i88i.] BRESSA PRIZE. 401 



of the Institute. It is rather a good joke that I should be 

 elected in the Botanical Section, as the extent of my knowl- 

 edge is little more than that a daisy is a Compositous plant 

 and a pea a Leguminous one." 



In the early part of the same year he was elected a Corre- 

 sponding Member of the Berlin Academy of Sciences, and he 

 wrote (March 12) to Professor Du Bois Reymond, who had 

 proposed him for election : — 



" I thank you sincerely for your most kind letter, in which 

 you announce the great honour conferred on me. The 

 knowledge of the names of the illustrious men, who seconded 

 the proposal is even a greater pleasure to me than the honour 

 itself." 



The seconders were Helmholtz, Peters, Ewald, Pringsheim 

 and Virchow. 



In 1879 he received the Baly Medal of the Royal College 

 of Physicians.* 



Again in 1879 he received from the Royal Academy of 

 Turin the Bressa Prize for the years 1875-78, amounting to 

 the sum of 12,000 francs. In the following year he received 

 on his birthday, as on previous occasions, a kind letter of 

 congratulation from Dr. Dohrn of Naples. In writing (Feb- 

 ruary 15th) to thank him and the other naturalists at the 

 Zoological Station, my father added : — 



" Perhaps you saw in the papers that the Turin Society 

 honoured me to an extraordinary degree by awarding me 

 the Bressa Prize. Now it occurred to me that if your station 



* The visit to London, necessitated by the presentation of the Baly 

 Medal, was combined with a visit to Miss Forster's house at Abinger, in 

 Surrey, and this was the occasion of the following characteristic letter : — 

 " I must write a few words to thank you cordially for lending us your 

 house. It was a most kind thought, and has pleased me greatly ; but I 

 know well that I do not deserve such kindness from any one. On the 

 other hand, no one can be too kind to my dear wife, who is worth her 

 weight in gold many times over, and she was anxious that I should get 

 some complete rest, and here I cannot rest. Your house will be a delight- 

 ful haven, and again I thank you truly." 



