4154 German Association 



not yet connected with the great European railway net; and people do not like travel- 

 ling now in slow mail-coaches even for a day. Another cause was, that the President, 

 Professor Hugo von Mohl, elected last year, did not do his duty. For reasons best 

 known to himself, he did not appreciate the honour which the votes of nearly 1000 sci- 

 entific men from all parts of the world had conferred upon him. Instead of endea- 

 vouring to further the object of the Society, he tried everything in his power to prevent 

 the meeting from being held at all ; and when he found that the patriotism of his 

 townsmen did not allow them to go the same way with himself, he departed for Italy, 

 leaving the whole business to be arranged by the Vice-President, Mr. Brims, Professor 

 of Medicine at Tubingen. Professor Brims, much to his credit, took up the matter 

 warmly, and so thoroughly succeeded in arousing the interest of the University and 

 the towns of the neighbourhood, that the reception of the learned guests was of the 

 most cordial nature. Tubingen itself had a very festive appearance. Outside the 

 gates of the city triumphal arches, with streamers and flags floating upon them, had 

 been erected, and within, nearly every house was decorated with garlands of oak-leaves 

 and gay flowers ; whole spruce-trees had temporarily been planted before some of the 

 buildings, and even in the dwellings of the humbler classes of inhabitants, attempts — 

 aye, and some very successful ones — had been made to do something towards showing 

 that the strangers were heartily welcome. It is unnecessary to develope the effect 

 which such a reception produced upon the meeting ; every one seemed to be happy, 

 and at the first general dinner there was such a profusion of spirited speeches 

 and toasts as are seldom heard on similar occasions. Preserving the scientific form, 

 and moving only within the bounds of scientific terminology, several of the speakers 

 told their audience some very amusing things of every-day life, and caused a great 

 deal of laughter. Quenstedt, the geologist, and Veesenmeyer, the botanist, succeeded 

 in rousing the merriment of the party to the highest pitch. On the 21st of September 

 an excursion was made to Rottenburg, an ancient Roman town, and thence to 

 the Niedernau, a modern watering-place. There were no less than 600 carriages, in- 

 cluding cabs, omnibuses, and mail-coaches. In Rottenburg the naturalists were 

 received by the Lord Mayor and Corporation. The principal street was most inge- 

 niously ornamented ; about 6000 hop-poles, with the graceful creeper around them, 

 had been erected at suitable distances from each other, thus forming a complete ave- 

 nue. The appearance they presented contrasted charmingly with the venerable 

 old buildings, and the bright sun, the sweet smell of the hop, the flags and festoons, 

 the music, the friendly faces of the inhabitants, the numerous huzzas, and the waving 

 of handkerchiefs, formed altogether a scene of a very impressive kind. In Niedernau, 

 where, after leaving Rottenburg and passing several villages, the carriages arrived, a 

 good dinner was waiting, the President of the Society being aware that no one 

 descended from Teutonic stock considers a festival complete without something sub- 

 stantial to eat. At dinner, the health of Uhland and Justinus Kerner was drank. 

 The presence of these two old poets, who have both endeared themselves by 

 their patriotism to their countrymen, and have done so much towards making German 

 literature what it is, called forth the greatest enthusiasm, which was the more real in a 

 district which their writings have rendered classical ground, and where one cannot 

 look at a ruin, or visit a town, that is not already associated in one's mind with some 

 popular ballad or romance of these men. On the 23rd of September, an excursion was 

 made to Reutlingen, formerly one of the free Rix-cities, but now a manufacturing 

 town belonging to Wirleinberg. In the lime of the last revolution, a great political 



