AT THE UNIVEKSITY 31 



Bunsen. It was, however, deemed prudent to defer 

 carrying this intention into effect for a time, and he 

 therefore remained in Tatlock's laboratory and con- 

 tinued attendance on Thomson's lectures. As soon as 

 the victory of the Germans became obvious he pro- 

 ceeded to Heidelberg, called on Bunsen, and secured a 

 place in his laboratory. As, however, many of his 

 friends recommended strongly Fittig's laboratory at 

 Tubingen, he proceeded there in the spring of 1871, 

 and resumed the work on platinammonium bases which 

 he had been carrying on in Tatlock's laboratory. A 

 number of letters to his father and mother, addressed 

 from Tubingen, have happily been preserved, and they 

 give quite vivid pictures of his life in the University. 



The letter, dated 7th April, 1871, shows that he 

 stayed in London at his uncle's house (Sir Andrew's), 

 29 Upper Phillimore Place, on his way to Tubingen. 

 He begins by saying " I have got the passport all right, " 

 but it does not appear when he was to start for the con- 

 tinent. It was Easter, and he probably remained at his 

 uncle's for a few days. The next letter is dated 8th 

 May, Tubingen. Evidently he had got seriously to 

 work, as he says : " I had two explosions to-day." This 

 apparently had something to do with the preparation 

 or use of phosphonium iodide ; which is mentioned. He 

 says farther : 



" I go regularly to Fittig's lecture at 8. He lectures very dis- 

 tinctly and clearly. It is really very beautiful to see the way 

 the organic compounds are arranged. . . . Dr. Remsen, the 



