20 LOOSE LEAVES 



century, l)i)t lie has already written twelve works, and is now the editor 

 of that famous Medical Journal, Archiv fiir Anatomic, Physiologic und 

 wissenschaftl. Medicin. I had seen him before in his own study, which 

 is next to the great hall in which is kept the collection of Comparative 

 Anatomy. He was surrounded by a knot of pupils to whom he was 

 describing some curious phenomena in his favorite science. 



"You must have patience with me, Professor, — who is that hand- 

 some, bald headed gentleman in specs, next to Miiller .^" 



" That is Von Bach ! " 



" What ! Leopold v. Buch, the world known geologist ? " 



'•The same." " I would have come a hundred German miles to see 

 hiui alone." 



" Well, I'll introduce you to him now. Prof. v. Buch, dies ist mein 

 Frcund Herr M. aus den Vereinigten Staaten. " Wc were near each 

 other and could converse without disturbing the meeting. I had been 

 acquainted with his books and especially his theory of the elevation of 

 mountains by the agency of subterranean gases, and was delighted with 

 seeing the author. 



At this moment the door opened and a very ordinary looking man, 

 in a very plain dress, came bustling in and planted himself in a chair in 

 no very dignified style, and at the same time uttering a witticism on a 

 remark made by a member. Who was this .'' No less a man than the 

 astromomcr Encke, — the man who lives among the stars and is himself 

 a star of the first magnitude. He has rendered his name famous all the 

 world over; for in one sense it is written in blazing letters on the skies, 

 and is borne with lightning rapidity through fields of illimitable space. 

 Every body has heard of Encke's comet, M'hich was thus designated, 

 because by his profound calculations, he proved that the comet of 1819 

 was the same as that observed in 1805. He has also calculated the ob- 

 served transits of Venus across the Sun of 1761 and 1769, and has writ- 

 ten many other celebrated astronomical treatises. He is only fifty-four 

 years of age and in the full vigor of life and will no doubt, render much 

 autre valuable service to the science of the stars. 



Now — said Erichson — we will proceed. The man at the end of the 

 table is Gurlt, the Prof, of "Veterinary Surgery." This gentleman has 

 published seven works in his department of science, and deservedly 

 maintains an elevated rank. And thus my friend E. proceeded to give 

 mc tlic names of more of the gentlemen present, of most of whom I 

 liad previously heard. There were men there, whose fame has reached 

 the ends of the earth, and arc the cherished, favorites of kings and no- 

 bles, but who were still aa unaosumin^r and uuoalentutious at country 



