44 SIR WILLIAM RAMSAY 



Uncle Andrew and I sat and smoked the pipe of peace, at least 

 most of us did. But to-day is rather better and so we are going 

 to scale the hillock. . . . After staying three days in Bingen 

 we went by steamboat to Mainz, where we stayed a night. Then 

 my lamented relatives went on to Strassburg and committed 

 some little follies in the way of sight-seeing there while I struck 

 off for Tubingen via Heidelberg. I started at 10 a.m. and arrived 

 at 7 p.m. The first person I knew was a railway guard, who recog- 

 nised me instantly and we interchanged ideas to our mutual edifi- 

 cation. Then as soon as I was stranded on the station I saw a 

 mighty potentate, a Herr Oberamtmann Lindenmaier, greeted him 

 and conversed for a time. Then I met some of the KommerelTs 

 cousins (she) and conversed with them, and finally, having saluted 

 the hotel-keeper and acquired a room, I saw the Kommerells stand- 

 ing down below. I devoted my best energies in giving a loudshriek- 

 ing whistle. It was literally " Whuslin " on the fast day, for I had 

 had nothing to eat since leaving at 7 a.m., but circumstances 

 excused me. They glanced in the direction of the whistle, and 

 gave me an amazed shout. Next moment we were (figuratively) 

 in one another's arms and I would have fallen on Frau K.'s neck, 

 had she had one to fall on. But she hasn't, I may say. To sum 

 up all in one short word "jolly." Having renewed old ac- 

 quaintance and called on Fittig and spent the best part of two 

 hours with him, on Friday I started for Basel, saw the Falls of 

 Schaffhausen and met my bereaved relations at Basel next 

 morning. They had come from Mainz and here we are. . . . 

 When I have done Mont Blanc, Monte Rosa and the Matterhorn 

 I shall write again. Adieu. Greetings all round. A kiss to 

 pussy and two to Doran, 1 which you must do yourself or he will 

 never forgive you. Yours affectionately, ^ 



About this time Kamsay became an " Abstractor " 

 for the Journal of the Chemical Society, and continued 



1 The dog. 



