Letters of Asa Gray; Vol. 1

by Asa Gray

Afterwards I strolled about the town for an hour or two, heard the fine military band in the Hofgarten, and at half past six went to the house of Martius; saw his wife, who looks much younger than he, and I suspect he was not married until after his return from Brazil. She seems a very intelligent and pleasant lady, understands English pretty well, but does not speak it, while Martius speaks extremely well; the eldest daughter, a pretty girl of thirteen, speaks French fluently, has taken lessons in English, which she reads readily, but speaks slightly; there is another daughter of about ten, another still younger, and a boy a little more than a year old completes the list. Professor Zuccarini[108] was there, and afterwards an entomologist, whose name I forget, dropped in; also a young man from Rio Janeiro, a Dr. Hentz from Vienna, who inquired especially after Dr. Buck; the director of the music in the royal chapel here; and two ladies, one of whom sung exquisitely. The director and Dr. Hentz both played the piano to perfection, and, to crown all, Martius seized his fiddle, quite to my surprise, and played with great spirit. Before they were done a little crowd had began to assemble before the windows. So the evening passed off very pleasantly.

I like the sound of the German language much; it is manly, and certainly not more rough than the English. From the lips of the women and the little children I assure you it sounds very musical, and I often stop in the street to listen to it, when I do not understand a word that is spoken.

13th June, 1839.—I passed the whole morning, that is, until one o’clock, at the Botanical Cabinet, looking at grass and such like. After dinner Zuccarini called for me, took me to his house, showed me his Japan plants, the work he is publishing on them, etc. I looked over and named his American Cyperaceæ, and he made me most bountiful offers for exchange. He gave me some of his publications and even offered me his “Japan Flora” (Siebold’s), which is an expensive work, but it is very desirable for us to have, though it will be rather difficult for me to give him an equivalent. It is now sunset, eight o’clock; all the shops in the town have been closed nearly an hour, the people all enjoying themselves in the gardens roundabout. I am going to bed early, in hopes to rise in time to go down to the Garden and hear Martius lecture at seven o’clock. He lectures every morning at that hour, and Zuccarini again every morning from eight to nine, and also from eleven to twelve. The scientific people here have been arranging a little fête for Saturday, the birthday of Linnæus. It is decided that there is to be a botanical excursion, I believe, to the Tegernsee, some fifteen miles off, and I suppose also a picnic dinner. I have not learned all the particulars, but this I shall do in time, as I am to be one of the party.

14th June, 1839.—I rose early this morning and went to hear Martius lecture at the Garden at seven o’clock. He is a good lecturer, fluent and clear. Called on Dr. Schultes;[109] then returned to breakfast; afterwards spent the morning at the cabinet, with the exception of an hour devoted to the library, which one of the chief officers very kindly showed me through. They have about half a million books, excluding duplicates, and about 16,000 manuscripts. The librarian took much pains to explain to me the arrangement and classification of the library, which is in excellent order, and to show me as many of the rarities as I desired to see: very ancient Greek and Latin manuscripts of the Bible or the Evangelists; a number of very old and richly illuminated German manuscripts; the collection of printed books without date, of which they had 6000 (these early printed books being many of them intended to pass for manuscripts); a copy of Faust’s Bible again (the first book printed),—they have two; Luther’s Bible, beautifully printed on vellum, and illuminated,—in the frontispiece his original portrait, a sturdy-looking old fellow, who looks as if he might have been as fearless as indeed he was; the portrait of Melanchthon, by the same artist, whose name I forget, is given on the next leaf. I saw also a manuscript letter of Luther, and many other things, too tedious to trouble you with now.

Dined with Martius and his very pleasant family; stayed until six o’clock, looking over plants, etc.; took a little walk, now that it is a little cooler, for the day has been exceedingly sultry, and am now going to bed, as I have to rise at half past four and meet the pedestrian portion of the Linnæan party at half past five. If it be as sultry a day as this has been we shall have warm work of it.

15th June, 1839.—We had a truly German fête champêtre, and I have learnt more of German life and manners in one day than I could otherwise have obtained in a long time. I was at the place of rendezvous at the time appointed, and met there the two professors and about thirty students, with whom we set out on our excursion, and our number was soon doubled by the accessions we received. Our course lay along the banks of the Isar (what lad that has been at school has not heard of “Isar rolling rapidly”), along which we ascended for about six miles, botanizing on the way. It was about twelve o’clock when we reached the place where the Linnæan celebrations are always held. Here we found Madame Martius and the girls, who had arrived in a carriage, and the lady and children of another professor. Three or four other professors also joined the party: Professor Tirsch, the celebrated Grecian scholar; Professor Neumann, of Oriental languages; a celebrated physician, and some others. We filled an immense rustic dinner-table spread in an open pavilion, ornamented in a simple manner with branches and flowers, and a portrait of Linnæus. Professor Martius then read his address, which I judged from its effects upon the audience to be humorous; then followed the dinner, plain but good, consisting of three or four courses, beer supplied ad libitum, and this was no trifle, as you would understand if you could see how all these Bavarians swill their beer. It is light, extremely light as compared with English. But you may judge how cheaply the Germans contrive to live, and how cheaply and simply they get up an affair which in England or at home would cost a round sum, when I inform you that the whole charge for dinner was twenty-four kreutzers or one Austrian zwanziger (sixteen cents!). This I suppose did not include the wine, of which there was a small supply, provided, perhaps, by Martius himself.

Three or four odes, written for the purpose, some in Latin, others in German, were sung, with a heartiness and a nicety of execution entirely German. Three or four toasts were drunk, some speeches made, and the party left the table. The greater part, excluding the ladies, then went to the Linnæan Oak, a young tree planted on the day of this fête five years ago. Here all took their seats on the grass around it, and a number of half-serious, half-humorous addresses or meditations were made, the people all sitting at their ease; then a song for the purpose was sung, and the celebration was over. Some part dispersed immediately, but the greater part assembled around our dinner-table, and heard some music from a paysanne, who accompanied her voice with an instrument like a guitar. Martius and Zuccarini had arranged to stay over night in the neighborhood to botanize to-morrow, and wished me to stay also, which I declined to do, but returned in a carriage with Madame Martius and the eldest daughter. We had a very agreeable ride and reached the city just as it grew dark. We had all day most beautiful views of the Bavarian Alps, which seemed close to us. The different professors spoke English with me, Professor Neumann, indeed, extremely well; were very polite to me, and I obtained much important information, and have put myself in the way to get still more. The whole affair was extremely well arranged. I have printed copies of a part of the odes, and a copy of the print of Linnæus, a very good lithograph, which was brought to the place and sold to the students for twenty-four kreutzers (sixteen cents) a copy. This is not the birthday of Linnæus; the 24th of May is the proper one, but it is not then pleasant in the country here.

18th June.—On Sunday I attended service in the Protestant church, a large and fine building, which was well filled. A part of the royal family are Protestants, but the king himself is a bigoted Catholic. The interior of the church is made to resemble a Catholic chapel as much as possible; the altar has a picture behind it, and a small crucifix stood upon the reading-desk. There was a very short liturgy, and singing in which all the congregation took part, as is always the case in Germany. The sermon which followed may have been very orthodox for all I know, for I could understand but a few words of it. I spent the remainder of the day in my own room....

Tuesday evening.—This morning I went to the cabinet of botany, to the library, and after dinner to Martius; looked over his Carices, etc. We then walked to the Garden, and afterward to the establishment for telescopes, etc., of the successors of Fraunhöfer, where I bought a very pretty little achromatic glass and a simple lens; looked at his workshop and collections, etc....

It is so long since I have seen your handwriting that I might forget it, but I met with it to-day very unexpectedly, you would never guess where! Even on labels of Carices in Martius’ herbarium. After I get to Switzerland I shall count days until I see England again, from which there are but two steps home, on board a ship, and off again.