CHARLES THEODORE MOHR. 



The subject of this sketch was born Dec. 28, 1824, in Esslin- 

 gen, on the Neckar. Here, and at the Cloister Denkendorf, 

 where his father had acquired an interest in a manufactory 

 of chemicals, his earlier years and school days were spent. 



After the death of his father, which occurred soon after the 

 removal to Denkendorf, young Mohr after school hours was 

 frequently called upon to assist in the conduct of the business. 

 His taste for Natural History was first aroused by the read- 

 ing of the famous Bridge water Treaties, especially that of 

 Buckland, and frequent walks with his great uncle, a pension- 

 ed forester of the district, who had for many years had his 

 home in the Cloister of Denkendorf, laid the foundation of that 

 love of the forest which he retained to the end of his life. 

 Here he became acquainted with the various useful trees, and 

 their peculiarities, and with many of the plants which pos- 

 sessed medicinal or poisonous properties. 



At the termination of his school days Charles was expected 

 to devote himself to the clerical work of the business, but he 

 had slight inclination thereto, while on the other hand, he was 

 greatly interested in the chemical details of the manufacture. 



The return of his elder brother from his apprenticeship re- 

 lieved him of this office work, and gave him the opportunity 

 which he was not slow to improve, of increasing his knowledge 

 of Nature. During his stay in one of the mining districts of 

 the Schwartzwald, the brother had made a collection of ores 

 and minerals, which he brought home with him. To the study 

 of these Charles applied himself with his accustomed zeal, and 

 thenceforward the two brothers made frequent excursions 

 through forest and mountain in search of mineral and botani- 

 cal specimens. 



In 1842 Mohr entered the Polytechnic School at Stuttgart, 

 with Fehling as his instructor in chemistry and laboratory 

 work. Here he met with William Hochstetter, at that time 

 apprentice in the Royal Gardens at Stuttgart, a part of whose 

 duty it was to keep up a constant temperature in the hothouses. 

 Mohr shared with him many of these night watches in order 

 to improve the opportunity thus afforded for the study of exot- 

 ic plants. 



From this intercourse he became an inmate in the 

 house of young Hochstetter, where he met the botanist 



