560 IN THE DIPLOMATIC SERVICE -VI 



physical science Helmholtz and Hofmann. Meeting 

 them one evening at a court festivity, I was told by Hof- 

 mann of an experience of his in Scotland. He had ar- 

 rived in Glasgow late on Saturday night, and on Sunday 

 morning went to call on Professor Sir William Thomson, 

 now Lord Kelvin. The door-bell was answered by a wo- 

 man servant, of whom Hofmann asked if Sir William was 

 at home. To this the servant answered, " Sir, he most 

 certainly is not." Hofmann then asked, "Could you tell 

 me where I might find him?" She answered, "Sir, you 

 will find him at church, where you ought to be. ' ' 



My acquaintance with university men was not confined 

 to Berlin ; at Leipsic, Halle, Giessen, Heidelberg, and else- 

 where, I also found delightful professorial circles. In my 

 favorite field, I was especially struck with the historian 

 Oncken. As a lecturer he was perfect; and I have often 

 advised American historical students to pass a semester, 

 if not more, at Giessen, in order to study his presentation 

 of historical subjects. As to manner, he was the best lec- 

 turer on history I heard in Germany ; and, with the excep- 

 tion of Laboulaye at the College de France, Seelye at 

 English Cambridge, and Goldwin Smith at Cornell, the 

 best I ever heard anywhere. 



Especially delightful were sundry men of letters. Of 

 these I knew best Auerbach, whose delightful "Dorfge- 

 schichten" were then in full fame. He had been a warm 

 personal friend of Bayard Taylor, and this friendship I 

 inherited. Many were the walks and talks we took to- 

 gether in the Thiergarten, and he often lighted up my 

 apartment with his sunny temper. But one day, as he 

 came in, returning from his long vacation, I said to him : 

 "So you have been having a great joy at the unveiling of 

 the Spinoza statue at The Hague. " "A great joy!" he 

 said. "Bewahre! far from it; it was wretched miser- 

 able." I asked, "How could that be!" He answered, 

 "Renan, Kuno Fischer, and myself were invited to make 

 addresses at the unveiling of the statue ; but when we ar- 

 rived at the spot, we found that the Dutch Calvinist domi- 



