XJV MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR. 



cisms, especially of his later ones, has been 

 thought bj some to be occasionally tinged by 

 personal and even ambitious motives. 



The beneficial effects of the labors of Liebi 



o 



were soon visible in Germany and in the 

 neighboring countries. The French chem- 

 ists were led to show more respect to Ger- 

 man Chemistry than ever before, and this re- 

 spect is now established in the place of for- 

 mer disregard, for " the French now acknowl- 

 edge," as Liebig himself once remarked, "that 

 Germany is the real seat of public opinion in 

 chemical affairs." In Germany his criticism 

 w T as efficacious, because it attacked with merci- 

 less severity all that was false, and showed at 

 the same time the right method of coming at 

 correct results, and which not only commanded 

 the attention of neighboring countries, but in- 

 creased and secured it. 



This may be said, however, only in respect 

 to the department of Organic Chemistry ; for, 

 when Liebig commenced his researches, Inor- 

 ganic Chemistry had reached such a degree of 

 perfection, that it was partly through contrast 

 with it, that the imperfections of the former 



