ty of Copenhagen, September 4th, 1848. }

"SIRE: The undersigned has the honor, through your Majesty's minister of
state and chief of the department of foreign affairs, to communicate to
you a letter from a very distinguished citizen of the United States,
together with copies of a correspondence relating to a subject in which
your Majesty, alike distinguished for generous liberality in social and
political affairs as a sovereign, as well as an ardent admirer of
science and of literature, will doubtless feel a lively interest.

"The undersigned is happy to be the medium through which those papers
reach the eye of your Majesty, feeling sensible that their perusal will
furnish occasion to your Majesty to recur with much national pleasure to
the act of one of your illustrious predecessors as a distinguished
patron of science; and this recurrence to the eminent position that
Denmark has attained in the arts and the sciences may perhaps not be the
less pleasurable from the fact that the trophy of science to which the
papers allude was achieved on the very coast where, as far back as the
tenth century, the intrepidity and enterprise of your Majesty's
Scandinavian ancestors first discovered and planted a colony upon the
great western continent.

"The undersigned therefore hopes that, after a careful examination of
the accompanying papers, from which it would seem to be admitted that
Miss Mitchell, of the United States, is entitled to the honor of first
discovering the telescopic comet bearing her name, your Majesty will not
be able to perceive in that commendable delicacy which forbade her
hastily seeking public notoriety a sufficient motive for withholding
from her the reward of her eminent discovery; but, on the contrary, will
direct the medal to be awarded to her, not only as a suitable
encouragement to her distinguished scientific attainments, but also as
evincing your Majesty's appreciation of that beautiful virtue which
withheld her from rushing into public and scientific renown merely to
comply with a purely technical condition.

"The undersigned, American charge d'affaires, gladly improves this very
pleasant occasion to tender to your Majesty the expression of his high
and most distinguished consideration.

[Signed] "R. P. FLENIKEN.

"To his Majesty FREDERIC VII., King of Denmark, Duke of Schleswig and
Holstein."

* * * * *

THE COUNT DE KNUTH TO MR. FLENIKEN.

"Copenhague, ce