632 BUNSEN MEMORIAL LECTURE. 



Mohl. the father of the late Frau von Hehnholtz, who was then pro- 

 fessor of international law in the rnivorsity of Heidelberg, Biinsen 

 had just been called from Breshiu to till the chair of cheniistrv at 

 Heidelberg in succession to Leopold Gmelin. best known to English 

 chemists as the author of the great handbook translated by our late 

 editor, Henry Watts, and published ))y the Cavendish Society. 1 

 shall never forget the first sight of the man who afterwards became 

 one of my most intimate and valued friends, and to whom I owe more 

 than I can tell. At that time Bunsen was at the height of his powers, 

 physical and mental. He stood fully «> feet high; his figure was well 

 knit and powerful; his manner was one of suave dignity, while his 

 expression was that of great kindliness and of rare intelligence. Nor 

 (lid this Hrst impression of his bearing and character ever change, 

 much less lose force. On the contrary, the more intimate became my 

 knowledge, the more had I cause to respect and admire him. His was a 

 heart free from guile, guiding a temper e(iual)le and amiable. During 

 my long and intimate friendship I hever heard him set down aught in 

 malice or express more than a mild and good-natured remonstrance — 

 as when, for instance, one of the '" Pi'acticanten" had adopted some 

 faulty method of analysis, the master would remark: "" Mein Gott, wie 

 konnten Sie so was thun I" His genial, yet (juic^ly dignified, manner 

 placed strangers at their ease, at once inspiring confidence and com- 

 manding respect. All saw in him a man worthy of esteem and safe to 

 trust. whil(» those who were favort^d by his more intimate friendship 

 knew that for true modesty and greatness of heart he was excelled ))v 

 none: they feel that for them he was the ''chevalier sans peur et sans 

 reproche." and that his companionship, whether sei«»ntific or social, was 

 something to be ])roud of. the recollection of which remains as one of 

 the most fruitful as well as one of the pleasantest of their lives. 



Considerate and generous toward the opinions of others, he held 

 firmly to his own, which at times he did not fail strongly to express. 

 Simple and straightforward, he disliked assumption and hated 

 duplicity; single-minded and wholly devoted to his science, he abhorred 

 vanity and despised popularity hunting. Indeed, of so retiring a dis- 

 position was he that it was difficult to get him to take part in public 

 proceedings, and next to impossible to induce him to make any public 

 utterance of either a scientific or of a social character. 



Another and a remarkable trait in his character was his keen sense 

 of humor. This gave a charm and a zest to his society greatly appre- 

 ciated by his friends, but of all his witty sayings which passed from 

 mouth to mouth as "Bunsen's last," none was ever tinged with ill- 

 nature, for this was foreign to his whole being. A large and interest- 

 ing collection of these '■' Bunseniana *" might be made. Suffice it here to 

 mention a few. When traveling with Kirchhoff and myself in England 

 during the autumn of 1862, Bunsen was mistaken by a lady for his 



