LIEBER'S REMINISCENCES OF NIEBUHR.
THE greater part of this agreeable and instructive volume con- sists of the pith of conversations held ,by the reminiscent with the great historian. These colloquies have the variety of table talk ; embracing, amongst other things, antiquities, criticism, history, historical characters, and politics; but they want some of the point which should characterize dialogue—perhaps from having been originally- expressed in German, and then translated by a German into English. Wherever the truth or weight of the sentiment is sufficient to support itself this deficiency is not felt, but when the sentiment is questionable or trite, it appears flat or feeble contrasted with the felicitous expression of J OH NSON'S fallacies or the easy fluency with which COLERIDGE clothed his mysticisms. The most attractive and characteristic part of the book, how- ever, is not the dialogue, but the prefatory Introduction; in which LIEBER gives a sort of autobiographical account of himself, and of the circumstances which led to his connexion with NIEBUHR. It would appear that our author is an ardent loverof learning and liberty, the first of which has verified the proverb, and proved better to him " than house and land ;" whilst his enthusiasm in the cause of freedom has not only made him an exile, but procured him, at an early period of life, a lodging in the prison of Dresden, and, on his liberation, drove him to Greece as a volunteer in the Revolutionary war. It was through events springing out of his return from this crusade that he first became acquainted with NIEBUHR; and, as the incidents are not only interesting in them- selves, but possess additional attractions from their relating to the biography of two eminent men, and from the singular union of German enthusiasm, simplicity, and worldly wisdom which they display, we will bring before the reader a few of the most striking. Here is the condition and prospects of the young ad- venturer when his Grecian ardour had cooled.
After having suffered many hardships and bitter disappointments, and finding it impossible either to fight or to procure the mewls fur a bare subsistence, 'however small, I resolved, in 184 to return, as su many other Philhellenes were obliged to do. The small sum which I had obtained by selling nearly every article I possessed, was rapidly dwindling away : 1 should have died of hunger, had I remained longer. Before, therefore, my money was entirely exhausted, I took passage at Messalunglii in a small vessel bound for Ancona. One scudo and a half was all that remained in my purse after 1 paid the commander of the tartan; a price which was very high for the poor accommodation, or rather ab- sence of all accommodation, but only natural considering my helpless state, and that the commander of the vessel was a Greek. We had a rough passage, during which we were obliged to seek shelter in the bay of Gorzola, on the coast of Dalmatia; and on Easter-eve we entered the port of Ancona. I remembered having heard from a fellow-student of mine in Germany, that he intended to abandon the Pandects and follow the fine arts : if he had dune so, I concluded lie would be by this time in Rome. In a letter, therefore, to one of the first artists in that city, whom I only knew by reputation, I enclosed ano- ther to my friend, hoping that the former might have have happened to hear of him. In this letter I asked for money to enable me to defray the expenses of the quarantine. Should I be unable to do this, the captain who had brought me would have been bound to pay my expenses, and I should have been obliged to pay hint by serving on board his vessel. This regulation is fair enough. Caution prohibits any thing being touched which comes front persons in qua- rantine; the establishment, therefore, must furnish articles of comfort and sus- tenance on credit, which svould be often abused if the quarantine establishment had not the right to look to the captain and the captain to the passenger. There was then a fair chance that I shottl,i have to work for some time as a sailor on boald a Greek vessel, until we should go to anchor in some large pert, where I might find a consul of my own nation, to whom I could disclose my situation, and who would feel disposed to assist me until I could obtain from home the means of returning. But my friend happened to be at Rome and to have money, and, with the promptness of a German student, sent me all he possessed at the time.
So near Rome, the " Eternal City " was of course the object of our classical enthusiast ; but having, on his departure for Greece, escaped from Germany, and passed through Switzerland and France by a series of stratagems, whirr are fair, we presume, in war, M. LIEBER'S passport was, as lie expresses it, in " wretched condition ;" and the utmost they would or could do for him at the police-ollice, was to direct his passport to Florence.
I think I never felt more wretched than on leaving the police-office. I had sailed for Greece from 3latscilles, and had now returned to Ancona. Had I made my way round Rome without seeing the Eternal City—without seeing her perhaps ever in my life?
A Danish gentleman, who had gone to Greece for the same purpose as myself, who had sailed with me from 3Iessalunghi, and with whom I now had taken lodgings, felt equally disappointed. We went home and threw ourselves on the only bed in our room in silent despair. Could we venture to go to Rome without passports? We should certainly be impeded on our way by _gendarmes, particularly as our shabby dress was her front removing all suspicion from these watchful servants of public safety. We could think of no means of obtaining the object of our most ardent wishes, and yet we could not resolve to abandon it. Thus lying and meditating, I took up mechanically a map of Italy; we gazed at it, and our disappointment became but the keener while the classic ground with its thousand associations was thus strikingly represented before our eyes.
Suddenly an idea struck them; and, by another stratagem, they got the passports directed to a frontier town of Tuscany, within a short distance from Rome, and thence they risked a journey to the city herself.
My heart beat as we approached the tame-looking sentinel of the Papal troops more than it ever had beaten at the approach of any grenadier of the enemy ; and the delight I experienced when 1 had safely passed him, and felt and saw I was in Rome, is indescribable. I found the friend whom I have already mentioned : he shared his room with me. After I had somewhat recovered from the first excitement caused by the pleasure of seeing hirn, and a rapid glance at the wonders of Rome, and the consciousness of treading her hallowed ground, I reflected on my situation. I could not reside at Rome for any length of time without having permission from the police. This, again, I could not obtain without a certificate from the Minister of my country that my passport was in order. The vets,- contrary was the case, as the reader knows; in fact, I was ashamed to show my passport at the Prussian Legation. I resolved, therefore, on disclosing frankly my si- tuation to the Minister, Mr. Niebuhr ; hoping that a scholar who had written the history of Rome, could not be so cruel as to dtive me from Rome without allowing me time to see and study it.
He went, but
Did not see the Minister ; he was busily engaged; but the Secretary of the Legation received me with a humanity which made my heart thrill, heightened as was its effect by the contrast with all I had lately experienced. I told my story- tory plainly plainly : he went to the Minister, and returned with a paper written in his own hand ; on showing which the Papal police were to give me the necessary permission to reside in Rome : "for," said he, " it is clear that without means you cannot proceed ; and as vou are probably in want of hinds necessary for the moment, the Minister has directed one to hand you this as a loan. You can take it without any unpleasant feeling, as it is part of a sum which Prince Henry (brother to the reigning King, then residing in Rome) has placed at the disposal of Mr. Niebuhr for the assistance of gentlemen who might return front Greece. Prince Henry, of course, does not wish to know the names of those who have been assisted by his means; so you need feel no scruples." I had to make yet another request. I was anxious to read Mr. Niebuhr's History of Anne in Route, and had been unsuccessful in obtaining a copy ; therefore asked whether I might borrow one from Mr. Nielndir's library. Here my frankness embarrassed the Secretary, and he very justly observed that the :Minister, after all, knew as yet nothing of toe. I felt flue propriety of his remark, and answered, that I was so desirous of reperusing the work just at this moment, that 1 had considered it due to myself to make so bold a request, though I was aware I had nothing upon which I could found any hope of success except the honesty of my purpose. Ile advised me to ask the Minister myself, widish I might do the following day at a certain hour, when he had expressed a wish to sec me. When I went the next mottling at the appointed time, as I thought, Mr. Niebuhr met me on the stairs, being on the point of going out. lie received me with kindness and affability, retui lied' with Me to his room, made me relate my whole story, and appeared much pleased that I could give him some information respecting Greece, which seemed to be not void of interest to hint. Out conversation lasted several hours, when lie broke off, asking me to return to dinner. I hesitated in accepting the invitation, which he seemed unable to under- stand. Ile probably thought that a person in my situation ought to he glad to receive an invitation of this kind ; and, in fact, any one might feel gratified in being asked to dine with hint, especially in Rome. When I saw that my motive for declining so flattering an invitation was not understood, I said, throw- ing a glance at my dress, " Really, Sir, I am not in a state to dine with an Excellency." Ile stamped with his foot, and said with some animation, " Are diplomatists always believed to be so cold hearted ! I am the same that I was iu in Berlin when I delivered my lectures : your remark was wrong." No argu- ment could be urged against such reasons.
The dinner, seasoned with the conversation of NIEBUHR, would have been an entertainment of unmixed delight but for a trilling drawback—the condition of our student's wardrobe.
My dress consisted as yet of nothing better than a pair of unblacked shoes, such as are not unfrequently worn in the Levant ; a pair of sucks of coarse Greek wool; the brownish pantaloons frequently worn by sea•captains in the Mediterranean ; and a blue frock• coat, through which two balls had passed—a fate to which the blue cloth cap had likewise been exposed. The socks were exceedingly short, hardly covering my ankles, and so indeed were the panta- loons ; so that, when I was in a sitting position, they refused me the charity of meeting, with an obstinacy which reminded me of the irreconcilcable temper of the two brothers in Schiller's Bride of Messina. There happened to dine with MI-. Niebuhr another lady besides 31rs. Niebuhr ; and my embarrassment was not small when, towards the conclusien of the dinner, the chilthen rose and played about on the growl, and I saw my poor extremities exposed to all the frank remarks of quick-sighted childhood ; fearing as I did, at the same time, the still more trying moments after dinner, when I should be obliged to take coffee near the ladies, unprotected by the kindly shelter of the table. Mr. Niebuhr observed perhaps that sulnethieg embarrassed tie, and he redoubled,
it his kindness.
NIEBUIIR'S kindness to the stranger thus strangely introduced to him did not end here. lie advised LIEBER 10 publish his ad- ventures in Greece, and assisted him in the composition ; he re- ceived him into his house as a tutor to his son MARCUS, and made him the companion of his own studies. On the return of the respective parties to Berlin, Mr. LIEBER'S politics again procured him a public lodging; but NIEBUHR, though himself under sus- picion as a Liberal, visited his friend in gaol, whence lie eventu- ally procured his release. And, on his becoming an exile, the historian assisted him with his advice and his influence, from the time of his reaching England till Mr. LIEBER procured the Pro- fessorship in South Carolina College which lie now holds ; and whence he has transmitted these Reminiscences as a memorial of his own gratitude and of the learning and virtues of NIEBUHR,
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