238 FIRST JOURNEY IN EUROPE. [1839, 
Three or four odes, written for the purpose, some 
in Latin, others in German, were sung, with a hearti- 
ness and a nicety of execution entirely German. Three 
or four toasts were drunk, some speeches made, and 
the party left the table. The greater part, excluding 
the ladies, then went to the Linnean Oak, a young 
tree planted on the day of this féte five years ago. 
Here all took their seats on the grass around it, and a 
number of half-serious, half-humorous addresses or 
meditations were made, the people all sitting at their 
ease ; then a song for the purpose was sung, and the 
celebration was over. Some part dispersed immedi- 
ately, but the greater part assembled around our 
dinner-table, and heard some music from a paysanne, 
who accompanied her voice with an instrument like a 
guitar. Martius and Zuccarini had arranged to stay 
over night in the neighborhood to botanize to-morrow, 
and wished me to stay also, which I declined to do, 
but returned in a carriage with Madame Martius and 
the eldest daughter. We had a very agreeable ride 
and reached the city just as it grew dark. We had 
all day most beautiful views of the Bavarian Alps, 
which seemed close to us. The different professors 
spoke English with me, Professor Neumann, indeed, 
extremely well ; were very polite to me, and I obtained 
much important information, and have put myself in 
the way to get still more. The whole affair was ex- 
tremely well arranged. I have printed copies of a 
_ part of the odes, and a copy of the print of Linnzeus, 
a very good lithograph, which was brought to the 
place and sold to the students for twenty-four kreu- 
tzers (sixteen cents) a copy. This is not the birthday 
of Linnzus ; the 24th of May is the proper one, but 
it is not then pleasant in the country here. 
