in HEIDELBERG DU FEINE " 47 



Shortly after Bunsen had returned from his autumnal 

 travels, Professor von Mohl kindly introduced me to 

 the great chemist. I shall never forget my first sight 

 of him the man who afterwards became one of my 

 dearest friends, and to whom I owe more than I can 

 tell. He lived at that time in some rooms on the 

 Anlage, for he was and always remained a bachelor, 

 and was then at the height of his mental and physical 

 powers. He stood fully six feet high, his manner was 

 simple yet dignified, and his expression one of rare 

 intelligence and great kindness. This first impression 

 of his bearing and character only became stronger as 

 my knowledge of him increased, and the feelings of 

 respect and affection with which I regarded him were 

 those of all with whom he came in contact. His 

 singular amiability was not a sign of weakness but 

 of strength of character. His modesty was natural 

 and in no degree assumed. In his lectures, when 

 giving an account of some discovery he had made, 

 or some new apparatus or method of work which he 

 had instigated, I never heard him mention himself. 

 It was always " man hat dies gesunden," or " es hat 

 sich so herausgestellt." In his old age, and looking 

 back on his life-work, he writes me that he "feels 

 as keenly as ever how modest and contemptibly small 

 is the amount which I have added to the building 

 of Science." And yet the contributions of this man 

 have been equalled by few. 



Bunsen succeeded Gmelin, whose great book was 

 for many years what may be called the Chemist's 

 Bible, and had been translated into English under the 

 auspices of the Cavendish Society. The laboratory 

 was a quaint one ; it had been an old monastery. The 

 high-roofed refectory had been fitted up with working 

 benches, whilst the chapel became the store-room. The 



