was born on the 5th of October,
1795, at Wonsiedel, in the Fichtel Wald; he was the youngest son of
Godfrey Christopher Sand, first president and councillor of justice to
the King of Prussia, and of Dorothea Jane Wilheltmina Schapf, his wife.
Besides two elder brothers, George, who entered upon a commercial career
at St, Gall, and Fritz, who was an advocate in the Berlin court of
appeal, he had an elder sister named Caroline, and a younger sister
called Julia.

While still in the cradle he had been attacked by smallpox of the most
malignant type. The virus having spread through all his body, laid
bare his ribs, and almost ate away his skull. For several months he
lay between life and death; but life at last gained the upper hand. He
remained weak and sickly, however, up to his seventh year, at which
time a brain fever attacked him; and again put his life in danger. As
a compensation, however, this fever, when it left him, seemed to carry
away with it all vestiges of his former illness. From that moment his
health and strength came into existence; but during these two long
illnesses his education had remained very backward, and it was not until
the age of eight that he could begin his elementary studies; moreover,
his physical sufferings having retarded his intellectual development, he
needed to work twice as hard as others to reach the same result.

Seeing the efforts that young Sand made, even while still quite a child,
to conquer the defects of his organisation, Professor Salfranck, a
learned and distinguished man, rector of the Hof gymnasium [college],
conceived such an affection for him, that when, at a later time, he was
appointed director of the gymnasium at Ratisbon, he could not part from
his pupil, and took him with him. In this town, and at the age of eleven
years, he gave the first proof of his courage and humanity. One day,
when he was walking with some young friends, he heard cries for help,
and ran in that direction: a little boy, eight or nine years old, had
just fallen into a pond. Sand immediately, without regarding his best
clothes, of which, however, he was very proud, sprang into the water,
and, after unheard-of efforts for a child of his age, succeeded in
bringing the drowning boy to land.

At the age of twelve or thirteen, Sand, who had become more active,
skilful, and determined than many of his elders, often amused himself by
giving battle to the lads of the town and of the neighbouring village