Since  he  does  not  believe  in  the  spirits,  it  is  incredible  that
they  will  not  vanish.  His  annoyance  at  their  appearance  in
Tegel  —  a  small  castle,  a  few  miles  northwest  of  Berlin,  origi-
nally built  as  a  hunting-lodge  by  the  Elector  of  Brandenburg,
and  more  recently  known  as  the  home  and  burial-place  of
Wilhelm  and  Alexander  von  Humboldt  —  is  explained  by
the  circumstance  that  in  1797  apparitions  were  declared  to
have  visited  the  castle.  So  much  excitement  was  created  by
the  report,  that  an  official  visit  to  Tegel  was  made  by  the
authorities,  and  attempts  were  instituted,  .but  without  suc-
cess, to  discover  the  cause  of  the  ghostly  sights  and  sounds.
NOTES.  315

In  Varnhagen  von  Ense's  Tagebuch,  published  since  his
death,  I  find  the  following  curious  statement :  —

"  Tegel  is  haunted,  as  is  known  :  this  winter  the  Minister
(Wilhelm)  von  Humboldt  is  said  to  have  seen  his  double
there.  The  servant  entered,  terrified  to  find  him  sitting
at  his  writing-desk,  and  confessed,  in  his  confusion,  that  he
had  just  left  him  lying  in  bed.  The  Minister  followed  the
servant  into  his  bedchamber,  also  saw  himself  lying  in  bed,
observed  the  thing  for  a  while,  did  not  approach  nearer,
however,  but  went  quietly  away  again.  After  half  an  hour
the  apparition  had  disappeared."

145.  Yet  something  from  a  tour  I  always  save.
