany. with 101 Gieseler I was much pleased; there is a vivacity & energy & strength about him quite uncommoningermany. Nitzsch is an amiable pleasant man; --Sack was on a journey. Nitzsch shewed me a book just published by Pusey, an Englishman, who spent a year in Berlin & Bonn. I heard of him in Berlin, where every one spoke well of him. the book is intended as an antidote to Rose's Sermons, contains a letter from Sack, & then an historical view of the German theology. the author speaks of the Mss. of a friend, which he had used; -- I very much suspect that this Ms. is the "Heft" of Tholuck, --^the Hist, of religion in the last century, which he read here last winter, & which Hodge translated & sent home for his Repertory. Pusey has evidently made much use of it, for the style & manner of his book are altogether German. Nitzsch said the book was good, & with some small exceptions correct. We visited Cologne, & admired the old unfinished cathedral, which stands there as a splendid min, a monumentof the vastness & grandeur of the Gothic style; --thence over Elberfeld & Cassel to Gottingen. At Cassel I had an introduction to Grimm, the grammarian, who is an acquaintance & friend of my future wife. I had expected to see an old man, covered with the dust & lumber of learning, & was therefore somewhat surprised to find a man in the prime of life, some 40 years old, with the air & warmt h of a gentleman, and an expression of more ----- New Page ----- downright, plainhearted kindness & cordiality, than I have elsewhere found. his great work in 2 vols, sent in the last boxes of books; --he is now at work on the continuation, as his plan is not yet complete. from him I learned what I did not know before, or had forgotten, --^that the Angl o Saxon language was only one of the many kindred dialects of the north of Germany; and that the English differs from it not more thandoes the Piatt Deutsch of the present day. I had supposed that the present Piatt & the Angl o Saxon were originally the same. At Gottingen I saw Heeren, Liicke, Ewald, and others. Blumenbach, whom I had hoped once more to meet, was absent at a bath. Ewald is a young slender man of 23 or 24, with a pleasant amiable countenance, who will probably soon work himself to death; --^he has recently published on the Apocalypse, a book which Reiche, another young Professor & Exeget, told me was only a second edition of Eichhom,-- & Ewald told me that the book of Matthew was only a translation of Eichhom. Both of these books will go in the next box. Ewald will publish his Arabic & Syriac Grammars in the course of the next year. (Hupfeldô of Marburg, a scholar of Gesenius, is also publishing a Hebrew Grammar). the place of Eichho m is not filled & Heeren told me would not be, but they would wait for Ewald. I had a long & quite interesting conversation with Liicke, who pleased me more than any other theologian I have met with, except Neander & Tholuck; --he has not perhaps as much fervor as the latter, but also far less of a philosophical & allegorical tendency, & his views coincide much more with those which we have been accustomed to cherish. He seems really to wish to labour & to be labouring for the cause of evangelical religion, goes stilly & quietly, but so far as I could judge faithfully to work, and seems to be making a good impression. Bialloblotsky on the other hand by rushing on headlong, regardless of consequences, only caused an uproar & was sent away from the university; I was told that he had gone to England, & was to be sent to Malta, either as assistantor successor to Dr. Jowett. Liicke regretted very much that he could not publish a new edition of his commentary onJohn, -- or at leastof the 1" part, in which he wishes to make many changes, --but said very justly that Tholuck's book without being at all satisfactory, just cut him off from any such hope. He spoke of Tholuck kindly & Hermann Hupfeld (1796-1866), who became the successor to Gesenius at Halle, never completed this grammar. Affectionately, & of his book just as you do. There are now two Americans at Gottingen, -- the younger Amory of Boston, who is attending theological lectures, & expects to remain still 8 ----- New Page ----- years in Europe, --and a son of Com. Puble [Preble?] from Portland, who had just arrived & expects to remain ing. thro' the winter. Mr. Spack had been at Gottingen a few weeks before & Amory accompanied him to Leipzig by way of Halle. He was not able to make any arrangement in Leipzig for his book, butonhis return to Gottingen entered into an agreement with Prof. Saulefeld, who is to translate & publish the work -- the Washington papers. We rode from Gottingen to Osterode & thence made the Harz journey on foot, over Clausthal, where we visited the lead & silver mines & descended 775 feet under the surface of the earth; --^the greatest depth is 1660. Thence to Goslar & so to the summi tof the Brocken. the view from here is very extensive & panoramic, --but at the same time indefinite, --the whole makes an impression, but not the particular parts. The mountain is only about 3500 feet in height, but it stands so perfectly isolated, that it is subject to all possible winds & changes of weather. on the N., the E. & the W. there is no other land by any means so high on the continent, except in Norway, -- & on the S. none nearer than the ….[?] of Bohemia. we descended thro' the Ilsen valley to Ilsenburg, & so over Wemigerod e to Blankenberg, visiting on the way Baumann's Cave, -- a much larger & finer one than those near Erlangen. not far from Blankenburg is the Rosstrappe, --the most striking point in the whole Harz. It is where the Bode, a small stream breaks through the mountain & finds a way out into the plain, forming a very narrow chasm through the granite rock of 1 % miles or more long, & from 500 to 600 feet high, --more wild, desolate, & savage than any thing I have seen, unless it be the chapel of ice near Salzburg & there the scenery was not more wild, but more sublime. --Thence we came to Alexisbad near Hazgerode & so over Eisleben, back (on the 1 " instant) to Halle. In Halle the principal event during my absence has been the death of the worthy & venerable Niemeyer, after 2 strokes of the apoplexy at an interval of 8 days. He was not a great man nor a decided man, --but a good man & kind and exemplary in all the numerous relations in which he stood to society. As Director of the Orphanhouse he will be succeeded by his son-in-law. Prof. Jakobs; -- as to his other places, that of Kanzler will probably cease, as it was a mere title; --Marks will probably become Prof, ordinarius, --whether another will be called is uncertain.*" Gesenius would be glad to have De Wette come here, but thinks there is no hope, altho' he means to propose it. He says the King is too much embittered against hi mever to permit it. I hope to send off in the course of a week another box of books, --for both libraries. among them will be Winer's Simonis, and 2 copies of the new edition of Gesenius' small Heb. lexicon, --containing as ----- New Page ----- yet only the lexicon, the preface & Register remaining yet to be supplied. It was impossible to get the titles & lists ready for this ship -- 1 shall endeavour to send themto Mr. Farrar by the nextor next butone, at any rate before the box shall reach him. Gesenius is just finishing also the 9* ed. of his Schoolgrammar, & is going immediately to work on a new edition of his "Geschichte." the Thesaurus in the mean time lies by, --^the translation of the small lexicon is going on. As to myself the time is now near at hand, when with God's blessing, I expect again to enter into the connubial state. the time appointed for our marriage is the 7* instant.--day after tomorrow. I would fair have delayed this letter till after the event, but I would then have Marks was the pastor of the congregation attended by Therese von Jacob and he officiated at her wedding. 103 been too late for the packet. I had hoped too to have had some return fro myou & my Andover friends on this subject, ere this time, but there has been some unaccountable delay in my letters by the ship of July 1, --Mr. Yates received his on the 31 " ultimate but mine are not yet come to hand.--what will be the effectof the step on the happiness & usefulness of my future life, God only knows, --in his hand I commi t myself & mine, -- & hope alsofor the prayers of my friends at home, that the blessing of the most Hig h May rest upon us both, & enable us in all times & places to lead for highest [?] glory & for the good of our fello w men. Affectionate remembrance to your wife & family, & to all friends. with grateful respect, Yours , E. Robinson we setoff almost immediately for Switzerland where you will probably next hear from us. ----- New Page ----- Paris, Oct. 29, 1828 Rev & Dear Sir, My last regular letter to you was sent from Halle on the 5* of August; --since then I have been constantly wandering till within these few days, and under circumstances which rendered the writing of many letters impracticable. Our marriage took place at the time mentioned in my last, viz. the 7* of Aug. --^the ceremony was performed by Prof. Marks, --^who besides being the University preacher is one of the Pastors of the Gemeinde to which my wife belongs. we left Halle 3 days after, en route to Switzerland, --stopping [the] first 3 days at Weimar, the so-called Athens of Germany. It was for us an unfavorable time, as the death of the Grand Duk e had recently taken place, & the accession of the new one necessarily brought with it much hustle and confusion. we were there juston the days when he received the homage of his subjects, -- & consequently the little city was full to overflowing, & all the persons whom we most wished to see were occupied. we had however no reason to complain of want of civility or attention. Goethe was spending the summer at Domburg, a country seat of the Grand Duk e on the Saale, a few miles beyond Jena; -- we made an excursion to Jena, & went from there to visit him. He is now 79 years old, but is yet fresh & vigorous; -- to judge from his appearance onewoul d not think him more than 65. He has left Weimar to avoid the parade & ceremony of the funeral of our Grand Duke--his earliest & almostonl y remaining friend--and the noise and display of the accession of another. He is regularly employed in the correction & revision of the new edition of his works-- & writes occasionally something new; --he rises early ´fe works every day till 2 o'clock. He received us with great kindness; --^my wife remarked that she had never seen him so cheerful & social. He never had the talentof conversation--^there is always about him something distant & reserved so that those who are not intimately acquainted with him-- & even many who are--never feel perfectly at ease in his society. It was remarked by some of his friends that he seems to dread the thoughtof death-- & studiously avoids all conversation on the subject; --the sudden death of his friend & patron seemed to affect him deeply, but he never speaks of it. his life, as you are probably aware, since his Italian journey, has been one of licentiousness; -- until that time, he seems to have felt the imperfection & vanity of earthly things, & to have but longings, like Schiller,-dark indeed, & indefinito for something higher & nobler. In Italy Goethe seems to have become the votary of sen- ----- New Page ----- sual pleasure, & to have sunk into a state of satisfaction with present things. his philosophy indeed teaches him to look on every thing with an eye of content, -- to be satisfied with & enjoying what is, & not to aspire after more. -- at Jena our time fell also most unfortunately--as on that day, all the professors whom 1 wished to see--as Hoffmann, Schott, etc. had gone over to Weimar to present the homage of the University. -- the library at Weimar is not large, but had a more elegant & tasteful local, than any I have seen: the librarian is Riemer. the author of the Greek Lexicon, -- tho' the arrangementof the whole is under the superintendence of Goethe. Riemer went round with us himself, -- his appearance has nothing prepossessing, his countenance is rather miirrisch. but he is learned 105 & has genius, & is also known as a poet. From Weimar tofrankfort we followed the great route, over Erfurth, Gotha, Eisenach, Folda, etc. 1 had letters to Bretschneider at Gotha, but he was abroad on a journey. 1 saw there Frederic Perthes, the bookseller, who resides there, tho' his name lives at Hamburg. He is the publisher of Neander's works, & of Tholuck's later ones -- is a man of liberal, cultivated mind, & something of a theologian. He seems desirous to do all in his powers, thro' the influence of the press, to advance the spirit of evangelical religion & piety. He is considered as one of the most enterprising, extensive & solid publishers of Germany. In Frankfort we staid but a day, & visited the places celebrated for ages in the annals of the German empire, --^the Romer, the cathedral, etc. Those are interesting only through the historical associations connected with them, --in themselves they are mean. we had an introduction to Count Reinhard, the French Ambassador at the diet, a distinguished & hospitable man, & had the pleasure of dining & spending a pleasant evening at his house. -- at Heidelberg we spent two days, the first evening we passed at the house of the simple-hearted & venerable Schwarz, with a large party composed of professors & others, before whom the poet Tieck of Dresden, read Schlegel's version of Hamlet}^ These readings of Tieck are celebrated throughout Germany: at home he has 2 or 3 every week, & when he travels, he is every where besieged with applications tofavor his friends by an exhibition of his talent. in the present case, his reading left nothing to desire, --but 1 was more forcibly struck then ever with the impossibility of translations, --or rather of transferring the spiritof Shakespear even into the German language. the second evening we spent in the family of Paulus, --^the old man is evidently failing, but his conversation is interesting & often striking. His daughter is the wife of W. Schlegel; she left him a few days after their marriage, & has resided ever since with her father. Paulus has recently ----- New Page ----- published the "Life of Jesus," in which, it is said, he has thrown into a popular form his system of rationalism. Schwarz found its influence among the commonpeople; but 1 do not learn that it has been much circulated. -- & the commonpeople ingermany are not a reading people. From Heidelberg we passed over Carlsruhe to Strasbourg, tuming aside to visit Baden, which lies in a romantic situation just within one of those vallies which open upon the Schwarzwald out upon the great plain of the Rhine. Strasbourg is a large & ugly city; but it possesses its cathedral, the finest specimen of the Gothic architecture extant. the front & tower are most splendid--so vast, so grand, & yet so light & airy & elegant; --while in entering the interior, one feels himself overpoweredbythe deep, solemn, almost aweful impression produced by the vastness, the simplicity & the gloo m by which he surrounded. the effectof the painted windows, --^the colored & dusky light admitted by them, is rich ´& imposing in the highest degree. -- Had there been time, I should have visited Schweighausen, tho' without an introduction to him ' --he is now rising of 80, & is said to be exceedingly kind & civil to strangers. It has been our wish to go from Strasbourg over Freiburg to Schafthausen, but the weather became bad, & it was difficult to find a conveyance; so we took the diligence & went to Bale, & arrived there in one day. There we had the pleasure offinding the excellent Mr. Blumhard t ingood health & spirits, -- & the Seminary still flourishing & prosperous. the number of pupils is 44--^the same as 2 years since-- & Mr. B. does not wish to have it increased. Mr. Stier has left, --forgetting the practical, he was running wild & diving into allegorical interpretation. the young man who was engaged by Mr. Rile y to go out as professor to the Johann Ludwig Tieck (1773-1853) German Seminar y at Carlisle is still at Basil, --the arrangement fell through. Mr. B. himself is now engaged in writing a general History of Missions, --beginning from the planting of Ch y [Christianity]: I understood him to say that the first vo l was out, & that the work would consistof several. He seemed to hope that it might be republished in England or America. He staid in correspondence with several friends in America, who send him most of our religious publications, so that he knows much more of us & our proceedings than we do of the proceedings in Basil. From Basil we went to Berne, through the romantic & beautiful valley of Moutier (Miinsterthal) which pierces the range of the Jura--along the little river Brise to its source, & then thro' the Pierre into the valley of Erguel (Immerthal) --^to Bienne & its lake, --famous for the residence of Rousseau upon one of its islands. I cannot say that this lake satisfied my expectations, --onthe W. is the dark range of the Jura mountains, without beauty in their day--^the other shores are low, but richly cultivated. the same character belongs to the lake of Neufschatel, of which that of Bienne is but a sortof continuation. Berne is most delightfully situated, & is one of the most regular & ----- New Page ----- best built cities in Europe, --it lies on a higher pointof land around which the Aar makes an ox bow, --^there are three long streets,--& many shortones crossing these, so that in 5 minutes or less, you pass from the river on one side to the river on the other side; --^the streets are fi-om 100 to 150 ft above that river. There is here a most splendid view of the mountains of the Oberland, i.e. the Jungfrau etc.--distant about 25 miles; -- & at sunsetone enjoys here in its highest perfection the splendid spectacle of "die gliihenden Alpen, " i.e. the bright rosy hue which the ice mountains assume in the beams of the setting sun, like so many vast masses of glowing fire, -- or like the rosy clouds which hang over the horizon at evening. From Berne began our tour of the Alps; we sentour trunks to Geneva & took with us only a small valise with the necessaries of travelling for 3 weeks. I can give you here only one route with some general remarks, -- to describe fully would require several sheets & after all, one can understand & feel n o description without having seen for himself. from Bernew e went to Thun & over the lake to Unterseen & Interlaken; --^this lake is surrounded by lofty mountains, -- & from itone sees in all their majesty the Jungfrau, Monk, and Eiger. Unterseen & Interlaken form properly butone village; --^the situation is delightful, between the lakes of Thun & Brienz & opposite the valley of Lauterbrunn, of which one sees the eternal ice & snows of the Jungfrau. This spot is so beautiful & so convenient for making excursions, that it is usually thronged by the English, --during the summer, there were usually not less than 300 residing there atonce, & is shut in by perpendicular walls-- & diversified by many waterfalls, --amon g which is the far famed Staubbach, 820 ft high. Hence we passed the Wengera Alp, --over against the Jungfrau, -- to Grindelwald. on the way is the nearest & best possible view of the Jungfrau, --rising in all her majesty & sublimity, --lovely & silent as the grave, unless when this dread silence is interrupted by the roar of the avalanches, which are continually falling at short intervals from her sides. at Grindelwal d we saw the first glaciers, --^noises of ice moving gradually down almost precipitous ravines, full of chasms occupied by the breaking of the mass as it passes over the irregular surface of the rocks beneath, -- while the action of the weather etc. converts the upper part into a horrid assemblage of pyramid needles of every form. where the surface of the glacier happens to be more level, these irregularities disappear, & one can walk upon it. many of the glaciers bring down with themvast masses of gravel & rocks, but this is not the case at Grindelwald. the extentof themvaries fro myear to year; --^that of the Rhone, for example, has evidently ice extended at least a % of a mile lower down than it does at present. where the stream reaches out from under them, they sometimes present a superb arch, this is now the case at Grindelwald; --at another time ----- New Page ----- there will be no arch at all, as is now the case at Chamoun y with the source of the Evian, which was formerly so celebrated. Our course from Grindelwald was over the Scheideck [Scheidegg] to Meyringen, --passing in frontof the Wetterhorn, by the romantic baths of Rosen….[?], & along the celebrated Reichenbach, which rushes down this steep descentof several thousand feet in a succession offalls from one to three hundred feet high. These three vallies of Lauterbrunn, Grindelwald & Meyringen are each highly interesting & beautiful, --but each has its own peculiar character different from the others. from Meyringen we ascended the valley, among some of the wildest & most desolate scenery of nature & passed the Grimsel into the head of the valley of the Rhone to the pass of the Fuca [Furka] & by Realp into the singular valley of [?] --^where not a tree and scarce a shrub is seen, -- & where potatoes are raised, --as in other places the vine, --only on the sunny exposure of the hills. Here, at Hospital [Hospenthal], we came upon the great work of St. Gotthard, of which they are now making a carriage road, & which we followed from this valley down to the lake of the 4 cantons, passing the Umerloch. [Unserloch?] & the wild & almost terrific scenery around the devil's bridge, -- & the village of Altdorf--remarkable as the scene of the cruel trial of Tell. the residence of Tell was in the neighbouring village of Burglen, where a chapel now marks the spot formerly occupied by his house. This lake, or the southem part of it, is the most romantic of all, quietly sleeping in the bosom of lofty, ragged, ice-clad mountains. we rowe d along its shores, rendered interesting by many historical recollections, & landing on the spot where Tell sprang on shore & escaped his oppressor, & at Ruthi where the oath offreedom was first taken to Waggis, at the foot of the Rigi, --ascended this mountain & passed a nighton its summit. the view from here is unique; --^this mountain seems a sort of dividing line between winter & summer; --^you have around you a perfect panorama, of which the portion in the N. exhibits the highest rural beauty & the richest cultivation, with the charming lake of Zu g spread out at your feet & 12 others glearning in nearer or remote distance, --while in the S. winter reigns forever among the magnificent forms & the ocean of ice & the eternal snows presented by the Alpin e chain extending from the Jungfrau to the lofty summits of Appenzell. we descended to Kussnach & passed over the lake to Alpnach under the footof Mt. Pilate, & so by Lunge m & Brienz back to Unterseen. the celebrated slide by which the wood of a whole forest was brought down from Mt. Pilate, is no more. --we had been absent from Unterseen 11 days --^two of which we had to lye by, on acct. of bad weather; --^the rest of the time we were highly favored, --as we also were afterwards, while among the mountains. I performed the whole journey ----- New Page ----- on foot, for my wife I took over a horse or mule, though in steep descents every one had to walk. The next great division of our journey was to visit the Savoyen Alps. Passing along the western shore of the Lake of Thun into the valley of the Kander to Kandersteg, we crossed from there the singular & almost frightful pass of the Gemmi to the baths of Lauk (Louische) & into the valley of the Rhone. This pass is one of the most difficult in Switzerland, --as the side toward the Rhone path has been cut into the perpendicular face of the rock, & in looking back after descending, seems utterly incredible & impossible that a passage can exist. the scenery is also wild & desolate in the highest degree. the valley of the Rhone disappointed me.--it is long, straight, and tho ' imbedded in the mountains, has yet a character of monotony. the river itself has here no beauty--it is merely a wild & often desolate mountain torrent, spreading its shallow, bare & gravelly channel over half the valley, and connecting in many parts the other half into morass & quagmire. Add to this the cities, villages, & inhabitants are the most miserable & squalid imaginable, --^the valley swarms with cretins, and few of the inhabitants are without goiters. from Martigny we crossed the Col de Balme to Chamouny. The way is bad & difficult, but in reaching the summit, the vale of Chamoun y lay atour feet & from it arose Mt. Blanc in all his grandeur, glittering in the beauty of the descending sun. the valley is 3200 ft above the sea, & Mt. Blanc rises 11,500 ft form the valley; --but altho' the eye takes in atonce all this altitude, 1 cannot say that the impression of vastness was as great uponmy mind as it has been in viewing mountains offar inferior elevation. Our judgments & impressions in this respect are relative. -- & here all around is on a scale so immense, that what is absolutely vast becomes relatively less imposing. the sharp ragged & irregular summits which shoot up around, --with thick propr….[?] termed needles--give to the whole a most singularly wild & picturesque appearance. next the bottom [of] the ascent is skirted with a dark forestoffirs, thro' which 5 glaciers descend into the valley contrasting strangely with the deep verdure of the woods. the Mer de Glace is merely a long glacier, --it did not please me as much as the one at Grindelwald. On the S. side of Mt. Blanc & parallel to the valley of Chamouny is another valley; --in a direct line the two cannot be more than 4 or 5 miles apart, --but to go from one to the other around the weste m flank of Mt. B. is the work of two days. This we did, & returning over the great pass of the Great St. Bemhard, made the tour around the whole mountain. This southem valley is more horridly desolate than any thing I have seen. Mt. B. which is on the N. side rises gradually & is covered with snow, is here an almost perpendicular mass of naked ragged rock,--except where, from its chasms, descend glaciers more frightful & devastating than are else where to be found. Further down, the valley becomes green & beautiful, & after a few miles nothing can exceed the magnificence of its verdure & the richness of its cultivation. -- It so happened that we ascended the last stage of St. Bemhard & arrived at the convent ----- New Page ----- late at evening in the clear beams of the full moon, -- & the impression of this moonlight journey among these wild scenes will never be [?] from my mind. This convent is for the reception of travellers, & is kept by 12 Augustins, --^we saw but 2, --bot h well informed, & exceedingly kind & hospitable in their demeanour. the celebrated race of large dogs, which are so serviceable in rescuing travellers from the snow in winter still exists. we descended to Martign y & came by the Fete noir again to Chamouny, & thence to Geneva. My visit to Geneva fell in some respects at an unfortunate time, --or rather I was able to profit very little by my visit in acquiring information relative to the existing state of things there. after 3 % weeks of violent exercise a few days of repose brought with themgreat lassitude ´& languor; then too it was vacation in the Seminary, & professors & pupils were absent. Mr. Markus was also abroad ona journey, after having retumed from Scotland where he goes every summer. Mr. Gaussin lives some distance out of town, so that in fact I saw there no one. At Chamouny we met with Mr. Bassetone of the pastors of Geneva, who was there with 4 pupils, & who made with us the tour of Mt. Blanc. He is an admirable & intelligent man, & said he was an intimate acquaintance & friend of [paper to m] they did not agree in sentiment. Partly from this information he gave me, --but more from that which 1 obtained from Mr. Blumhard t at Bale-- I am disposed to think that some misapprehension has existed in America respecting things at Geneva. the Moniers would seem really to have gone beyond the limits of entire prudence, --^while Malan stands alone, a high-toned ultra-calvinist & presbyterian of the ultra Scotch School,** --associating neither with the Moniers nor with the churches. Meanwhile Mr. Gaussin, Gautier, Peschian [?], & others remain regular members of the church, & preach evangelically without fear or molestation. This restriction is, -- & that is concern to all the ministers of Geneva, --^that they shall not preach personally against each other, -- & it was because he would not assent to this that Malan left there; -- this last is the statementof Mr. Basset. It had been our plan to go from Geneva by the Simplon to Milan & return by the Splugen & the N. E. of Switzerland to Strasbourg, & so to Paris. the season, however, was now so far advanced (Oct. 1.) the days so short for travelling, & the weather to cold & rainy, that we concluded to give up this part of our plan & came directly to Paris. we wished to have come quickly from Geneva, but the diligences were taken up for a week; -- so we took the steamboat for Lausanne & thence over Berne to Zurich & Schaffhausen, thence over Freiburg to Strasbourg. In the fall of the Rhine I expected to be disappointed, & therefore, perhaps, it exceeded my expectations. At Freiburg I called at the house ----- New Page ----- of Hug, but he was absentona journey. from Strasbourg we took the coupe of the diligence as far as Chalons sur Mame, & thence the Malleporte to Paris, arriving here at 4 o'clock in the moming of Oct. 13, --after a very unpleasant & fatiguing ride of 3 days & 3 nights. I was in hopes to have found here letters fromyou, --as the date of the last which I have read fi-omyou is May 20. the ship of Oct 1 has arrived at Harve, but the letters are not yet here, --perhaps she May bring me something. I must confess, I long to be at home & at work. of course I have long since given up any idea of visiting Palestine, --the state of that country is a sufficient reason, were there no other. Italy I could see only slightly, -- & the mere cursory seeing of it is not to be setoff against the time, expense, & other unpleasant circumstances. Here in Paris, 1 have as yet seen scarcely any one except Americans. the lectures commence next week, --^when I shall attend those of de Sacy & some others. Mr. Wilkes is at present abroad in England. the American service has dwindled to nothing in his hands --only 4 or 5 Americans regularly attend. were it not for giving up all those objects for which I have been preparing myself, & changing my whole course of life & study, I should almost be disposed to remain here & take charge of that service, & endeavour at the same time to establish & carry on a regular system of correspondence between the Christians of America, France, Germany & England. 1 have no doubt a person might in this way be instrumental of great good, --but for me, it would be sacrificing all that I have yet lived for. Oct. 30*. the letters by the ship of Oct. 1 have arrived, but there is none fromyou. Mr. Edwards has been here for a fortnight, & brought me the avails of $1000 from Mr. Farrar, amounting to 5106 francs. Breitkop f & Hartel have written to me that they forwarded the type to Messrs. Delius on the 25 * of July, --as no money has been sent me to pay their bill, I must for the present employ part of the thousand dollars for that purpose. 1 enclosed a copy of the bill. -- I have picked up here a copy of Reinferd Svntagum de Stvlon. T [?], which I could not find ingermany. ----- New Page ----- I have, as yet, no accountof the arrival of the small Hebrew type, of the box of books from Berlin, nor of the 3 boxes from Halle. kind remembrance to all. Affectionately and respectfully, E. Robinson Forwarded by Your (?) Henry Edward Paris Oct 30 1828 ----- New Page ----- Paris, Jan. 30, 1829 Rev. & Dear Sir, Your welcome letter of Dec. reached me early in January, having had a passage of 16 days from N..Y. to Havre, --^the shortest yet known between those ports. I cannotof course look for another letter by the packetof Jan. 1., which arrived at Havre on the 28, --thoug h the letters by her are not yet received here. when 1 see how every one at home is busy, 1 long to be there also & at work ; but when that time will come. He only knows, who ruleth over all. in the mean time, I try to do as much as I can here; but Paris is a poor place for a stranger to study in. There are so many things which a stranger wishes to see once, -- & which he must see now or never, --^that many interruptions necessarily arise, & months glide off before one is aware of their passage. Still I have done, --not indeed as much as I wished, --but perhaps more than 1 anticipated. I have therefore attended regularly the course in vulgar Arabic; and also De Sacy's recitations on his Chrestomathy & the Koran ; --^though in the latter, his remarks being almost wholly grammatical 1 get little information beyond what is contained in the notes of Sale; --and in the former, instead of having all his pupils read the same passages, he lets themread where they please, so that there are at present 3 different courses in the Chrestomathy; --the consequence is thatone must either prepare for all, or lose all benefit from hearing the other two. Of the literary men I have not seen a great deal in private. De Sacy is of course always occupied, & his hour for calls is 9 o'clock in the moming-- a most inconvenient hour indeed for Paris, especially when one lives at the distance of 1 % miles. Kieffer I have seen much more of, --onhi m one can call at any time, & my intercourse has been easier with him, because he is an Alsacen & speaks German. He was 11 years in Constantinople & 3 years shut up in prison, i.e. during the whole time of Bonaparte's Egyptian expedition. These 3 years he reckons among the most pleasant & profitable of his life, as he was able to devote himself exclusively to oriental study. He was originally a theologian and seems to possess a truly meek & Christian spirit, tho' I believe he does not stand perhaps in ----- New Page ----- Mr. Wilkes' catalogue. He has assisted me materially in purchasing books, -- & that of his own accord; & sends as a present to the library his translation of the Bible into Turkish, and also the Bible in Armenian, printed here in Paris, i.e. in the ancientor sacred dialect, & also in the modern dialect, -- in parallel columns, % the modern being on the right hand. -- Caussin de Percival, fils, was several years in Constantinople & Syria; he is now publishing a Lexicon of the vulgar Arabic in French, which was prepared by an Egyptian who died here in Paris; it will be comprised of 2 small quarto vols, and will appear, as he told me, in a month or two. I shall leave a commission to have that and the 4* vol. of De Sacy's Chrestomathy, & a few other books sentout from here to Boston so soon as they appear. Through Prof. Kieffer it will hereafter be easy to learn the value of works which appear here, & obtain those which may be wanted. Along with this letter goes one to Mr. Farrar, containing a list of books which 1 have purchased here to the amountof $300, & which Mr. Edwards is so good as toforward direct to Bostonalong with his own goods. my firstobject was to purchase all the oriental works & works on oriental literature which have been published here, especially all those of De Sacy; -- & then to take such others as presented, & which I could not get better ingermany. For this reason 1 have bought here Niebuhr's Journey [Reisen in Arabien] of which 1 could never find a copy before, & which costs as much ingermany as I gave here.** the edition of Jablonsky is also high, --but it was printed in Holland & I have not seen a copy for sale elsewhere. So with Meninsky, & several others. the works in modern Greek were all recommended to me by those as the best. --the Hamasa & other Arabic works published ingermany can be bought much better there, where I have a discount of 1 franc on each Thaler, while here they demand a franc advance oneach Thaler--^that is to say, there is a difference of 50 percent. the probability now is that I shall spend the summer principally ingermany, & could then devote the time & attention necessary to seek out & purchase the most important works, -- & not merely take as heretofore such as have come to hand without much seeking. for this reason 1 hope Mr. Farrar will decide that the $1000 is in addition to my former commission of $200 a year. ----- New Page ----- It is our present intention to leave here, [?] in about a fortnight for Italy, by way of Lyons, Mon t Cenis [?], Turin, Genoa, Pisa (& perhaps Leghom), Florence, & Rome, where we hope to arrive sufficiently early to make an excursion to Naples before the holy week. After the holy week, i.e. about April 20 we wish to leave Rome for Bologna, Venice, Milan, & so over the Splugen & the eastem part of Switzerland,by Augsburg, Numberg, etc. to Halle, where we hope to arrive in the latter part of May. my next letter to you will therefore probably be from Florence, or perhaps from the "Eternal City." we shall probably remain some months in Halle; & if we go to America in the autumn, we shall probably not visit England. we May perhaps find it expedient to remain the winter in Europe, -- & in that case I should certainly take up the Geography. So … [paper tom] thing also must depend on the state of things at home. Should I be called to some definite situation,& thus have some definite object of preparation before me, I May perhaps accomplish more for a time ingermany than at home. I will not deny that the Hellenistic Greek would be more congenial to my studies & habits than Eccl. History, --^tho' the latter would not necessarily tear me awa y from all my former pursuits. at any rate it would be pleasant, if there could be something definite in the subject, that 1 might better know what to do & where to direct my efforts. if I know my own heart, my only wish is to labour in that part of the great vineyard where my humble talent May be tume d to the greater account; --and wherever that may be, --^wherever the Lord has need of me, --^thither, no doubt, he will tell me. -- Should I remain fixed at Andover, 1 have many works projected, enough tofill up the remainder of life, after the claims of public duty should have been satisfied. in any other, or in mostother situations, they would probably remain unexecuted, because the motiv e & especially the means, would in a great measure be taken away. my wife thanks you for your kind assurances on her behalf, & sends her love to Mrs. Stuart. Remember me also to her most affectionately, & to all other friends. Affectionately & respectfully. Yours, Edw. Robinson ** Carsten Niebuhr (1733-1815) accompanied a Danish expedition to Arabia in 1761 and was the only member of the group to survive. 115 ----- New Page ----- Ship Rev. Moses Stuart Prof. in the Theol. Sem.(?) Andover Massachusetts 72 Eold Bonanaffe(?) ----- New Page ----- *' C^sar Henri Abraham Malan (1787-1864) [The following letter is chronologically misplaced in the volume. It appears after the letter dated 30 Jan. 1829] Paris, Dec. 13*, 1828 Rev. & Dear Sir, My last letter was dated from this place on the 29* of October, but the date of your last to me still remains May 20*. 1 had hoped that the vacation would perhaps have afforded you leisure to write; but as the ship of Nov. 15, which arrived in 17 days, brought me no letters, & the term must then have been already begun, 1 have been compelled to abandon also that hope. in the mean time 1 learn what is going on at Andover only through the medium of the New York papers & the advertisements of Booksellers, etc. by which I find that the new edition of your grammar is completed as also the small lexicon of the Gibbs, -- & that the case of Dr. M. is at last before the Sup. Court.** when 1 read of your library projects & results, I long to be at home, lending a helping hand; --when 1 hear of the proceedings in relation to Dr. M., 1 cannot but rejoice that 1 have neither part nor lot in the matter, --^though, as it is now removed from Andover, the chief source of excitement must be over. I wrote by the last ship to Mr. Farrar giving him specific information of the shipment etc. of the four boxes of books sent from Halle in June & Aug. --^Mr. Edwards placed at my disposal the avails of $1000, which Mr. F. sentout by him to me for the purchase of books; --I have forwarded to Germany enough to pay for all the books yet bought; --and also the amountof the new order for types. 1 think 1 have already mentioned that the types were sentoff from Leipsic [sic] July 25; --^the amountof their bill is Rth. 142.16 ggr. Prussian Courant. [?] = about $103 % --which, as said above, 1 have paid out of the $1000 sent to purchase books. you spoke of sending money specially for thatobject: -- besides, this, there remains $1325, which I advanced over & above the $150 which you sentout last year. --when I wrote to Mr. Farrar there were one or two items in the bill, of which I did not then know the amount, viz. Winer's Simonis Rth. 3.17, and the Box, etc., Rth. 2.20 = = 6.13g = $4.72. -- will you have the goodness to mention this to him? As to the purchase of books, I shall probably let it mostly alone till my return to Germany next spring. Here in Paris they are comparatively much dearer. Still there are occasionally old books to be found at reasonable prices. I saw a few days since a fine copy of the Quiss Polyglott, for which 250 fr = $50 was demanded; --^ I presume it May be had for less, & if so I shall probably buy it. at any rate, I think to purchase all the works which have been published here in or relative to the oriental languages- ----- New Page ----- more especially those of De Sacy. He is how publishing a 4 * book of his Chrestomathy or rather a separate volume --in anthology. There is said also to be an Arabic & French dictionary in the press, but I do not know the particulars, --^though 1 presume it is a hasty work, intended to supply the present intolerable deficiency, until the work offreytag shall be completed. There is no Golius to be found, & the price which has long been the standing one here is 400 fr. Woolsey boughtone in England for 300. ingermany the usual price has been about 100. --for Meninsky's Lexiconin 4 large fol. vols, the price here is 60 fr. The reference is to James Murdoch. You will expect me to say something of the schools here; and as they are now all in full operation, 1 can gratify you as to the externals; --^though 1 am not yet sufficiently acquainted with the men, or their history & characters to give much of the internal. to enable you to judge for yourself, I enclose the Programme of the Sorbonne & also of the Coll. de France, as printed for the students by a bookseller. I also send here with, to the care of G. M. Lacy of N. Y. to be forwarded to you, the large affiche of the Coll. de France, & also that of the School of oriental languages; --^the former was given me by De Sacy, the latter I tore down from the wall of the library, which will account for its colour & appearance. 1 have also tried, but unsuccessfully, to obtain those of the Sorbonne. The first which opened was the Sorbonne; here are 4 faculties: Law, Theology, Sciences, & Letters. of the first 1 know nothing, & of the second not much more, --^there are 5 professors, who read in Latin; but their names 1 have never before heard of, & 1 have not as yet been able to attend any of their lectures, --as this really opened only Dec. 1. Tha tof Sciences is composed of such men as L e Croix, Theraud [?], Curie, etc. but the first & last usually read by a substitute. Theraud lectures twice a week, & is I think the most elegant lecturer 1 have yet seen; his room is always thronged. He lectures also at the Coll. de France, & at the polytechnic school. in the faculty of letters the most prominent men at present are Villemain [?], Cousin, Griegot [?]; --the former in French Eloquence etc. the second in the Histor y of Philosophy, & the latter in Mod. History: --^they lecture this winter butonce a week, in the largest hall of the Sorbonnewhich is crowded to excess for an hour beforehand. they are all ultra liberal in politics, & the tw oformer were silenced by the former administrator; this, together with their real merit renders it all the tonto rush to their lectures. Cousin has been long ingermany & is endeavouring to form an eclectic system out of those of Germany & the materialism offrance. while these have such an immense audience, most of the others in this faculty lecture to empty benches. the lectures are all public; --^the only requisition is that with ----- New Page ----- faculties of La w & of Sciences one must take a ticket, which is given gratis, & is intended only to prevent too great a crowd. The college de France is near the Sorbonne, --the courses & professors you will see on the Affiche; all are entirely public. the most of the lectures on the oriental languages are given onMondays, Thursdays., & Fridays, --C. de Percival onArabic at 8; De Sacy, Persian at 9; Kieffer, Turkish at 10; Abel-Remusat, Chinese at 11; Quatremere, Hebrew at 12, etc. --^these are all in the same room. It is a matter of course that the number of learners is small, generally from 8 to 20. It is a perfectly familiar recitation where there is a text book, or a lecture withou tone. I have as yet attended there only some of the lectures of Kieffer & A, Remusat. Kieffer is heavy & uninteresting; A. Remusatonthe contrary has so much vivacity, & so much genuine enthusiasm, & is so perfectly au fait with his subject, & so clear withal, that 1 have been much interested; --of course I attend here chiefly as an exercise in French. The oriental School is at the library, a good mile & a half from the College; it is confined solely to the living tongues. There are 8 chairs, --one of them is archaeology, of which the course is not yet begun; & that of Hindustanee has lately been founded, --partly as is said to make [gap because of tear in paper] for Garcia de Sassy [?]; --his appointment has been attacked in a pamphlet, on the grounds that a [gap in the paper] language, which has little or nor literature cannot well be taught as a living language [by a] Professor who has never heard it spoken; -- 1 have seen the pamphlet but don't know the author or the value of it. The American course is not yet begun, nor the Turkish, -- Mr. Jaubert having just been sentoff by the govt as an agentona mission to Constantinople. the younger Caussin de Percival, who lectures onVolgar Arabic has resided in Syria, & is said to be tres fort: he divides his lessons; from 12 to 1 he hears the Arab. Nights recited, & from 1 to 2 goes through with the elements of grammar, using constantly the black board, as do all of them. all the lessons here are 2 hours long. De Sacy has 3 courses for the difft. days -- on Tuesdays his Chrestomathy, at pleasure; Thursdays the Koran, & Saturdays, at present, Hariri, but he wishes to have the Hamasa. There are 7 or 8 who attend on Tuesdays & Thursdays; -- onSaturdays there are only 3, who are sufficiently advanced to read fluently the text & commentary of the Hariri. He sits by the table & we all sit around him ; He makes us read & translate in turn, & makes remarks & gives illustrations as occasion arises; --the whole is perfectly familiar & every one asks what questions he pleases. -- 1 perceive no great peculiarity of pronunciation here different from that ingermany except in the Ain, which both de S. & Caussin pronounce with a sortof emission of the breath as if beginning to choke. the Va n is also pronounced throughout like our W. These two are the only courses which I attend regularly, --omitting the Saturday lesson of De Sacy. I regret that there is no elementary course of Persian, either at the School or College, --else 1 would attend it.-- This school was founded after the revolution, when the College de France had been broken up; --when the later was restored, the former was still ----- New Page ----- continued. Those who attend the lectures at both places are principally foreigners, & mostly Germans. the young men who are admitted by the French Govt for diplomatic stations in the East do not attend these schools; --^there is a private school for themin one of the smaller colleges, where they are wholly educated, & are specially taught Arabic, Turkish, Persian, etc. the difficulty of obtaining books (helps) here is so great that for a long time 1 feared 1 must give up all hope of attending the lectures for want of a lexicon. There are lexicons in the royal library, but they are not letout, -- & the library is never warmed; you may judge how convenient it would be for you to pursue your studies in the Andover library without fire in winter; --^besides the lib. is open only from 10 till 2 & in these hours occur most of the lectures. applying however at last to Prof. Kieffer, he was so good as to lend me his own Golius, he using [in the] mean time Meninsky, -- so that I am now quite well off. De Sacy has also lent me a Mss. Koran. -- He expects to begin to print his grammar in the spring. of other men I have as yet seen little, --Frenchmen I have delayed to visit until I am more familiar with the language, --because in a visit which has no special object, I know how much of a bore a foreigner is. Mr. Wilkes I have seen only in church, altho' 1 have called 4 times at his house, --at the distance of a good 2 miles. He preaches now every Sunday, but is so unpopular among the Americans that not more than 5 or 6 regularly attend his service. Last Sunday his rambling sermon was 1 % hours long; -- & the worstof it is, that he has the highest possible idea of his powers as an extempore preacher, --as well as of his usefulness & importance in the benevolent existence of Paris. Mr. Wheeler of Windsor Vt [Vermont] is now here, & we are hoping to get Mr. Wilkes to invite him to supply the chapel during his stay. Our situation here is pleasant; we live & board with a private French family. whether we shall go to Italy this winter, or remain here & so go to Germany in the spring is not yet determined. Affectionate remembrance to your wife & family & all friends. Respectfully & affectionately yours, Edw. Robinson 113 ----- New Page ----- [The following is written on a very small piece of note paper and bound out of proper chronological order.] Valley of Chamouny, Sept. 19, 1828 Rev & Dear Sir It is long since I wrote you & the hurry of travelling, --when every moment is occupied with surrounding objects, or spent in the lassitude of exhaustion--is my only excuse. my last informe d you that 1 expected to be married in a few days; this took place on the 7* of Aug. and three days after I setoff with my wife for this country. we spent 3 days in Weimar & the vicinity, & had a very pleasant interview with Goethe. at Jena 1 saw nobody, as all were gone to Weimar to do homage to the new Grand Duke. at Heidelberg I again saw the good father Schwarz & others. at Basel we spent 2 days, ´& found Mr. Blumhard t well & ingood spirits, --^the seminary has now 44 perfects & [?]. we had ----- New Page ----- the pleasure of dining with De Wette at the house of a mutual friend; -- he seemed in better health & spirits than when I saw him 2 years ago, --his tendency to rationalism, or rather scepticism has not diminished. Mr. Blumhardt gave me to read the 4 first numbers of the Spiritof the Pilgrims, which had been sent to him ; --he gave his full assent to your article onGermany. --from Bale we came thro' the beautiful vale of Munster (Montrey) to Bienne & so to Berne, what is a much finer city than Basal; --from Berne to Thun & over the lake to Unterseen. the lake is lovely & the situation of this place enchanting, --it is the usual headquarters of the English, who make from ----- New Page ----- here excursions, --there were some 60or[paper tom] …. from here we make the tour to Lauterbrunn, the Wengem Alp to Grindelwald, & over the Scheideck & Meiringen. on the Wenger a Al p is a most splendid & sublime view of the Jungfrau & her satellites, the Monk & Eiger. --from M. we followe d up the Aar, passed the Grinsel, the Rhone glacier, the Furca, & so by the valley of, & the Devil's bridge to, Altorf, --over the lake & the 4 cantons to the Rigi, -- & over Alpnach & the Zeriings [?] to Brienz & Unterseen. from thence we have come over the Kander valley & the Gemm i [Pass] to Martign y so over the Co l de Bulme to this place. from the Col we had a magnificent view of Mont Blanc in all his sublimity as he rises 11,500 ft above the valley. we are now just setting off to make the tour around Mt. Blanc, & have therefore only time to scrawl these lines & trust to leave the rest till a further time, --^probably from Paris, where we hope to be in about a month, or less, [the note ends abruptly without signature] ----- New Page ----- Rev Moses Stuart Andover. ----- New Page ----- Paris, Feb 13, 1829 Rev & Dear Sir I said in my last that my next letter to you would probably be from Italy; but having remained here two days longer than we then intended, I have concluded to write again, in order to give you a few scraps of information which I forgot in my last, & which I might very possibly forget in my next. Since I wrote, I have made an arrangement with Prof. Kieffer & Mr. H. Edwards, which will enable the library at Andover to obtain readily any books which May be wanted from Paris. I mentioned that Prof. K. had been so good as to purchase several books for me; he now permits me to say that he will in future procure for me or for the library any books which May be desired, & deposit themwith Mr. Edwards. Mr. E. will have the goodness to pay the bills & forward the books through his partner in Boston, when the money may be repaid. Prof. K. allows me to say that you May write directly to him (in English) if you should wish for any particular books which I have not sentor ordered. his address is "Rue d"Assas. no. 18, a Paris": that of Mr. Edwards is "Rue de Clew no. 9." 1 have already requested him to procure the I V vol. of De Sacy's Chrestomathy, & the Arabic Lexiconof Caussin de Percival fils. so soon as published (which will be in about 2 months) as also two other works of De Sacy, & the Arabic Anthology of Humbert, which De Sacy recommended it to me to obtain. the listordered or already procured is given in the enclosed billet to Mr. Farrar. I was yesterday with De Sacy when he gave me for the library a copy of his correspondence with the Samaritans of Naplous [Nablus], which is just published. I leave it with Mr. Edwards to be forwarded with the other books. While waiting ----- New Page ----- for a few minutes in his library, which is very extensive & most valuable, inoticed on one of the shelves a book elegantly bound & bearing the title "Stuart's Heb. Grammar." He seems to have every thing relating in any way to oriental & East Indian literature. He has always been very polite & kind to me; but not so attentive & obliging as Kieffer. The religious societies of the Protestants in Paris seem to be flourishing, & enquiry & a certain degree of life is spreading throughout the Kingdom among that persuasion. they are however but a feeble folk, at the most 1,500,000 among 32 millions. of the state of the American service in Paris, I cannot speak sofavorably; -- Mr. Wilkes' time is wholly occupied with exertions in behalf of the Societies etc. & his preaching is but a Nebensache [matter of secondary importance]; -- he makes no preparation for sermons, & they are in consequence in the highest degree disjointed & unconnected, --^more strings of phrases often without connexion, & not unfrequently without meaning. not more than 4 or 5 Americans attend regularly, & these do it from principle. It is much to be wished that some American clergyman of the proper requisite could be stationed here; he would not fail to have a steady & quite respectable American congregation; besides having the opportunity of doing much among the French. Mr. Porter & Mr. Edwards offered last summer $500. ontheir own part to Mr. Watenburg, if he would come out; & there is no doubt thatother American houses would subscribe, if not with equal liberality, yet in a handsome manner. to Mr. Wilkes they would subscribe nothing, if it was requisite to raise any thing in his behalf. I had a letter a few days since from Messrs. Wheeler & Forrey ----- New Page ----- dated at Genoa Feb. 2. they were well & had had a very comfortable journey. 116 Messrs. Curtis & Porter having changed their quarters, my address will hereafter be to their care "Rue de L'Echiquier nr. 44. a Paris." you will excuse the shortness of the present letter, as it is written in haste in the midstof packing up our things; as we start at 7 o'clock tomorrow moming . Affectionate regards to all fi-iends. Respectfully & affectionately, Edw. Robinson ----- New Page ----- Ship Rev Moses Stuart Professor de Andover Massachusetts New York Apr 14 Francai(?) ----- New Page ----- Rome, April 19, 1829 Rev & Dear Sir I had the pleasure last evening of receiving your letter offeb. 9* and also one from Mr. Farrar of about the same date. I rejoice with you that the great affair is at length terminated & that the Seminary may now look forward, with the blessing of God, to a state of intemal peace.** As to what forms a principal subject in your letter, I can only say as before that whenever God in his providence May call me to act, I trust he will give me strength to be faithful to his cause, & whatever May be his dealings with me in this respect, they will doubtless be directed for the best. Before however this letter can reach you, all must have been determined. There must have been some strange mistake about the types, if Delius paid for them, --as I have the receipts of the founders for the full amount. I shall of course probe the business immediately on my arrival ingermany. you seem to have an impression that the I " vol. or part of Gesenius' Thesaums is published; -- this is not the fact, although it is announced in the Miss. [?] catalogue. the only copy which I have seen or heard of is the one of Gesenius himself, --^the one in folio which he had bound up as a present to Niemeyer at his Jubilee. the Publisher declines letting themgo out of his hands till the work, --or at least half of it is completed. the books which I purchased at Paris must in this time have reached you . We left Paris on the 14* of Feb. & came by Lyons, Mt. Cenis, & Turin, Genoa, Pisa, & Florence hither, --arriving here the 16* of March. Since then we have been at Naples, & are now expecting to setoff day after tomorrow for Florence, & thence by Bologna, Venice, Milan, the Splugen, Augsburg, Numberg, etc. to Halle, --where we hope to arrive towards the end of May. It is most probable, extraordinaries excepted, that we shall pass the winter in Halle; my wife expects her confinement in the course of the summer & it will ----- New Page ----- then be almost too late to think of crossing the Atlantic this autumn. in that case it is not improbable that I may visit England alone, & be ready to turn directly home in the Spring. You doubtless expect some accountof the scenes & regions through which we have passed, -- but it is scarce possible to give it. So many hours have been spent in travelling & observing that the few which have remained, have been mostly hours of exhaustion in which I have been able to write to no one; -- & now to go back & trace over the ground can most afford a sketch too slight to satisfy, --or it mustoccupy a volume. I cando neither & will therefore merely give a few hints of a more personal character. The circumstances were such that we could remain in Lyons but a part of one day; --^we could therefore Reference is to a situation involving Dr. Murdoch. 117 do no more than take a drive around the city & fix some of its localities, without being able to form any acquaintance. A brother of young Monod [?] of Paris is settled here as one of the Pastors, & is said to be doing good. in Savoy I found again a beautiful romantic country covered with miserable inhabitants, --indolence, rags, & mendicity very thriving. we crossed Mt. Cenis at night, --^the road is fine, but the scenery disappointed me. you descend into the broad & beautiful valley of the Dova, which ere long terminates in the still broader & richer valley or plain of the Po. Here lies Turin, a regular & well built city, surrounded by most magnificent prospects. from an eminence just by the bridge, one looks down upon the city, the splendid plain, & beyond the circle of the snow capped Alps, extending for more than 150 miles, --while on the other side are vine-clad hills, sprinkled with villas & crowned with palaces & churches. the Po is here not large, --perhaps like the Mohawk at Utica; -- & its plain, with the exception of some few ridges of hills, extends to the base of the Appenines, some 30 miles from Genoa. onpassing these mountains, we left the winter behind us & found the spring; --^the plains of Piedmont were covered with snow, & we shivered over fire [?]; --after an aftemoon drive, we found the almond trees in blossom, & the whole face of nature rejoicing in Florence. Genoa is delightfully situated, & is a city of palaces; the streets are lanes 8 or 10 feet wide, bordered by houses of 6 or 8 stories high, --^but it is kept remarkably clean, & the air is finer than in many cities of wide streets. from here to Pisa the road is most magnificent, winding among or over the Appenines, often in the back of precipices overhanging the sea, and forests of olives & orchards of oranges & lemons. Pisa is fallen from its ancient glory; & the traveller now stops but an hour or two to look at its leaning tower, its Camp o Santo, & its Sara….[?] ----- New Page ----- cathedral, & hurries on to Florence. This is always a resting place. Beautifully situated on the Amo, with the Appenines on one side & majestic hills on the other, it is in itself sombre & gloomy, with some dark heavy palaces. --many mean & dirty streets. the celebrated gallery did not answer my expectations, with the exception of 2 or 3 of the rooms, --but the collections of paintings in the palace of the Grand duke is unique. It is not large, but as the paintings are all chef d'oeuvres, there is not a bad or a [?] piece among them. the governmentof Tuscany is universally described as the best & most liberal of Italy, --the people at large are certainly far better off than those of any of the other states which I have yet seen. they are quite another race from the rest of the Italians. from Florence to Rome we came by Siena; -- a dreary journey of 4 % days en voiture through a most dreary region. On approaching Rome all is still more dreary; & silence & desolation attend you through the wide campagna. till, on descending a hill, you cross the Fil [?] on the ancient [?] & soon after enter the city from the north by the modern gate of the people. May 1, 1828 [sic = 1829]. On the Po, between Ferrara and Venice. my letter was broken off at Rome, and since then I have not been able to take pen in hand again till the present moment, when the leisure of a steamboat voyage, along rich but uninteresting shores enables me to resume writing. Rome was to me interesting first principally for its antiquity & its ruins, next for its treasures of art, and lastly as the metropolis of the catholic religion. It is something almostoverpowering for a time to find yourself actually in that Rome of which you have heard & read since childhood, & whose history & fortunes and distinguished names are interwoven with your earliest recollections; --to ascend the Capitoline mount, to linger amid the ruins which surround the now deserted forum & fancy you almost hear the voice of Cicero 118 as he arouses or controls the popular throng, -- & to visit by moonlight the vast & still magnificent Colosseum. Here too one touches are onapostolic ground--here Paul at least lived & probably died, & here lived many Christians who were his friends & to whom he wrote. the Catholic legends have preserved here no traditionary memorial of Paul, although they have assigned the ancient Mamertine [?] Prison as the place where Peter was confined. A small chapel is now attached to it, which is always thronged by the common people. ----- New Page ----- It would be in vain to attempt to recount all that is to be seen & done at Rome, --^there is no other palce like iton the globe, --unless it be Jerusalem,--and that has only its ancient associations. Decenzan, on the Lago di Garda, May 6 my letter was again broken off by a summons to leave the steamboat & enter a canal boat by which we passed from the Po, through a canal to Chioggia, where another steamboat received us & carried us thro' the Lagunes & among the islands to Venice, once the proud "bethrothed of the sea," but now sunk to the capital of an Austrian province. Here it is the general effect which is singular, striking, & grand; -- a city in the ocean, whose streets are canals, whose equipages are gondolas, whose walls are water, &. where not a carriage nor an animal is seen, --is something new & unique. few of the buildings are handsome, --^tho' some of the churches are distinguished for their architecture. the Doge's Palace has nothing but its historical associations. the Academy offine Arts has a collection of pictures of the Venetian School, which are fine, --i.e., of Titian, Tintoretto, & Paul Veronese, & their scholars. But the city looks solitary, --few, very few ships, & those all Austrian, were lying at her wharves, --^tho' as it has recently been made a free port they hope that their commerce will revive. we remained 2 days at Venice, and are now onour way to Milan, and as I must send the letter off from M., I May as well finish it, --imperfect as it must be. We went to Naples & were there a fortnight; but for the first week the weather was every day rainy, & besides that my wife was confined to her bed by illness, so that the time was in a manner lost to us. The city lies superbly, --the splendid bay, --Vesuvius on the left, & in front the picturesque island of Capri, & the whole crescentof the coast crowded with villas & villages & volcanic mountains. the city itself, with all its 350,000 inhabitants, contains little of interest except the Studio or museum, where are the Library and all the articles found at Pompeii & Herculaneum, --as well as the Famese collection, etc. etc. we went to Pompeii & walked thro' its streets and among its roofless, tenantless houses. A visit here is worth cartloads of commentaries on the Classics. every one I believe is struck with the smallness of the houses, --^the shops resemble precisely those of the narrow streets of Naples & Rome at the present day. what struck me exceedingly was the inefficiency with which the excavations are made. It is now 80 years since the place was discovered, & they have been excavating everywhere, in a loose light soil, which scarcely covers the tops of the houses, -- & yet all that has been done does not amount to so much digging as to make 3 miles of the New York canal I ----- New Page ----- at Herculaneum all the excavations have been again filled up exceptone theater. Here there was more reason for slowness because it lies some 70 feet under hard beds of lava, like stone. I visited of course Vesuvius, --ascended in the aftemoon, went down the crater to the edge of the burning lava, of which there was just then an eraption; I remained on the summit till after dark. It is the most awfully sublime spectacle of nature which I have ever witnessed. we also made an excursion on the north side of the bay, including the tomb of Virgil, the grotto of Pansiloppe [Posilipo], the Grotto del Cave [Cavemo], Solfatare, Curaae, & Pozzuola (the ancient Puteoh), where I was rather surprised to find a legend connected with the landing of Paul. When we first arrived at Rome the conclave was sitting; --during our absence at Naples Castiglionewas elected & crowned under the title of Pius VIII. He is 68 years of age, of a fine, noble countenance, & has the reputation of being a well informed, liberal, beneficent man. his choice of Secretary of State, however, was not popular, viz. Card. Albani, an old man of 79 & subservient to the interestof Austria.--we retumed in the holy Season for the holy Week ; --the ceremonies are a mere show, but are in themselves far more harmless than I had been accustomed to consider them; --it is only the crow d offoreigners, & especially English, who rush to them in theory, --^that gives to themany over-meaning importance. Such were this year the crowding & rushing & pushing, thatone English lady had her leg broken atone of the ceremonies. Into such a mass of confusion I did not choose to go, & therefore saw only those which every one could see with a whole skin & unbroken bones. -- & these were enough.America Milan, May 11, 1826 [sic = 1829] The road from Venice hither leads through a most splendid country, --onthe right the Alps, on the left the broad valley or plain of the Po, fertilized by the innumerable streams which descend from the Alps on the one side & the Appenines on the other, --from 60 to 80 miles broad & more than 200 long. the whole track is crowded with cities & villages, better built & neater than I have seen elsewhere in Europe. & at present all is covered with the most luxuriant vegetation. --we leave here to day or tomorrow, & I hope to be in Halle before the 26th. At Rome I found Tholuck in fine health & spirits, --he setoff for Germany a month since. I visited of course the Vatican library, --but the books are kept in close presses, & access to themis very difficult; --^the rooms are most splendid. in nothing was I more disappointed than in Mons Sacer.--a slight elevation which with us would not have even the name of a hill. from Rome to Naples, the road is full of interest; it follows still almost the route of Horace, &, parts of the ----- New Page ----- ancient Vi a Appi a are still to be traced, for several miles after leaving Rome the plain is full of ancient tombs & ruined acquaducts [aqueducts]. Mol a di Gaetu is the ancient Fomica, where Cicero had a villa, & near which he was assassinated.anancient tomb, according to tradition, marks the spot & was created by the freedmen of Cicero in memory of the event. with affectionate regards to your family & all friends, I remain Yours truly Edw. Robinson ----- New Page ----- Halle, June 22,1829 Rev & Dear Sir I sent off a letter for you from Mila n on the 11 * of May, written partly at Rome & partly on the road as I could find time. I am very sensible, how little you can or will be satisfied with my communications from Italy, but it could not possibly be otherwise. Our time was so limited, thatonarriving at a city our firstobject was necessarily to see what was to be seen, & know what was to be known ; & then, so soon as this was 120 accomplished, -- instead of sitting down for a few days & enjoying, & communicating our feelings & impressions to distant friends, --^why, we must setoff immediately for another city. in n o city could we remain so long as we desired, --in Rome leastof all. Other cities one can visit for a few days or at most a few weeks, & see all that is peculiar to them; Rome with its treasures of art &of antiquity demands months or years. Other cities are comparatively of yesterday; Rome dates back three thousand years; and all the historical associations of this long lapse of ages still cling around her name, her ruins, & her seven hills. We came from Mila n over the Lak e of Como, the Splugen, thro' the canton of the Orisons, & so over Breyenz, Augsburg, Numberg, & Leipzig. the remembrance of that lake is like a fairy dream; it winds long & narrow among the mountains, which at first are wooded & studded with villas & whit e villages; & these assume a stem, wilder aspect, desolate & savage or crowned with Eternal snows. It combines the beauty & the grandeur of both Swiss & Italian scenery. on the Splugen--after leaving the vallies, when the Spring was in its fullest verdure--w e found again perfect winter; the snow lay, so far as the eye could reach, sometimes 20 feet deep. we passed, of course, onsleighs or rather sledges; & on descending into the valley of the Hinter Rhine, found again the Spring in all its beauty. This valley contains two of the most remarkable spots in Switzerland; the Vi a Mula, where the valley, or rather chasm of the river becomes so narrow, that it actually closes over & hides the stream, --while the road here crosses the gulf on a short bridge of one arch, 180 feet about the water. the other is the Baths of Pfeffin, sunk also in a chasm on the Famina, where the warm waters of the Baths are conducted 900 feet along the chasm 10ft wide & 100 high and often closed over head-along which the stream travels, ----- New Page ----- br….[?] & foamy, -- & where a misstep would be destruction. all the provisions etc. needed by the guests are let down the perpendicular rock from above, 700 feet. -- After leaving Switzerland, the country becomes level & tame; tho' the villages until Augsburg betoken a much better state of society & more comfort than in the north of Germany. Augsburg itself has lost much of its antique character; the old hall, in which the celebrated confession was handed in, exists no longer,-- or rather is cut up into several modern apartments. -- at Leipzig we met Gesenius who gave us the news of Halle; -- where we arrived at lastonthe 24 * of May . I had the intention of writing to you earlier, but have not done it for two reasons; one is that I have been since our arrival for the most part very unwell ; -- & the other, that partly owing to this illness, & partly to the absence of Gesenius & Tholuck during the Pfingstferien [Whitsun holidays], I had not been able to see them & make many inquires onsubjects which I knew would interest you. I have now seen them; & can give you all the current news. In the University, the theological faculty has undergone some changes; Niemeyer's place is supplied by Ullman n from Heidelberg,*" one of the editors of the new Theol. Zeitschrift; he is orthodox, but perhaps more in wissenschaftliche Hinsicht. als i m Herzen. Marks is now Prof. Ordinarius; Guericke has become Prof, extrordinarius; *' --my old instructor, Roediger, is reading lectures as Privat-lehre. in the Philosophical faculty there are also many changes, -- Reisig, after years of longing, setoff last autumn to visit Italy & died *" Karl Ullmann (1796-1865) studied under Neander at Berlin and in 1828 founded, along with Umbreit, Theologische Studien und Kritiken. *' Heinrich Guericke (1803-78) wrote a biography of August Francke in 1827. 121 at Venice on the threshold. his place is now supplied by Bemhard y of Berlin, who has as yet no great reputation. Several young men are coming forward in this faculty. I shall send you the catalog of lectures etc. soon, --b y mail if it is not too expensive, --or otherwise in a box of books. Gesenius has at last prevailed onhis publisher to issue the Thesaurus in Parts, and the 1" Partor quarter of the work, H - D, has appeared within 10 days. A new edition of his school grammar is also out, "sehr verbessert und zu m Theil umgearbeitet." There is also justout a new edition of his translation of Isaiah, with some changes, & additional notes. at present He is occupied chiefly with the Latin edition of the small lexicon, & the Thesaurus stands still till this is completed. It will be not a mere translation of the German edition, but a new work. He has got now a new, or rather a more perfect system as it respects the particles, & the etymology; --he now assumes, or admits, an original affinity between the Shemitish languages & the Sanscrit, Greek, Latin, & GermanorGothic (not going at present any further) & illustrates this when occasion occurs. --he means to have the work finished by the end of the year, --or at the very least by the nextostermesse. I am preparing to send off a box of books as soon as possible, -- & all these of Gesenius will of course ----- New Page ----- be included. the Thesaurus costs 3 or 4 Rth. the Part, according to the paper. I shall send 2 copies. Tholuck seems to enjoy better health, & is ingood spirits. the number of pious students continues about the same as formerly, --about as many new ones coming in as there is of the old ones going away. the general feeling towards Tholuck is much softened, & his influence ingeneral among the students much increased. his Hefton the religious History of the last century has undergone a curious fate; --Hodge translated it & sent it home for his Repertory, where you have probably seen it; --in the mean time Pewsey [Pusey] (now successor of Nicol in Oxford) published it as his own in answer to Rose's sermons; -- & now Bialloblotsky, who is in London, intending to become a missionary, has again translated it into German. I tell he must now come out with the original. Tholuck's commentary onRomans & John have appeared in a second edition. --^the former revised & somewhat changed; the latter a mere reprint. As to other books published here; --^the Lexiconoffreytag will also be issued in Parts; --^the 1" soon extending to T A small manual in abstract is printed along at the same time, --^the same topics being used. Roediger has nearly finished an edition of Lokmann's fables. Guericke has published "Beytrage zur Einleit. ins N. T. " in opposition to De Wette. --of other books, De Wette has given a new edition of his Einleitung ins A. T. --Bretschneider of his Lexiconin N. T. verbessert, Wahl's new edition is also nearly ready; Hengstenberg's Christologie des A. T. is out & Tholuck speaks highly of it. H. [Hengstenberg], after some difficulty with the Ministerium, has been made Prof, ordinarius at Berlin. Flattonthe 2 Epistles to the Cor. & on Phil. These etc. are also out. Kosegarten has a new Arab. Chrestomathy of which De Sacy spoke very favorably. --What will probably most interest you is the new work on the Heb [paper tom] by Bleek** …. Berlin. I mentioned to you while at Berlin that Neander had spoken of it to me as exhibiting as. .. .[paper tom] his own view, viz., that the epistle was written by a disciple of Paul of the Alexandrian school & was probably addressed to the church or churches at Jerusalem or the vicinity. A review of it has just appeared here in the Lit. Zeitung. I shall of course send the book & the review also. Gesenius tells me that there is soon to appear in the Lit. Zeitung a review of your work by Bleek; so soon as it appears I shall send Friedrich Bleek (1793-1859) published the first part of his Brief ande Hebraer inn 1828. it. Wishing to send off the new books, I have also purchased some old ones, --such as Luther's works by Walch, 24 vols, quarto elegantly bound for 14 Rth. (= ab. $10.),*"--the new editionof Eichhom's j^/w/e/rimg Da Piu Bibliothesei Eccles. Scriptor, 4 vols, quant. 3 Rth. --Michaelis' Alt. & Neu oriental. Biblioth. complete; -- a part of the new is already in the library. I have also bought a copy of the Hawasa by Freytag for 11 Rth. instead of 20 Rth the subscription price. the Kamoos is now in my hands complete, the cost, including the filling out & binding, amounts merely to 110 Rth. --Hither to I have purchased for the most partonly such books as presented themselves & which I thot worth buying; at present I am making out a list of such as are wanted, especially those which you have occasionally named, & shall try to find them. There ought to be in the library a complete series of all the Greek & Roman writers, --^the former especially, --^but it will hardly lie within my powers to procure them. all the books, which can be obtained through an Antiquar, come ingeneral 50 or 100 percent less than those purchased of the regular booksellers. of course I buy of the latter as few as possible. But still, as I have already sentout books to the amountof about $900 (including what I paid for the Kamoos) --and the other $100 has been paid for the second batch of types, ----- New Page ----- I have strictly nothing more left for the purchase of books. However, as Mr. Farrar in his last letter, leaving me a wide liberty, I shall endeavour to use it with discretion, & purchase still such books as are good & cheap, & especially such as are wanted. on arriving here I wrote immediately to Delius at Bremen to know whether they had paid the bills for the type; --their answer relates specially only to that which was lost & to the smal l box, --for which they say they charged Messrs. Searle only for the expense of carriage; --^they seem not to have thot of the last box & I must therefore write to them again. I hope to be able to send off the box of books soon after the I " of July. With best affection to your family & all friends, I remaingratefully yours, Edward Robinson ----- New Page ----- Halle, June 29, 1829 Rev & Dear Sir, I wrote to you on the 22"" inst. --since then I have had the pleasure of receiving your letter of May 5 * (which appears to have lain in New York 10 days); -- and hasten to rely to it aswell as I can after 3 days consideration. -- first, however, I will dispatch the smaller matters. My previous letter will have informed you that most of the books of which you speak are purchased, & will be ontheir way to America in a few days; I hope to be able to forward the box before the 10* of July. Gesenius' Thesarus has been out only 3 weeks; it would notof course be sent any sooner. I find that some of the copies of Cellarius have maps, & many have not. 1will look further at it,&if the maps are importantor particularly good (which I hardly anticipate) it will be easy to send another copy; it costs only $1.50 to $2. --or perhaps the map May be obtained separately. Gesenius' Atlas lies i m weiten Felde [still very uncertain]; --Rosenmiiller gives purposely and advisedly no maps. Gesenius' Burckhardt has no maps, for the simple reason that the original work has none, or at most but a single one. -- the 2"" vol. of St. Martini's Johann Georg Walch (1693-1775) published his edition of Luther's works at Halle in the years 1740-52. Armenia was certainly among the books while at Paris, -- they were packed by Mr. Edwards & it is possible that this was overlooked & still remains in his Cqntori]; I will write to him to look, -- & also to look again at the Bookstore of Doudry-Dupre [?], where I purchased it. I got every thing of Champollion that I knew of or could find. The I "Part of Ehrenburg is out & will go with the box; it is in 4to. & contains only the journey to Egypt & through the Lybian Desert to the temple of Jupiter [?]. This was made in company with Scholz. Ritter is not ready. Sermar [?] Hermeneutiks & Gieseler are both purchased. I believe the best place for books, which are not new, will be to make out a list of such as we most need, & put it into the hands of Lippert, an active Antiquar here, & let him collect the books as opportunity offers. very many he could obtain before I leave for good, & it would be well to remain in communication with him. As I have somewhere said before, most books except the very newest (& sometimes these) can thus be obtained from 25 to 50 percent cheaper than through the regular booksellers, even when they make a disct. of 25 percent. -- I wish you would send a list of such as occur to you ; it is true there is no end, -- & that it is difficult to select; every new subject which one takes up requires a new setof books, -- & these one can never know before hand. I know of no better way then to make a selection from Winer's Catalogue, with such helps as I can get from Gesenius, Tholuck, Roediger, etc. ----- New Page ----- Mr. Farrar wrote to me once before respecting Wilmel's Lex. (tho' I did not know that he was responsible for it), & I have even been on the lookout after it; but have never yet found a single copy for sale at any price. I shall of course still keep it in view. -- I have another letter from Delius, who says expressly that he has paid for the boxes of type only the freight from Leipzig, the shipping charges, & the premiu m of insurance. He mentions however that the last box was sent to themby the Post, --this probably made this freight much higher. the costof the last box, about $100,1 have (vorlaufig) paid out of the $1000 sent by Mr. F. for books. -- I forgot to say that there are 2 new commentaries on the N. T. in posse --one German by Olshausen of Konigsberg in 4 vols., the I " vol. a comm. on the Synops. of the 3 first gospels, will perhaps be ready in a year; ô -- the other is by the Winer society in Leipzig, headed by Theile, time of appearance not fixed. --Buttmann, after years of suffering, was released from morta l pain on the 21 " instant. He had just finished a collection of his smaller pieces, under the title of "Mythologus " in 2. vols. There is also a new edition of his Grammar. You mention that a committee is appointed to enquire into & fix the duties of the future Prof, of Ecc. History. if this means simply that they are to inquire into the best mode of teaching Ecc. Hist. --or into the extent to which it shall be taught --as whether it shall include Dogmatikgeschichte, & the Hist, of Exegesis, or not, --why, good; --but if it means that they are to inquire wha tother duties, --extrinsic fro mecc. Histo. may be required of him, --there it would seem as if itought to depend in parton the character & previous qualifications of the man. E.g., to putonl y a supposable or rather unsupposable case, if Dr. Beecher were to be Prof, of Ecc. Hist, no onewoul d think of requiring him to teach in the departmentof Rhetoric. --it is true, the trustees can first make the coat, & then loo k for the man whom it will fit; -- & perhaps this is their plan. My own impression is that in our countryitis not yet time so to extend the study of Ecc. Hist, as to require the full time of a Professor; --and when that time does come, it will be advisable, if not necessary. Hermann Ohlhausen (1796-1839) published his Die Aechtheit d. vier kanon. Evangelier in 1823. To add another year to the academical course. ingermany a full course of Ch. Hist, lasts always a year; an exegesis two years, i.e., on each Test, the course is of 2 years. Ch. Hist, is regarded more in its connection with dogmatic theology, than any thing else, --is, in fact, in this respect more important.-- in the different periods of the church, external events & intemal circumstances have had such an influence on faith & practice, that without an historical knowledge of the former, the latter ----- New Page ----- are hardly to be judged of witli accuracy. This is the historical ground, of which the Germans speak so much, & which they seek in every thing. my own feeling is that the best course for a Prof, at Andover would be first to prepare a manual, the texton a plan similar to that of Gieseler, with references to all accessible books, -- & then to hold recitations, making what illustrations might be necessary, & requiring the students to read for themselves, accompanied by frequent & minute examinations & recapitulations. in this way more might be accomplished in two years (or in the year after the book was ready) thanduring the whole time of the preceding incumbent. In regard to the coup d'oeil, or a new Professorship, I see in the plan some advantage & some disadvantage. in order to decide well upon it, there needs more time for consideration, & a more detailed statementof the plan. A part of the time is to be devoted to authorship, or publication. I hardly know what is meant; --but presume it cannot be intended that the Prof, should become ingeneral a book publisher; --or if so, that he should do it at his own risk, the trustees being bound to make up to a certain sum all which he failed of gaining. For an author, the prospect at home is rather far, unless times have changed; --^probably the Prof, would have to get not less than $500 a year in this way, in order to make good the usual salarv; whether this is now-a-days possible, I do not know. when I published the translation of Wahl, I could find no Verlager who would give as much as is paid by the Reviews & Magazines; --^perhaps another edition will be more saleable. This is the only work which has ever brought me any profit; my Homer has paid its expenses, & that is about all; --our common Winer has probably done little more as yet. --There is also the question, from what duties the Prof, is to be relieved? from preaching, & the time in the chapel, I should ordinarily not wish to be exempt; --from faculty meetings & business I should be glad to be excused. It strikes me too that there would be difficulty, -- at least I for myself should feel delicacy, in calling on the trustees to make up any deficiency; -- it would be so easy to say as tofeel that I had not excited myself sufficiently etc. -- or I might fall into ill health, then the feeling of reluctance would be still greater. you know that I am not usually idle, & I am myself conscious of being willing & desirous to work to the utmost of my powers & strengths, butothers cannot always judge sofully. On grounds like these, it has struck me that a narration, or perhaps Umkehrun g [reversal] of the plan would be better, -- would perhaps be the same thing to the trustees, & would remove the objections -- & then that it be the duty of the Professor to devote a certain portion of his time solely to literary labours, -- for the profits of which he should be accountable to the trustees; i.e., it should be his duty to prepare books, etc., one part of the time, as much as it would be his duty to instructor preach the other part. ----- New Page ----- I am aware that there is here the same & perhaps greater motiv e for the Professor to be 'lazy' -- but then corporate bodies have much less delicacy in admonishing than I should have in asking. Besides, I take it for granted that trustees will never again appoint a Professor, without providing some means of removing him at a less expense of time & trouble than in the recent case. To an arrangementof this kind I can see at presentonmy part n o objection; whether it will strike you & Mr. Farrar in the same light I know not; nor whether the trustees are in a situation to establish such a 125 Professorship, if they would. I presume the Greek one is intended. -- Perhaps onfurther reflexion & with more information, I should find that the other plan is equally unobjectionable. -- my only wish is to be in that situation where the course of my studies, & my previous preparation will enable me to be the instrument ingod's hand of accomplishing the most good; & to be so placed as to be best able to devote all my powers in their freest, fullest exercise to his service. The office of Librarian I should in some respects covet, in as much as I could wish to introduce into it a scientific arrangement. The plan which you proposed in one of your letters is an admirable one, I trust it will yet be executed. of the large library there must be also at least a manuscript Catalogue raisonnee,--thatone may see atonce all that the library contains in any given subject. This would be easily made outonthe general plan of Winer's Catalogue. Whether it would be worth while to make a new arrangementof the books themselves would have to be considered. I cannot deny that it would be more pleasant to me to return to some fixed employment, -- to have before hand what I was to do, & where I am to act. I could then perhaps spend the coming winter to more profit, in preparing myself more particularly for future service. at any rate, I have to bring the "Sac. Geography" into shape; -- & there is a long list of works beyond, which are needed in our country, & which I hope that I or somebody else May in part supply. Gesenius advises strongly to the study of Sanscrit. (on Assyria I know of no book, -- I will inquire of Gesenius & if there is one, I will send it). Since I wrote last, my wife has given birth to a daughter, a fine, healthy child. It is now the 5* day, & no unfavorable symptom has yet appeared. I tmst a good Providence will carry mother & child in safety through. --my own health, since my return hither, has been miserable. with affectionate regards to your family & to all friends, I remain sincerely & gratefully yours, E. Robinson ----- New Page ----- Halle, August 10*, 1829 Rev & Dear Sir I have at length succeeded in sending off (on the 1" inst.) the long promised boxes of books, --of which the previous goes, along with this letter, to Mr. Farrar. the delay of 3 weeks was owing chiefly to the Orphanhouse bookstore, which is exceedingly dilatory in all its operations, inasmuch as it has no head; --so that I am much inclined to take some other bookseller, either here or perhaps Barth in Leipzig. This is rather the largest shipment which I have yet made for the Seminary library alone; you will find in it many of the works for which you have occasionally written (the others will come in time, I trust) & also many other important works. two copies of Gesenius' Thesaums, No. I, are there, as also the…. [?] & Registers for them sent last year. So Walch's edition of Luther's works in 24 vols, finely bound for $10.50 --D u Pin's Eccl. Hist, in French, 14 vols quartofor 3 Rth. --Drusius ' St. Ju Fragmenta, etc., Niebuhr's Arabia, & Franck's, the original edition ingerman. Gesenius told me I would do well to purchase the Travels for 12 Rth. -- I gave only 8%. the book is full of plates & maps, of which the French edition which I sent home from Paris has nothing, if I remember right. --^Reishes' Theocritus, ed optima., Harles ed. offabricius Bibliotho-Graeca, of which he lived tofinish only 12 vols. the regular price is 68 Rth.. I paid 30%. the Vorleutal. Bibliothek of Michaelis, old & new; -- 8 vols, of the latter are already in the library; but I thot it better to take the whole complete. --Rupert's Juvenal [?], Bi….[?] Plato, & Lucian, & Cicero (13 vols for $5.75), Wolfs [?] ' etc. & several other classics of the best editions. Biel's Thesaurus (Rt h 2.16), which Gesenius much prefers to Schleusner. Piadius & Villipurdus' Comm. onEzechiel; Boukh, Staatsverfassung d u Athenes, --^Rosenmueller's Compend. onPentateuch, Gesenius' new edition of his trans, of Isaiah, Bleek's Hebrews, Buttmann's Mjdhologus, a collection of dissertations etc., Kosegarten's Arab. Christ., & de Peis ..[?] S... [?]. Literature, Hengstenberg's Christologie des A. T., etc., etc., Ehrenberg & Haupricht's Franks in Egypt (no. 1) etc. are also there. The promised review of your Comm. on the Hebrews has not yet appeared; that of Bleek's work by Schulz of Breslau, you will find lying in the book of Bleek. The boxes ----- New Page ----- were sent from here by water, & will probably go to new York by the packet ship, which sails from Hamburg on the 20th inst. --so that they will probably reach American nearly as soon as this letter. of course, there is little here. I know of no work of importance recently announced. Gesenius intends in the next vacation to execute his long planned & long deferred journey to Copenhagen. Wegscheider will, it is said, accompany him. in the letter which Prof. Torre y brought fromyou to Gesenius, you mentioned your intention of translating his Geschichte --^he wishes me to say that he cannot complete the new edition untill after the small Latin lexicon is off his hands; & that he should be very sorry to have a translation made from the old edition. --the wife of Prof. Thilo, the only daughter of Knapp--died a few days since of consumption, leaving 3 children, one aninfant. --Tholuck expects to be married ere long; I believe I mentioned i tin my last letter; --^ I have not seen his Braut. but am toldbyhim & others that she is in miserable health, & very probably will not live a year. my own wife has recovered her health & strength; & our child is strong, healthy, & grows finely. My own health is also much better, tho' I am not yet entirely well. In my letter to Mr. Farrar, accompanying this, I have mentioned the subject which occupied my last letter to you. when I wrote before I was, & had been in a state for some time, & a state of depression of spirits; with better bodily health, this malady of the mind has also disappeared. Whatever disposition the Trustees may see fit to make, I should probably notobject to it; the experiment could at least be tried, & if not successful, why, there is always opportunity to change. I have also written to him on the subjectof the printing office. It strikes me more & more forcibly every day that the whole establishment ought to belong to the Seminary, so that the Trustees May havean entire control over the whole of the printing done there. If that were to be desired, I would not hesitate to bring ----- New Page ----- home such founts as are yet wanting; e. g. a fountof small Greek, if it not yet procured; a fount of the large & small beautiful Arabic type, such as is made for the Russian University, alphabets of the [?] etc. etc. etc. --in this connexion I will thank you to write me, whether there is already a fountof small Greek, & also the size of the present Syricae type; --^that of all the other founts I know. I remember also that you had in your Glossisium [?] several books which I had supposed were from the library, or were purchased for the library, but which I do not find in the catalogue; --such as Lampe's John," " Friedrich Adolf Lampe (1683-1729) 127 Vitringa's Apocalypse,'* German's Paularmonicae, Ast's Plato, Emesti's & Schulz's Hebrews, etc.ô do these belong to the library or are they your own private property? The orphan house has been, since the death of Niemeyer, almost without a head --^the other Director, Prof. Jacob, having been ever so confined to his room by sickness, --so that the whole establishment is in a miserable state of disorder. It has ever been supposed thatonthe death of Niemeyer, the govemment would take the whole into their own hands, & remodel iton the plan of the other Pmssian Gymnasi a & Pedagogia; this has not yet been done, & recently the son of Niemeyer, Prof, extraordinarius at Jena, a young man, has been appointed second director. Whether the remodelling will take place, or whether all things are to go on in their old course, remains to be seen. I had hoped to receive letters to day from America, as the ship of July 1" has arrived at Havre, --but it is now too late to hope for them longer, & this letter must go off. I have pretty much given up the idea of going to England this autumn. with affectionate regards to all friends, I remain, Yours in the bond of Chr. fellowship, etc. E. Robinson ----- New Page ----- Rev. Moses Stuart Andover Massachusetts ----- New Page ----- Halle, December 21, 1829 Rev & Dear Sir, In your letter of August 21, which reached me on the 28 * of October, you expressed the intention of writing again to me immediately after the Anniversary. I hoped consequently to have heard fro myou by the ship 1", of at the latestof the 10* of Oct. --but as I now have other letters from America so late as the 10* of November, I must conclude that you had nothing new to write about myself at least; and perhaps nothing more satisfactory to yourself about the Seminary. In my note to you of Nov. 10* inclosed in a letter to Mr. Farrar, I mentioned the sickness and death of my wife's mother, & the consequent derangement in a great measure of my previous plans. in point of study I cannot say that the last six months have been as profitable to me as I could wish. At first my own health was miserable, & continued so through the summer & most of the autumn; then came the illness of my wife; & ere she was fully recovered, that of her mother. After the decease of the latter came the confusion of moving and settling the estate; so that with all these hindrances, there was little time or opportunity for calm study & investigation. In this state of things, in order to do something, I thrust myself upon a translation of Buttmann's middle Greek grammar; believing that this work ought to exist in an English dress, & thinking that I could select no work more important to put to press immediately on my return ; nor one which if it 92 Campegius Vitringa (1659-1722) 93 Johann August Eraesti (1707-81) was celebrated for his editions of Cicero, Homer, Tacitus, etc. should be anticipated, or if thought advisable not to finish it, would yet be more serviceable to myself by the very labour of translating. The work has been now for some time finished, & lies ready for the press. In the course of it I have often been led to wonder how Mr.E. came to select the school grammar for ----- New Page ----- translation. on a close comparison I find that the middle Grammar contains all the results of the large one; which last would notof course bear translating with us, both on acct. Of its size, & because it has no Syntax. In all that relates toformenlehre, Buttmann is regarded ingermany as standing far before Matt h[?] while the large Syntax of the latter is considered as the only good extensive one. A very considerable portion of time I have devoted to the business of purchasing, or rather of learning how to purchase books; and only regret that I had not earlier devoted more time to this object. I could then have purchased probably many valuable books in different auctions (such as Gabler's Eichhom,ô etc.), which May not again be onsale for many years. But so it is: & thus we often obtain our knowledge when it is too late to profit by it. It is not however yet wholly too late; I have already another large box of books on hand; & have still large commissions in an auction at Bremen & another of the duplicates in the public library at Heidelberg. Through an hiesiger active Antiquar. I shall be able to continue the purchase of rare books after my return. I have also come to an understanding with the Orphan house that I, or the library at Andover, shall receive books from the mon the same terms as the trade, i.e. for Va disc, [discount] ontheir own publications, VA on other ordinary books, & 1/6 on the so-called --I to [?] books, which are usually sold without discount. I cannot have the face to ask for better terms for books in general; as this leaves them only a gain of SVa per cent, onpublications not their own, to cover all the trouble & expense of collecting them fromevery part of Germany. when a large quantity of books are to be boughtof the Verlager himself, one can often obtain better terms; as e.g. I bought 500 copies offauchnis' [?] Iliad for Hilliard, at 50 per cent disct. So it would be with the publishers. But when only one copyora few copies of a work are taken a higher disct than Va is unknown ingermany. I delay however making any considerable order on the Orphan house until toward spring; because I hope yet to pick up elsewhere many of the books wanted, at a more reasonable price still. -- These things taken all together have filled up the summer & autumn in a manner I hardly know how myself. ----- New Page ----- In reference to Pacred's Geography, I have collected some books, and made many inquiries; but the result is that such a work can be much better accomplished at home. It is true that the maps might be engraved more cheaply ingermany than in America, but then the maps must first be made; & moreover the duties oncopper plates (which if I am rightly informed are very high) would nearly or quite counter-balance the advantage. Gesenius' advice is just not to meddle with it here; he has himself found great difficulty ingetting maps well engraved, & this is one reason why his announced Atlas has so long lain still. Besides the purchase of books, the reading of Arabic, etc., I intend to occupy myself for the three coming months, if God will, with Persian & Sanscrit,--^the latter as well for my own conviction of its utility as in the strong & repeated advice of Gesenius & Tholuck. with the latter I shall probably pursue it in …. -- my plan now is to have here so soon as the opening of the spring will permit, either to embark at Hamburg directly for America,orover Holland to London& thence home. in this latter case, I should probably again visit Paris. Of news I have very little to relate. Gesenius does nothing now but read his daily lectures & work on his ô Johann Philipp Gabler (1753-1826) made an editionof Eichhom's Urgeschichte. 129 small Heb. Lat. Lexicon, which is to be ready for Easter; -- in the course of which he also arranges his materials for the Thesaurus. Freytag's Arabic Lexicongoes onslowly. -- Tholuck has settled down as a married man, & says he has lost his desire for travelling. He is very active and does more by way of personal intercourse with the students than all the rest of the Professors put together. the public voice has also very much changed in his favour here; so much so, that (as I am told) at the instance of the students, he has been appointed second university-preacher; and as such is much more liked than Marks. He had recently received, through Ammonan invitation to go to Dresden as Consistorialrath & Court preacher, with a salary of 3000 rth. This however he declined, because he thought he could be more useful in Halle,& because he considers his talent to be rather in teaching than in preaching. As a compensation for remaining the ministry have sent him the title of Consistorialrath, and an addition of 400 rth. to his previous salary of 700 rth. --he is about establishing a new Joumal here to be under his sole direction, to contain reviews, essays, literary notices, etc. The three first numbers are already pimted, and answer my expectations much better than the Kirchenzeitung at Berlin. He has desired me to make out for him a view of the American theological seminaries & of their religious & literary influence. He himself will give a view of religion etc, in Italy; & has begun an important article on the origin of Rationalism ingermany. -- I spent last evening very pleasantly at his house with Ullmann & several others. ----- New Page ----- My wife is well, & desires to be affectionately remembered to your lady, whom, though now unknown, she hopes one day to see & call her friend. my kindest regards to all friends. Yours sincerely & affectionately, E. Robinson I will thank you to inform me what joumals (periodicals) are now taken at Andover from Germany; and also if there are any imperfect works, which I can complete. If you will inform me which number of your Flatt's Magazine is missing I can probably easily replace it.I have just met with a copy here for the first time. would it be worthwhile to buy the Allg. Lit. Zeitung complete? it can be hard bound for about $30 or $35. The only great object in buying it would be that there are every where so many references to it. ----- New Page ----- 1830 Halle, Feb. 9*, 1830 Rev. & Dear Sir, Your letter of Dec. 14 reached me a few days since; -- you will already have learned that I waited with some impatience for it. the election of Mr. E. I had already learned from another quarter, though not the particular circumstances.'* -- in regard to the scruples of the Trustees about electing any person who has not been for a time Pastors; does this apply generally to all professorships or only to particular ones? in regard to some, this is probably proper, & was necessary, -- e.g. in regard to practical theology-- & if you "The reference is probably to Ralph (1787-1863), a distant relative of Ralph Waldo Emerson, who was a graduate of Andover Seminary and later a professor of ecclesiastical history and pastoral theology (1829-54). 130 please, systematic theology also, inasmuch as with us this includes also the every-day polemic which a pastor must encounter. if however this rule is to be made general, it seems to be peculiar to Andover, for at N. Have n neither Mr. Gibbs nor Mr. Fitch have ever been pastors, except the latter is pastor just as every Professor at Andover is also a pastor. at Princeton, Hodge was never a Pastor. Indeed the duties of a Pastor, if properly performed, must stand very much in the way of the necessary preparation as a teacher; & a man who has been 10 years a good pastor when transferred into a professorship May very probably have to labour hard 10 years longer before he can become a good professor-- & that under the disadvantage of long contracted habits entirely counter to his present calling. It is indeed very convenient first to get an office, & then prepare ones self for it in the enjoymentof the comforts of home, & a good salary, if one makes preparation at all. -- Dr. M. I hear is reading his course of lectures over again at N. Haven!!!! You mentionthat Mr. Farrar has written to me respecting types, etc. N o letter of his has reached me of late, --^though I have other letters from America up to Jan. 1.1 sent you by the last ship Bleek's review of your work on Hebrews, which came out in the first vol. of the Allgemeine Lit. Zeitung for this year. I hope the sheets have already reached you. I presume the views of a man who has studied the subject & who is here universally esteemed for his moderation, candor, & love of truth, as well as for his learning, will be valuable to you, although they May not always coincide with your own. He has evidently read thoroughly the book which he undertakes to review. ----- New Page ----- In regard to news and new books, I have heard very little since the date of my last letter. Tholuck has commenced his "Literische Anzeigen," which thus far goes very well. He is giving in it a general view of the state of learning & religion in Italy. what I objected to in Hengstenberg was not that he had yet talent & learning, which no one questions, but his intolerant spirit--a spiritof denunciation, indeed, of all that does not precisely accord with his own views. This I think is manifested in his Kirchenzeitung and diminishes much its influence. Tholuck assumes a harder ground & Hengstenberg has already by letter denounced him as abandoning the schroff and isolated Standpunkt, which in his opinion the orthodox even alone assume. -- A prospectus has been issued at Leipzig for the reprinting of the English ed. of Stephens' Greek Thesaurus--it was to cost about 110 Rth. n the mean time, a reprint is also announced in France with improvements, & cheaper than a Leipzig one, so that the latter is abandoned. Prof. Schaefer of L. now came forward & offers for sale a number of the English edition for 250 Rth .= $175.--D a .. .'sLex. Horn. P… [?] is also in a course of republication with additions by Rost. -- of Ast's Comm. on Plato only vol. I is yetout, entirely critical, i.e., on the readings. Fritzsches' Mark is out, & ready to be sent as soon as the navigation is open. -- Herr Dr. Theile has been sofiercely attacked on all sides about his commentary, that he has abandoned it--^to the joy of every body.-- Winer is said to be preparing a new ed. of his grammar,bybringing the 2 vols, together. I know of no late work of his of any importance which has not been sent. -- The work offra… [?] on Nahum (as I have before mentioned) was only a specimen, a program, and is not even to be found in the Booktrade; I cannot learn that it has any special value. Gesenius spoke of it as a thing he had seen, but knew nothing more of it. I shall get it if possible. -- It is gratifying to learn that my lexicon will so soon stand in need of revision. If God has only made it useful to others in proportion as it has been useful to myself, I have greatoccasion of thankfulness. to your kindness & adviceitis owing that I undertook it; the results of the study on my own advancement were not small, & the pecuniary benefits of the work will in a great measure have supported me abroad. in the revision I must indeed "stand on my own legs." Since I have known Wahl personally my veneration (at least) for his learning has very much decreased; Bretschneider was not at home when I was ingotha. Both the lexicons have come out in new editions, & I should make it a point to take the best from both. Or perhaps it would be still better to make a ----- New Page ----- new work using them like other helps--giving first the ordinary Greek usage of a work, & then that of the N. T. & using all the latest & best helps of every kind--^taking care at the same time to let the public know that the work is founded onthose of the German lexicographers. As to Planck, nothing is to be gained nor hoped --he is broken down with epilepsy --a mere idiot. When Gesenius visited him two years since, He shewed him as a great favour his collections for his lexicon-- a bundle of papers, 3 inches thick-- & of these, he is so careful that he does not permit any one, except as a favour, to look at them. Gesenius I have not lately seen--^he has so many Nebenarbeiten with the Lit. Zeitung & examinations that his works suffer. He did not g o to Copenhagen last autum n that he migh t spend the time on his lexicon-- & then from the firstof Oct. till Christmas did not touch it. It is impossible to say when it will appear, certainly not before Autumn, if by then. The winter here has been exceedingly severe; since the middle ofNovember the thermometer has not been above the freezing point till yesterday, and then sno w lies every where, a foot deep or more-- a thing unheard of here. the box of books which I sentoff early in Nov. & of which Mr. Farrar has already the listing was frozen in this side of Magdeburg, & of course cannot go off before the spring navigation opens. the books I hoped to purchase at auction at Bremen wen toff exceedingly dear--I got comparatively few-- & these lie at Bremen. -- I shall then make another trial [?] for Kristus Suidus & Ptolemy's Geography as well as other works. I have now here 3 boxes ready packed, containing many very valuable works, -- I shall send the catalogue before long. from Heidelberg I expect 2 boxes; I obtained there the Acta Conciliorum by Mansi,ô the Thesarius Antiq. L.. : of….[?], the works of Ephra m Syrus, etc. etc. the Paris ed. of Oujan[?i escaped me. I have now under consideration here a complete copy of the Allg. Lit. Zeitung, up to 1829 inclus. bound, i.e., for 45 years complete--^the price is 41 Rth. or a little less than $30. the work is useful in a library onacct. of the very many references to it. One of my chief objects now is the best eds., especially of the Greek classics, & I have already got many of them. I am aware that I have sent duplicates & even triplicates. in some cases I acted purposely, e.g. Buxtor fs Te x Rub. Chald. Salm., where there ought to exist several copies, in order that more than one May pursue the same study at the same time; so of Castell's Syr. Lex. & [?]'s Syr. N. T. in a few cases it has been the resultof accident; & in some others, of defects in the catalogue. --Mos tof the books mentioned in your letter I have already got, --as also the Commentaries of Justi, Grimm, & others onNahu m & then of the minor prophets. Indeed the exegetical part of Winers' Theol. Lit. I have pretty much sifted, so that there will remain few books of value named in it, which our library will not contain. I have also sub….[?] for the new Corpus Scriptorum Byzant. All these are ready to be sent off as soon as the navigation opens, when there will be 6 or 7 boxes. ----- New Page ----- The duplicates I have supposed May probably lie hereafter, wh. oft. at a rate to cover at least all expense, & probably much more. you will see by all this that I have not been, and am not idle. Indeed this purchasing of books demands far more time than I could have supposed, e.g. for the last fortnight I have absolutely been able to do nothing else than arrange my catalogues, & make out some orders, & look at books. Whatever May be my lot, I trust Giovanni Mansi (1692-1769) brought forth his Sacrorum Conciliorum nova et amplissmia collectio. That the Library at Andover will in future exhibit some evidence that I have not laboured for it in vain. These arrangements are now such that I can hereafter in America continue to collect books here & in Paris reasonably & well. I could also wish in this respect to visit Holland & London . I must close--^with best wishes, prayers for you & yours. I have written this under the presence of a violent headache--if therefore it is confused or pervish, ich muss urn Verzeihun g bitten. I do not write of my departure because that depends so much on the season. Respects & love to all, Yours sincerely & affect., E. Robinson. ----- New Page ----- [The following note, written on paper measuring 4% " x 3%", was enclosed with the letter above of 9 Feb. 1830] Feb. 18 [1830] I was prevented from sending off this letter in time for the ship offeb. 20. in the mean time Mr. Farrar's letter of Dec. 31 has arrived in which he takes offall restrictions to the purchase of books, & wishes me to bring other types. in some respects it would have been pleasant to have had this permission earlier; -- though for the present season I could not have done much more than I have already done, under the persuasion, that placed as I am, the purchase of books to a considerable amount could not fail to meet the approbation of all. I have taken the copy of the Allgmeine Lit. Zeitung and have made arrangement to receive it hereafter at about Vs of the usual price, i.e. for about $3.25 per ann. instead of $8.50. ----- New Page ----- I know not whether it is still sent from Hamburg, but shall write thither to inquire, & if so, stop it. We have pretty much determined to give up England, the difficulty of traveling with a little child is so great, that we should probably derive little satisfaction, besides making us very late in the season for America. we propose therefore, Deo volente, to embark at Hamburg (whence there are packets to N.Y.) by the earliest initial opportunity; -- & May therefore hope to reach N. Y. in June or not much later. -- Re. Mr. Farrar's acct, my Lexicon is now nearer all sold than I had supposed; -- so there will be enough to do & that immediately. I shall endeavor to see Bretschneider, & perhaps visit Gottingen once more in order to study the arrangementof the library--also Berlin & Leipzig. ----- New Page ----- Blank page ----- New Page ----- Blank Page ----- New Page ----- Blank Page ----- New Page ----- Blank Page ----- New Page ----- Blank Page ----- New Page ----- Back Cover�
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Geography: Copenhagen (Denmark), , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Note: The contents of these letters parallel those found in the two-volume letter - journal kept by E. R. when he made his first trip to Europe. [See Catalogue no.1 , M, along with a complete transcription of those journal-letters]. A transcription of these forty-three letters to Stuart has been made by Hermine W. Williams and is included in this file. Copies of the transcription also have been given to the libraries of Andover-Newton Theological School and Hamilton College.
Part of: Edward Robinson Collection, Hamilton College Library Digital Collections
Identifier: yhm-spe-rob-ff
Use/Rights: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-US/1.0/

Title: Med kongelig allernaadigst Tilladelse bliver Tirsdagen den 17 Julii 1827, Kl. 7, paa det kongelige Theater opført
Names: Robinson, Edward, 1794-1863, Robinson, Therese
Type: Theatre programme
Pages: 2 images
Subjects: Playbills, Tourists -- Europe, Souvenirs (Keepsakes) -- Europe -- 19th century
Geography: Copenhagen (Denmark),
Abstract: G-5 1827, July-Oct. Playbills which represent the entertainment E. R. enjoyed while traveling in present-day Germany, Austria, etc. Included in the six items are playbills for Wilhelm Tell by Schiller; for Die beyden Figaro, a lustspiel performed in Munich; for several other plays; and a 4-act ballet performed in Vienna. Also included is a sightseeing guide to Regensburg and a detailed guide for Die Riesengebirgs-Reise. Dates listed on the various items are: July 17, August 27, September 14 (Munich), October 8, 9, and 10 (Vienna).
Note: 1827 - Announcement for three theatrical performances in Denmark.
Part of: Hamilton College Library Digital Collections, Edward Robinson Collection
Identifier: yhm-spe-rob-g05d
Use/Rights: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NKC/1.0/

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