fully occupied with this; and but for my curiosity about Esther, you would
not have had a line from me before Monday.

[24.]

PRUSSIAN LEGATION, _Monday_.

My best thanks. All hail to the "Great Esther." She was really called
Myrtle, for Hadascha is in Hebrew the myrtle--a name analogous to Susannah
(the lily). That Esther is {~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA WITH DASIA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER SIGMA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER TAU~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER ETA WITH PERISPOMENI~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER RHO~} has long been generally admitted, also
that Xerxes is Ahasverus. The analogy of Achasverosh and Kshayarsha has
also been proved. Finally, the chronology is equally decisive. The only
thing still wanting is _Amestris_. What it is still important to know, is,
whether _Ama_, "great," was a common designation of exalted personages, or
specially of _queens_ (in opposition to the _Pallakai_), or whether the
name is to be considered as an adjective to _star, magna Stella_. The
first interpretation would make the Jewish statement more clear. I think
decidedly it is the most natural. It is conceivable that Uncle Otanes,
like l'oncle de Madame l'Imperatrice, should have taken a distinguished
name, just as the Hebrew _myrtle_ had been changed into a Persian _star_.
But there is not the least hurry about all this.

I rejoice extremely over your extemporary lectures. You are now on the
open sea, and "will go on swimmingly." Always keep the _young men_ well in
mind, and arrange your lectures entirely for them. I should think that the
history of Greek literature (with glances backwards and forwards) after O.
Mueller's "History of Greek Literature," would be a fine subject. Mure's
book gives many an impulse for further thought. In what concerns the Latin
inscriptions, you must rely on _Gruter's_ "Thesaurus," after him on
Morelli; of the more recent, only on Borghese and Sarti, and on the little
done by my dear Kellermann. There is nothing more rare than the power of
copying accurately.

Be patient with ----, if he has an honest mind. I can fancy that such a
mind, having been torn, wronged, and bothered, has become very
cross-grained. Only patience and love can overcome this.

Overweg has fallen a victim to his noble zeal; he lies buried in the Lake
of Tsad. Vogel is happily already on the way to Malta and Tripoli.

[25.]

PRUSSIAN LEGATION, _March 21, 1853._

Mrs. Malcolm and Longman are as delighted as I am that Dr. Thomson will
hav