94 LIFE AND EXPERIENCES CHAP. 



To return to Helmholtz. When I was last in 

 Heidelberg I had an interesting conversation about 

 him with Koenigsberger, the well-known Professor of 

 Mathematics. They had been on most intimate 

 terms. Koenigsberger had just written a most valu- 

 able and elaborate ntcrologe of his great colleague. 

 In a letter to me, he remarks that it was always 

 interesting to listen to Bunsen and Kirchhoff dis- 

 pute about some mathematical, scientific, or philo- 

 sophical subject. Still more interesting was it, 

 however, to watch, when he was present, the in- 

 comparable Helmholtz looking silently on from his 

 calm Olympian heights with an appreciative and 

 meaning smile as the discussion proceeded. He also 

 spoke to me about the very great admiration which 

 Helmholtz had felt for Clerk Maxwell's work. He 

 said that he (Helmholtz) considered Maxwell superior 

 to himself as a physicist, and often spoke of him as if 

 he were inspired. 



Perhaps the most striking example of Helmholtz's 

 many-sidedness was shown on the anniversary of his 

 seventieth birthday, when deputations, not only from 

 all the German universities, but from a great number 

 of distinguished persons from the Emperor downwards, 

 and from scientific and other associations of various 

 kinds, presented addresses of congratulation to him. 

 To each one of these he replied, apparently without 

 effort, and certainly without preparation, in the most 

 varied and appropriate language, alluding in the case 

 of each deputation to the special points of most 

 interest to them. To his scientific labours I do not 

 intend to refer : those who are interested will find 

 them mentioned in Koenigsberger's excellent Life of 

 Helmholtz published by Vieweg ; or in the touching 

 and able Memorial Lecture delivered before the 



