George Ticknor, Life, letters and journals of George Ticknor
George Hillard, Ed.

[76] above eight hundred and forty regular pupils. The number of professors is proportionally great. There are nearly forty, appointed and paid by the government, and there are, besides, as many more men of science and letters, who live here for the purpose of lecturing and instruction; so that at least seventy or eighty different courses of lectures, all in the German language, are going on at the same time.

Two courses of lectures, or two semestres, as they are called, are given by each professor, or lecturer, in each year, with a vacation of three weeks at the end of every semestre. One semestre begins a fortnight after Easter (in April), and ends a week before Michaelmas; the other begins a fortnight after Michaelmas, and ends a week before Easter. Everything is done by solitary study and private instruction (privatissime, as it is called), or else by public lectures. . . . .

My first object, of course, will be German. This will be taught me by Prof. Benecke, the Professor of English Literature, who speaks English quite well. . . . . Besides him, however, I intend to procure some scholar who will come to my chambers and read and speak with me. In this way, by October I think I shall be able to attend the lectures profitably, and then I shall probably resort to those of Eichhorn on literary history, and to those of some other professors on Greek, Roman, and German literatures. If I find this mode of instruction profitable, and nothing calls me sooner to France, I shall remain here until next April.

You now know, my dear father, all that I know myself about Gottingen and my prospect in it. . . . . There is no such thing as a royal road to learning; but in the means, opportunities, and excitements offered here, there is a considerable approximation to it. Nothing now remains but to see how I shall improve my advantages. . . . .

Journal.

Gottingen, August 22.—Michaelis, I find, was not much respected here. He had a quarrelsome and fretful temper, a mean and avaricious heart. A great many stories are told to his discredit, and to the credit of the wit and good feeling of Kastner, who was at the same time Professor of Mathematics, and was always a thorn in Michaelis's side. A scholar here, whose poverty had not extinguished his love of learning, went to Michaelis, and told him that he was extremely desirous to hear his lectures, but had no money, explained the reasons of it, and begged him to admit him without the customary honorarium. Michaelis hesitated, said he had a family to support,