Reminiscences of Werner and Freiberg. 341 
that had been given previous to the time of Hauy, and were 
rendered so by the simplest means. The crystalline structure 
of minerals was first of all recognised by him; and the num- 
ber of cleavages and their relative positions, even then con- 
tained the germ of the idea of a certain fundamental form of 
all the varieties of crystallization of individual genera, a view 
which afterwards became so important. 
In oryctognosy Werner could follow every step of his pupils, 
could reprovingly notice any uncertainty and obscurity, and 
afford guidance for the acquiring that precision which was so 
characteristic of himself. In geognosy, on the other hand, he 
was obliged to leave his scholars more to themselves. But 
whoever, under his instructions, undertook a mountain expe- 
dition, received an extremely minute plan, according to which 
he was to make his observations. Every deviation, even the 
slightest one, from the rules thus laid down, and every neglect 
of any portion of them, was severely blamed. If one wished to 
derive any advantage from his intructions, it was necessary for 
him ‘to give himself up unconditionally tohismaster; forthe whole 
system was so intimately linked together, and the various ele- 
ments of discrimination in oryctognosy were so closely united 
with the mode of observation in geognosy, that the disturbance 
of any of these rendered all the others uncertain and doubtful. 
I have never, either before or since, known a second individual 
whose personality was locked up with such decision in it- 
self. It was this, in fact, which produced that unlimited sway 
which Werner exercised in his science, and which only in his 
later years he saw (doubtless not without grief) giving way. 
There are examples enough of the triumphant power with 
which he not unfrequently dealt with his opponents. I here 
adduce one instance among many. Von Born had attacked 
him, and Werner revenged himself by a sharp criticism on 
his account of the minerals in the Raab collection at Vienna. 
It is well known that Werner was not a great traveller, and 
hence Vienna and its mineralogical museum were quite un- 
known to him. Von Born had described a tray in the col- 
lection, which, according to him, contained crysolites: Wer- 
ner proved, in the most decisive manner, that the said tray did 
not contain a single crysolite, but that most of the specimens 
