DEUTSCHER NATURFORSCHER 9 



meetings having increased beyond expectation, it 

 was found necessary to break themselves up into 

 sections, of which the botanists, an amiable and 

 enthusiastic race of men, first set the example/ 



The next meeting, at Berlin (1828), set the seal 

 upon the success of the movement. The Prussian 

 Government, reversing its previous attitude, under- 

 took the organisation ; lavish hospitality was ex- 

 tended to visitors ; excursions, fetes, and concerts 

 appear in the programme. The president was 

 Alexander Humboldt. British science was re- 

 presented by Charles Babbage. In the following 

 year (1829), at Heidelberg, Tiedemann, from the 

 chair, took a happy view of the position of science 

 in the civilised world : ' Whereas in former times 

 men regarded the inquisition of nature as a pleasant 

 but useless employment, and as a harmless pastime 

 for idle heads, they have of late years become daily 

 more convinced of its influence upon the civilisation 

 and welfare of nations, and the leaders of the public 

 are everywhere bestirring themselves for the erection 

 of establishments to promote its advancement and 

 extension/ Among those who attended this meet- 

 ing we find Robert Brown, ' of whom/ Johnston 

 writes, ' Agardh said to me, " I believe him to be the 

 greatest botanist of this or any other country." 

 ' Andrew Duncan, Materia Medica, Edinburgh/ also 

 signed the roll. 



How close was the parallel between the German 

 and the subsequently established British Associa- 

 tion may be gathered from a few details quoted 

 from Johnston's article already cited. ' It has be- 

 come now a matter of debate among the cities of 

 Germany, which shall have the honour of receiving 



