xxxii 



his scientific friends in London, and returned to Paris well pleased 

 with his reception. 



Wnrtz had married in 1852 a lady of some fortune, with whom he 

 had been on terms of friendship since childhood. He had four 

 children. His daughters are both married, Marie, the eldest, being 

 the wife of her father's friend and assistant, M. CEchsner de Coninck, 

 and he had during his last years the happiness of seeing grand- 

 children around him. 



Of his two sons, the elder, Robert, is studying medicine, and the 

 second has passed through the ficole Polytechnique, with a view to a 

 military career. 



Wurtz's family circle did not however stop here. On the death of 

 her sister, Madame Oppermann, Madame Adolphe Wurtz undertook 

 the superintendence of the education of her four nieces, and when 

 these young ladies afterwards lost their father, the three who were 

 unmarried became inmates of Wurtz's house until their marriage. 



Wurtz's mother, Madame Jean Jacques Wurtz, had remained for 

 many years in Strasburg with her brother, Professor Theodore Kreiss, 

 bat, after her brother's death, she came to reside in Paris with her 

 distinguished son. Amiable and cheerful in spite of her deafness, the 

 only infirmity of her old age, she was thoroughly happy in the midst 

 of the charming family circle, of which her son was the chief orna- 

 ment. Wurtz's brother, Theodore, had also come, with his wife and 

 children, to live in Paris, and with the exception of his sister, Madame 

 Gruner, all the family were now together. 



Wurtz took great delight in receiving his friends at his home, and 

 besides his numerous friends and colleagues, his pupils often visited 

 him either in Paris or a/t the country places the family inhabited 

 during the summer months. A few years ago, he bought a charming 

 place called Fromenteau, near Juvisy in the Seine Valley, where he 

 thoroughly enjoyed receiving his friends, and sharing with them the 

 pleasures of a country life. 



Wurtz had, with few exceptions, enjoyed excellent health, but in 

 1867, owing to the fatigue of the work he had undertaken in con- 

 nexion with the exhibition, he had fallen ill. The repose of the 

 vacation however soon restored him to his usual health. He had 

 always kept up his habit of taking plenty of exercise, whether by long 

 walks, fishing, swimming, shooting, or gymnastics. Like most 

 chemists, he had not escaped laboratory accidents. On one occasion a 

 violent explosion caused an injury to one eye, which resulted in the 

 formation of a cataract. After some years, however, his sight was 

 restored by an operation. 



Towards the end of 1883-84, his friends remarked that he showed 

 signs of fatigue. Still he was as active as ever. In March, 1884, 

 before resuming hi 1 ? course of lectures at the Sorbonne, he went for a 



