PROFESSOR AT KONIGSBERG 109 



just starting for Sicily. He visited his parents in Potsdam, 

 and found his father well and cheerful, but his mother greatly 

 altered. At a dinner given by Magnus, at which H. Rose 

 was also present, he met Tyndall, the English translator of 

 his works : ' he is a very talented young man, and interested 

 me more than any of the other strangers; unfortunately he 

 will not be in England when I am there/ He also went to 

 see Dr. Graefe, 'who was still attending to his clinique, and 

 showed me some cases with the ophthalmoscope, and a mass 

 of drawings made with the instrument, saying many kind 

 things about the great utility of this invention/ After providing 

 himself with letters of introduction from Magnus, Dove, and 

 H. Rose, to distinguished men of science in England, and to 

 the chemist Hofmann, Helmholtz went on to Bonn, where he 

 had the pleasure of spending a few hours with Plucker. ' At 

 first he seemed to me a little exclusive, like most of the Bonn 

 professors, but afterwards he became quite genial, and com- 

 memorated my visit in a remarkably good bottle of wine.' 

 Helmholtz crossed by Ostend to London, putting up at an hotel 

 which Tyndall had recommended to him. He gave himself 

 up entirely to English life, and sent daily letters to his wife 

 with vigorous sketches of his varied and original observations. 

 Space forbids the quotation of more than a few of these, which 

 have special reference to the English scientists with whom 

 Helmholtz now for the first time became acquainted, and with 

 whom he formed a lifelong connexion. 



' And now you shall hear about this great Babylon. Berlin, 

 both in size and civilization, is a village compared to London. 

 Everything here is on such a gigantic scale, that one ceases to 

 wonder at anything. The disadvantages of an enormous city 

 are pleasantly counterbalanced by the wonderful Parks within 

 the town, and the green of its suburbs. But I had better go 

 on with my diary, so as to tell you everything. ... In the first 

 place I went to Bence Jones, physician, physiologist, and 

 chemist, hoping to get news of du Bois-Reymond, and of the 

 chemist Hofmann. But he had gone off to du Bois' wedding. 

 The Embassy was in the same direction, so I went there to 

 present my letters to Bunsen. Bunsen was engaged, and 

 invited me to visit him next day. This errand showed me 

 something of the Park, which extends unbroken from the 



