A Great Preparation 



loved to sprinkle the pages of his books. To 

 greet him came the worthy folk of Serignan, 

 justly proud of him, his friends from far and 

 near, and the delegates of the learned so- 

 cieties of France and foreign countries, with 

 whom the representatives of the State, the 

 Sub-prefect of Orange and the Prefect of 

 Avignon, had the good taste to associate 

 themselves. 



At the moment when an unexpected ray of 

 sunlight filtered through the clouds like a 

 caress and a benediction from Heaven upon 

 the head of the old scientist, ever faithful to 

 the call of the Power on high, France and 

 Sweden, to mention only the most eager, 

 joined in crowning him with laurels; France 

 offering him a magnificent gold plaque in the 

 name of the Academy of Sciences, and 

 Sweden the Linnaean Medal in the name of 

 the Royal Academy of Stockholm. France — 

 or rather, the Academie Frangaise — has 

 since then offered a further evidence of her 

 admiration by granting him the largest of 

 Its money prizes and unanimously recom- 

 mending him to the jury entrusted with the 

 award of the Nobel Prize. 



There are seldom fetes without banquets 

 or banquets without speeches. Among the 

 speeches delivered at Serignan at the banquet 

 361 



