AND SCHONBEIN 15 



and other works were comparatively unimportant enter- 

 prises, whereas the translating of the solid 200 sheets of 

 Berzelius' treatise, and moreover into English, a foreign 

 language, was certainly a stupendous task. 



The motives which induced him to undertake so great 

 a work we learn from a letter, which I possess only as an 

 undated draft, which he wrote at about this time to his 

 friend and countryman Heldenmeier, who also was a 

 schoolmaster at Epsom. In this letter he declines for 

 the time being an offer to assist in founding a school in 

 his "beloved Switzerland," and writes respecting it as 

 follows : " Let me tell you why ; four weeks ago I formed 

 a fixed determination of [going] to Berzelius at Stockholm 

 towards the end of next [year ?] to complete my studies 

 under this consummate master of chemical science ; this 

 plan leads to others ; means must be procured for its real- 

 ization ; and it is a translation of Berzelius' unique work 

 that is to procure them ; a part of this work has already 

 appeared and the remainder is still in the press. With 

 this end in view I have joined with a young Englishman, 

 with whom I shall soon enter upon the work, which will 

 occupy us six months at the very least. So far we know 

 of no publisher, but we do not doubt that we shall be 

 able to find one, for the publication cannot be otherwise 

 than lucrative. Lee this, however, remain a secret 

 between us. I do not intend to return to England before 

 the lectures are over, for this would be foolish. Nor 

 shall I stay long. Should our plans be realized I shall 

 soon be sailing towards Sweden, where I propose to spend 

 at least six months. But after that . . . 1 " 



Nothing came of the translation of Gay-Lussac's 

 lectures ; for Perthes wrote on December the 1st declining, 

 though in the most courteous terms, to publish them, 

 owing to other more pressing business, the details of 

 which he specifies; a similar fate befel the English 



