Meeting of Naturalists at Hamburgh. 215 



idlers are weeds of every soil and climate, and no large town is 

 without them ; but their stupid opinions can only mislead the 

 uninformed. I must, however, be permitted to state my doubts, 

 founded upon my correct information, that certainly some of the 

 inferior rank of the inhabitants first complained that the city 

 was to be burdened with the charge of board and lodgings of the 

 visitors, but were afterwards not only well satisfied, but glad 

 when it came to their knowledge that the strangers were come 

 to spend their own money. People of that class are of the same 

 illiberal spirit and stamp almost in every country, even Great 

 Britain not excepted ; but Mr Johnston and his respected 

 countrymen would have just cause to complain, if the German 

 would take from such a narrow-minded class of the nation, the 

 standard for the national character. This is not the way to 

 judge of the people, nor is it the means of promoting the closer 

 connection of respective nations, so desirable and necessary for 

 the promulgation of the sciences. 



The office of president, and more so that of secretary at the 

 meeting of naturalists, are so laborious and difficult, that it is 

 much to be feared the association will find it no easy task in 

 future to obtain proper men ready to occupy these intricate of- 

 fices, but particularly the latter, should, — as has been the case in 

 Hamburgh, — many of the congregated members exact to see their 

 often but too contradictory and unreasonable pretensions at- 

 tended to ; it cannot, therefore, be read without some indigna- 

 tion " that a very unfortunate and unsatisfactory choice had 

 been made in the person of Dr Fricke ;" after which observa- 

 tion it is ridiculous to see the sweetening of the dose added, 

 that " it is not my intention to say any thing harsh of Dr 

 Fricke ? — " but this is, in point of consistency, on a par with 

 many other parts of Mr Johnston's account. Dr Fricke had 

 been known to most of the members, having attended the pre- 

 ceding meeting at Heidelberg, and, from having been an active 

 member himself on that occasion, made himself' acquainted 

 with the routine of the business and the arrangement of the 

 proceedings; added to which he enjoyed the confidence of his 

 fellow-inhabitants and the senate of Hamburgh, which, as well 

 as his indefatigable activity, made him a most fit person for 



missions to the nine have been appropriated to tbe poor of Altonaand 

 Hamburgh. 



