MEN OF NOTE IN BERLIN -1879 -1881 571 



when it became my duty to conduct him through the 

 American exhibit in the International Fisheries Exhibi- 

 tion at Berlin. 



He had taken great interest in developing the fisheries 

 along the northern coast of Germany, and this exhibition 

 was the result. One day he sent the vice-chancellor of the 

 empire to ask me whether it was not possible to secure 

 an exhibit from the United States, and especially the loan 

 of our wonderful collections from the Smithsonian Insti- 

 tution and from the Fisheries Institution of Wood's Holl. 

 To do this was difficult. Before my arrival an attempt 

 had been made and failed. Word had come from persons 

 high in authority at Washington that Congress could not 

 be induced to make the large appropriation required, and 

 that sending over the collections was out of the question. 

 I promised to do what I could; and, remembering that 

 Fernando Wood of New York was chairman of the Com- 

 mittee of Ways and Means in the House, and that Gov- 

 ernor Seymour, then living in retirement near Utica, was 

 his old political associate, and especially interested in re- 

 stocking the waters of New York State with fish, I sent 

 the ex-governor a statement of the whole case, and urged 

 him to present it fully to Mr. Wood. Then I wrote in the 

 same vein to Senator Conkling, and, to my great satis- 

 faction, carried the day. The appropriation was made 

 by Congress ; and the collections were sent over under the 

 control of Mr. Brown Goode of the Smithsonian, perhaps 

 the most admirable man who could have been chosen out 

 of the whole world for that purpose. The prince was 

 greatly delighted with all he saw, showed remarkable in- 

 telligence in his questions, and, thanks to Mr. Goode 's as- 

 sistance, he received satisfactory answers. The result was 

 that the American exhibit took the great prize the silver- 

 gilt vase offered by the Emperor William, which is now 

 in the National Museum at Washington. 



The prince showed a real interest in everything of im- 

 portance in our country. I remember his asking me re- 

 garding the Brooklyn Bridge how it could possibly be 



