4 Wilhelm Haidinger. 



to the grave, Haidinger was surrounded by these highest 

 types of inorganized matter, the crystals. By faithful 

 and diligent labor his powerful mind unravelled many a 

 mystery of these dwarfs of the ancient Teutons* during 

 his long life. Having, as it were, explored every part of 

 the earth's crust, he in the last years of his life searched 

 for the same beings in those bodies which, as meteorites, 

 reach us from the remotest realms of space. 



If we now follow Haidinger in his journey through 

 life, we shall recognize in the above the grand purpose 

 of his entire existence. It will, however, be readily ad- 

 mitted that his great scientific capacities were associated 

 with a most thoroughly humane heart. While studying 

 the mysteries of molecular science, he was- ever anxious 

 to contribute thereby to the material well-being of the 

 race ; thus he was led to the creation of the true Hai- 

 dinger monument, — the grand geological institute of the 

 Austrian empire. Conscious of the ardor and burden of 

 scientific labor, he was ever readv to recognize its results 

 in any quarter, and thus exerted a controling influence 

 on the organization of scientific associations in Austria, 

 and contributed much to the efficiency of scientific in- 

 vestigations throughout the world. 



Haidinger remained eleven years with Mohs, six years 

 at Gratz, and five years at Freiberg. During all this 

 time Haidinger was constantly at work, studying the 

 minutiae of specimens in the cabinets, determining the 

 c h a r a c t e r i s t i c p r o p e r t i e sf of mineral species. The 

 great work of Mohs on mineralogy (1822) contains the 

 results of Haidinger's labors, which have proved of fun- 

 damental importance to systematic mineralogy. 



In 1822 Haidinger left the mineral ogical laboratory of 

 Freiberg to accompany Count Breuner on a voyage 



* Dwarf=quartz=crystal ; they thought that the glittering crystals in caves were 

 living beings, merely petrified at the appearance of light in the hands of man. 



t Crystal forms, cleavage, specific gravity, optical properties, etc. 



