178 
VARIETIES. 
associate,  with  the  right  of  being  present  as  a  listener  merely,  at  all  the 
scientific  meetings,  as  well  as  of  taking  part  in  all  the  festive  social  re- 
unions, is  free  to  every  one  on  the  very  moderate  payment  of  two  Russian 
dollars — equivalent  to  a  dollar  and  a-half  of  our  money.  Hence,  when  the 
annual  meeting  takes  place  in  a  town  like  this,  numbers  of  the  middle  and 
upper  classes  of  inhabitants  eagerly  join  it,  as  well  as  all  scientific  strangers 
who  may  happen  to  be  in  the  neighborhood.  The  objects  of  the  Society, 
like  those  of  the  British  Association,  are,  the  formation.of  a  mutual  acquaint- 
ance between  the  scientific  men  of  Germany,  and  the  facilitation  of  an 
early  interchange  of  their  ideas  in  reference  to  all  new  discoveries.  The 
numbers  who  this  year  took  part  in  the  matter  amounted  to  nearly  eight 
hundred.  Of  the  Germans  present  there  were  considerably  more  than  a 
hundred  names  honorably  known  in  the  records  of  science,  and  among  the 
foremost  may  be  named  the  octogenarian  Yon  Buch,  Prof.  Rose,  the  great 
analytic  chemist,  Yon  Carnall,  Inspector  of  Mines  from  Berlin,  Prof.  Har- 
dinger,  Director  of  the  Imperial  Geological  Institute,  from  Yienna,  Nees 
Yon  Esenbeck,  the  great  systematic  botanist,  Wohler  and  Weber  from 
Gottingen,  Forchhammar  of  Stutgardt,  Lehman  of  Hamburg,  Sporex  of  St. 
Petersburg!),  &c.  &c. 
England  had  about  twenty  representatives,  and  France  nine  or  ten.  The 
names  of  two  ladies  were  on  the  list  of  associates,  and  many  others  graced 
the  galleries  and  side  benches  daring  the  general  meetings,  and  took  seats 
at  the  festive  board  on  the  occasions  of  the  three  public  dinners. 
The  first  general  meeting  took  place  on  the  morning  of  the  18th,  in  the 
great  room  of  the  Kursaal.  The  proceedings  were  opened  by  the  president, 
Dr.  Frezenius,  of  Wiesbaden,  in  a  brief  address. 
On  Sunday,  the  19th,  a  public  excursion  was  made  down  the  Rheingau — 
the  railroad  and  steamboat  being  put  at  the  disposition  of  the  learned 
strangers  gratuitously  ;  and  on  two  subsequent  days  fetes  champetres  were 
given  in  their  honor  by  the  towns-people,  and  by  the  Duke  of  Nassau,  in  the 
picturesque  sites  of  the  Nersberg  and  the  Plattz. 
The  sectional  sittings  were  on  Monday,  Wednesday  and  Thursday.  The 
general  meetings  following  Sunday,  on  Tuesday  and  Friday. 
The  sections  on  Geology,  Botany  and  Zoology,  transacted  the  most  scien- 
tific business,  the  papers  in  those  departments  being  numerous.  Among 
the  subjects  brought  forward  in  the  chemical  section,  were  "  on  animal 
fats/'  by  Yon  Heintz  ;  on  the  progress  of  chemical  manufactures  in  Austria, 
by  Seybel ;  on  the  carbonization  of  wood  under  water,,  by  SchOdler  ;  on  the 
employment  of  gas-burners  in  elementary  analysis,  by  Prof.  Hoffmann,  &c. 
Prof.  Ilaidinger,  of  Yienna,  and  Prof.  Nees  Yon  Esenbeck,  were  among 
the  most  prominent  speakers  at  the  general  meetings,  the  latter  having 
delivered  an  address-  in  honor  of  the  200th  anniversary  of  the  Leopold- 
Caroline  Academy  of  Science. 
The  meeting  adjourned  to  convene  next  year  at  Tubingen. 
