1147 



Mr. Hunt suggested an alteration in the plan which they had hitherto 

 adopted, which would undoubtedly be attended to by the Committee. 



German Association for the Advancement of Science.* 



The German naturalists and physicians held their thirtieth meeting 

 this year at Tubingen, on the 18th ultimo. It was attended by about 

 580 members, including a moderate sprinkling of French and Rus- 

 sians, two Americans, and a few English. 



The meeting at Tubingen was not so numerous as that last year at 

 Wiesbaden. Tubingen, though offering considerable attractions, by 

 its situation in one of the finest parts of Swabia, by its scientific insti- 

 tutions, and by its reputation as a University, is not yet connected 

 with the great European railway net ; and people do not like travel- 

 ling now in slow mail-coaches even for a day. Another cause was, 

 that the President, Professor Hugo von Mohl, elected last year, did 

 not do his duty. For reasons best known to himself, he did not appre- 

 ciate the honour which the votes of nearly 1000 scientific men from 

 all parts of the world had conferred upon him. Instead of endeavour- 

 ing to further the object of the Society, he tried everything in his 

 power to prevent the meeting from being held at all ; and when he 

 found that the patriotism of his townsmen did not allow them to go 

 the same way with himself, he departed for Italy, leaving the whole 

 business to be arranged by the Vice-President, Mr. Bruns, Professor 

 of Medicine at Tubingen. Professor Bruns, much to his credit, took 

 up the matter warmly, and so thoroughly succeeded in arousing the 

 interest of the University and the towns of the neighbourhood, that 

 the reception of the learned guests was of the most cordial nature. 

 Tubingen itself had a very festive appearance. Outside the gates of 

 the city triumphal ai'ches, with streamers and flags floating upon them, 

 had been erected, and within, nearly every house was decorated with 

 garlands of oak-leaves and gay flowers ; whole spruce-trees had tem- 

 porarily been planted before some of the buildings, and even in the 

 dwellings of the humbler classes of inhabitants, attempts — aye, and 

 some very successful ones — had been made to do something towards 

 showing that the strangers were heartily welcome. It is unnecessary 



* From the' Literary Gazette,' October 22, 1853. 



