THE NATIONAL SCIENTIFIC INSTITUTIONS AT BERLIN. Ill 



lections, desired to employ a number of them in illustrating some phj^s- 

 ical lectures. On that occasion Baron von Altenstein, the minister of 

 instruction, proposed to professor Magnus to purchase the required in- 

 struments from his own means and suggested a repayment by the 

 state, of 500 thaler (-1375) for four successive years, in consideration of 

 wiiich a certain proportion of the apparatus was to become national 

 property. 



The proposition was accepted and the instruments thus purchased 

 formed the nucleus of the present physical collection. At the expira- 

 tion of the above contract a similar arrangement was made, being 

 renewed annually until 1813, when, upon the recommendation of Min- 

 ister Eichhorn, the collection was placed in possession of a certain 

 allowance per year, which formed the only means ever placed at its dis- 

 posal with the two exceptions of the donations of the collection used 

 at the university for illustrating Goethe's color theories, and of a col- 

 lection in the hands of Prof. Paul Erman, and transferred to the insti- 

 tute upon his death. Both collections combined represented only 

 twenty-seven pieces, so that almost the entire collection may be said to 

 have been procured from private means. 



Since 1844 the collection had its rooms in the university building, 

 but space was wanting to enable i)hysical researches to be executed. 



The i)ersonal collection of apparatus and the library of Professor 

 Magnus, bequeathed to the university, formed the foundation of the 

 physical laboratory of the university. Rooms were assigned upon the 

 first floor of the east wing and connected with basement rooms con- 

 taining the collections by means of winding stairs. 



The present building was begun in 1873, and in 1878 had progressed 

 sufficiently to justify the removal from the university building. 



After the first few terms of instruction all available space had been 

 occupied, and further applications for admittance had to be rejected. 



The present director of the institute is Privy Councillor of Govern- 

 ment, Professor Dr. von Helmholtz. 



The Mineralogical Museum.— The collection of minerals established 

 by Privy Councillor of Mines Dietrich Karsten, in 1789, by order of 

 Minister Heinitz, consisted of Karsten's private collection, which he 

 had presented to the State in 1781, and of the purchased collections of 

 Councillor of Mines Eerber and Priv^y Councillor of Finance Gerhard. 

 In 1801 it had been i)laced in the mint building, and by royal decree of 

 October 18, 1810, became incorporated in the collections of the univer- 

 sity under the conditions that the mining department should berecog. 

 nized as co-partner an<l should be consulted in case of required changes- 

 In September, 1814, it was placed on exhibition in the university build- 

 ing after having been named, in May, 1814, the Mineralogical Museum 

 of the University. 



