AT THE UNIVERSITY 41 



easy matter to take advantage of a few free hours to indulge in 

 this delightful sport. The old and young of Tubingen, professors 

 and students, and the younger ladies took part, and, as I think 

 back, those seem to have been days of unadulterated joy. 



Occasionally we came together of an evening for a dinner or 

 something of that sort, though not often, for the evenings were 

 mostly given up to study. One dinner I recall very clearly. I 

 think the host was Stadel, who was then privatdocent in chemistry. 

 The fact that stands out most prominently in my memory is that 

 Ramsay sang for us that time-honored song, ' A fine old English 

 gentleman,' much to our satisfaction. He accompanied himself 

 on the piano too. Those who have known him well in later life 

 know that singing was a pleasure to him and that he was apt to 

 burst into song upon slight provocation. This was a symptom of 

 the happy disposition of which he was the possessor. We all felt it r 

 and I am sure we were all helped by it unconsciously. I cannot re- 

 frain from quoting the last words of the last letter he ever wrote 

 me, dated March 15th, 1916 : ' Well, I am tired, and must stop. I 

 look back on my long friendship with you as a very happy episode 

 in a very happy life ; for my life has been a very happy one.' ' 



Letters to his cousin Ella show that he was back in 

 Glasgow in the autumn of 1872. He had obtained the 

 post of assistant to the Young Professor of Technical 

 Chemistry in Anderson's College, Glasgow, and on 

 13th November he informed his cousin that Mr. James 

 Young was written to about the course of lectures he 

 was to have given : 



" His answer came to-day short and bitter. I do not consider 

 that organic chemistry has anything to do with technical chemis- 

 try, and I consider it would be interference with the courses of 

 the other professors." 



So this idea had to be given up. 



