228 POCEEDIN'GS OF SECTION D. 



used the money to go with her child to Bucharest to visit her 

 brother. Her brother had settled in Bucharest, and was a pros- 

 perous artisan — a glove-maker. He and his wife received them 

 kindly, and she stayed with them more than a year. Amalie 

 Dietrich was so unconventional and so slovenly and careless in 

 dress that she constantly jarred on the feelings of her sister-in-law, 

 who was scandalised about everything she did. When she com- 

 menced collecting plants and snakes and insects, etc., the latter 

 bundled her collections out of the house and told her she would not 

 have such rubbish in the house. She tried to get positions to 

 make her own living, but failed to hold the positions she got, and 

 decided to return to Germany. Charitas was then about six years 

 old. She returned to Germany in 1858, got reconciled with her 

 husband, and commenced the old life again. Every summer she 

 made hawking journeys with the dog-cart under terrible hardships. 

 In 1860 she broke down on one of the journeys and was for many 

 weeks in a hospital at Haarlem, in Holland. (This shows the 

 extent of her walking trips.) When she returned after six months 

 without money she found the house empty; her husband had again 

 taken up a position as teacher to the sons of a German Graf. When 

 he left Seibenlehn he told his about nine years old daughter to get a 

 position somewhere, and left her to shift for herself. Some com- 

 passionate people took care of her and gave her board and lodging 

 for what work she could do. Amalie Dietrich saw her husband, 

 returned him her ring, and continued the collecting and selling on 

 her own account. When she went hawking she left the child with 

 people who would board her for what work she could do. 



At last there came a lucky turn in her life. In 1862 she met a 

 Dr. Meyer, a rich merchant, in Hamburg, who took a great interest 

 in botany. He and his wife bought all her collections, and recom- 

 mended her to Caesar Godeffroy. She must have had at this time 

 a good reputation in Germany, because she got excellent letters of 

 recommendation from Dr. Willkomm, Reichenbach, Garke and 

 Leunis, all persons whose names stand high in science. These 

 letters of recommendation secured her an appointment as collector 

 for Godeffroy. No mention is made of the terms of the engage- 

 ment, but they must have been liberal because she could provide 

 for the education of Charitas before she left. 



Amalie Dietrich left Hamburg in the sailing vessel "La Rochelle" 

 on March 15th, 1863. She said farewell to her husband, who was 

 indignant that such an offer had been made to his wife and not to 

 himself. The " La Rochelle " carried 450 steerage passengers, 

 emigrants to Australia. The modest woman was much surprised 

 at Godeffroy's generosity in providing her with a cabin to herself ; 

 she had been so much used to roughing it that she would have 

 thought it quite natural to travel steerage. 



From this part on the book consists of letters from Amalie 

 Dietrich to Charitas, from Charitas to her, and from Godeffroy to 

 her, but, unfortunately, the letters seem to have been more or less 



