Writings of the late Professor Blumenbach. 223 



and, as I happened to Lave the hour unoccupied, I inscribed 

 my name for the class, and thus had the opportunity of be- 

 coming acquainted with the singular but remarkable Buttner. 

 His course was a mere convsrsatorium, in which, for weeks 

 together, natural history was not mentioned. He had, how- 

 ever, selected the 12th edition of the Syst. Nat. as text- 

 book, but the session was taken up with the discussion of 

 such innumerable foreign subjects which he introduced, that 

 we did not nearly get through the Mammalia. As he com- 

 menced with Man, a subject left untouched by Walch of Jena, 

 and as he adduced illustrations from many voyages and travels, 

 and representations of foreign nations, contained in his large 

 library, I was incited to write my inaugural dissertation Be 

 Generis Itumani Varietate Nativa ; and the subsequent prose- 

 cution of this interesting topic gave rise to my anthropological 

 collection, which in time became universally celebrated as 

 unique of its kind. 



" During this first winter the purchase of Buttner's collec- 

 tion of natural history and coins for the university was nego- 

 ciated by Heyne. As the objects of natural history were in a 

 state of great disorder, an assistant became necessary to transfer 

 and arrange them. Heyne therefore asked him, ' As you lec- 

 ture on natural history, are you not acquainted with some one 

 of your young people who would answer the purpose V ' Yes,' 

 replied Buttner, and named me. ' I also know him,' was the 

 answer of Heyne ; and so I gladly undertook gratuitously the 

 duties of assistant in the arrangement of a collection which I 

 found to be a rich one. 



" Some time afterwards, when the whole had been trans- 

 ferred and placed for a time in what was formerly the medi- 

 cal class-room, the excellent minister and curator of the Uni- 

 versity, Von Lenthe, came here, examined our institution, 

 and, as this collection was also to be inspected, and as the 

 worthy Buttner did not seem inclined to shew it, I was hastily 

 summoned, and succeeded so well, that, when going out, the 

 minister took Heyne aside and said, ' We must retain that 

 young man here.' After I passed my examinations in the 

 autumn of 1775, I next winter gave my first lectures on na- 

 tural history as private lecturer in the University, was in the 



