Note 91 — Chapter 6 The Kremlin Department—Moscow University—Our Set—The Chemist—The Malov Affair—The Cholera—Filaret—V. Passek—General Lissovsky—The Sungurov Affair

How diversely Humboldt’s travels were understood in Russia may be gathered from the account of an Ural Cossack who served in the office of the Governor of Perm; he liked to describe how he had escorted the mad Prussian Prince, Gumplot. What did he do? ‘Just the same silly things, collecting grasses, looking at the sand; at Solontchaki he said to me, through the interpreter, ‘Go into the water and get what’s at the bottom’; well, I got just what is usually at the bottom, and he asks, ‘Is the water very cold at the bottom?’ ‘No, my lad,’ I thought, ‘you won’t catch me.’ So I drew myself up at attention, and answered, ‘When it’s our duty, your Highness, it’s of no consequence, we are glad to do our best.’