21 



that they were no longer justified in keeping Beijerinck confined 

 within the factory buildings at Delft. In all probability it was owing 

 to VAN Marken's influence with the government that attempts were 

 made to procure him a position as professor of bacteriology. Plans 

 were made, for example, to build a laboratory for agricultural bacter- 

 iology at W'ageningen or at Utrecht, but already in 1892 it was decided 

 to offer Beijerinck a professorship in Delft. The professor of chem- 

 istry, S. Hoogewerff, seems to have been mainly responsible for this 

 decision. Beijerinck was greatly attracted by the idea of the latter, 

 although his friend van 't Hoef tried to persuade him he would do 

 better to stay at the factory, alleging that he was too self-contained to 

 become a good professor. 



In the following years he made several journeys to foreign coun- 

 tries. One trip took him to London, for an investigation concerning 

 the possible róle of yeast as a carrier of cholera germs. At the end of 

 1892 he went to Paris to attend the celebration of the seventieth 

 birthday of Pasteur but, as was his habit, he said nothing about it to 

 his sisters. 



Next year he went to live with his sister Johanna at the Leeuwen- 

 hoeksingel in Delft, where he took a house; solitude had become too 

 much for him. 



In April 1893 Beijerinck entered into negotiations with the Di- 

 rector of the Polytechnical School at Delft, Professor A. C. Oude- 

 MANS regarding the possibility of Beijerinck's professorship at this 

 School. His main conditions were a new laboratory, and a salary of 

 ƒ5400.—, which was extremely high for that time, higher even than 

 that of the Director. All this was discussed in December in the House of 

 Commons, on which occasion the Minister of Home Affairs promised 

 to divide the salary into a normal fee and a personal gratification. 

 There was a rather severe opposition to the proposal, but finally the 

 motion was carried 42 to 36. ƒ 20.000. — for a house, and ƒ45. 000. — 

 for the laboratory was voted. In February 1 894 the plan for labora- 

 tory and house, to the design of Professor Gugel, was passed. The 

 building was to take place with the aid of a temporary superintendent, 

 under the supervision of Beijerinck. A laboratory would be built 

 with an upper part as living quarters. This plan, however, was re- 

 jected by the chief of the Government Architectural Department, Vic- 

 TOR DE Stuers. In consequence of this the architects made a new plan 

 for a laboratory and house adjoining in the Nieuwe Laan, every- 

 thing being larger and better. Beijerinck left his post at the "Neder- 

 landsche Gist- en Spiritusfabriek" on July Ist, 1895. On June 28th 

 the news of his appointment as a professor was in the papers. 



When this stage had been reached, the same happened to Beije- 

 rinck as at the time of his appointment as bacteriologist of the yeast 

 factory. He wished to be quit of his new post, and he was very sorry to 

 say good-bye to his comfortable life at the factory. Besides, he was 



