562 Professor George Lunge [Marcli 15, 



believed success within his grasp. Most unfortunately, he was not 

 merely mistaken, but committed a serious financial miscalculation as 

 well. In his over-confidence he launched out into a big speculation 

 by contracting with all alkali manufacturers of Widnes (then the 

 greatest centre of that industry in the whole world) for the treatment 

 of their waste during a number of years. But it soon became 

 manifest that there were unforeseen difficulties not yet overcome. 

 The expense of the treatment, moreover, exceeded the value of the 

 products. Still, Gossage's good faith was recognised on all sides, and 

 all the alkah makers but one released him from his ruinous contract. 

 That single exception, however, proved sufficient to cripple the 

 inventor financially, though his name was even then one of the most 

 honoured in his profession, not merely in England, but also abroad, 

 and though it was common knowledge that he had spent the best 

 years of his life on that thankless task. As late as 1861 he firmly 

 proclaimed his conviction that he was right after all, in a discourse 

 delivered before the British Association. Well, he ivas right, but 

 the missing links in the process were only discovered in 1(S83 and 

 1887, and led to the application of that process at all the Leblanc 

 works. This final success is connected with the names of Carl 

 Friedrich Glaus and of Alexander Chance. 



Just about the time of which I have been speaking, I tried, after 

 absolving my University studies in my native country, Germany, to 

 make my way there in the chemical industry which, at that time, 

 was certainly in a very backward state. Accordingly, in 1864, I 

 resolved to try my luck in this country, which occupied the first 

 place in this respect as well as in many others. One of my first 

 steps, after arriving in England, was to call at the Royal Institution 

 with a letter from my teacher, the immortal Robert Bunsen, intro- 

 ducing me to the Professor of Chemistry, Edward Frankland, who 

 received me with the utmost kindness, and whose powerful word 

 greatly smoothed my progress. In coming to England for my 

 practical education, I followed the example of many German chemists,. 

 of whom I will only quote a few of the most eminent names — Caro, 

 PauH, Martins, Peter Griess and Ludwig Mond. The two last- 

 named have permanently associated themselves with this country ; 

 whilst the three first-named, as well as many other German chemists 

 who had found a temporary home in England, returned later on to 

 their own country ; and these very men have been in the forefront of 

 those to whom is due the remarkable development of German 

 chemical industry, which took place almost at the same time as its 

 political rise, a coincidence which is probably not at all accidental. 

 I myself remained twelve years in England, and only left when called 

 to my professorial chair in Switzerland. 



The reason for the sudden and intense blossoming out of the 

 chemical industry in Germany, after being long dormant, and for its 

 firm and healthy rooting in a soil long prepared by the general spread 



