HUMBOLDT, KARL WiLtrEfar, Baron von, the elder brother of the preceding, emi nent as a statesman, and for his works in philology, /esthetics, and general literature, was b. at Potsdam, June 22, 1767, and educated at Berlin, Frankfort-on-the-Oder, and Got tingen. He eagerly studied antiquities, /esthetics, and the Kantian philosophy, as well as law, to which he professedly devoted himself. After traveling in Germany, France, and Switzerland, he acquired the rank of counselor of legation, but showed little inclina tion fur official employment, and in 1701-married, and for some years resided chiefly on his wife's estate in Thuringia, and afterwards in Jena, associating most intimately with Schiller, and devoting himself to poetry and other literary and scientific pursuits. A valuable memorial of his friendship with Schiller is the correspondence between them (Briefweehsel zicischen Schiller und Wilhelm von _Humboldt, Stuttg. und Tub., 1830), pub lished by him after Scliiller's death. From 1797 to 1799 Humboldt resided partly in Paris and partly in Spain, and in 1801 became Prussian resident at Rome, where he remained for a number of years, in this capacity, and in that of minister-plenipotentiary, a most generous patron of young artists and men of science. From Home be returned to his native country, to fill the high place of first minister of public instruction, in which capacity he did much to promote education in Prussia. The Berlin university owed its existence to him. In 1810 he went to Vienna as minister-plenipotentiary, and from this time he took part in all the most important political affairs in which his coun try was concerned. After 1819 he resided chiefly at Tegel, where he laid out fine pleasure
grounds, and formed a noble collection of sculptures by the greatest masters. He died April 8, 1835.
His earliest literary works were collected by himself under the title of _Esthetic Essays (zEsthetische Versuche, Brunswick, 1799). His Collected Works appeared atBerlin (7 vols. 1841-52). Humboldt devoted himself with the greatest eagerness and assiduity to the study of philology, and produced several works on the Basque tongue, and the evidence which it affords concerning the aboriginal inhabitants of Spain—the languages of the east, and various questions connected with oriental literature, and the languages of the South sea islands. One of his most important works is that On the Ram Language in the Island of Jam (Veber die Raloispraehe, etc., 3 vols., Berlin, 1836-40), published after his death by Edward Buschmann; the introduction to which, On the Variety of Structure in Human Speech, etc., and its influence on the intellectual progress of mankind, may be said to mark a new era in the science of philology, and has given occasion to many further researches and publications. Wilhelm von Humboldt's Brhfe an eine Freundin (" Letters to a Lady Friend." 1847; Eng. transl.,1849), exhibit his character in a most pure and amiable light. See the admirable biography by Haym (1856).