صفحة 48 من 483

Thus ended a day memorable to me; it decided my future destiny.

Chapter 4

From this day natural philosophy, and particularly chemistry, in

the most comprehensive sense of the term, became nearly my sole

occupation. I read with ardour those works, so full of genius and

discrimination, which modern inquirers have written on these

subjects. I attended the lectures and cultivated the acquaintance

of the men of science of the university, and I found even in M.

Krempe a great deal of sound sense and real information,

combined, it is true, with a repulsive physiognomy and manners,

but not on that account the less valuable. In M. Waldman I found

a true friend. His gentleness was never tinged by dogmatism, and

his instructions were given with an air of frankness and good

nature that banished every idea of pedantry. In a thousand ways

he smoothed for me the path of knowledge and made the most

abstruse inquiries clear and facile to my apprehension.