CHARACTERISTIC TRAITS AND PERSONAL INCIDENTS. 61 



interview with his distinguished compatriot, of which he has 

 given the following account in his introduction to the ' Brief- 

 wechsel mit Alexander von Humboldt.' ' There is one to whom 

 I must present you,' remarked General von Muffling to Berg- 

 haus on August 17, 1815, 'and he, too, is a fellow-countryman. 

 From him you will get other introductions. Come again into 

 town early to-morrow morning.' At seven o'clock the next 

 morning it was the 18th of August Berghaus presented 

 himself at the quarters of the Prussian commander-in-chief, 

 and received from Muffling, who was unable to accompany him r 

 a note addressed ' A Monsieur le Baron Alexandre de Hum- 

 boldt,' which secured his admission to the great philosopher. 

 'My personal acquaintance with Humboldt dates therefore 

 from my visit to Paris in 1815. . . . I was privileged to enjoy 

 his favour and patronage till the time of his death a period 

 of forty-four years.' 



Of still greater interest is the narrative of Liebig's in- 

 troduction to Humboldt, which is thus described in the Preface, 

 wherein he dedicates his celebrated work to Humboldt : * 



' During my residence in Paris, I gave a course of lectures 

 at the Academy in the winter of 1823-4 upon an analytic 



investigation of Howard's fulminating mercury and silver 



my first effort in the field of science. 



'At the close of the sitting of .March 22, 1824, while busy 

 packing up my apparatus, a gentleman came up to me from 

 among a group of academicians, and entered into conversation. 

 In the most winning manner, he made enquiry as to the objects 

 of my study, my present occupations, and the plans I had laid 

 for the future. We separated without my knowing to whom I 

 was indebted for this kind expression of interest, for my shy- 

 ness and inexperience had not allowed me to make the 

 enquiry. 



' This conversation laid the foundation of my future careeif, 

 for I thus acquired a kind friend and a powerful patron in my 

 scientific undertakings. 



'You had returned only the day before from a journey to 

 Italy, and no one had been informed of your arrival. 



1 'Die organische Chemie in ihrer Auwendung auf Agricultur und 

 Physiologie ' (1st edit. Brunswick, 1840). 



