HUMBERT I. 308 HUMBOLDT. 1862, he viaiti'd NnpK-n uiul I'lilcrnio, wliore he shnrcd the pupuluritv uf iiurihuldi. lien the war hftwfcn l'rii>»iii und Austria was iiiiiiiincnt, Humbert was dispatehed tu Paris tu aseiTtain tho sentiments of the l-'rcnoh Uuvernmciit in ref- erence to the alliancv lietwivn Italy and I'rus- sia. On the outbreak of ho.itilities he liastened to take the liehl; obtained the command of a division of tJeneral t'iahiini's anny. with the rank uf lieutenant -;:eiHral ; and tonk a i;allanl part in the battle of L'ustozza, June 24, IStitJ, cover- ing' the retreat of the Italians by brave and skill- ful tactics. In 18t>S he married his cousin, the Princess Marguerite of Savoy. He succeeded to the throne on the death of his father, Janu- ary 9, 1878. He showed great bravery dur- ing the cholera epidemic in 1884, and •grained in |M)pular esteem by his visit to Naples at that time. In 1887 tiie lorcijoi policy of the (iovern- nient resulted in the Triple Alliance between Italy, Austria - 1 lun^'ary, and (iermany. Tlie colonial [policy of the country was not so suc- cessful, however, as the Italian troops met with great reverses in Abyssinia in 1887, and again in 18!I5. In 18!'8 a conunercial treaty was con- cluded with Krance. but thrcnijihout Humbert's reign the country sulVcrcd under tinancial depres- sion and heavy taxation. Toward the end of his reign King Humbert lost some of his fonncr popularity. An anarchist attempted to assas- sinate him before the gates of Kome in 1S'J7. but ^failed. Tlin-c years later, however (July 29, liHlO), Humbert was shot at and mortally wound- ed by another Italian anarchist, Uresci. who had come from the United States intent <m this act. The King died almost immediately. Humbert wa.s succeeded by his only son, Victor Emmanuel III. See Italy. HUMBERT, cN'bAr', Ferdinand (1842—). A Vrench painter, horn in Paris. He stmlied with Picot. Cabanel, and ICugfne Fromcntin. His first appearance in the Salon was in ISO.i. with "l.a fuilc de Neron." Pesides portraits, he painted numerous canvases upon religious or historical subjects, such as "1^ Christ il la t'olonne" (1875), which is now in the Orleans Mviscum. and "Pro Patria," a decoration for the Panthfon (1880). He was awarded several medals, ami was made an ofTieer of the Legion of Honor. HUMBERT, Hr.sTAVE AMCnfiE (1822-94). A Frenili juii-t and politician, born at Metz. He studied law in Paris, and gave private lessons both before and after he was under-prefeet of Thionville (184851). He was professor of Roman law at Toulouse, and thence entered politics in 1871 on his election to the Chamber of Deputies. Humbert took a prominent part in debates on legal questions, became a leader of the Republican Ix-ft in 187."i. was transferred to the Senate, and in Freyeinet's Cabinet (1882) was Minjster of .Tustiee. In 1800 Humbert left his post as vice-president of the Senate, and became presi- dent of the chief court of accounts. He wrote: Ensai stir Ics financru rt In compniihititf piihlique rhe: les Romnins (1887), and Orrinnt.ialion de Vempire romnin (1802). His connection with the great Humbert swindle, carried through by his son. Frederic, and his daughter-in-law, FrC- di'ric'i wife. i< problematic. HUMBLEBEE. See Bumblebee. HUMBOLDT, lifim'b.Mt. dcr. /iron. Inim1).*>lt. Ai>;.A.M)KK, liaron von ( 17(i9-1859) . A Orman naturalist and traveler. He was born in Berlin. September 14, 1709. His father, who dieil in 1779, was a chand>erlain to (he King of Prussia; his mother was of ISurgundian descent, anri his youthful life was spent in the old Castle of Tegel. near Potsdam. He studied, in company with hi> brother Wilhelm (((.v.), first under private tutor-, then at the universities of KranUfort-onthe-Odti Berlin, and Gottingen. His [)relercnee for scini title studies was strongly manifested in his earl> years, ami liighly developed by the inlluence oi lilunienbach and other university instructor^. During his residence at Giittingen ( 1788 and 1780) lie nuide gecdogical examinations in the Harz Mountains and Rhine Valley, which resulted in his first important publication, I'lber die llasalle am A'/uin, iirbst L'ntirsucliuni)cn UbtT Si/riiit mid Itiixiiiiit dcr Allen (1700). In 1790 Humboldt made a tour through France, the Xetherlands. and England, in company willi (ieorg Forster, already eminent as a .scientific- traveler, whose intluence was strong in shaping the younger man's career: and in 1701 he en tered the Academy of Mining at Kreilu-rg. Sax ony. where Werner was then professor of geol- ogj'. His eight months' residence at Frci berg gave him materials for several technical papers in ehcmi>trv and ]iliysies. and for some nmre elaborate essays, especially those upon the eryptogamous plants of the mines (Floia Siih- linaiitn Frihciiicnxis, etc.). In consequence hi- was soon (1792) appointed superintendent of mines in the princijialities of Bayreuth and An spach, and resided for the next thri'c years at liayreuth. The breadth of his interest and re- searches at this period is exemplified by his work and speculations on the nature of muscular aiiil nervous force, entitled Vcrsucliv iibcr die tjcn i:li }fusf:el- und Xertwnfaaer, nrbat Yrrmutuniim iibcr den chcmischcn ProzcsH dcs Lcbms in dir Tier- und P/lanzrnirrIt (1707). The desire for larger freedom, and especially for exploratory travel, led Humlioldt to resign his ofTiee in 1707. He had alrc:i<ly in 170.5 wandenil about the Alps, studying geology, but further inteniled journeys to Sicily and up the Nile were prevented by political obstacles. The next thn-e months were spent at .Tena. in intimate associa- tion with Goethe. Schiller, and the men at the iniversity, who then made an extraordinary circle of intellects; and here he began to plan for the great journey to Spanish .merica with which his fame is now most closely associated. In Paris he made the acquaintance of a talented young Frenc-b botanist. .inu' Bonpland. who joined in his plans and was destined to be his principal eolaborer. Meanwhile Humboldt was incessantly at work.
- nd the years 1707-00 witnessed the publication
of many notalde contributions to science, among M which those pertaining to the composition of the V atmosphere were particularly notable. Many of these were brought together in his book Ver- Huche iibcr die rhemixche Xcrlrqunq des Lufl- kreises (1799). At length, after spending some time in Spain and getting letters from the Government, Humboldt and Bonpland sailed in a Spanish frigate from Corona, in .Tune. 1700. They visited TencrifTe. ascended the peak, and made valuable obser'ations there, as well as at sea during the voyage, which terminated at Cumana, in Venezuela.
