EARLY YOUTH 31 



these Badioal strictures — that in 1881 , when he 

 wanted to go to Ceylon, he was formally refused 

 assistance by the Berlin Academy from the travel- 

 ling-fee (then at liberty) attached to the Humboldt 

 foundation. He made the journey without their 

 assistance, and had the splendid revenge of giving 

 us, in the description of this very voyage, the most 

 brilliant account of the tropics that has appeared 

 in Germany since the time of Humboldt. It was 

 a finer contribution to the general ideal of the 

 Humboldt foundation than the timid payment of 

 a hundred pounds could have secured. However, 

 we are anticipating. Before that time he was to 

 spend a short but happy period at Berlin in the 

 fifties, in the best days of his youth — a Berlin of 

 a different scientific character from the present 

 city, being at once less pretentious and more pro- 

 found, whichever the reader chooses to dwell on. 



Certain traits could be recognised unmistakably 

 in the boy. He had a great love of nature, of 

 light, colour, and beauty, of flowers and trees and 

 butterflies, of the sun and the blue heavens. 

 There was also a strong sense of independence and 

 individuality. This did not imply that he was 

 lacking in gentler feeling. It is said that he would 

 do anything that he was asked but nothing that 

 it was sought to compel him to do. The little fair, 

 blue-eyed lad would sit quietly if they gave him a 

 daisy to pull to pieces. First he would, as if he 

 were a student analysing it, detach the white leaves 

 from the central yellow ground. Then he would 

 carefully replace them, piece by piece, round the 



