BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF FREDERICK WOHLER. 545 



gave Wohler to make was that of a new zeolite. In reality he per- 

 formed the work himself, in order to show his method and all the 

 manipulations peculiar to himself. "Afterward," says Wuhler, "he 

 gave me a mineral called lievrite to analyze, which, as a test of my 

 perseverance, I had to repeat till the results were uniform. If I had 

 been hasty and the results did not agree, he would say, ' Doctor, that 

 was quickly but badly done.' " Besides mineral analyses Wohler pre- 

 pared selenium and lithium, and repeated his experiments on hydro- 

 cyanic acid, which Berzelius had highly commended in his " Jahres- 

 bericht," and which he thought had contributed largely to establish 

 the accuracy of the new chlorine theory. After the work in the labora- 

 tory ceased, Berzelius had promised Alexander Brongniart and his son 

 Adolph, the botanist, to be their companion and guide on a geological 

 journey through Sweden and Norway. Wohler was invited to join 

 this party, and gladly accepted the invitation. As the Brongniarts 

 were not to arrive in Sweden before the middle of July, Wohler im- 

 proved the interval by making an extensive tour to a number of cele- 

 brated mines and quarries where he gathered a rich store of rare min- 

 erals to send to his German friends. He finally joined Berzelius at 

 Skinskatteberg, the estate of Hisinger. The venerable and hospitable 

 Hisinger, so well known for his contributions to the geology and min- 

 eralogy of Sweden, and also for the liberality with which he had sup- 

 ported Berzelius during the commencement of his studies, lived here, 

 a very rich man, on a princely estate, surrounded by magnificent 

 forests, gardens, and mines. The party spent a week here most de- 

 lightfully, examining and testing minerals with the blowpipe and 

 visiting mines. While they were waiting for the arrival of the Bron- 

 gniarts, a traveler brought the news that Sir Humphry Davy was in 

 Gotheborg, and that he hoped to meet Berzelius before he left this part 

 of the country. In the mean time the Brongniarts and Hans Chris- 

 tian Oersted arrived, but, being impatient, could not await the arrival 

 of Davy, and continued their journey. Berzelius and Wohler staid 

 behind, and, in a few days, Davy's arrival was announced, and Berze- 

 lius at once waited upon him at his hotel. " The meeting of these two 

 men," says Wohler, " was very cordial " ; and he adds, " Davy ad- 

 dressed some encouraging words to me when I was presented to him 

 as a young chemist." Davy returned to England, while the rest of 

 the party continued their journey to Norway. While at Christiania 

 they encountered the Crown-Prince Oscar, then Viceroy of Norway, 

 and, not being able to escape in time, were detected by the Prince, 

 who stopped the procession, and called Berzelius to his carriage and 

 asked him to dinner. Here was a dilemma ; but Berzelius contrived 

 to procure the necessary court costume, and to answer the summons to 

 the royal presence. 



This journey to Norway was one of the bright periods in Wuhler's 

 history, and he always recalls it with pleasure to his pupils whenever 

 vol. xvii. 35 



