1871.] A Page of Scientific History. 147 



second place, Dr. Fresenius, Professor of Chemistry in the 

 Agricultural School of Wiesbaden ; and, lastly, the present 

 writer, then one of the junior teachers in the University of 

 Bonn. Drs. Will and Fresenius declined the professorship 

 offered to them in the first instance, but the writer of these 

 lines could not resist the temptation thus thrown in his way. 



At an interview with Dr. Gardner, who had become 

 secretary to the college, and who came over to Bonn for this 

 purpose, the preliminaries of an agreement were settled. 

 But some very important difficulties had still to be removed. 

 The council being unable to offer more than a definite 

 appointment for two years, the writer, who had never been in 

 England, was unwilling entirely to break his connection 

 with the University of Bonn. It was but naturalthat he 

 should have wished to retain a hold of his most modest 

 position in Germany in case his experimental mission to 

 England were to fail. No one, except a man in Sir James's 

 influential position, could have overcome this obstacle. 



In the latter part of the summer of 1845 the Queen and 

 Prince Albert visited Germany. They were in Bonn on the 

 day the monument of Beethoven was inaugurated. It was 

 on the very same day that I met Sir James Clark for the 

 first time. Our interview did not last more than ten 

 minutes, but they were sufficient to shape the course 

 of my life. The assurances Sir James gave me removed 

 the last hesitation which I felt. I was introduced to the 

 Prince, who confirmed every word Sir James had said. To 

 bring matters to a conclusion, Sir James asked me to come 

 next day to the castle of Briihl, where the English Court 

 was residing with the King of Prussia. At this interview 

 the Chevalier Bunsen was present. 



This interview is a bright spot in my recollections, and I 

 may perhaps be excused for entering into some details. 

 Twenty-five years have elapsed, but I could almost repeat 

 the words which were spoken. " After a short stay in 

 London," Sir James said to me, " you will probably be 

 amused at your having been clinging with so much tenacity 

 to your private docentship at Bonn ; still, we find this 

 feeling perfectly legitimate, and we think that only with 

 your mind perfectly at rest as to the future, can you devote 

 your whole energy to the task, by no means easy, which you 

 are going to undertake. You ask that we may procure for 

 you from the Prussian Government a leave of absence for 

 two years, that you may be enabled, after the lapse of this 

 term, to resume the position you now hold in case you 

 should not succeed in establishing a school of chemistry in 



