I 



282 Scientific Meetings. 



highest credit. In 1829, the beautiful and romantic city af 

 Heidelberg received the convention, and in 1830, Hamburgh. 



"It has now become a matter of debate among the cities of Germany, which • 

 shall have the honour of receiving the society at their anniversary. To have 

 the smallest chance, the city desirous of the honour must either be repre- 

 sented by a deputation of members attending the meeting, or must otherwise 

 express to the society through its president, its desir^es, its claims, and the 

 efforts it will make for general accommodation." 



It seems that some of the worthy Burgomasters of Hamburgh, 

 and a great many more of their constituents, did not comprehend 

 very clearly what all these queer mortals calling themselves JVa- 

 turforscher, or investigators of nature, wanted in their old town. 

 Nobody could make out that they desired to buy any thing, and 

 not one of them had been seen with any thing that was worth buy- 

 ing ; and as buying and selUng constituted, in their eyes, the great 

 ends of existence, they took it for granted that the presence of these 

 gifted individuals, would be of no great advantage to them, espe- 

 cially, seeing it was generally understood they were to be fed at 

 the public expense. 



" You might hear the matter discussed over a shipping list, or a newspaper, 

 in the Boursen Hall ; over a sample of coffee, probably on the exchange, or 

 a beef steak in a restaurateurs. ' So many men come together to see one 

 another, come so far merely to look at one another — nonsense !' And then, 

 said another, as he took up the thread of the affair, ' They say we are to feed 

 them ; but if the Senate spend our money in that way, the town v/ill be about 

 their ears. When you or I go a travelling on our affairs to a strange place, 

 nobody will think of treating us, and why should we treat these Naturforsclier^ 

 as they call themselves?' But the judicious and thinking men, though they 

 did not pretend to understand all the objects of the meeting, thought, gen- 

 erally, that these strangers, being once within the walls, it would be for their 

 own credit to use them well for a few days, when they would soon be off 

 again." 



And extremely well they were treated, as Mr. Johnston has 

 abundantly shown. 



The most distinguished members present upon this occasion, 

 were Berzelius of Stockholm. PfafF and Wiedeman from Kiel. 

 This last is a celebrated accoucheur, and performed the Cesarean 

 operation twice upon the same individual. He and Pfaffare the 

 pride of the university of Kiel. The last is a profound naturalist, 

 has an extremely lively mind, with a somewhat liberal inclination 

 in politics. 



