14 LETTEES OF BEBZELIUS 



friend of mine, an English chemist here, and I, thought 

 it would be well worth our while to undertake a transla- 

 tion of it into English. We are quite convinced that 

 such a publication would prove a financial success to the 

 publisher. Therefore I offer you the translation, and in 

 the event of your accepting it I enclose a brief announce- 

 ment which I think it would be desirable to print in some 

 widely-read paper, for the purpose of keeping others 

 from a similar undertaking and also of bringing it under 

 the notice of the public. Please let me know your final 

 decision by return of post, for, should you not feel inclined 

 to undertake it, we shall have to turn elsewhere. It is 

 no doubt an immense task, but by no means a hazardous 

 one, and certainly more profitable than the bookselling 

 business. 



"My time is at present so taken up that I must 

 content myself with sending you my kindest regards. 

 C. E. S." 



That Schonbein was really in earnest in his intention 

 of translating Berzelius' book into English is shown by 

 the fact that he enclosed an announcement of the proposed 

 translation for the daily papers. 



We can also see what special object Schonbein had 

 in approaching so great a task. Sprung from humble 

 surroundings, he was forced to gain his own livelihood ; 

 and in addition to the strong liking he then had for 

 teaching, for which, however, he failed to find a promising 

 field in Paris, he devoted himself keenly to literary 

 pursuits. Thus, in November 1827, almost at the time 

 when he formed the project of translating Berzelius, he 

 wrote to Eriedrich Perthes of Gotha, with whom he was 

 already acquainted through his son and nephew, offering 

 to translate into German, from his shorthand notes, the 

 lectures on physics given by Gay-Lussac at the Sorbonne, 

 and to entrust them to him for publication. But this 



