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 Linnsean Oak, a young 

 tree planted on the day of this fete 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 Kke 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 weU. arranged. I have printed copies of a 

 part of the odes, and a copy of the print of Linnasus, 

 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 Linnaeus ; the 24th of May is the proper one, but 

 it is not then pleasant in the country here. 



