190 Mr Johnston's Visit to Berzelius. 



and accurate chemist ; but his whole life is not in his science. 

 He is a man of the world as well as a philosopher. He can 

 leave his laboratory to partake in the trifling pursuits of other 

 men, and thus it is but at times that he labours. Yet is high 

 and deserved respect due to him ; and what Byron said of 

 Campbell, may with equal justice be said of him, — " he is one 

 of those Jew men who have written too little.'''' 



There remain but two individuals of those I have mention- 

 ed, — unlike in many things, yet deserving to be named toge- 

 ther as persons to whom chemistry is as their '' meat and 

 drink," and as the founders of two schools of pains-taking and 

 laborious men. Of one of these, Thomson, I had seen and 

 known much ; and the high respect with which he always 

 spoke of Berzelius, was not the least of the many circumstan- 

 ces which strengthened the desire I had long entertained of 

 seeing the father of analytical chemistry. I am induced to 

 publish this account of my visit to him, under the persuasion, 

 that any thing, however imperfect, concerning so highly es- 

 teemed a chemist, cannot fail to be interesting to scientific 

 men. 



I reached Stockholm on the 6th September, and on the 

 following morning walked down to the Academy buildings in 

 the Stora ny Gatan^ to wait upon Berzelius. I found him in 

 his study, busy writing for the new edition of his chemistry. 

 On announcing my name, he did not wait for my letters of in- 

 troduction, but at once gave me a kind and hearty welcome. 

 I had not formed any very definite idea of his appearance, yet 

 I was a little taken by surprise when I first saw him ; and I 

 fe^r IVas almost guilty of rudeness, by the fixed and earnest 

 manner with which I contemplated his features during the 

 whole of my first visit. Berzelius has not perhaps a handsome 

 face, but his features are delicate, and their expression en- 

 tirely pleasing. That of his mouth is very pecuhar, and in- 

 dicative, in a high degree, of good humour and good nature. 

 There is a portrait of him engraved at Berlin, in which this 

 expression is remarkably well preserved. Busts in porcelain, 

 and medallions in cast iron, are also made at Berlin, in which 

 the likeness is sufficiently striking. 



Berzelius is now about fifty years of age, of the middle 



