AT THE UNIVERSITY 47 



and readily gave me assistance. Although no provision for 

 teaching organic chemistry existed either in Glasgow or Edin- 

 burgh, I was required to get up the subject both for my honours 

 exam, and for the B.Sc. degree. Ramsay saw my difficulty and 

 very good naturedly undertook to read the subject with me, and 

 together we worked right through Schorlemmer's Chemistry of 

 the Carbon Compounds. As Ramsay himself had only recently 

 returned from Tubingen, he was familiar with all the most recent 

 developments of the theory of the subject and with the practical 

 methods of investigation in which the German laboratories then 

 excelled, and generously allowed me the full benefit of his know- 

 ledge and experience. He was desirous about this time of starting 

 a class in organic chemistry, but the difficulties in the way were 

 very great. He ultimately overcame them and obtained per- 

 mission to deliver a short course of lectures. The experiment, 

 however, was not very successful. The subject was not required 

 for any ordinary degree, and the number of those who were 

 interested in it for its own sake at that time was not large, and 

 I do not think the course was ever repeated. 



From the first, Ramsay engaged vigorously in research, for which 

 his official duties left him a considerable amount of leisure. The 

 atmosphere of the University at this time was not unfavourable 

 to research. Kelvin was then at the height of his fame and 

 Gilmorehill was the Mecca towards which all the distinguished 

 foreign physicists who visited the country directed their steps. 

 While at Tubingen, Ramsay had investigated the toluic acids 

 and naturally continued on somewhat similar lines when he 

 settled down at Glasgow. The cellars of the University Labora- 

 tory contained a large collection of fractions of ' Dippel-Oil ' 

 prepared by Professor Thomas Anderson. These were regarded 

 by Ferguson, whose interest in chemistry was almost entirely 

 that of the antiquary, more or less in the light of museum speci- 

 mens, and he was horrified when Ramsay suggested that he should 

 be allowed to ' investigate ' them, but he eventually gave way 



