122 BROTHERS AND SISTERS. 



in active correspondence and lively personal intercourse 

 with William, to our great mutual gain. We com- 

 municated to each other all the more important events 

 of our lives, as well as new plans and aims: discussed 

 our diverging views, and almost always, if not in our 

 letters, yet at our next meeting, which usually happened 

 twice a year, came to a friendly understanding. The 

 circumstance, that I had paid more attention to pure 

 science, and William to technology and practical engi- 

 neering, led to each allowing to the other a certain 

 authority in his own subjects, whereby our collaboration 

 was considerably facilitated. That we were not jealous 

 of one another, but rather rejoiced, when the one could 

 further the recognition of the other in his respective 

 country, strengthened and assured our good under- 

 standing. 



After the dissolution of our commercial partner- 

 ship for carrying out our inventions in the year 1846 

 William had entered an English machine factory of 

 repute as engineer, with the object in the first place 

 of securing a maintenance. But "the cat can't give up 

 mousing'', as a German proverb says: it was not long 

 before he too was again buried in his inventions. The 

 difference between us however was that I confined 

 myself to the solution of the numerous problems, which 

 telegraphy and in general the application of electrical 

 theory to practical life brought me, William on the 

 other hand tried by preference to solve difficult problems 

 of thermo- dynamics. In particular he had set himself 

 the task of overcoming the difficulties, which Stirling 



