,this e,book was produced by ,sue ,asscher and ,robert ,prince4 ,,louis ,,agassiz ,,his ,,life ,,and ,,correspondence4 ,,edited ,,by ,,elizabeth ,,cary ,,agassiz4 ,,preface4 ,i am aware that this book has neither the fullness of personal narrative1 nor the closeness of scientific analysis1 which its too comprehensive title might lead the reader to expect4 ,a word of explanation is therefore needed4 ,i thought little at first of the general public1 when ,i began to weave together in narrative form the facts1 letters1 and journals contained in this volume4 ,my chief object was to prevent the dispersion and final loss of scattered papers which had an unquestionable family value4 ,but1 as my work grew upon my hands1 ,i began to feel that the story of an intellectual life1 which was marked by such rare coherence and unity of aim1 might have a wider interest and usefulness2 might1 perhaps1 serve as a stimulus and an encouragement to others4 ,for this reason1 and also because ,i am inclined to believe that the ,european portion of the life of ,louis ,agassiz is little known in his adopted country1 while its ,american period must be unfamiliar to many in his native land1 ,i have determined to publish the material here collected4 ,the book labors under the disadvantage of being in great part a translation4 ,the correspondence for the first part was almost wholly in ,french and ,german1 so that the choice lay between a patch-work of several languages or the unity of one1 burdened as it must be with the change of version4 ,i have accepted what seemed to me the least of these difficulties4 ,besides the assistance of my immediate family1 including the revision of the text by my son ,alexander ,agassiz1 ,i have been indebted to my friends ,dr4 and ,mrs4 ,hagen and to the late ,professor ,guyot for advice on special points4 ,as will be seen from the list of illustrations1 ,i have also to thank ,mrs4 ,john ,w4 ,elliot for her valuable aid in that part of the work4 ,on the other side of the water ,i have had most faithful and efficient collaborators4 ,mr4 ,auguste ,agassiz1 who survived his brother ,louis several years1 and took the greatest interest in preserving whatever concerned his scientific career1 confided to my hands many papers and documents belonging to his brother's earlier life4 ,after his death1 his cousin and brother-in-law1 ,mr4 ,auguste ,mayor1 of ,neuchatel1 continued the same affectionate service4 ,without their aid ,i could not have completed the narrative as it now stands4 ,the friend last named also selected from the glacier of the ,aar1 at the request of ,alexander ,agassiz1 the boulder which now marks his father's grave4 ,with unwearied patience ,mr4 ,mayor passed hours of toilsome search among the blocks of the moraine near the site of the old ,hotel des ,neuchatelois1 and chose at last a stone so monumental in form that not a touch of the hammer was needed to fit it for its purpose4 ,in conclusion ,i allow myself the pleasure of recording here my gratitude to him and to all who have aided me in my work4 ,,elizabeth ,c4 ,,agassiz4 ,,cambridge1 ,massachusetts1 ,june #aa1 #ahhe4 ,,contents4 ,,chapter #a4 #ahjg-ahbg3 ,,to ,,age #bj4 ,birthplace4--,influence of his ,mother4--,early ,love of ,natural ,history4--,boyish ,occupations4--,domestic ,education4--,first ,school4 --,vacations4--,commercial ,life renounced4--,college of ,lausanne4 --,choice of ,profession4--,medical ,school of ,zurich4--,life and ,studies there4--,university of ,heidelberg4--,studies interrupted by ,illness4--,return to ,switzerland4--,occupations during ,convalescence4 ,,chapter #b4 #ahbg-ahbh3 ,,age #bj-ba4 ,arrival in ,munich4--,lectures4--,relations with the ,professors4 --,schelling1 ,martius1 ,oken1 ,dollinger4--,relations with ,fellow-,students4--,the ,little ,academy4--,plans for ,traveling4--,advice from his ,parents4--,vacation ,journey4--,tri-,centennial ,durer ,festival at ,nuremberg4 ,,chapter #c4 #ahbh-ahbi3 ,,age #ba-bb4 ,first ,important ,work in ,natural ,history4--,spix's ,brazilian ,fishes4 --,second ,vacation ,trip4--,sketch of ,work during ,university ,year4 --,extracts from the ,journal of ,mr4 ,dinkel4--,home ,letters4--,hope of joining ,humboldt's ,asiatic ,expedition4--,diploma of ,philosophy4 --,completion of ,first ,part of the ,spix ,fishes4--,letter concerning it from ,cuvier4 ,,chapter #d4 #ahbi-ahcj3 ,,age #bb-bc4 ,scientific ,meeting at ,heidelberg4--,visit at ,home4--,illness and ,death of his ,grandfather4--,return to ,munich4--,plans for ,future ,scientific ,publications4--,takes his ,degree of ,medicine4--,visit to ,vienna4--,return to ,munich4--,home ,letters4--,last ,days at ,munich4 --,autobiographical ,review of ,school and ,university ,life4 ,,chapter #e4 #ahcj-ahcb3 ,,age #bc-be4 ,year at ,home4--,leaves ,home for ,paris4--,delays on the ,road4 --,cholera4--,arrival in ,paris4--,first ,visit to ,cuvier4--,cuvier's ,kindness4--,his ,death4--,poverty in ,paris4--,home ,letters concerning ,embarrassments and about his ,work4--,singular ,dream4 ,,chapter #f4 #ahcb3 ,,age #be4 ,unexpected ,relief from ,difficulties4--,correspondence with ,humboldt4 --,excursion to the ,coast of ,normandy4--,first ,sight of the ,sea4 --,correspondence concerning ,professorship at ,neuchatel4--,birthday ,fete4--,invitation to ,chair of ,natural ,history at ,neuchatel4 --,acceptance4--,letter to ,humboldt4 ,,chapter #g4 #ahcb-ahcd3 ,,age #be-bg4 ,enters upon his ,professorship at ,neuchatel4--,first ,lecture4 --,success as a ,teacher4--,love of ,teaching4--,influence upon the ,scientific ,life of ,neuchatel4--,proposal from ,university of ,heidelberg4--,proposal declined4--,threatened ,blindness4 --,correspondence with ,humboldt4--,marriage4--,invitation from ,charpentier4--,invitation to visit ,england4--,wollaston ,prize4--,first ,number of ,poissons ,fossiles4--,review of the ,work4 ,,chapter #h4 #ahcd-ahcg3 ,,age #bg-cj4 ,first ,visit to ,england4--,reception by ,scientific ,men4--,work on ,fossil ,fishes there4--,liberality of ,english ,naturalists4--,first ,relations with ,american ,science4--,farther ,correspondence with ,humboldt4--,second ,visit to ,england4--,continuation of ,fossil ,fishes4--,other ,scientific ,publications4--,attention drawn to ,glacial ,phenomena4--,summer at ,bex with ,charpentier4--,sale of ,original ,drawings for ,fossil ,fishes4--,meeting of ,helvetic ,society4--,address on ,ice-,period4--,letters from ,humboldt and ,von ,buch4 ,,chapter #i4 #ahcg-ahci3 ,,age #cj-cb4 ,invitation to ,professorships at ,geneva and ,lausanne4--,death of his ,father4--,establishment of ,lithographic ,press at ,neuchatel4 --,researches upon ,structure of ,mollusks4--,internal ,casts of ,shells4 --,glacial ,explorations4--,views of ,buckland4--,relations with ,arnold ,guyot4--,their ,work together in the ,alps4--,letter to ,sir ,philip ,egerton concerning ,glacial ,work4--,summer of #ahci4--,publication of ,etudes sur les ,glaciers4 ,,chapter #aj4 #ahdj-ahdb3 ,,age #cc-ce4 ,summer ,station on the ,glacier of the ,aar4--,hotel des ,neuchatelois4 --,members of the ,party4--,work on the ,glacier4--,ascent of the ,strahleck and the ,siedelhorn4--,visit to ,england4--,search for ,glacial ,remains in ,great ,britain4--,roads of ,glen ,roy4--,views of ,english ,naturalists concerning ,agassiz's ,glacial ,theory4--,letter from ,humboldt4--,winter ,visit to ,glacier4--,summer of #ahda on the ,glacier4--,descent into the ,glacier4--,ascent of the ,jungfrau4 ,,chapter #aa4 #ahdb-ahdc3 ,,age #ce-cf4 ,zoological ,work uninterrupted by ,glacial ,researches4--,various ,publications4--,nomenclator ,zoologicus4--,bibliographia ,zoologiae et ,geologiae4--,correspondence with ,english ,naturalists4 --,correspondence with ,humboldt4--,glacial ,campaign of #ahdb4 --,correspondence with ,prince de ,canino concerning ,journey to ,united ,states4--,fossil ,fishes from the ,old ,red ,sandstone4--,glacial ,campaign of #ahdc4--;,death of ,leuthold1 the ,guide4 ,,chapter #ab4 #ahdc-ahdf3 ,,age #cf-ci4 ,completion of ,fossil ,fishes4--,followed by ,fossil ,fishes of the ,old ,red ,sandstone4--,review of the ,later ,work4--,identification of ,fishes by the ,skull4--,renewed ,correspondence with ,prince ,canino about ,journey to the ,united ,states4--,change of ,plan owing to the ,interest of the ,king of ,prussia in the ,expedition4--,correspondence between ,professor ,sedgwick and ,agassiz on ,development ,theory4--,final ,scientific ,work in ,neuchatel and ,paris4--,publication of ,systeme ,glaciaire4--,short ,stay in ,england4--,farewell ,letter from ,humboldt4 --,sails for ,united ,states4 ,,chapter #ac4 #ahdf3 ,,age #ci4 ,arrival at ,boston4--,previous ,correspondence with ,charles ,lyell and ,mr4 ,john ,a4 ,lowell concerning ,lectures at the ,lowell ,institute4 --,relations with ,mr4 ,lowell4--,first ,course of ,lectures4--,character of ,audience4--,home ,letter giving an ,account of his first ,journey in the ,united ,states4--,impressions of ,scientific ,men1 ,scientific ,institutions and ,collections4 ,,chapter #ad4 #ahdf-ahdg3 ,,age #ci-dj4 ,course of ,lectures in ,boston on ,glaciers4--,correspondence with ,scientific ,friends in ,europe4--,house in ,east ,boston4--,household and ,housekeeping4--,illness4--,letter to ,elie de ,beaumont4--,letter to ,james ,d4 ,dana4 ,,chapter #ae4 #ahdg-ahej3 ,,age #dj-dc4 ,excursions on ,coast ,survey ,steamer4--,relations with ,dr4 ,bache1 the ,superintendent of the ,coast ,survey4--,political ,disturbances in ,switzerland4--,change of ,relations with ,prussia4--,scientific ,school established in ,cambridge4--,chair of ,natural ,history offered to ,agassiz4--,acceptance4--,removal to ,cambridge4--,literary and ,scientific ,associations there and in ,boston4--,household in ,cambridge4--,beginning of ,museum4--,journey to ,lake ,superior4-- ,report1 with ,narration4--,principles of ,zoology1 by ,agassiz and ,gould4--,letters from ,european ,friends respecting these ,publications4--,letter from ,hugh ,miller4--,second ,marriage4--,arrival of his ,children in ,america4 ,,chapter #af4 #ahej-aheb3 ,,age #dc-de4 ,proposition from ,dr4 ,bache4--,exploration of ,florida ,reefs4--,letter to ,humboldt concerning ,work in ,america4--,appointment to ,professorship of ,medical ,college in ,charleston1 ,s4,c4--,life at the ,south4--,views concerning ,races of ,men4--,prix ,cuvier4 ,,chapter #ag4 #aheb-ahee3 ,,age #de-dh4 ,return to ,cambridge4--,anxiety about ,collections4--,purchase of ,collections4--,second ,winter in ,charleston4--,illness4--,letter to ,james ,d4 ,dana concerning ,geographical ,distribution and ,geological ,succession of ,animals4--,resignation of ,charleston ,professorship4 --,propositions from ,zurich4--,letter to ,oswald ,heer4--,decision to remain in ,cambridge4--,letters to ,james ,d4 ,dana1 ,s4,s4 ,haldeman1 and ,others respecting ,collections illustrative of the ,distribution of ,fishes1 ,shells1 etc41 in our ,rivers4--,establishment of ,school for ,girls4 ,,chapter #ah4 #ahee-ahfj3 ,,age #dh-ec4 ,contributions to ,natural ,history of the ,united ,states4 --,remarkable ,subscription4--,review of the ,work4--,its ,reception in ,europe and ,america4--,letters from ,humboldt and ,owen concerning it4 --,birthday4--,longfellow's ,verses4--,laboratory at ,nahant4 --,invitation to the ,museum of ,natural ,history in ,paris4--,founding of ,museum of ,comparative ,zoology in ,cambridge4--,summer ,vacation in ,europe4 ,,chapter #ai4 #ahfj-ahfc3 ,,age #ec-ef4 ,return to ,cambridge4--,removal of ,collection to ,new ,museum ,building4 --,distribution of ,work4--,relations with his ,students4--,breaking out of the ,war between ,north and ,south4--,interest of ,agassiz in the ,preservation of the ,union4--,commencement of ,museum ,publications4 --,reception of ,third and ,fourth ,volumes of ,contributions4--,copley ,medal4--,general ,correspondence4--,lecturing ,tour in the ,west4 --,circular ,letter concerning ,anthropological ,collections4--,letter to ,mr4 ,ticknor concerning ,geographical ,distribution of ,fishes in ,spain4 ,,chapter #bj4 #ahfc-ahfd3 ,,age #ef-eg4 ,correspondence with ,dr4 ,s4,g4 ,howe4--,bearing of the ,war on the ,position of the ,negro ,race4--,affection for ,harvard ,college4 --,interest in her ,general ,progress4--,correspondence with ,emerson concerning ,harvard4--,glacial ,phenomena in ,maine4 ,,chapter #ba4 #ahfe-ahfh3 ,,age #eh-fa4 ,letter to his ,mother announcing ,journey to ,brazil4--,sketch of ,journey4--,kindness of the ,emperor4--,liberality of the ,brazilian ,government4--,correspondence with ,charles ,sumner4--,letter to his ,mother at ,close of ,brazil ,journey4--,letter from ,martius concerning ,journey in ,brazil4--,return to ,cambridge4--,lectures in ,boston and ,new ,york4--,summer at ,nahant4--,letter to ,professor ,peirce on the ,survey of ,boston ,harbor4--,death of his ,mother4--,illness4 --,correspondence with ,oswald ,heer4--,summer ,journey in the ,west4 --,cornell ,university4--,letter from ,longfellow4 ,,chapter #bb4 #ahfh-ahga3 ,,age #fa-fd4 ,new ,subscription to ,museum4--,additional ,buildings4--,arrangement of ,new ,collections4--,dredging ,expedition on ,board the ,bibb4--,address at the ,humboldt ,centennial4--,attack on the ,brain4--,suspension of ,work4--,working ,force at the ,museum4--,new ,accessions4--,letter from ,professor ,sedgwick4--,letter from ,professor ,deshayes4--,restored ,health4--,hassler ,voyage proposed4--,acceptance4--,scientific ,preparation for the ,voyage4 ,,chapter #bc4 #ahga-ahgb3 ,,age #fd-fe4 ,sailing of the ,hassler4--,sargassum ,fields4--,dredging at ,barbados4 --,from the ,west ,indies to ,rio de ,janeiro4--,monte ,video4 --,quarantine4--,glacial ,traces in the ,bay of ,monte ,video4--,the ,gulf of ,mathias4--,dredging off ,gulf of ,st4 ,george4--,dredging off ,cape ,virgens4--,possession ,bay4--,salt ,pool4--,moraine4--,sandy ,point4 --,cruise through the ,straits4--,scenery4--,wind ,storm4--,borja ,bay4 --,glacier ,bay4--,visit to the ,glacier4--,chorocua ,bay4 ,,chapter #bd4 #ahgb3 ,,age #fe4 ,picnic in ,sholl ,bay4--,fuegians4--,smythe's ,channel4--,comparison of ,glacial ,features with those of the ,strait of ,magellan4--,ancud4 --,port of ,san ,pedro4--,bay of ,concepcion4--,three ,weeks in ,talcahuana4--,collections4--,geology4-- ,land ,journey to ,santiago4 --,scenes along the ,road4--,report on ,glacial ,features to ,mr4 ,peirce4 --,arrival at ,santiago4--,election as ,foreign ,associate of the ,institute of ,france4--,valparaiso4--,the ,galapagos4--,geological and ,zoological ,features4--,arrival at ,san ,francisco4 ,,chapter #be4 #ahgb-ahgc3 ,,age #fe-ff4 ,return to ,cambridge4--,summer ,school proposed4--,interest of ,agassiz4 --,gift of ,mr4 ,anderson4--,prospectus of ,penikese ,school4 --,difficulties4--,opening of ,school4--,summer ,work4--,close of ,school4 --,last ,course of ,lectures at ,museum4--,lecture before ,board of ,agriculture4--,illness4--,death4--,plac e of ,burial4 ,,list ,,of ,,illustrations4 #a4 ,,portrait ,,of ,,louis ,,agassiz ,,at ,,the ,,age ,,of ,,nineteen2 copied by ,mrs4 ,john ,w4 ,elliot from a pastel drawing by ,cecile ,braun4 #b4 ,,the ,,stone ,,basin ,,at ,,motier2 drawn by ,mrs4 ,elliot from a photograph4 #c4 ,,the ,,laboratory ,,at ,,nahant2 from a drawing by ,mrs4 ,elliot4 #d4 ,,the ,,birthplace ,,of ,,louis ,,agassiz2 from a photograph4 #e4 ,,hotel ,,des ,,neuchatelois2 copied by ,mrs4 ,elliot from an oil sketch made on the spot by ,j4 ,burkhardt4 #f4 ,,portrait ,,of ,,jacob ,,leuthold2 from a portrait by ,burkhardt4 #g4 ,,second ,,station ,,on ,,the ,,aar ,,glacier2 ,copied by ,mrs4 ,elliot from a sketch in oil by ,j4 ,burkhardt4 #h4 ,,portrait ,,of ,,louis ,,agassiz ,,at ,,the ,,age ,,of ,,fifty-,,five2 originally published in ,nature4 #i4 ,,cottage ,,at ,,nahant2 from a photograph4 #aj4 ,,museum ,,of ,,comparative ,,zoology2 from a photograph4 #aa4 ,,portrait ,,bust ,,of ,,agassiz ,,by ,,powers ,,at ,,the ,,museum ,,of ,,comparative ,,zoology2 from a photograph4 #ab4 ,,view ,,of ,,penikese2 from a photograph4 999999 ,,louis ,,agassiz4 ,,part #a4 ,,in ,,europe4 ,,chapter #a4 #ahjg-ahbg3 ,,to ,,age #bj4 ,birthplace4 ,influence of his ,mother4 ,early ,love of ,natural ,history4 ,boyish ,occupations4 ,domestic ,education4 ,first ,school4 ,vacations4 ,commercial ,life renounced4 ,college of ,lausanne4 ,choice of ,profession4 ,medical ,school of ,zurich4 ,life and ,studies there4 ,university of ,heidelberg4 ,studies interrupted by ,illness4 ,return to ,switzerland4 ,occupations during ,convalescence4 ,,jean ,,louis ,,rodolphe ,,agassiz was born ,may #bh1 #ahjg1 at the village of ,motier1 on the ,lake of ,morat4 ,his father1 ,louis ,rodolphe ,agassiz1 was a clergyman2 his mother1 ,rose ,mayor1 was the daughter of a physician whose home was at ,cudrefin1 on the shore of the ,lake of ,neuchatel4 ,the parsonages in ,switzerland are frequently pretty and picturesque4 ,that of ,motier1 looking upon the lake and sheltered by a hill which commands a view over the whole chain of the ,bernese ,alps1 was especially so4 ,it possessed a vineyard large enough to add something in good years to the small salary of the pastor2 an orchard containing1 among other trees1 an apricot famed the country around for the unblemished beauty of its abundant fruit2 a good vegetable garden1 and a delicious spring of water flowing always fresh and pure into a great stone basin behind the house4 ,that stone basin was ,agassiz's first aquarium2 there he had his first collection of fishes499 799 ,after his death a touching tribute was paid to his memory by the inhabitants of his birthplace4 ,with appropriate ceremonies1 a marble slab was placed above the door of the parsonage of ,motier1 with this inscription1 ,j4 ,louis ,agassiz1 celebre naturaliste1 est ne dans cette maison1 le #bh ,mai1 #ahjg47 ,it does not appear that he had any precocious predilection for study1 and his parents1 who for the first ten years of his life were his only teachers1 were too wise to stimulate his mind beyond the ordinary attainments of his age4 having lost her first four children in infancy1 his mother watched with trembling solicitude over his early years4 ,it was perhaps for this reason that she was drawn so closely to her boy1 and understood that his love of nature1 and especially of all living things1 was an intellectual tendency1 and not simply a child's disposition to find friends and playmates in the animals about him4 ,in later years her sympathy gave her the key to the work of his manhood1 as it had done to the sports of his childhood4 ,she remained his most intimate friend to the last hour of her life1 and he survived her but six years4 ,louis's love of natural history showed itself almost from infancy4 ,when a very little fellow he had1 beside his collection of fishes1 all sorts of pets3 birds1 field-mice1 hares1 rabbits1 guinea-pigs1 etc41 whose families he reared with the greatest care4 ,guided by his knowledge of the haunts and habits of fishes1 he and his brother ,auguste became the most adroit of young fishermen1--using processes all their own and quite independent of hook1 line1 or net4 ,their hunting grounds were the holes and crevices beneath the stones or in the water-washed walls of the lake shore4 ,no such shelter was safe from their curious fingers1 and they acquired such dexterity that when bathing they could seize the fish even in the open water1 attracting them by little arts to which the fish submitted as to a kind of fascination4 ,such amusements are no doubt the delight of many a lad living in the country1 nor would they be worth recording except as illustrating the unity of ,agassiz's intellectual development from beginning to end4 ,his pet animals suggested questions1 to answer which was the task of his life2 and his intimate study of the fresh-water fishes of ,europe1 later the subject of one of his important works1 began with his first collection from the ,lake of ,morat4 ,as a boy he amused himself also with all kinds of handicrafts on a small scale4 ,the carpenter1 the cobbler1 the tailor1 were then as much developed in him as the naturalist4 ,in ,swiss villages it was the habit in those days for the trades-people to go from house to house in their different vocations4 ,the shoemaker came two or three times a year with all his materials1 and made shoes for the whole family by the day2 the tailor came to fit them for garments which he made in the house2 the cooper arrived before the vintage1 to repair old barrels and hogsheads or to make new ones1 and to replace their worn-out hoops2 in short1 to fit up the cellar for the coming season4 ,agassiz seems to have profited by these lessons as much as by those he learned from his father2 and when a very little fellow1 he could cut and put together a well-fitting pair of shoes for his sisters' dolls1 was no bad tailor1 and could make a miniature barrel that was perfectly water-tight4 ,he remembered these trivial facts as a valuable part of his incidental education4 ,he said he owed much of his dexterity in manipulation1 to the training of eye and hand gained in these childish plays4 ,though fond of quiet1 in-door occupation1 he was an active1 daring boy4 ,one winter day when about seven years of age1 he was skating with his little brother ,auguste1 two years younger than himself1 and a number of other boys1 near the shore of the lake4 ,they were talking of a great fair held that day at the town of ,morat1 on the opposite side of the lake1 to which ,m4 ,agassiz had gone in the morning1 not crossing upon the ice1 however1 but driving around the shore4 ,the temptation was too strong for ,louis1 and he proposed to ,auguste that they should skate across1 join their father at the fair1 and come home with him in the afternoon4 ,they started accordingly4 ,the other boys remained on their skating ground till twelve o'clock1 the usual dinner hour1 when they returned to the village4 ,mme4 ,agassiz was watching for her boys1 thinking them rather late1 and on inquiring for them among the troop of urchins coming down the village street she learned on what errand they had gone4 ,her anxiety may be imagined4 ,the lake was not less than two miles across1 and she was by no means sure that the ice was safe4 ,she hurried to an upper window with a spy-glass to see if she could descry them anywhere4 ,at the moment she caught sight of them1 already far on their journey1 ,louis had laid himself down across a fissure in the ice1 thus making a bridge for his little brother1 who was creeping over his back4 ,their mother directed a workman1 an excellent skater1 to follow them as swiftly as possible4 ,he overtook them just as they had gained the shore1 but it did not occur to him that they could return otherwise than they had come1 and he skated back with them across the lake4 ,weary1 hungry1 and disappointed1 the boys reached the house without having seen the fair or enjoyed the drive home with their father in the afternoon4 ,when he was ten years old1 ,agassiz was sent to the college for boys at ,bienne1 thus exchanging the easy rule of domestic instruction for the more serious studies of a public school4 ,he found himself on a level with his class1 however1 for his father was an admirable teacher4 ,indeed it would seem that ,agassiz's own passion for teaching1 as well as his love of young people and his sympathy with intellectual aspiration everywhere1 was an inheritance4 ,wherever his father was settled as pastor1 at ,motier1 at ,orbe1 and later at ,concise1 his influence was felt in the schools as much as in the pulpit4 ,a piece of silver remains1 a much prized heir-loom in the family1 given to him by the municipality of ,orbe in acknowledgment of his services in the schools4 ,the rules of the school at ,bienne were rather strict1 but the life led by the boys was hardy and invigorating1 and they played as heartily as they worked4 ,remembering his own school-life1 ,agassiz often asked himself whether it was difference of climate or of method1 which makes the public school life in the ,united ,states so much more trying to the health of children than the one under which he was brought up4 ,the boys and girls in our public schools are said to be overworked with a session of five hours1 and an additional hour or two of study at home4 ,at the ,college of ,bienne there were nine hours of study1 and the boys were healthy and happy4 ,perhaps the secret might be found in the frequent interruption1 two or three hours of study alternating with an interval for play or rest4 ,agassiz always retained a pleasant impression of the school and its teachers4 ,mr4 ,rickly1 the director1 he regarded with an affectionate respect1 which ripened into friendship in maturer years4 ,the vacations were1 of course1 hailed with delight1 and as ,motier was but twenty miles distant from ,bienne1 ,agassiz and his younger brother ,auguste1 who joined him at school a year later1 were in the habit of making the journey on foot4 ,the lives of these brothers were so closely interwoven in their youth that for many years the story of one includes the story of the other4 ,they had everything in common1 and with their little savings they used to buy books1 chosen by ,louis1 the foundation1 as it proved1 of his future library4 ,long before dawn on the first day of vacation the two bright1 active boys would be on their homeward way1 as happy as holiday could make them1 especially if they were returning for the summer harvest or the autumn vintage4 ,the latter was then1 as now1 a season of festivity4 ,in these more modern days something of its primitive picturesqueness may have been lost2 but when ,agassiz was a boy1 all the ordinary occupations were given up for this important annual business1 in which work and play were so happily combined4 ,on the appointed day the working people might be seen trooping in from neighboring cantons1 where there were no vineyards1 to offer themselves for the vintage4 ,they either camped out at night1 sleeping in the open air1 or found shelter in the stables and outhouses4 ,during the grape gathering the floor of the barn and shed at the parsonage of ,motier was often covered in the evening with tired laborers1 both men and women4 ,of course1 when the weather was fine1 these were festival days for the children4 ,a bushel basket1 heaped high with white and amber bunches1 stood in the hall1 or in the living room of the family1 and young and old were free to help themselves as they came and went4 ,then there were the frolics in the vineyard1 the sweet cup of must 7unfermented juice of the grape71 and1 the ball on the last evening at the close of the merry-making4 ,sometimes the boys passed their vacations at ,cudrefin1 with their grandfather ,mayor4 ,he was a kind old man1 much respected in his profession1 and greatly beloved for his benevolence4 ,his little white horse was well known in all the paths and by-roads of the country around1 as he went from village to village among the sick4 ,the grandmother was frail in health1 but a great favorite among the children1 for whom she had an endless fund of stories1 songs1 and hymns4 ,aunt ,lisette1 an unmarried daughter1 who long lived to maintain the hospitality of the old ,cudrefin house and to be beloved as the kindest of maiden aunts by two or three generations of nephews and nieces1 was the domestic providence of these family gatherings1 where the praises of her excellent dishes were annually sung4 ,the roof was elastic2 there was no question about numbers1 for all came who could2 the more1 the merrier1 with no diminution of good cheer4 ,the ,sunday after ,easter was the great popular fete4 ,then every house was busy coloring ,easter eggs and making fritters4 ,the young girls and the lads of the village1 the former in their prettiest dresses and the latter with enormous bouquets of artificial flowers in their hats1 went together to church in the morning4 ,in the afternoon the traditional match between two runners1 chosen from the village youths1 took place4 ,they were dressed in white1 and adorned with bright ribbons4 ,with music before them1 and followed by all the young people1 they went in procession to the place where a quantity of ,easter eggs had been distributed upon the ground4 ,at a signal the runners separated1 the one to pick up the eggs according to a prescribed course1 the other to run to the next village and back again4 ,the victory was to the one who accomplished his task first1 and he was proclaimed king of the feast4 ,hand in hand the runners1 followed as before by all their companions1 returned to join in the dance now to take place before the house of ,dr4 ,mayor4 ,after a time the festivities were interrupted by a little address in patois from the first musician1 who concluded by announcing from his platform a special dance in honor of the family of ,dr4 ,mayor4 ,in this dance the family with some of their friends and neighbors took part1--the young ladies dancing with the peasant lads and the young gentlemen with the girls of the village1--while the rest formed a circle to look on4 ,thus1 between study and recreation1 the four years which ,agassiz's father and mother intended he should pass at ,bienne drew to a close4 ,a yellow1 time-worn sheet of foolscap1 on which during the last year of his school-life he wrote his desiderata in the way of books1 tells something of his progress and his aspirations at fourteen years of age4 ,i wish1 so it runs1 to advance in the sciences1 and for that ,i need d',anville1 ,ritter1 an ,italian dictionary1 a ,strabo in ,greek1 ,mannert and ,thiersch2 and also the works of ,malte-,brun and ,seyfert4 ,i have resolved1 as far as ,i am allowed to do so1 to become a man of letters1 and at present ,i can go no further3 #ast1 in ancient geography1 for ,i already know all my notebooks1 and ,i have only such books as ,mr4 ,rickly can lend me2 ,i must have d',anville or ,mannert2 #bnd1 in modern geography1 also1 ,i have only such books as ,mr4 ,rickly can lend me1 and the ,osterwald geography1 which does not accord with the new divisions2 ,i must have ,ritter or ,malte-,brun2 #crd1 for ,greek ,i need a new grammar1 and ,i shall choose ,thiersch2 #dth1 ,i have no ,italian dictionary1 except one lent me by ,mr4 ,moltz2 ,i must have one2 #eth1 for ,latin ,i need a larger grammar than the one ,i have1 and ,i should like ,seyfert2 #fth1 ,mr4 ,rickly tells me that as ,i have a taste for geography he will give me a lesson in ,greek 7gratis71 in which we would translate ,strabo1 provided ,i can find one4 ,for all this ,i ought to have about twelve louis4 ,i should like to stay at ,bienne till the month of ,july1 and afterward serve my apprenticeship in commerce at ,neuchatel for a year and a half4 ,then ,i should like to pass four years at a university in ,germany1 and finally finish my studies at ,paris1 where ,i would stay about five years4 ,then1 at the age of twenty-five1 ,i could begin to write4 ,agassiz's note-books1 preserved by his parents1 who followed the education of their children with the deepest interest1 give evidence of his faithful work both at school and college4 ,they form a great pile of manuscript1 from the paper copy-books of the school-boy to the carefully collated reports of the college student1 begun when the writer was ten or eleven years of age and continued with little interruption till he was eighteen or nineteen4 ,the later volumes are of nearly quarto size and very thick1 some of them containing from four to six hundred closely covered pages2 the handwriting is small1 no doubt for economy of space1 but very clear4 ,the subjects are physiological1 pathological1 and anatomical1 with more or less of general natural history4 ,this series of books is kept with remarkable neatness4 ,even in the boy's copy-books1 containing exercises in ,greek1 ,latin1 ,french and ,german1 with compositions on a variety of topics1 the writing is even and distinct1 with scarcely a blot or an erasure4 ,from the very beginning there is a careful division of subjects under clearly marked headings1 showing even then a tendency toward an orderly classification of facts and thoughts4 ,it is evident from the boyish sketch which he drew of his future plans that the hope of escaping the commercial life projected for him1 and of dedicating himself to letters and learning1 was already dawning4 ,he had begun to feel the charm of study1 and his scientific tastes1 though still pursued rather as the pastimes of a boy than as the investigations of a student1 were nevertheless becoming more and more absorbing4 ,he was fifteen years old and the time had come when1 according to a purpose long decided upon1 he was to leave school and enter the business house of his uncle1 ,francois ,mayor1 at ,neuchatel4 ,he begged for a farther delay1 to be spent in two additional years of study at the ,college of ,lausanne4 ,he was supported in his request by several of his teachers1 and especially by ,mr4 ,rickly1 who urged his parents to encourage the remarkable intelligence and zeal already shown by their son in his studies4 ,they were not difficult to persuade2 indeed1 only want of means1 never want of will1 limited the educational advantages they gave to their children4 ,it was decided1 therefore1 that he should go to ,lausanne4 ,here his love for everything bearing on the study of nature was confirmed4 ,professor ,chavannes1 ,director of the ,cantonal ,museum1 in whom he found not only an interesting teacher1 but a friend who sympathized with his favorite tastes1 possessed the only collection of ,natural ,history in the ,canton de ,vaud4 ,to this ,agassiz now had access4 ,his uncle1 ,dr4 ,mathias ,mayor1 his mother's brother and a physician of note in ,lausanne1 whose opinion had great weight with ,m4 and ,mme4 ,agassiz1 was also attracted by the boy's intelligent interest in anatomy and kindred subjects4 ,he advised that his nephew should be allowed to study medicine1 and at the close of ,agassiz's college course at ,lausanne the commercial plan was finally abandoned1 and he was permitted to choose the medical profession as the one most akin to his inclination4 ,being now seventeen years of age1 he went to the medical school of ,zurich4 ,here1 for the first time1 he came into contact with men whose instruction derived freshness and vigor from their original researches4 ,he was especially indebted to ,professor ,schinz1 a man of learning and ability1 who held the chair of ,natural ,history and ,physiology1 and who showed the warmest interest in his pupil's progress4 ,he gave ,agassiz a key to his private library1 as well as to his collection of birds4 ,this liberality was invaluable to one whose poverty made books an unattainable luxury4 ,many an hour did the young student pass at that time in copying books which were beyond his means1 though some of them did not cost more than a dollar a volume4 ,his brother ,auguste1 still his constant companion1 shared this task1 a pure labor of love with him1 for the books were more necessary to ,louis's studies than to his own4 ,during the two years passed by ,agassiz in ,zurich he saw little of society beyond the walls of the university4 ,his brother and he had a pleasant home in a private house1 where they shared the family life of their host and hostess4 ,in company with them1 ,agassiz made his first excursion of any importance into the ,alps4 ,they ascended the ,righi and passed the night there4 ,at about sunset a fearful thunder-storm gathered below them1 while on the summit of the mountain the weather remained perfectly clear and calm4 ,under a blue sky they watched the lightning1 and listened to the thunder in the dark clouds1 which were pouring torrents of rain upon the plain and the ,lake of ,lucerne4 ,the storm lasted long after night had closed in1 and ,agassiz lingered when all his companions had retired to rest1 till at last the clouds drifted softly away1 letting down the light of moon and stars on the lake and landscape4 ,he used to say that in his subsequent ,alpine excursions he had rarely witnessed a scene of greater beauty4 ,such of his letters from ,zurich as have been preserved have only a home interest4 ,in one of them1 however1 he alludes to a curious circumstance1 which might have changed the tenor of his life4 ,he and his brother were returning on foot1 for the vacation1 from ,zurich to their home which was now in ,orbe1 where their father and mother had been settled since #ahba4 ,between ,neuchatel and ,orbe they were overtaken by a traveling carriage4 ,a gentleman who was its sole occupant invited them to get in1 made them welcome to his lunch1 talked to them of their student life1 and their future plans1 and drove them to the parsonage1 where he introduced himself to their parents4 ,some days afterward ,m4 ,agassiz received a letter from this chance acquaintance1 who proved to be a man in affluent circumstances1 of good social position1 living at the time in ,geneva4 ,he wrote to ,m4 ,agassiz that he had been singularly attracted by his elder son1 ,louis1 and that he wished to adopt him1 assuming henceforth all the responsibility of his education and his establishment in life4 ,this proposition fell like a bomb-shell into the quiet parsonage4 ,m4 ,agassiz was poor1 and every advantage for his children was gained with painful self-sacrifice on the part of both parents4 ,how then refuse such an opportunity for one among them1 and that one so gifted8 ,after anxious reflection1 however1 the father1 with the full concurrence of his son1 decided to decline an offer which1 brilliant as it seemed1 involved a separation and might lead to a false position4 ,a correspondence was kept up for years between ,louis and the friend he had so suddenly won1 and who continued to interest himself in his career4 ,although it had no sequel1 this incident is mentioned as showing a kind of personal magnetism which1 even as child and boy1 ,agassiz unconsciously exercised over others4 ,from ,zurich1 ,agassiz went to the ,university of ,heidelberg1 where we find him in the spring of #ahbf4 ,,to ,,his ,,father4 ,,heidelberg1 ,april #bd1 #ahbf4 4 4 4,having arrived early enough to see something of the environs before the opening of the term1 ,i decided to devote each day to a ramble in one direction or another1 in order to become familiar with my surroundings4 ,i am the more glad to have done this as ,i have learned that after the lectures begin there will be no further chance for such interruptions1 and we shall be obliged to stick closely to our work at home4 ,our first excursion was to ,neckarsteinach1 two and a half leagues from here4 ,the road follows the ,neckar1 and at certain places rises boldly above the river1 which flows between two hills1 broken by rocks of the color of red chalk1 which often jut out from either side4 ,farther on the valley widens1 and a pretty rising ground1 crowned by ruins1 suddenly presents itself in the midst of a wide plain1 where sheep are feeding4 ,neckarsteinach itself is only a little village1 containing1 however1 three castles1 two of which are in ruins4 ,the third is still inhabited1 and commands a magnificent view4 ,in the evening we returned to ,heidelberg by moonlight4 ,another day we started for what is here called ,the ,mountain1 though it is at most no higher than ,le ,suchet4 ,as the needful supplies are not to be obtained there1 we took our provisions with us4 ,we had so much fun out of this1 that ,i must tell you all about it4 ,in the morning ,z--bought at the market veal1 liver1 and bacon enough to serve for three persons during two days4 ,to these supplies we added salt1 pepper1 butter1 onions1 bread1 and some jugs of beer4 ,one of us took two saucepans for cooking1 and some alcohol4 ,arrived at the summit of our mountain1 we looked out for a convenient spot1 and there we cooked our dinner4 ,it did not take long1 nor can ,i say whether all was done according to the rules of art4 ,but this ,i know1--that never did a meal seem to me better4 ,we wandered over the mountain for the rest of the day1 and at evening came to a house where we prepared our supper after the same fashion1 to the great astonishment of the assembled household1 and especially of an old woman who regretted the death of her husband1 because she said it would certainly have amused him4 ,we slept on the ground on some straw1 and returned to ,heidelberg the next day in time for dinner4 ,the following day we went to ,mannheim to visit the theatre4 ,it is very handsome and well appointed1 and we were fortunate in happening upon an excellent opera4 ,beyond this1 ,i saw nothing of ,mannheim except the house of ,kotzebue and the place where ,sand was beheaded4 ,to-day ,i have made my visits to the professors4 ,for three among them ,i had letters from ,professors ,schinz and ,hirzel4 ,i was received by all in the kindest way4 ,professor ,tiedemann1 the ,chancellor1 is a man about the age of papa and young for his years4 ,he is so well-known that ,i need not undertake his panegyric here4 ,as soon as ,i told him that ,i brought a letter from ,zurich1 he showed me the greatest politeness1 offered me books from his library2 in one word1 said he would be for me here what ,professor ,schinz1 with whom he had formerly studied1 had been for me in ,zurich4 ,after the opening of the term1 when ,i know these gentlemen better1 ,i will tell you more about them4 ,i have still to describe my home1 chamber1 garden1 people of the house1 etc4 ,the next letter fills in this frame-work4 ,,to ,,his ,,father4 ,,heidelberg1 ,may #bd1 #ahbf4 4 4 4,according to your request1 ,i am going to write you all possible details about my host1 the employment of my time1 etc41 etc4 ,mr4--1 my philister1 is a tobacco merchant in easy circumstances1 having a pretty house in the faubourg of the city4 ,my windows overlook the town1 and my prospect is bounded by a hill situated to the north of ,heidelberg4 ,at the back of the house is a large and fine garden1 at the foot of which is a very pretty summer-house4 ,there are also several clumps of trees in the garden1 and an aviary filled with native birds4 4 4 ,since each day in term time is only the repetition of every other1 the account of one will give an idea of all1 especially as ,i follow with regularity the plan of study ,i have formed4 ,every morning ,i rise at six o'clock1 dress1 and breakfast4 ,at seven ,i go to my lectures1 given during the morning in the ,museum building1 next to which is the anatomical laboratory4 ,if1 in the interval1 ,i have a free hour1 as sometimes happens from ten to eleven1 ,i occupy it in making anatomical preparations4 ,i shall tell you more of that and of the ,museum another time4 ,from twelve to one ,i practice fencing4 ,we dine at about one o'clock1 after which ,i walk till two1 when ,i return to the house and to my studies till five o'clock4 ,from five to six we have a lecture from the renowned ,tiedemann4 ,after that1 ,i either take a bath in the ,neckar or another walk4 ,from eight to nine ,i resume my special work1 and then1 according to my inclination1 go to the ,swiss club1 or1 if ,i am tired1 to bed4 ,i have my evening service and talk silently with you1 believing that at that hour you also do not forget your ,louis1 who thinks always of you4 4 4,as soon as ,i know1 for ,i cannot yet make an exact estimate1 ,i will write you as nearly as possible what my expenses are likely to be4 ,sometimes there may be unlooked-for expenditures1 as1 for instance1 six crowns for a matriculation paper4 ,but be assured that at all events ,i shall restrict myself to what is absolutely necessary1 and do my best to economize4 ,the same of the probable duration of my stay in ,heidelberg2 ,i shall certainly not prolong it needlessly4 4 4 ,now for the first time the paths of the two brothers separated1 ,auguste returning from ,zurich to ,neuchatel1 where he entered into business4 ,it chanced1 however1 that in one of the first acquaintances made by ,louis in ,heidelberg he found not only a congenial comrade1 but a friend for life1 and in after years a brother4 ,professor ,tiedemann1 by whom ,agassiz had been so kindly received1 recommended him to seek the acquaintance of young ,alexander ,braun1 an ardent student1 and an especial lover of botany4 ,at ,tiedemann's lecture the next day ,agassiz's attention was attracted by a young man who sat next him1 and who was taking very careful notes and illustrating them4 ,there was something very winning in his calm1 gentle face1 full of benevolence and intelligence4 ,convinced by his manner of listening to the lecture and transcribing it that this was the student of whom ,tiedemann had spoken1 ,agassiz turned to his neighbor as they both rose at the close of the hour1 and said1 ,are you ,alex ,braun8 ,yes1 and you1 ,louis ,agassiz8 ,it seems that ,professor ,tiedemann1 who must have had a quick eye for affinities in the moral as well as in the physical world1 had said to ,braun also1 that he advised him to make the acquaintance of a young ,swiss naturalist who had just come1 and who seemed full of enthusiasm for his work4 ,the two young men left the lecture-room together1 and from that time their studies1 their excursions1 their amusements1 were undertaken and pursued in each other's company4 ,in their long rambles1 while they collected specimens in their different departments of ,natural ,history1 ,braun learned zoology from ,agassiz1 and he1 in his turn1 learned botany from ,braun4 ,this was1 perhaps1 the reason why ,alexander ,braun1 afterward ,director of the ,botanical ,gardens in ,berlin1 knew more of zoology than other botanists1 while ,agassiz himself combined an extensive knowledge of botany with his study of the animal kingdom4 ,that the attraction was mutual may be seen by the following extract from a letter of ,alexander ,braun to his father4 ,,braun ,to ,,his ,,father4 ,,heidelberg1 ,may #ab1 #ahbf4 4 4 4,in my leisure hours1 between the forenoon and afternoon lectures1 ,i go to the dissecting-room1 where1 in company with another young naturalist who has appeared like a rare comet on the ,heidelberg horizon1 ,i dissect all manner of beasts1 such as dogs1 cats1 birds1 fishes1 and even smaller fry1 snails1 butterflies1 caterpillars1 worms1 and the like4 ,beside this1 we always have from ,tiedemann the very best books for reference and comparison1 for he has a fine library1 especially rich in anatomical works1 and is particularly friendly and obliging to us4 ,in the afternoon from two to three ,i attend ,geiger's lectures on pharmaceutical chemistry1 and from five to six those of ,tiedemann on comparative anatomy4 ,in the interval1 ,i sometimes go with this naturalist1 so recently arrived among us 7his name is ,agassiz1 and he is from ,orbe71 on a hunt after animals and plants4 ,not only do we collect and learn to observe all manner of things1 but we have also an opportunity of exchanging our views on scientific matters in general4 ,i learn a great deal from him1 for he is much more at home in zoology than ,i am4 ,he is familiar with almost all the known mammalia1 recognizes the birds from far off by their song1 and can give a name to every fish in the water4 ,in the morning we often stroll together through the fish market1 where he explains to me all the different species4 ,he is going to teach me how to stuff fishes1 and then we intend to make a collection of all the native kinds4 ,many other useful things he knows2 speaks ,german and ,french equally well1 ,english and ,italian fairly1 so that ,i have already appointed him to be my interpreter on some future vacation trip to ,italy4 ,he is well acquainted with ancient languages also1 and studies medicine besides4 4 4 ,a few lines from ,braun to his mother1 several weeks later1 show that this first enthusiasm1 poured out with half-laughing extravagance to his father1 was ripening into friendship of a more serious character4 ,,braun ,,to ,,his ,,mother4 ,,heidelberg1 ,june #a1 #ahbf4 4 4 4,i am very happy now that ,i have found some one whose occupations are the same as mine4 ,before ,agassiz came ,i was obliged to make my excursions almost always alone1 and to study in hermit-like isolation4 ,after all1 two people working together can accomplish far more than either one can do alone4 ,in order1 for instance1 to utilize the interval spent in the time-consuming and mechanical work of preparing specimens1 pinning insects and the like1 we have agreed that while one is so employed the other shall read aloud4 ,in this way we shall go through various works on physiology1 anatomy1 and zoology4 ,next to ,alexander ,braun1 ,agassiz's most congenial companion at ,heidelberg was ,karl ,schimper1 a friend of ,braun1 and like him a young botanist of brilliant promise4 ,the three soon became inseparable4 ,agassiz had many friends and companions at the university beside those who1 on account of their influence upon his after life1 are mentioned here4 ,he was too affectionate not to be a genial companion among his young countrymen of whom there were many at ,heidelberg1 where they had a club and a gymnasium of their own4 ,in the latter1 ,agassiz bore his part in all the athletic sports1 being distinguished both as a powerful gymnast and an expert fencer4 ,of the professors then at ,heidelberg1 ,leuckart1 the zoologist1 was1 perhaps1 the most inspiriting4 ,his lectures were full of original suggestions and clever hypotheses1 which excited and sometimes amused his listeners4 ,he knew how to take advantage of the enthusiasm of his brighter pupils1 and1 at their request1 gave them a separate course of instruction on special groups of animals2 not without some personal sacrifice1 for these extra lectures were given at seven o'clock in the morning1 and the students were often obliged to pull their professor out of bed for the purpose4 ,the fact that they did so shows at least the friendly relation existing between teacher and scholars4 ,with ,bischoff the botanist also1 the young friends were admitted to the most kindly intercourse4 ,many a pleasant botanical excursion they had with him1 and they owed to him a thorough and skillful instruction in the use of the microscope1 handled by him like a master4 ,tiedemann's lectures were very learned1 and ,agassiz always spoke of his old teacher in comparative anatomy and physiology with affectionate respect and admiration4 ,he was not1 however1 an inspiring teacher1 and though an excellent friend to the students1 they had no such intimate personal relations with him as with ,leuckart and ,bischoff4 ,from ,bronn1 the paleontologist1 they received an immense amount of special information1 but his instruction was minute in details rather than suggestive in ideas2 and they were glad when their professor1 finding that the course must be shortened for want of time1 displayed to them his magnificent collection of fossils1 and with the help of the specimens1 developed his subject in a more general and practical way499 799 ,this collection was purchased in #ahei by the ,museum of ,comparative ,zoology in ,cambridge1 ,massachusetts1 and ,agassiz had thus the pleasure of teaching his ,american pupils from the very collection in which he had himself made his first important paleontological studies47 ,of the medical professors1 ,nageli was the more interesting1 though the reputation of ,chelius brought him a larger audience4 ,if there was however any lack of stimulus in the lecture rooms1 the young friends made good the deficiency by their own indefatigable and intelligent study of nature1 seeking to satisfy their craving for knowledge by every means within their reach499 799 ,the material for this account of the student life of the two friends at ,heidelberg and of their teachers was chiefly furnished by ,alexander ,braun himself at the close of his own life1 after the death of ,agassiz4 ,the later sketches of the ,professors at ,munich in #ahcb were drawn in great part from the same source47 ,as the distance and expense made it impossible for ,agassiz to spend his vacations with his family in ,switzerland1 it soon became the habit for him to pass the holidays with his new friend at ,carlsruhe4 ,for a young man of his tastes and acquirements a more charming home-life than the one to which he was here introduced can hardly be imagined4 ,the whole atmosphere was in harmony with the pursuits of the students4 ,the house was simple in its appointments1 but rich in books1 music1 and in all things stimulating to the thought and imagination4 ,it stood near one of the city gates which opened into an extensive oak forest1 in itself an admirable collecting ground for the naturalist4 ,at the back certain rooms1 sheltered by the spacious garden from the noise of the street1 were devoted to science4 ,in the first of these rooms the father's rich collection of minerals was arranged1 and beyond this were the laboratories of his sons and their friends1 where specimens of all sorts1 dried and living plants1 microscopes and books of reference1 covered the working tables4 ,here they brought their treasures2 here they drew1 studied1 dissected1 arranged their specimens2 here they discussed the theories1 with which their young brains were teeming1 about the growth1 structure1 and relations of animals and plants499 799 ,see ,biographical ,memoir of ,louis ,agassiz by ,arnold ,guyuot1 in the ,proceedings of ,u4,s4 ,national ,academy47 ,from this house1 which became a second home to ,agassiz1 he wrote to his father in the ,christmas holidays of #ahbf34 4 4,my happiness would be perfect were it not for the painful thought which pursues me everywhere1 that ,i live on your privations2 yet it is impossible for me to diminish my expenses farther4 ,you would lift a great weight from my heart if you could relieve yourself of this burden by an arrangement with my uncle at ,neuchatel4 ,i am confident that when ,i have finished my studies ,i could easily make enough to repay him4 ,at all events1 ,i know that you cannot pay the whole at once1 and therefore in telling me frankly what are our resources for this object you would do me the greatest favor4 ,until ,i know that1 ,i cannot be at peace4 ,otherwise1 ,i am well1 going on as usual1 always working as hard as ,i can1 and ,i believe all the professors whose lectures ,i attend are satisfied with me44 4 4,his father was also pleased with his conduct and with his progress1 for about this time he writes to a friend1 ,we have the best possible news of ,louis4 ,courageous1 industrious1 and discreet1 he pursues honorably and vigorously his aim1 namely1 the degree of ,doctor of ,medicine and ,surgery4 ,in the spring of #ahbg ,agassiz fell ill of a typhus fever prevalent at the university as an epidemic4 ,his life was in danger for many days4 ,as soon as he could be moved1 ,braun took him to ,carlsruhe1 where his convalescence was carefully watched over by his friend's mother4 ,being still delicate he was advised to recruit in his native air1 and he returned to ,orbe1 accompanied by ,braun1 who did not leave him till he had placed him in safety with his parents4 ,the following extracts from the correspondence between himself and ,braun give some account of this interval spent at home4 ,,agassiz ,,to ,,braun4 ,,orbe1 ,may #bf1 #ahbg4 4 4 4,since ,i have been here1 ,i have walked faithfully and have collected a good number of plants which are not yet dry4 ,i have more than one hundred kinds1 about twenty specimens of each4 ,as soon as they can be taken out of the press1 ,i'll send you a few specimens of each kind with a number attached so that you may identify them4 ,take care that you do not displace the numbers in opening the package4 ,should you want more of any particular kind let me know2 also whether ,schimper wishes for any4 4 4,at ,neuchatel ,i had the good fortune to find at least thirty specimens of ,bombinator obstetricans with the eggs4 ,tell ,dr4 ,leuckart that ,i will bring him some1--and some for you also4 ,i kept several alive laid in damp moss2 after fourteen days the eggs were almost as large as peas1 and the little tadpoles moved about inside in all directions4 ,the mother stripped the eggs from her legs1 and one of the little tadpoles came out1 but died for want of water4 ,then ,i placed the whole mass of eggs in a vessel filled with water1 and behold6 in about an hour some twenty young ones were swimming freely about4 ,i shall spare no pains to raise them1 and ,i hope1 if ,i begin aright1 to make fine toads of them in the end4 ,my oldest sister is busy every day in making drawings for me to illustrate their gradual development4 4 4,i dissect now as much and on as great a variety of subjects as possible4 ,this makes my principal occupation4 ,i am often busy too with ,oken4 ,his ,natur-philosophie gives me the greatest pleasure4 ,i long for my box1 being in need of my books1 which1 no doubt1 you have sent4 ,meantime1 ,i am reading something of ,universal ,history1 and am not idle1 as you see4 ,but ,i miss the evenings with you and ,schimper at ,heidelberg1 and wish ,i were with you once more4 ,i am afraid when that happy time does come1 it will be only too short4 4 4 ,,braun ,,to ,,agassiz4 ,,heidelberg1 ,may1 #ahbg4 4 4 4,on ,thursday evening1 the #ajth1 ,i reached ,heidelberg4 ,the medical lectures did not begin till the second week of ,may1 so that ,i have missed little1 and almost regret having returned so soon4 4 4 ,i passed the last afternoon in ,basel very pleasantly with ,herr ,roepper1 to whom ,i must soon write4 ,he gave me a variety of specimens1 showed me many beautiful things1 and told me much that was instructive4 ,he is a genuine and excellent botanist1 and no mere collector like the majority4 ,neither is he purely an observer like ,dr4 ,bischoff1 but a man who thinks4 4 4,dr4 ,leuckart is in raptures about the eggs of the ,hebammen ,krote1 and will raise them4 4 4,schweiz takes your place in our erudite evening meetings4 ,i have been lecturing lately on the metamorphosis of plants1 and ,schimper has propounded an entirely new and very interesting theory1 which will1 no doubt1 find favor with you hereafter1 about the significance of the circular and longitudinal fibres in organisms4 ,schimper is fruitful as ever in poetical and philosophical ideas1 and has just now ventured upon a natural history of the mind4 ,we have introduced mathematics also1 and he has advanced a new hypothesis about comets and their long tails4 4 4 ,our chief botanical occupation this summer is the careful observation of all our plants1 even the commonest1 and the explanation of whatever is unusual or enigmatical in their structure4 ,we have already cracked several such nuts1 but many remain to be opened4 ,all such puzzling specimens are spread on single sheets and set aside4 4 4,but more of this when we are together again4 4 4,dr4 ,leuckart begs you to study carefully the ,hebammen ,unke299 799 ,bombinator obstetricans referred to in a former letter47 to notice whether the eggs are already fecundated when they are in the earth1 or whether they copulate later in the water1 or whether the young are hatched on land1 and what is their tadpole condition1 etc4 ,all this is still unknown4 4 4 ,,agassiz ,,to ,,braun4 ,,orbe1 ,june #aj1 #ahbg4 4 4 4,last week ,i made a very pleasant excursion4 ,you will remember that ,i have often spoken to you of ,pastor ,mellet at ,vallorbe1 who is much interested in the study of the six-legged insects4 ,he invited me to go to ,vallorbe with him for some days1 and ,i passed a week there1 spending my time most agreeably4 ,we went daily on a search after insects2 the booty was especially rich in beetles and butterflies4 4 4,i examined also ,m4 ,mellet's own most excellent collection of beetles and butterflies very carefully4 ,he has many beautiful things1 but almost exclusively ,swiss or ,french1 with a few from ,brazil1--in all about #c1jjj species4 ,he gave me several1 and promises more in the autumn4 4 4,he knows his beetles thoroughly1 and observes their habits1 haunts1 and changes 7as far as he can7 admirably well4 ,it is a pity though that while his knowledge of species is so accurate1 he knows nothing of distribution1 classification1 or general relations4 ,i tried to convince him that he ought to collect snails1 slugs1 and other objects of natural history1 in the hope that he might gain thereby a wider insight4 ,but he would not listen to it2 he said he had enough to do with his ,vermine4 ,my brother writes me that my box has arrived in ,neuchatel4 ,as ,i am going there soon ,i will take it then4 ,i rejoice in the thought of being in ,neuchatel1 partly on account of my brother1 ,arnold 7,guyot71 and other friends1 and partly that ,i may study the fishes of our ,swiss lakes4 ,the species ,cyprinus and ,corregonus with their allies1 including ,salmo1 are1 as you know1 especially difficult4 ,i will preserve some small specimens in alcohol1 and1 if possible1 dissect one of each1 in order to satisfy myself as to their identity or specific variety4 ,as the same kinds have received different names in different lakes1 and since even differences of age have led to distinct designations1 ,i will note all this down carefully4 ,when ,i have made it clear to myself1 ,i will send you a catalogue of the kinds we possess1 specifying at the same time the lakes in which they occur4 ,as ,i am on the chapter of fishes1 ,i will ask you3 #a4 ,what are the gill arches8 #b4 ,what the gill blades8 #c4 ,what is the bladder in fishes8 #d4 ,what is the cloaca in the egg-laying animals8 #e4 ,what signify the many fins of fishes8 #f4 ,what is the sac which surrounds the eggs in ,bombinator obstetricans8 4 4 4,tell ,dr4 ,leuckart ,i have already put aside for him the ,corregonus umbla 7if such it be71 but can get no ,silurus glanis4 ,i suppose you continue to come together now and then in the evening 4 4 4,make me a sharer in your new discoveries4 ,have you finished your essay on the physiology of plants1 and what do you make of it84 4 4 ,,braun ,,to ,,agassiz4 ,,carlsruhe1 ,whitsuntide1 ,monday1 #ahbg4 4 4 4,i am in ,carlsruhe1 and as the package has not gone yet1 ,i add a note4 ,i have been analyzing and comparing all sorts of plants in our garden to-day1 and ,i wish you had been with me4 ,on my last sheet ,i send some nuts for you to pick1 some wholly1 some half1 others not at all1 cracked4 ,schimper is lost in the great impenetrable world of suns1 with their planets1 moons1 and comets2 he soars even into the region of the double stars1 the milky way1 and the nebulae4 ,on a loose sheet come the nuts to pick4 ,it contains a long list of mooted questions1 a few of which are given here to show the exchange of thought between ,agassiz and his friend1 the one propounding zoological1 the other botanical1 puzzles4 ,although most of the problems were solved long ago1 it is not uninteresting to follow these young minds in their search after the laws of structure and growth1 dimly perceived at first1 but becoming gradually clearer as they go on4 ,the very first questions hint at the law of ,phyllotaxis1 then wholly unknown1 though now it makes a part of the most elementary instruction in botany499 799 ,botany owes to ,alexander ,braun and ,karl ,schimper the discovery of this law1 by which leaves1 however crowded1 are so arranged around the stem as to divide the space with mathematical precision1 thus giving to each leaf its fair share of room for growth47 #a4 ,where is the first diverging point of the stems and roots in plants1 that is to say1 the first geniculum8 #b4 ,how do you explain the origin of those leaves on the stem which1 not arising from distinct geniculi1 are placed spirally or scattered around the stem8 #c4 ,why do some plants1 especially trees 7contrary to the ordinary course of development in plants71 blossom before they have put forth leaves8 7,elm-trees1 willow-trees1 and fruit-trees47 #d4 ,in what succession does the development of the organs of the flower take place8--and their formation in the bud8 7,compare ,campanula1 ,papaver47 #e4 ,what are the leaves of the ,spergula8 #f4 ,what are the tufted leaves of various pine-trees8 7,pinus sylvestris1 ,strobus1 ,larix1 etc474 4 4 #h4 ,what is individuality in plants8 ,the next letter contains ,agassiz's answer to ,dr4 ,leuckart's questions concerning the eggs he had sent him1 and some farther account of his own observations upon them4 ,,agassiz ,,to ,,braun4 ,,neuchatel1 ,june #bj1 #ahbg4 4 4 4,now you shall hear what ,i know of the ,hebammen ,krote4 ,how the fecundation takes place ,i know not1 but it must needs be the same as in other kinds of the related ,bombinator2 igneus throws out almost as many eggs hanging together in clusters as obstetricans2 fuscus throws them out from itself in strings 7see ,roseld's illustration74 4 4,i have now carefully examined the egg clusters of obstetricans2 all the eggs are in one string and hang together4 ,this string is a bag1 in which the eggs lie inclosed at different distances1 though they seem in the empty space to be fallen1 thread-like1 together4 ,but if you stretch the thread and press the eggs1 they change their places1 and you can distinctly see that they lie free in the bag1 having their own membranous envelopes corresponding to those of other batrachian eggs4 ,surely this species seeks the water at the time of fecundation1 for so do all batrachians1 the water being indeed a more fitting medium for fecundation than the air4 4 4,it is certain that the eggs were already fecundated when we found them in the ground1 for later1 ,i found several not so far advanced as those you have1 and yet after three weeks ,i had tadpoles from them4 ,in those eggs which were in the lowest stage of development 7how they may be earlier1 nescio71 nothing was clearly visible2 they were simply little yellow balls4 ,after some days1 two small dark spots were to be seen marking the position of the eyes1 and a longitudinal streak indicated the dorsal ridge4 ,presently everything became more distinct2 the mouth and the nasal opening1 the eyes and the tail1 which lay in a half circle around the body2 the skin was so transparent that the beating of the heart and the blood in the vessels could be easily distinguished2 the yolk and the yolk sac were meanwhile sensibly diminished4 ,the movements of the little animal were now quite perceptible1--they were quick and by starts4 ,after three or four weeks the eggs were as large as peas2 the bags had burst at the spots where the eggs were attached1 and the little creatures filled the egg envelopes completely4 ,they moved incessantly and very quickly4 ,now the female stripped off the eggs from her legs2 she seemed very uneasy1 and sprang about constantly in the tank1 but grew more quiet when ,i threw in more water4 ,the eggs were soon free1 and ,i laid them in a shallow vessel filled with fresh water4 ,the restlessness among them now became greater1 and behold6 like lightning1 a little tadpole slipped out of its egg1 paused astonished1 gazed on the greatness of the world1 made some philanthropic observations1 and swam quickly away4 ,i gave them fresh water often1 and tender green plants as well as bread to eat4 ,they ate eagerly4 ,up to this time their different stages of development had been carefully drawn by my sister4 ,i now went to ,vallorbe2 they promised at home to take care of my young brood1 but when ,i returned the tadpoles had been forgotten1 and ,i found them all dead2 not yet decayed1 however1 and ,i could therefore preserve them in alcohol4 ,the gills ,i have never seen1 but ,i will watch to see whether they are turned inward4 4 4 ,,braun ,,to ,,agassiz4 ,,carlsruhe1 ,august #i1 #ahbg4 4 4 4,this is to tell you that ,i have determined to leave ,heidelberg in the autumn and set forth on a pilgrimage to ,munich1 and that ,i invite you to be my traveling companion4 ,judging by a circumstantial letter from ,dollinger1 the instruction in the natural sciences leaves nothing to be desired there4 ,add to this that the lectures are free1 and the theatre open to students at twenty-four kreutzers4 ,no lack of advantages and attractions1 lodgings hardly more expensive than at ,heidelberg1 board equally cheap1 beer plenty and good4 ,let all this persuade you4 ,we shall hear ,gruithuisen in popular astronomy1 ,schubert in general natural history1 ,martius in botany1 ,fuchs in mineralogy1 ,seiber in mathematics1 ,starke in physics1 ,oken in everything 7he lectures in winter on the philosophy of nature1 natural history1 and physiology74 ,the clinical instruction will be good4 ,we shall soon be friends with all the professors4 ,the library contains whatever is best in botany and zoology1 and the collections open to the public are very rich4 ,it is not known whether ,schelling will lecture1 but at all events certain of the courses will be of great advantage4 ,then little vacation trips to the ,salzburg and ,carinthian ,alps are easily made from there6 ,write soon whether you will go and drink ,bavarian beer and ,schnapski with me1 and write also when we are to see you in ,heidelberg and ,carlsruhe4 ,remind me then to tell you about the theory of the root and poles in plants4 ,as soon as ,i have your answer we will bespeak our lodgings from ,dollinger1 who will attend to that for us4 ,shall we again house together in one room1 or shall we have separate cells in one comb1 namely1 under the same roof8 ,the latter has its advantages for grass-gatherers and stone-cutters like ourselves4 4 4,hammer away industriously at all sorts of rocks4 ,i have collected at ,auerbach1 ,weinheim1 ,wiesloch1 etc4 ,but before all else1 observe carefully and often the wonderful structure of plants1 those lovely children of the earth and sky4 ,ponder them with child-like mind1 for children marvel at the phenomena of nature1 while grown people often think themselves too wise to wonder1 and yet they know little more than the children4 ,but the thoughtful student recognizes the truth of the child's feeling1 and with his knowledge of nature his wonder does but grow more and more4 4 4 ,,chapter #b4 #ahbg-ahbh3 ,,age #bj-ba4 ,arrival in ,munich4 ,lectures4 ,relations with the ,professors4 ,schelling1 ,martius1 ,oken1 ,dollinger4 ,relations with ,fellow-,students4 ,the ,little ,academy4 ,plans for ,traveling4 ,advice from his ,parents4 ,vacation ,journey4 ,tri-,centennial ,durer ,festival at ,nuremberg4 ,agssiz accepted with delight his friend's proposition1 and toward the end of ,october1 #ahbg1 he and ,braun left ,carlsruhe together for the ,university of ,munich4 ,his first letter to his brother is given in full1 for though it contains crudities at which the writer himself would have smiled in after life1 it is interesting as showing what was the knowledge possessed in those days by a clever1 well-informed student of natural history4 ,,to ,,his ,,brother ,,auguste4 ,,munich1 ,november #e1 #ahbg4 4 4 4,at last ,i am in ,munich4 ,i have so much to tell you that ,i hardly know where to begin4 ,to be sure that ,i forget nothing1 however1 ,i will give things in their regular sequence4 ,first1 then1 the story of my journey2 after that1 ,i will tell you what ,i am doing here4 ,as papa has1 of course1 shown you my last letter1 ,i will continue where ,i left off4 4 4 ,from ,carlsruhe we traveled post to ,stuttgart1 where we passed the greater part of the day in the ,museum1 in which ,i saw many things quite new to me2 a llama1 for instance1 almost as large as an ass4 ,you know that this animal1 which is of the genus ,camelus1 lives in ,south ,america1 where it is to the natives what the camel is to the ,arab2 that is to say1 it provides them with milk1 wool1 and meat1 and is used by them1 moreover1 for driving and riding4 ,there was a ,north ,american buffalo of immense size2 also an elephant from ,africa1 and one from ,asia2 beside these1 a prodigious number of gazelles1 deer1 cats1 and dogs2 skeletons of a hippopotamus and an elephant2 and lastly the fossil bones of a mammoth4 ,you know that the mammoth is no longer found living1 and that the remains hitherto discovered lead to the belief that it was a species of carnivorous elephant4 ,it is a singular fact that some fishermen1 digging recently on the borders of the ,obi1 in ,siberia1 found one of these animals frozen in a mass of ice1 at a depth of sixty feet1 so well preserved that it was still covered with hair1 as in life4 ,they melted the ice to remove the animal1 but the skeleton alone remained complete2 the hide was spoiled by contact with the air1 and only a few pieces have been kept1 one of which is in the ,museum at ,stuttgart4 ,the hairs upon it are as coarse as fine twine1 and nearly a foot long4 ,the entire skeleton is at ,st4 ,petersburg in the ,museum1 and is larger than the largest elephant4 ,one may judge by that what havoc such an animal must have made1 if it was1 as its teeth show it to have been1 carnivorous4 ,but what ,i would like to know is how this animal could wander so far north1 and then in what manner it died1 to be frozen thus1 and remain intact1 without decomposing1 perhaps for countless ages4 ,for it must have belonged to a former creation1 since it is nowhere to be found living1 and we have no instance of the disappearance of any kind of animal within the historic period4 ,there were1 besides1 many other kinds of fossil animals4 ,the collection of birds is very beautiful1 but it is a pity that many of them are wrongly named4 ,i corrected a number myself4 4 4,from ,stuttgart we went to ,esslingen1 where we were to visit two famous botanists4 ,one was ,herr ,steudel2 a sombre face1 with long overhanging black hair1 almost hiding the eyes1--a very ,jewish face4 ,he knows every book on botany that appears1 has read them all1 but cares little to see the plants themselves2 in short1 he is a true closet student4 ,he has a large herbarium1 composed in great part of plants purchased or received as gifts4 ,the other1 ,professor ,hochstetter1 is an odd little man1 stepping briskly about in his high boots1 and having always a half suppressed smile on his hips whenever he takes the pipe from between his teeth4 ,a very good man1 however1 and extremely obliging2 he offered us every civility4 ,as we desired not only to make their acquaintance1 but to win from these botanists at least a few grasses1 we presented ourselves like true commis voyageurs1 with dried herbs to sell1 each of us having a package of plants under his arm1--mine being ,swiss1 gathered last summer1 ,braun's from the ,palatinate4 ,we gave specimens to each1 and received in exchange from ,steudel some ,american plants2 from ,hochstetter some from ,bohemia1 and others from ,moravia1 his native country4 ,from ,esslingen we were driven to ,goeppingen1 in the most frightful weather possible2 it rained1 snowed1 froze1 blew1 all at once4 ,it was a pity1 since our road lay through one of the prettiest valleys ,i have ever seen1 watered by the ,neckar1 and bordered on both sides by mountains of singular form and of considerable height4 ,they are what the ,wurtembergers call the ,suabian ,alps1 but ,i think that ,chaumont is higher than the loftiest peak of their ,alps4 ,here we found an old ,heidelberg acquaintance1 whose father owns a superb collection of fossils1 especially of shells and zoophytes4 ,he has also quite a large collection of shells from the ,adriatic ,sea1 but among these last not one was named4 ,as we knew them1 we made it our duty to arrange them1 and in three hours his whole collection was labeled4 ,since he has duplicates of almost everything1 he promised1 as soon as he should have time1 to make a selection from these and send them to us4 ,could we have stayed longer we might have picked out what we pleased1 for he placed his collection at our disposal4 ,but we were in haste to arrive here1 so we begged him to send us1 at his leisure1 whatever he could give us4 ,thence we continued our journey by post1 because it still rained1 and the roads were so detestable that with the best will in the world we could not have made our way on foot4 ,in the evening we reached ,ulm1 where1 owing to the late hour1 we saw almost nothing except the famous belfry of the cathedral1 which was distinctly visible as we entered the city4 ,after supper we continued our journey1 still by post1 wishing to be in ,munich the next day4 ,i have never seen anything more beautiful than the view as we left ,ulm4 ,the moon had risen and shone upon the belfry like broad daylight4 ,on all sides extended a wide plain1 unbroken by a single inequality1 so far as the eye could distinguish1 and cut by the ,danube1 glittering in the moonbeams4 ,we crossed the plain during the night1 and reached ,augsburg at dawn4 ,it is a beautiful city1 but we merely stopped there for breakfast1 and saw the streets only as we passed through them4 ,on leaving ,augsburg1 the ,tyrolean ,alps1 though nearly forty leagues away1 were in sight4 ,about eighteen leagues off was also discernible an immense forest2 of this we had a nearer view as we advanced1 for it encircles ,munich at some distance from the town4 ,we arrived here on ,sunday1 the #dth1 in the afternoon4 4 4,my address is opposite the ,sendlinger ,thor ,number #cg4 ,i have a very pretty chamber on the lower floor with an alcove for my bed4 ,the house is situated outside the town1 on a promenade1 which makes it very pleasant4 ,moreover1 by walking less than a hundred yards1 ,i reach the ,hospital and the ,anatomical ,school1 a great convenience for me when the winter weather begins4 ,one thing gives me great pleasure3 from one of my windows the whole chain of the ,tyrolean ,alps is visible as far as ,appenzell2 and as the country is flat to their very base1 ,i see them better than we see our ,alps from the plain4 ,it is a great pleasure to have at least a part of our ,swiss mountains always in sight4 ,to enjoy it the more1 ,i have placed my table opposite the window1 so that every time ,i lift my head my eyes rest on our dear country4 ,this does not prevent me from feeling dull sometimes1 especially when ,i am alone1 but ,i hope this will pass off when my occupations become more regular4 4 4 ,a far more stimulating intellectual life than that of ,heidelberg awaited our students at ,munich4 ,among their professors were some of the most original men of the day1--men whose influence was felt all over ,europe4 ,dollinger lectured on comparative anatomy and kindred subjects2 ,martius and ,zuccarini on botany4 ,martius gave1 besides1 his so-called ,reise-,colleg1 in which he instructed the students how to observe while on their travels4 ,schelling taught philosophy1 the titles of his courses in the first term being1 ,introduction to ,philosophy and ,the ,ages of the ,world2 in the second1 ,the ,philosophy of ,mythology and ,the ,philosophy of ,revelation4 ,schelling made a strong impression upon the friends4 ,his manner was as persuasive as his style was clear1 and his mode of developing his subject led his hearers along with a subtle power which did not permit fatigue4 ,oken lectured on general natural history1 physiology1 and zoology1 including his famous views on the philosophy of nature 7,natur-philosophie74 ,his lectures gave occasion for much scientific discussion1 the more so as he brought very startling hypotheses into his physiology1 and drew from them conclusions which even upon his own showing were not always in accordance with experience4 ,on philosophical grounds1 he was wont to say1 when facts and theory thus confronted each other1 we must so accept it4 ,oken was extremely friendly with the students1 and ,agassiz1 ,braun1 and ,schimper 7who joined them at ,munich7 passed an evening once a week at his house1 where they listened to scientific papers or discussed scientific matters1 over a pipe and a glass of beer4 ,they also met once a week to drink tea at the house of ,professor von ,martius1 where1 in like manner1 the conversation turned upon scientific subjects1 unless something interesting in general events gave it a different turn4 ,still more beloved was ,dollinger1 whose character they greatly esteemed and admired while they delighted in his instruction4 ,not only did they go to him daily1 but he also came often to see them1 bringing botanical specimens to ,braun1 or looking in upon ,agassiz's breeding experiments1 in which he took the liveliest interest1 being always ready with advice or practical aid4 ,the fact that ,agassiz and ,braun had their room in his house made intercourse with him especially easy4 ,this room became the rendezvous of all the aspiring1 active spirits among the young naturalists at ,munich1 and was known by the name of ,the ,little ,academy4 ,schimper1 no less than the other two1 contributed to the vivid1 enthusiastic intellectual life1 which characterized their meetings4 ,not so happy as ,agassiz and ,braun in his later experience1 the promise of his youth was equally brilliant2 and those who knew him in those early days remember his charm of mind and manner with delight4 ,the friends gave lectures in turn on various subjects1 especially on modes of development in plants and animals4 ,these lectures were attended not only by students1 but often by the professors4 ,among ,agassiz's intimate friends in ,munich1 beside those already mentioned1 was ,michahelles1 the distinguished young zoologist and physician1 whose early death in ,greece1 where he went to practice medicine1 was so much regretted4 ,like ,agassiz1 he was wont to turn his room into a menagerie1 where he kept turtles and other animals1 brought home1 for the most part1 from his journeys in ,italy and elsewhere4 ,mahir1 whose name occurs often in the letters of this period1 was another college friend and fellow-student1 though seemingly ,agassiz's senior in standing1 if not in years1 for he gave him private instruction in mathematics1 and also assisted him in his medical studies4 ,,to ,,his ,,sister ,,cecile1 ,,munich1 ,november #bj1 #ahbg4 4 4 4,i will tell you in detail how my time is spent1 so that when you think of me you may know where ,i am and what ,i am doing4 ,in the morning from seven to nine ,i am at the ,hospital4 ,from nine to eleven ,i go to the ,library1 where ,i usually work at that time instead of going home4 ,from eleven till one o'clock ,i have lectures1 after which ,i dine1 sometimes at one place1 sometimes at another1 for here every one1 that is1 every foreigner1 takes his meals in the cafes1 paying for the dinner on the spot1 so that he is not obliged to go always to the same place4 ,in the afternoon ,i have other lectures on various subjects1 according to the days1 from two or three till five o'clock4 ,these ended1 ,i take a walk although it is then dark4 ,the environs of ,munich are covered with snow1 and the people have been going about in sleighs these three weeks4 ,when ,i am frozen through ,i come home1 and set to work to review my lectures of the day1 or ,i write and read till eight or nine o'clock4 ,then ,i go to my cafe for supper4 ,after supper ,i am glad to return to the house and go to bed4 ,this is the course of my daily life1 with the single exception that sometimes ,braun and ,i pass an evening with some professor1 discussing with all our might and main subjects of which we often know nothing2 this does not1 however1 lessen the animation of the talk4 ,more often1 these gentlemen tell us of their travels1 etc4 ,i enjoy especially our visits to ,m4 ,martius1 because he talks to us of his journey to ,brazil1 from which he returned some years ago1 bringing magnificent collections1 which he shows us whenever we call upon him4 ,friday is market day here1 and ,i never miss going to see the fishes to increase my collection4 ,i have already obtained several not to be found in ,switzerland2 and even in my short stay here ,i have had the good fortune to discover a new species1 of which ,i have made a very exact description1 to be printed in some journal of natural history4 ,were my dear ,cecile here1 ,i should have begged her to draw it nicely for me4 ,that would have been pleasant indeed4 ,now ,i must ask a stranger to do it1 and it will have by no means the same value in my eyes4 4 4 ,,to ,,his ,,brother ,,auguste4 ,,munich1 ,december #bf1 #ahbg4 4 4 4,after my long fast from news of you1 your letter made me very happy4 ,i was dull besides1 and needed something to cheer me4 4 4 ,since my talk about natural history does not bore you1 ,i want to tell you various other things about it1 and also to ask you to do me a favor4 ,i have stuffed a superb otter lately2 next week ,i shall receive a beaver1 and ,i have exchanged all my little toads from ,neuchatel for reptiles from ,brazil and ,java4 ,one of our professors here1 who is publishing a natural history of reptiles1 will introduce in his work my description of that species1 and my observations upon it4 ,he has already had lithographed those drawings of eggs that ,cecile made for me1 as well as the colored drawings made for me by ,braun's sister when ,i was at ,carlsruhe4 ,my collection of fishes is also much increased1 but ,i have no duplicates left of the species ,i brought with me4 ,i have exchanged them all4 ,i should therefore be greatly obliged if you would get me some more of the same4 ,i will tell you what kinds ,i want1 and how you are to forward them4 ,i have still at ,cudrefin several jars of thick green glass4 ,when you go there take them away with you1 fill them with alcohol1 and put into them as many of these fishes as you can find for me4 ,put something between every two specimens1 to prevent them from rubbing against each other2 pack them in a little box wrapped in hay1 and send them either by a good opportunity or in the least expensive way4 ,the kinds ,i want are here follows the list4 4 4,it will interest you to know that ,i am working with a young ,dr4 ,born upon an anatomy and natural history of the fresh-water fishes of ,europe4 ,we have already gathered a great deal of material1 and ,i think by the spring1 or in the course of the summer1 we shall be able to publish the first number4 ,this will bring in a little ready money for a short journey in the vacation4 ,i earnestly advise you to while away your leisure hours with study4 ,read much1 but only good and useful books4 ,i promised to send you something2 do not think1 because ,i have not done so yet1 that ,i have forgotten it4 ,on the contrary1 the difficulty of choosing is the cause of the delay2 but ,i will make farther inquiry as to what will suit you best and you shall have my list4 ,meantime remember to read ,say1 and if you have not already begun it1 do not put it off4 ,remember that statistical and political knowledge alone distinguishes the true merchant from the mere tradesman1 and guides him in his undertakings4 4 4,a merchant familiar with the products of a country1 its resources1 its commercial and political relations with other countries1 is much less likely to enter into speculations based on false ideas1 and therefore of doubtful issue4 ,write me about what you are reading and about your plans and projects1 for ,i can hardly believe that any one could exist without forming them3 ,i1 at least1 could not4 ,the last line of this letter betrays the restless spirit of adventure growing out of the desire for larger fields of activity and research4 ,tranquilized for a while in the new and more satisfying intellectual life of ,munich1 it stirred afresh from time to time1 not without arousing anxiety in friends at home1 as we shall see4 ,the letter to which the following is an answer has not been found4 ,,from ,,his ,,mother4 ,,orbe1 ,january #h1 #ahbh4 4 4 4,your letter reached me at ,cudrefin1 where ,i have been passing ten days4 ,with what pleasure ,i received it1--and yet ,i read it with a certain sadness too1 for there was something of ennui1 ,i might say of discontent1 in the tone4 4 4,believe me1 my dear ,louis1 your attitude is a wrong one2 you see everything in shadow4 ,consider that you are exactly in the position you have chosen for yourself2 we have in no way opposed your plans4 ,we have1 on the contrary1 entered into them with readiness1 saying amen to your proposals1 only insisting upon a profession that would make us easy about your future1 persuaded as we are that you have too much energy and uprightness not to wish to fill honorably your place in society4 ,you left us a few months ago with the assurance that two years would more than suffice to complete your medical studies4 ,you chose the university which offered1 as you thought1 the most ample means to reach your end2 and now1 how is it that you look forward only with distaste to the practice of medicine8 ,have you reflected seriously before setting aside this profession8 ,indeed1 we cannot consent to such a step4 ,you would lose ground in our opinion1 in that of your family1 and in that of the public4 ,you would pass for an inconsiderate1 fickle young fellow1 and the slightest stain on your reputation would be a mortal blow to us4 ,there is one way of reconciling all difficulties1--the only one in my opinion4 ,complete your studies with all the zeal of which you are capable1 and then1 if you have still the same inclination1 go on with your natural history2 give yourself wholly up to it should that be your wish4 ,having two strings to your bow1 you will have the greater facility for establishing yourself4 ,such is your father's way of thinking as well as mine4 4 4,nor are you made to live alone1 my child4 ,in a home only is true happiness to be found2 there you can settle yourself to your liking4 ,the sooner you have finished your studies1 the sooner you can put up your tent1 catch your blue butterfly1 and metamorphose her into a loving housewife4 ,of course you will not gather roses without thorns2 life consists of pains and pleasures everywhere4 ,to do all the good you can to your fellow-beings1 to have a pure conscience1 to gain an honorable livelihood1 to procure for yourself by work a little ease1 to make those around you happy1 --that is true happiness2 all the rest but mere accessories and chimeras4 4 4 ,,to ,,his ,,mother4 ,,munich1 ,february #c1 #ahbh4 4 4 4,you know well to whom you speak1 dear mother1 and how you must bait your hook in order that the fish may rise4 ,when you paint it1 ,i see nothing above domestic happiness1 and am convinced that the height of felicity is to be found in the bosom of your family1 surrounded by little marmots to love and caress you4 ,i hope1 too1 to enjoy this happiness in time4 4 4,but the man of letters should seek repose only when he has deserved it by his toil1 for if once he anchor himself1 farewell to energy and liberty1 by which alone great minds are fostered4 ,therefore ,i have said to myself1 that ,i would remain unmarried till my work should assure me a peaceful and happy future4 ,a young man has too much vigor to bear confinement so soon2 he gives up many pleasures which he might have had1 and does not appreciate at their just value those which he has4 ,as it is said that the vaurien must precede the bon sujet1 so ,i believe that for the full enjoyment of sedentary life one must have played the vagabond for a while4 ,this brings me to the subject of my last letter4 ,it seems that you have misunderstood me1 for your answer grants me after all just what ,i ask4 ,you think that ,i wish to renounce entirely the study of medicine8 ,on the contrary1 the idea has never occurred to me1 and1 according to my promise1 you shall have one of these days a doctor of medicine as a son4 ,what repels me is the thought of practicing medicine for a livelihood1 and here you give me free rein just where ,i wanted it4 ,that is1 you consent that ,i should devote myself wholly to the natural sciences should this career offer me1 as ,i hope it may1 a more favorable prospect4 ,it requires1 for instance1 but two or three years to go around the world at government expense4 ,i will levy contributions on all my senses that not a single chance may escape me for making interesting observations and fine collections1 so that ,i also may be ranked among those who have enlarged the boundaries of science4 ,with that my future is secured1 and ,i shall return content and disposed to do all that you wish4 ,even then1 if medicine had gained greater attraction for me1 there would still be time to begin the practice of it4 ,it seems to me there is nothing impracticable in this plan4 ,i beg you to think of it1 and to talk it over with papa and with my uncle at ,lausanne 4 4 4,i am perfectly well and as happy as possible1 for ,i feed in clover here on my favorite studies1 with every facility at my command4 ,if you thought my ,new ,year's letter depressed1 it was only a momentary gloom due to the memories awakened by the day4 4 4 ,,from ,,his ,,father4 ,,orbe1 ,february #ba1 #ahbh4 ,your mother's last letter1 my dear ,louis1 was in answer to one from you which crossed it on the way1 and gave us1 so far as your health and contentment are concerned1 great satisfaction4 ,yet our gratification lacks something2 it would be more complete had you not a mania for rushing full gallop into the future4 ,i have often reproved you for this1 and you would fare better did you pay more attention to my reproof4 ,if it be an incurable malady with you1 at all events do not force your parents to share it4 ,if it be absolutely essential to your happiness that you should break the ice of the two poles in order to find the hairs of a mammoth1 or that you should dry your shirt in the sun of the tropics1 at least wait till your trunk is packed and your passports are signed before you talk with us about it4 ,begin by reaching your first aim1 a physician's and surgeon's diploma4 ,i will not for the present hear of anything else1 and that is more than enough4 ,talk to us1 then in your letters1 of your friends1 of your personal life1 of your wants 7which ,i am always ready to satisfy71 of your pleasures1 of your feeling for us1 but do not put yourself out of our reach with your philosophical syllogisms4 ,my own philosophy is to fulfill my duties in my sphere1 and even that gives me more than ,i can do4 4 4 ,the ,vaudois ,society of ,public ,utility has just announced an altogether new project1 that of establishing popular libraries4 ,a committee consisting of eight members1 of whom ,i have the honor to be one1 is nominated under the presidency of ,m4 ,delessert for the execution of this scheme4 ,what do you think of the idea8 ,to me it seems a delicate matter4 ,i should say that before we insist upon making people read we must begin by preparing them to read usefully84 4 4 ,,to ,,his ,,father4 ,,munich1 ,march #c1 #ahbh4 4 4 4,what you tell me of the ,society of ,public ,utility has aroused in me a throng of ideas1 about which ,i will write you when they are a little more mature4 ,meanwhile1 please tell me3 #a4 ,what is this ,society8 #b4 ,of what persons is it composed8 #c4 ,what is its principal aim8 #d4 ,what are the popular libraries to contain1 and for what class are they intended8 ,i believe this project may be of the greatest service to our people1 and it is on this account that ,i desire farther details that ,i may think it over carefully4 ,tell me1 also1 in what way you propose to distribute your libraries at small expense1 and how large they are to be4 4 4 ,i could not be more satisfied than ,i am with my stay here4 ,i lead a monotonous but an exceedingly pleasant life1 withdrawn from the crowd of students and seeing them but little4 ,when our lectures are over we meet in the evening at ,braun's room or mine1 with three or four intimate acquaintances1 and talk of scientific matters1 each one in his turn presenting a subject which is first developed by him1 and then discussed by all4 ,these exercises are very instructive4 ,as my share1 ,i have begun to give a course of natural history1 or rather of pure zoology4 ,braun talks to us of botany1 and another of our company1 ,mahir1 who is an excellent fellow1 teaches us mathematics and physics in his turn4 ,in two months our friend ,schimper1 whom we left at ,heidelberg1 will join us1 and he will then be our professor of philosophy4 ,thus we shall form a little university1 instructing each other and at the same time learning what we teach more thoroughly1 because we shall be obliged to demonstrate it4 ,each session lasts two or three hours1 during which the professor in charge retails his merchandise without aid of notes or book4 ,you can imagine how useful this must be in preparing us to speak in public and with coherence2 the experience is the more important1 since we all desire nothing so much as sooner or later to become professors in very truth1 after having played at professor in the university4 ,this brings me naturally to my projects again4 ,your letter made me feel so keenly the anxiety ,i had caused you by my passion for travel1 that ,i will not recur to it2 but as my object was to make in that way a name that would win for me a professorship1 ,i venture upon another proposition4 ,if during the course of my studies ,i succeed in making myself known by a work of distinction1 will you not then consent that ,i shall study1 at least during one year1 the natural sciences alone1 and then accept a professorship of natural history1 with the understanding that in the first place1 and in the time agreed upon1 ,i shall take my ,doctor's degree8 ,this is1 indeed1 essential to my obtaining what ,i wish1 at least in ,germany4 ,you will object that1 before thinking of anything beyond1 ,i ought first to fulfill the condition4 ,but let me say that the more clearly a man sees the road before him1 the less likely he is to lose his way or take the wrong turn1--the better he can divide his stages and his resting-places4 4 4 ,,from ,,his ,,father4 ,,orbe1 ,march #be1 #ahbh4 4 4 4,i have had a long talk about you with your uncle4 ,he does not at all disapprove of your letters1 of which ,i told him the contents4 ,he only insists1 as we do1 on the necessity of a settled profession as absolutely essential to your financial position4 ,indeed1 the natural sciences1 however sublime and attractive1 offer nothing certain in the future4 ,they may1 no doubt1 be your golden bridge1 or you may1 thanks to them1 soar very high1 but--modern ,icarus--may not also some adverse fortune1 an unexpected loss of popularity1 or1 perhaps1 some revolution fatal to your philosophy1 bring you down with a somersault1 and then you would not be sorry to find in your quiver the means of gaining your bread4 ,agreed that you have now an invincible repugnance to the practice of medicine1 it is evident from your last two letters that you would have no less objection to any other profession by which money is to be made1 and1 besides1 it is too late to make another selection4 ,this being so1 we will come to an understanding in one word3 ,let the sciences be the balloon in which you prepare to travel through higher regions1 but let medicine and surgery be your parachutes4 ,i think1 my dear ,louis1 you cannot object to this way of looking at the question and deciding it4 ,in making my respects to the professor of zoology1 ,i have the pleasure to tell him that his uncle was delighted with his way of passing his evenings1 and congratulates him with all his heart on his choice of a recreation4 ,enough of this chapter4 ,i close it here1 wishing you most heartily courage1 health1 success1 and1 above all1 contentment4 4 4 ,upon this follows the answer to ,louis's request for details about the ,society of ,public ,utility4 ,it shows the intimate exchange of thought between father and son on educational subjects1 but it is of too local an interest for reproduction here4 ,the ,easter vacation was devoted to a short journey1 some account of which will be found in the next letter4 ,the traveling party consisted of ,agassiz1 ,braun1 and ,schimper1 with two other students1 who did not1 however1 remain with them during the whole trip4 ,,to ,,his ,,father4 ,,munich1 ,may #ae1 #ahbh4 4 4 4,pleasant as my ,easter journey was1 ,i will give you but a brief account of it1 for my enjoyment was so connected with my special studies that the details would only be tiresome to you4 ,you know who were my traveling companions1 so ,i have only to tell you of our adventures1 assuredly not those of knights errant or troubadours4 ,could these gentry have been resuscitated1 and have seen us starting forth in blouses1 with bags or botanical boxes at our backs and butterfly-nets in our hands1 instead of lance and buckler1 they could hardly have failed to look down upon us with pity from the height of their grandeur4 ,the first day brought us to ,landshut1 where was formerly the university till it was transferred1 ten years ago1 to ,munich4 ,we had the pleasure of finding along our road most of the early spring plants4 ,the weather was magnificent1 and nature seemed to smile upon her votaries4 4 4,we stopped on the way but one day1 at ,ratisbon1 to visit some relations of ,braun's1 with whom we promised to spend several days on our return4 ,learning on our arrival at ,nuremberg that the ,durer festival1 which had been our chief inducement for this journey1 would not take place under eight or ten days1 we decided to pass the intervening time at ,erlangen1 the seat1 as you know1 of a university4 ,i do not know if ,i have already told you that among ,german students the exercise of hospitality toward those who exchange visits from one university to another is a sacred custom4 ,it gives offense1 or is at least looked upon as a mark of pride and disdain1 if you do not avail yourself of this4 ,we therefore went to one of the cafe's de reunion1 and received at once our tickets for lodgings4 ,we passed six days at ,erlangen most agreeably1 making a botanical excursion every day4 ,we also called upon the professors of botany and zoology1 whom we had already seen at ,munich1 and by whom we were most cordially received4 ,the professor of botany1 ,m4 ,koch1 invited us to a very excellent dinner1 and gave us many rare plants not in our possession before1 while ,m4 ,wagner was kind enough to show us in detail the ,museum and the ,library4 ,at last came the day appointed for the third centennial festival of ,durer4 ,everything was so arranged as to make it very brilliant1 and the weather was most favorable4 ,i doubt if ever before were collected so many painters in the same place4 ,they gathered2 as if to vie with each other1 from all nations1 ,russians1 ,italians1 ,french1 ,germans1 etc4 ,beside the pupils of the ,academy of ,fine ,arts at ,munich1 ,i think that every soul who could paint1 were it only the smallest sketch1 was there to pay homage to the great master4 ,all went in procession to the place where the monument is to be raised1 and the magistrates of the city laid the first stones of the pedestal4 ,to my amusement they cemented these first stones with a mortar which was served in great silver platters1 and made of fine pounded porcelain mixed with champagne4 ,in the evening all the streets were illuminated2 there were balls1 concerts1 and plays1 so that we must have been doubled or quadrupled to see everything4 ,we stayed some days longer at ,nuremberg to visit the other curiosities of the city1 especially its beautiful churches1 its manufactories1 etc41 and then started on our return to ,ratisbon4 4 4 ,,chapter #c4 #ahbh-ahbi3 ,,age #ba-bb4 ,first ,important ,work in ,natural ,history4 ,spix's ,brazilian ,fishes4 ,second ,vacation ,trip4 ,sketch of ,work during ,university ,year4 ,extracts from the ,journal of ,mr4 ,dinkel4 ,home ,letters4 ,hope of joining ,humboldt's ,asiatic ,expedition4 ,diploma of ,philosophy4 ,completion of ,first ,part of the ,spix ,fishes4 ,letter concerning it from ,cuvier4 ,it was not without a definite purpose that ,agassiz had written to his father some weeks before1 ,should ,i during the course of my studies succeed in making myself known by a distinguished work1 would you not then consent that ,i should study for one year the natural sciences alone8 ,unknown to his parents1 for whom he hoped to prepare a delightful surprise1 ,agassiz had actually been engaged for months on the first work which gave him distinction in the scientific world2 namely1 a description of the ,brazilian fishes brought home by ,martius and ,spix from their celebrated journey in ,brazil4 ,this was the secret to which allusion is made in the next letter4 ,to his disappointment an accident brought his undertaking to the knowledge of his father and mother before it was completed4 ,he always had a boyish regret that his little plot had been betrayed before the moment for the denouement arrived4 ,the book was written in ,latin and dedicated to ,cuvier499 799 ,selecta genera et species piscium quos collegit et pingendos curavit ,dr4 ,j4,w4 de ,spix4 ,digessit1 descripsit et observationibus illustravit ,dr4 ,l4 ,agassiz47 ,,to ,,his ,,brother4 ,,munich1 ,july #bg1 #ahbh4 4 4 4,various things which ,i have begun keep me a prisoner here4 ,probably ,i shall not stir during the vacation1 and shall even give up the little trip in the ,tyrol1 which ,i had thought of making as a rest from occupations that bind me very closely at present1 but from which ,i hope to free myself in the course of the holidays4 ,don't be angry with me for not telling you at once what they are4 ,when you know1 ,i hope to be forgiven for keeping you so long in the dark4 ,i have kept it a secret from papa too1 though in his last letter he asks me what is my especial work just now4 ,a few months more of patience1 and ,i will give you a strict account of my time since ,i came here1 and then ,i am sure you will be satisfied with me4 ,i only wish to guard against one thing3 do not take it into your head that ,i am about to don the fool's cap suddenly and surprise you with a ,doctor's degree2 that would be going a little too fast1 nor do ,i think of it yet4 4 4,i want to remind you not to let the summer pass without getting me fishes according to the list in my last letter1 which ,i hope you have not mislaid4 ,you would give me great pleasure by sending them as soon as possible4 ,let me tell you why4 ,m4 ,cuvier has announced the publication of a complete work on all the known fishes1 and in the prospectus he calls on such naturalists as occupy themselves with ichthyology to send him the fishes of the country where they live2 he mentions those who have already sent him collections1 and promises duplicates from the ,paris ,museum to those who will send him more4 ,he names the countries also from which he has received contributions1 and regrets that he has nothing from ,bavaria4 ,now ,i possess several specimens of all the native species1 and have even discovered some ten not hitherto known to occur here1 beside one completely new to science1 which ,i have named ,cyprinus uranoscopus on account of the position of the eyes1 placed on the top instead of the sides of the head1--otherwise very like the gudgeon4 ,i have therefore thought ,i could not better launch myself in the scientific world than by sending ,cuvier my fishes with the observations ,i have made on their natural history4 ,to these ,i should like to add such rare ,swiss species as you can procure for me4 ,so do not fail4 ,,from ,,his ,,brother4 ,,neuchatel1 ,august #be1 #ahbh4 4 4 4,i received in good time1 and with infinite delight1 your pleasant letter of ,july #bgth4 ,its mysteries have however been unveiled by ,dr4 ,schinz1 who came to the meeting of the ,natural ,history ,society in ,lausanne1 where he met papa and my uncle1 to whom he pronounced the most solemn eulogiums on their son and nephew1 telling them at the same time what was chiefly occupying you now4 ,i congratulate you1 my dear brother1 but ,i confess that among us all ,i am the least surprised1 for my presentiments about you outrun all this1 and ,i hope soon to see them realized4 ,in all frankness ,i can assure you that the stoutest antagonists of your natural history schemes begin to come over to your side4 ,among them is my uncle here1 who never speaks of you now but with enthusiasm4 ,what more can be said8 ,i gave him your letter to read1 and since then he has asked me a dozen times at least if ,i had not forgotten to forward the remittance you asked for1 saying that ,i must not delay it4 ,the truth is1 ,i have deferred writing till the last moment1 because ,i have not succeeded in getting your fishes1 and have always been hoping that ,i might be able to fulfill your commission4 ,i busied myself on your behalf with all the zeal and industry of which ,i was capable1 but quite in vain4 ,the devil seemed to be in it4 ,the season of ,bondelles was over two months ago1 and there are none to be seen2 as to trout1 ,i don't believe one has been eaten in the whole town for six weeks4 ,i am forever at the heels of the fishermen1 promising them double and treble the value of the fish ,i want1 but they all tell me they catch nothing except pike4 ,i have been to ,cudrefin for lampreys1 but found nothing4 ,rodolphe99 799 ,an experienced old boatman47 has been paddling in the brook every day without success4 ,i went to ,sauge1 --no eels1 no anything but perch and a few little cat-fish4 ,two mortal ,sundays did ,i spend1 rod in hand1 trying to catch bream1 chubs1 etc4 ,i did get a few1 but they were not worth sending4 ,now it is all over for this year1 and we may as well put on mourning for them2 but ,i promise you that as soon as the spring opens ,i will go to work1 and you shall have all you want4 ,if1 in spite of everything1 your hopes are not realized1 ,i shall be very sorry1 but rest assured that it is not my fault4 4 4 ,,to ,,his ,,sister ,,cecile4 ,,munich1 ,october #bi1 #ahbh4 4 4 4,i have never written you about what has engrossed me so deeply2 but since my secret is out1 ,i ought not to keep silence longer4 ,that you may understand why ,i have entered upon such a work ,i will go back to its origin4 ,in #ahag the ,king of ,bavaria sent two naturalists1 ,m4 ,martius and ,m4 ,spix1 on an exploring expedition to ,brazil4 ,of ,m4 ,martius1 with whom ,i always spend my ,wednesday evenings1 ,i have often spoken to you4 ,in #ahba these gentlemen returned to their country laden with new discoveries1 which they published in succession4 ,m4 ,martius issued colored illustrations of all the unknown plants he had collected on his journey1 while ,m4 ,spix brought out several folio volumes on the monkeys1 birds1 and reptiles of ,brazil1 the animals being drawn and colored1 chiefly life-size1 by able artists4 ,it had been his intention to give a complete natural history of ,brazil1 but to the sorrow of all naturalists he died in #ahbf4 ,m4 ,martius1 desirous to see the completion of the work which his traveling companion had begun1 engaged a professor from ,erlangen to publish the shells1 and these appeared last year4 ,when ,i came to ,munich there remained only the fishes and insects1 and ,m4 ,martius1 who had learned something about me from the professors to whom ,i was known1 found me worthy to continue the work of ,spix1 and asked me to carry on the natural history of the fishes4 ,i hesitated for a long time to accept this honorable offer1 fearing that the occupation might withdraw me too much from my studies2 but1 on the other hand1 the opportunity for laying the foundation of a reputation by a large undertaking seemed too favorable to be refused4 ,the first volume is already finished1 and the printing was begun some weeks ago4 ,you can imagine the pleasure ,i should have had in sending it to our dear father and mother before they had heard one word about it1 or knew even of the proposition4 ,but ,i hope the premature disclosure of my secret 7indeed1 to tell the truth1 ,i had not imposed silence on ,m4 ,schinz1 not dreaming that he would see any one of the family7 will not diminish your pleasure in receiving the first work of your brother ,louis1 which ,i hope to send you at ,easter4 ,already forty colored folio plates are completed4 ,will it not seem strange when the largest and finest book in papa's library is one written by his ,louis8 ,will it not be as good as to see his prescription at the apothecary's8 ,it is true that this first effort will bring me in but little2 nothing at all1 in fact1 because ,m4 de ,martius has assumed all the expenses1 and will1 of course1 receive the profits4 ,my share will be a few copies of the book1 and these ,i shall give to the friends who have the first claim4 ,to his father ,agassiz only writes of his work at this time3 ,i have been very busy this summer1 and ,i can tell you from a good source 7,i have it from one of the professors himself7 that the professors whose lectures ,i have attended have mentioned me more than once1 as one of the most assiduous and best informed students of the university2 saying also that ,i deserved distinction4 ,i do not tell you this from ostentation1 but only that you may not think ,i lose my time1 even though ,i occupy myself chiefly with the natural sciences4 ,i hope yet to prove to you that with a brevet of ,doctor as a guarantee1 ,natural ,history may be a man's bread-winner as well as the delight of his life4 4 4 ,in ,september ,agassiz allowed himself a short interruption of his work4 ,the next letter gives some account of this second vacation trip4 ,,to ,,his ,,parents4 ,,munich1 ,september #bf1 #ahbh4 4 4 4,the instruction for the academic year closed at the end of ,august1 and our professors had hardly completed their lectures when ,i began my ,alpine excursion4 ,braun1 impatient to leave ,munich1 had already started the preceding day1 promising to wait for me on the ,salzburg road at the first spot which pleased him enough for a halt4 ,that ,i might not keep him waiting1 ,i begged a friend to drive me a good day's journey1 thinking to overtake ,braun the first day on the pleasant banks of the ,lake of ,chiem4 ,my traveling companions were the younger ,schimper ,wilhelm1 of whom ,i have spoken to you 7and who made a botanical journey in the south of ,france and the ,pyrenees two years ago71 and ,mahir1 who drove us1 with whom ,i am very intimate2 he is a medical student1 and also a very enthusiastic physicist4 ,he gave me private lessons in mathematics all winter1 and was a member of our philomathic meetings4 ,braun had not set out alone either1 and his two traveling companions were also friends of ours4 ,one was ,trettenbacher1 a medical student greatly given to sophisms and logic1 but allowing himself to be beaten in argument with the utmost good nature1 though always believing himself in the right2 a thoroughly good fellow with all that1 and a great connoisseur of antiquities4 ,the other was a young student1 ,more1 from the ci-devant department of ,mt4 ,tonnerre1 who devotes himself entirely to the natural sciences1 and has chosen the career of traveling naturalist4 ,you can easily imagine that this attracts me to him1 but as he is only a beginner ,i am1 as it were1 his mentor4 ,on the morning of our departure the weather was magnificent4 ,driving briskly along we had various surmises as to where we should probably meet our traveling companions1 not doubting that1 as we hoped to reach the ,lake of ,chiem the same day1 ,we should come across them the day following on one of its pretty islands4 ,but in the afternoon the weather changed1 and we were forced to seek shelter from torrents of rain at ,rosenheim1 a charming town on the banks of the ,inn1 where ,i saw for the first time this river of ,helvetic origin4 ,i saluted it as a countryman of mine1 and wished ,i could change its course and send it back laden with my greetings4 ,the next day ,mahir drove us as far as the shore of the lake4 ,there we parted from him1 and took a boat to the islands1 where we were much disappointed not to find ,braun and his companions4 ,we thought the bad weather of the day before 7for here it had rained all day7 might have obliged them to make the circuit of the lake4 ,however1 in order to overtake them before reaching ,salzburg1 we kept our boatmen1 and were rowed across to the opposite shore near ,grabenstadt1 where we arrived at ten o'clock in the evening4 ,in the afternoon the weather had cleared a little1 and the view was beautiful as we pulled away from the islands and watched them fade in the twilight4 ,i also gathered much interesting information about the inhabitants of the waters of this lake4 ,among others1 ,i was much pleased to find a cat-fish1 taken in the lake by one of the island fishermen1 and also a kind of chub1 not found in ,switzerland1 and called by the fishermen here ,our ,lady's ,fish1 because it occurs only on the shore of an island where there is a convent1 the nuns of which esteem it a great delicacy4 ,the third day we reached ,traunstein1 where1 although it was ,sunday1 there was a great horse fair4 ,we looked with interest at the gay ,tyroleans1 with the cock-feathers in their pointed hats1 singing and yodeling in the streets with their sweethearts on their arms4 ,every now and then they let fall some sarcastic comment on our accoutrements1 which were indeed laughable enough to these people1 who had never seen anything beyond their own chalets1 and for whom an excursion from their mountains to a fair in the nearest town is a journey4 ,it was noon when we stopped at ,traunstein1 and from there to ,salzburg is but five leagues4 ,before reaching the fortress1 however1 you must pass the great custom-house on the ,bavarian frontier1 and fearing we might be delayed there too long by the stupid ,austrian officials1 and thus be prevented from entering the city before the gates were closed1 we resolved to wait till the next morning and spend the night at ,adelstaetten1 a pretty village about a league from ,salzburg1 and the last ,bavarian post4 ,night was falling as we approached a little wood which hid the village from us4 ,there we asked a peasant how far we had still to go1 and when he had answered our question he told us1 evidently with kind intention1 that we should find good company in the village1 for a few hours earlier three journeymen laborers had arrived there2 and then he added that we should no doubt be glad to meet comrades and have a gay evening with them4 ,we were not astonished to be taken for workmen1 since every one who travels here on foot1 with a knapsack on his back1 is understood to belong to the laboring class4 4 4,arrived at the village1 we were delighted to find that the three journeymen were our traveling companions4 ,they had come1 like ourselves1 from ,traunstein1 where we had missed each other in the crowd1 and they were going likewise to sleep at ,adelstaetten1 to avoid the custom-house4 ,finally1 on ,monday1 at ten o'clock1 we crossed the long bridge over the ,saala1 between the white coats with yellow trimmings on guard there4 ,on the ,bavarian frontier we had hardly remembered that there was a custom-house1 and the name of student sufficed to pass us without our showing any passports2 here1 on the contrary1 it was another reason for the strictest examination4 ,have you no forbidden books8 was the first question4 ,by good fortune1 before crossing the bridge1 ,i had advised ,trettenbach to hide his song-book in the lining of his boot4 ,i am assured that had it been taken upon him he would not have been allowed to pass4 ,in ransacking ,braun's bag1 one of the officials found a shell such as are gathered by the basketful on the shores of the ,lake of ,neuchatel4 ,his first impulse was to go to the office and inquire whether we should not pay duty on this1 saying that it was no doubt for the fabrication of false pearls1 and we probably had plenty more4 ,we had all the difficulty in the world to make him understand that not fifty steps from the custom-house the shores of the river were strewn with them4 4 4 ,after all this we had to empty our purses to show that we had money enough for our journey1 and that we should not be forced to beg in order to get through4 ,while we underwent this inquisition1 another officer made a tour of inspection around us1 to observe our general bearing1 etc4 4 4,after having kept us thus on coals for two hours they gave us back our passports1 and we went our way4 ,at one o'clock we arrived at ,salzburg as hungry as wolves1 but at the gate we had still to wait and give up our passports again in exchange for receipts1 in virtue of which we could obtain permits from the police to remain in the city4 ,from our inn1 we sent a waiter to get these permits1 but he presently returned with the news that we must go in person to take them2 there was1 however1 no hurry2 it would do in three or four hours6 ,we had no farther difficulty except that it was made a condition of our stay that we should not appear in student's dress4 ,this dress1 they said1 was forbidden in ,austria4 ,they begged ,more to have his hair cut1 otherwise it would be shortened gratis1 and also informed us that at our age it was not becoming to dispense with cravats4 ,happily1 ,i had two with me1 and ,braun tied his handkerchief around his neck4 ,it astonished me1 also1 to see that we were not entered on the list of strangers published every evening4 ,so it was also1 as we found1 with other students1 though the persons who came with them by the same conveyance1 even the children1 were duly inscribed4 ,it seems this is a precaution against any gathering of students4 4 4 ,the letter concludes in haste for the mail1 and if the story of the journey was finished the final chapter has not been preserved4 ,some extracts from the home letters of ,agassiz's friend ,braun1 which are in place here1 throw light on their university life for the coming year499 799 ,see ,life of ,alexander ,braun1 by his daughter1 ,madame ,cecile ,mettenius47 ,,alexander ,,braun ,,to ,,his ,,father4 ,,munich1 ,november #ah1 #ahbh4 4 4 4,i will tell you how we have laid out our time for this term4 ,our human consciousness may be said to begin at half-past five o'clock in the morning4 ,the hour from six to seven is appointed for mathematics1 namely1 geometry and trigonometry4 ,to this appointment we are faithful1 unless the professor oversleeps himself1 or ,agassiz happens to have grown to his bed1 an event which sometimes occurs at the opening of the term4 ,from seven to eight we do as we like1 including breakfast4 ,under ,agassiz's new style of housekeeping the coffee is made in a machine which is devoted during the day to the soaking of all sorts of creatures for skeletons1 and in the evening again to the brewing of our tea4 ,at eight o'clock comes the clinical lecture of ,ringseis4 ,as ,ringseis is introducing an entirely new medical system this is not wholly without general physiological and philosophical interest4 ,at ten o'clock ,stahl lectures1 five times a week1 on mechanics as preliminary to physics4 ,these and also the succeeding lectures1 given only twice a week on the special natural history of amphibians by ,wagler1 we all attend together4 ,from twelve to one o'clock we have nothing settled as yet1 but we mean to take the lectures of ,dollinger1 in single chapters1 as1 for instance1 when he comes to the organs of the senses4 ,at one o'clock we go to dinner1 for which we have at last found a comfortable and regular place1 at a private house1 after having dined everywhere and anywhere1 at prices from nine to twenty kreutzers4 ,here1 for thirteen kreutzers99 799 ,about nine cents of our money47 each1 in company with a few others1 mostly known to us1 we are provided with a good and neatly served meal4 ,after dinner we go to ,dr4 ,waltl1 with whom we study chemistry1 using ,gmelin's text-book1 and are shown the most important experiments4 ,next week we are to begin entomology with ,dr4 ,perty1 from three to four1 three times a week4 ,from one to two o'clock on ,saturday we have a lesson in experimental physiology1 plainly speaking1 in animal dissection1 from ,dr4 ,oesterreicher1 a young ,docent1 who has written on the circulation of the blood4 ,as ,agassiz dissects a great many animals1 especially fishes1 at the house1 we are making rapid progress in comparative anatomy4 ,at four o'clock we go usually once a week to hear ,oken on ,natur-philosophie 7a course we attended last term also71 but by that means we secure a good seat for ,schelling's lecture immediately after4 ,a man can hardly hear twice in his life a course of lectures so powerful as those ,schelling is now giving on the philosophy of revelation4 ,this will sound strangely to you1 because1 till now1 men have not believed that revelation could be a subject for philosophical treatment2 to some it has seemed too sacred2 to others too irrational4 4 4,this lecture brings us to six o'clock1 when the public courses are at an end3 we go home1 and now begin the private lectures4 ,sometimes ,agassiz tries to beat ,french rules and constructions into our brains1 or we have a lesson in anatomy1 or ,i read general natural history aloud to ,william ,schimper4 ,by and by ,i shall review the natural history of grasses and ferns1 two families of which ,i made a special study last summer4 ,twice a week ,karl ,schimper lectures to us on the morphology of plants2 a very interesting course on a subject but little known4 ,he has twelve listeners4 ,agassiz is also to give us lectures occasionally on ,sundays upon the natural history of fishes4 ,you see there is enough to do4 4 4 ,somewhat before this1 early in #ahbh1 ,agassiz had made the acquaintance of ,mr4 ,joseph ,dinkel1 an artist4 ,a day spent together in the country1 in order that ,mr4 ,dinkel might draw a brilliantly colored trout from life1 under the immediate direction of the young naturalist1 led to a relation which continued uninterruptedly for many years4 ,mr4 ,dinkel afterward accompanied ,agassiz1 as his artist1 on repeated journeys1 being constantly employed in making illustrations for the ,poissons ,fossiles and the ,poissons d',eau ,douce1 as well as for his monographs and smaller papers4 ,the two larger works1 the latter of which remained unfinished1 were even now in embryo4 ,not only was ,mr4 ,dinkel at work upon the plates for the ,fresh-,water ,fishes1 but ,mr4 ,j4,c4 ,weber1 who was then engaged in making1 under ,agassiz's direction1 the illustrations for the ,spix ,fishes1 was also giving his spare hours to the same objects4 ,mr4 ,dinkel says of ,agassiz's student life at this time3--99 799 ,extract from notes written out in ,english by ,mr4 ,dinkel after the death of ,agassiz and sent to me4 ,the ,english1 though a little foreign1 is so expressive that it would lose by any attempt to change it1 and the writer will excuse me for inserting his vivid sketch just as it stands4--,e4,c4,a47 ,i soon found myself engaged four or five hours almost daily in painting for him fresh-water fishes from the life1 while he was at my side1 sometimes writing out his descriptions1 sometimes directing me4 4 4,he never lost his temper1 though often under great trial2 he remained self-possessed and did everything calmly1 having a friendly smile for every one and a helping hand for those who were in need4 ,he was at that time scarcely twenty years old1 and was already the most prominent among the students at ,munich4 ,they loved him1 and had a high consideration for him4 ,i had seen him at the ,swiss students' club several times1 and had observed him among the ,,jolly students2 he liked merry society1 but he himself was in general reserved and never noisy4 ,he picked out the gifted and highly-learned students1 and would not waste his time in ordinary conversation4 ,often1 when he saw a number of students going off on some empty pleasure-trip1 he said to me1 ',there they go with the other fellows2 their motto is1 ,ich gehe mit den andern4 ,i will go my own way1 ,mr4 ,dinkel1--and not alone3 ,i will be a leader of others4' ,in all his doings there was an ease and calm which was remarkable4 ,his studio was a perfect ,german student's room4 ,it was large1 with several wide windows2 the furniture consisted of a couch and about half a dozen chairs1 beside some tables for the use of his artists and himself4 ,dr4 ,alex ,braun and ,dr4 ,schimper lodged in the same house1 and seemed to me to share his studio4 ,being botanists1 they1 too1 brought home what they collected in their excursions1 and all this found a place in the atelier1 on the couch1 on the seats1 on the floors4 ,books filled the chairs1 one alone being left for the other artist1 while ,i occupied a standing desk with my drawing4 ,no visitor could sit down1 and sometimes there was little room to stand or move about4 ,the walls were white1 and diagrams were drawn on them1 to which1 by and by1 we artists added skeletons and caricatures4 ,in short1 it was quite original4 ,i was some time there before ,i could discover the real names of his friends3 each had a nickname1--,molluscus1 ,cyprinus1 ,rhubarb1 etc4 ,from this glimpse into ,the ,little ,academy we return to the thread of the home letters1 learning from the next one that ,agassiz's private collections were assuming rather formidable proportions when considered as part of the household furniture4 ,brought together in various ways1 partly by himself1 partly in exchange for duplicates1 partly as pay for arranging specimens in the ,munich ,museum1 they had already acquired1 when compared with his small means1 a considerable pecuniary value1 and a far higher scientific importance4 ,they included fishes1 some rare mammalia1 reptiles1 shells1 birds1 an herbarium of some three thousand species of plants collected by himself1 and a small cabinet of minerals4 ,after enumerating them in a letter to his parents he continues3 ,you can imagine that all these things are in my way now that ,i cannot attend to them1 and that for want of room and care they are piled up and in danger of spoiling4 ,you see by my list that the whole collection is valued at two hundred louis2 and this is so low an estimate that even those who sell objects of natural history would not hesitate to take them at that price4 ,you will therefore easily understand how anxious ,i am to keep them intact4 ,can you not find me a place where they might be spread out8 ,i have thought that perhaps my uncle in ,neuchatel would have the kindness to let some large shelves be put up in the little upper room of his house in ,cudrefin1 where1 far from being an annoyance or causing any smell1 my collection1 if placed in a case under glass1 or disposed in some other suitable manner1 would be an ornament4 ,be so kind as to propose it to him1 and if he consents ,i will then tell you what ,i shall need for its arrangement4 ,remember that on this depends1 in great part1 the preservation of my specimens1 and answer as soon as possible4 ,agassiz was now hurrying forward both his preparation for his degree and the completion of his ,brazilian ,fishes1 in the hope of at last fulfilling his longing for a journey of exploration4 ,this hope is revealed in his next home letter4 ,the letter is a long one1 and the first half is omitted since it concerns only the arrangements for his collections1 the care to be taken of them1 etc4 ,,to ,,his ,,father4 ,,munich1 ,february #ad1 #ahbi4 4 4 4,but now ,i must talk to you of more important things1 not of what ,i possess1 but of what ,i am to be4 ,let me first recall one or two points touched upon before in our correspondence1 which should now be fully discussed4 #ast4 ,you remember that when ,i first left ,switzerland ,i promised you to win the title of ,doctor in two years1 and to be prepared 7after having completed my studies in ,paris7 to pass my examination before the ,conseil de ,sante1 and begin practice4 #bnd4 ,you will not have forgotten either that you exacted this only that ,i might have a profession1 and that you promised1 should ,i be able to make my way in the career of letters and natural history1 you would not oppose my wishes4 ,i am indeed aware that in the latter case you see but one obstacle1 that of absence from my country and separation from all who are dear to me4 ,but you know me too well to think that ,i would voluntarily impose upon myself such an exile4 ,let us see whether we cannot resolve these difficulties to our mutual satisfaction1 and consider what is the surest road to the end ,i have proposed to myself ever since ,i began my medical studies4 ,weigh all my reasons1 for in this my peace of mind and my future happiness are concerned4 ,examine my conduct with reference to what ,i propose in every light1 that of son and ,vaudois citizen included1 and ,i feel sure you will concur in my views4 ,here is my aim and the means by which ,i propose to carry it out4 ,i wish it may be said of ,louis ,agassiz that he was the first naturalist of his time1 a good citizen1 and a good son1 beloved of those who knew him4 ,i feel within myself the strength of a whole generation to work toward this end1 and ,i will reach it if the means are not wanting4 ,let us see in what these means consist4 ,here follows the summing up of his reasons for preferring a professorship of natural history to the practice of medicine1 and his intention of trying for a diploma as ,doctor of ,philosophy in ,germany4 ,but how obtain a professorship1 you will say1--that is the important point8 ,i answer1 the first step is to make myself a ,european name1 and for that ,i am on the right road4 ,in the first place my work on the fishes of ,brazil1 just about to appear1 will make me favorably known4 ,i am sure it will be kindly received2 for at the ,general ,assembly of ,german naturalists and medical men last ,september1 in ,berlin1 the part already finished and presented before the ,assembly was praised in a manner for which ,i was quite unprepared4 ,the professors also1 to whom ,i was known1 spoke of me there in very favorable terms4 ,in the second place there are now preparing two expeditions of natural history1 one by ,m4 de ,humboldt1 with whose reputation you are surely familiar1--the same who spent several years in exploring the equatorial regions of ,south ,america1 in company with ,m4 ,bonpland4 ,he has been for some years at ,berlin1 and is now about to start on a journey to the ,ural ,mountains1 the ,caucasus1 and the confines of the ,caspian ,sea4 ,braun1 ,schimper1 and ,i have been proposed to him as traveling companions by several of our professors2 but the application may come too late1 for ,m4 de ,humboldt decided upon this journey long ago1 and has probably already chosen the naturalists who are to accompany him4 ,how happy ,i should be to join this expedition to a country the climate of which is by no means unhealthy1 under the direction of a man so generally esteemed1 to whom the ,emperor of ,russia has promised help and an escort at all times and under all circumstances4 ,the second expedition is to a country quite as salubrious1 and which presents no dangers whatever for travelers1--,south ,america4 ,it will be under the direction of ,m4 ,ackermann1 known as a distinguished agriculturist and as ,councilor of ,state to the ,grand ,duke of ,baden4 ,i should prefer to go with ,humboldt2 but if ,i am too late1 ,i feel very sure of being able to join the second expedition4 ,so it depends1 you see1 only on your consent4 ,this journey is to last two years1 at the end of which time1 happily at home once more1 ,i can follow with all desirable facilities the career ,i have chosen4 ,if there should be a place for me at ,lausanne1 which ,i should prefer to any other locality1 ,i could devote my life to teaching my young countrymen1 awaken in them the taste for science and observation so much neglected among us1 and thus be more useful to my canton than ,i could be as a practitioner4 ,these projects may not succeed2 but in the present state of things all the probabilities are favorable4 ,therefore1 ,i beg you to consider it seriously1 to consult my uncle in ,lausanne1 and to write me at once what you think4 4 4 ,in spite of the earnest desire for travel shown in this letter it will be seen later how the restless aspirations of childhood1 boyhood1 and youth1 which were1 after all1 only a latent love of research1 crystallize into the concentrated purpose of the man who could remain for months shut up in his study1 leaving his microscope only to eat and sleep1--a life as sedentary as ever was lived by a closet student4 ,,from ,,his ,,father4 ,,orbe1 ,february #bc1 #ahbi4 4 4 4,it was not without deep emotion that we read your letter of the #adth1 and ,i easily understand that1 anticipating its effect upon us all1 you have deferred writing as long as possible4 ,yet you were wrong in so doing2 had we known your projects earlier we might have forestalled for you the choice of ,m4 de ,humboldt1 whose expedition seems to us preferable1 in every respect1 to that of ,m4 ,ackermann4 ,the first embraces a wider field1 and concerns the history of man rather than that of animals2 the latter is confined to an excursion along the sea-board1 where there would be1 no doubt1 a rich harvest for science1 but much less for philosophy4 ,however that may be1 your father and mother1 while they grieve for the day that will separate them from their oldest son1 will offer no obstacles to his projects1 but pray ,god to bless them4 4 4 ,the subjoined letter of about the same date from ,alexander ,braun to his father tells us how the projects so ardently urged upon his parents by ,agassiz1 and so affectionately accepted by them1 first took form in the minds of the friends4 ,,braun ,,to ,,his ,,father4 ,,munich1 ,february #ae1 #ahbi4 4 4 4,last ,thursday we were at ,oken's4 ,there was interesting talk on all sorts of subjects1 bringing us gradually to the ,ural and then to ,humboldt's journey1 and finally ,oken asked if we would not like to go with ,humboldt4 ,to this we gave warm assent1 and told him that if he could bring it about we would be ready to start at a day's notice1 and ,agassiz added1 eagerly1 ,yes1--and if there were any hope that he would take us1 a word from you would have more weight than anything4 ,oken's answer gave us but cold comfort2 nevertheless1 he promised to write at once to ,humboldt in our behalf4 ,with this1 we went home in great glee2 it was very late and a bright moonlight night4 ,agassiz rolled himself in the snow for joy1 and we agreed that however little hope there might be of our joining the expedition1 still the fact that ,humboldt would hear of us in this way was worth something1 even if it were only that we might be able to say to him one of these days1 ,we are the fellows whose company you rejected4 ,with this hope the friends were obliged to content themselves1 for after a few weeks of alternate encouragement and despondency their bright vision faded4 ,oken fulfilled his promise and wrote to ,humboldt1 recommending them most warmly4 ,humboldt answered that his plans were conclusively settled1 and that he had chosen the only assistants who were to accompany him1--,ehrenberg and ,rose4 ,in connection with this frustrated plan is here given the rough draft of a letter from ,agassiz to ,cuvier1 written evidently at a somewhat earlier date4 ,although a mere fragment1 it is the outpouring of the same passionate desire for a purely scientific life1 and shows that the opportunity suggested by ,humboldt's journey had only given a definite aim to projects already full grown4 ,from the contents it must have been written in #ahbh4 ,after some account of his early studies1 which would be mere repetition here1 he goes on3 ,before finishing my letter1 allow me to ask some advice from you1 whom ,i revere as a father1 and whose works have been till now my only guide4 ,five years ago ,i was sent to the medical school at ,zurich4 ,after the first few lectures there in anatomy and zoology ,i could think of nothing but skeletons4 ,in a short time ,i had learned to dissect1 and had made for myself a small collection of skulls of animals from different classes4 ,i passed two years in ,zurich1 studying whatever ,i could find in the ,museum1 and dissecting all the animals ,i could procure4 ,i even sent to ,berlin at this time for a monkey in spirits of wine1 that ,i might compare the nervous system with that of man4 ,i spent all the little means ,i had in order to see and learn as much as possible4 ,then ,i persuaded my father to let me go to ,heidelberg1 where for a year ,i followed ,tiedemann's courses in human anatomy4 ,i passed almost the whole winter in the anatomical laboratory4 ,the following summer ,i attended the lectures of ,leuckart on zoology1 and those of ,bronn on fossils4 ,when at ,zurich1 the longing to travel some day as a naturalist had taken possession of me1 and at ,heidelberg this desire only increased4 ,my frequent visits to the ,museum at ,frankfort1 and what ,i heard there concerning ,m4 ,ruppell himself1 strengthened my purpose even more than all ,i had previously read4 ,i was1 as it were1 ,ruppell's traveling companion3 the activity1 the difficulties to be overcome1 all were present to me as ,i looked upon the treasures he had brought together from the deserts of ,africa4 ,the vision of difficulty thus vanquished1 and of the inward satisfaction arising from it1 tended to give all my studies a direction in keeping with my projects4 ,i felt that to reach my aim more surely it was important to complete my medical studies1 and for this ,i came to ,munich eighteen months ago4 ,still ,i could not make up my mind to renounce the natural sciences4 ,i attended some of the pathological lectures1 but ,i soon found that ,i was neglecting them2 and yielding once more to my inclination1 ,i followed consecutively the lectures of ,dollinger on comparative anatomy1 those of ,oken on natural history1 those of ,fuchs on mineralogy1 as well as the courses of astronomy1 physics1 chemistry1 and mathematics4 ,i was confirmed in this withdrawal from medical studies by the proposition of ,m4 de ,martius that ,i should describe the fishes brought back by ,spix from ,brazil1 and to this ,i consented the more gladly because ichthyology has always been a favorite study with me4 ,i have not1 however1 been able to give them all the care ,i could have wished1 for ,m4 de ,martius1 anxious to complete the publication of these works1 has urged upon me a rapid execution4 ,i hope1 nevertheless1 that ,i have made no gross errors1 and ,i am the less likely to have done so1 because ,i had as my guide the observations you had kindly made for him on the plates of ,spix4 ,several of these plates were not very exact2 they have been set aside and new drawings made4 ,i beg that you will judge this work when it reaches you with indulgence1 as the first literary essay of a young man4 ,i hope to complete it in the course of the next summer4 ,i would beg you1 in advance1 to give me a paternal word of advice as to the direction my studies should then take4 ,ought ,i to devote myself to the study of medicine8 ,i have no fortune1 it is true2 but ,i would gladly sacrifice my life if1 by so doing1 ,i could serve the cause of science4 ,though ,i have not even a presentiment of any means with which ,i may one day travel in distant countries1 ,i have1 nevertheless1 prepared myself during the last three years as if ,i might be off at any minute4 ,i have learned to skin all sorts of animals1 even very large ones4 ,i have made more than a hundred skeletons of quadrupeds1 birds1 reptiles1 and fishes2 ,i have tested all the various liquors for preserving such animals as should not be skinned1 and have thought of the means of supplying the want in countries where the like preparations are not to be had1 in case of need4 ,finally1 ,i have trained as traveling companion a young friend199 799 ,william ,schimper1 brother of ,karl47 and awakened in him the same love of the natural sciences4 ,he is an excellent hunter1 and at my instigation has been taking lessons in drawing1 so that he is now able to sketch from nature such objects as may be desirable4 ,we often pass delightful moments in our imaginary travels through unknown countries1 building thus our castles in ,spain4 ,pardon me if ,i talk to you of projects which at first sight seem puerile2 only a fixed aim is needed to give them reality1 and to you ,i come for counsel4 ,my longing is so great that ,i feel the need of expressing it to some one who will understand me1 and your sympathy would make me the happiest of mortals4 ,i am so pursued by this thought of a scientific journey that it presents itself under a thousand forms1 and all that ,i undertake looks toward one end4 ,i have for six months frequented a blacksmith's and carpenter's shop1 learning to handle hammer and axe1 and ,i also practice arms1 the bayonet and sabre exercise4 ,i am strong and robust1 know how to swim1 and do not fear forced marches4 ,i have1 when botanizing and geologizing1 walked my twelve or fifteen leagues a day for eight days in succession1 carrying on my back a heavy bag loaded with plants or minerals4 ,in one word1 ,i seem to myself made to be a traveling naturalist4 ,i only need to regulate the impetuosity which carries me away4 ,i beg you1 then1 to be my guide4 ,the unfinished letter closes abruptly1 having neither signature nor address4 ,perhaps the writer's courage failed him and it never was sent4 ,an old letter 7date #ahbg7 from ,cuvier to ,martius1 found among ,agassiz's papers of this time1 and containing the very notes on the ,spix ,fishes to which allusion is here made1 leaves no doubt1 however1 that this appeal was intended for the great master who exercised so powerful an influence upon ,agassiz throughout his whole life4 ,in the spring of #ahbi ,agassiz took his diploma in the faculty of philosophy4 ,he did this with no idea of making it a substitute for his medical degree1 but partly in deference to ,martius1 who wished the name of his young colleague to appear on the title-page of the ,brazilian ,fishes with the dignity of ,doctor1 and partly because he believed it would strengthen his chance of a future professorship4 ,of his experience on this occasion he gives some account in the following letter3-- ,,to ,,his ,,brother4 ,,munich1 ,may #bb1 #ahbi4 ,as it was necessary for me to go through with my examination at once1 and as the days for promotion here were already engaged two months in advance1 ,i decided to pass it at ,erlangen4 ,that ,i might not go alone1 and also for the pleasure of their company1 ,i persuaded ,schimper and ,michahelles to do the same4 ,braun wanted to be of the party1 but afterward decided to wait awhile4 ,we made our request to the ,faculty in a long ,latin letter 7because1 you know1 among savants it is the thing to speak and write the language you know least71 requesting permission to pass our examination in writing1 and to go to ,erlangen only for the colloquium and promotion4 ,they granted our request on condition of our promise 7jurisjurandi loco polliciti sumus7 to answer the questions propounded without help from any one and without consulting books4 ,among other things ,i had to develop a natural system of zoology1 to show the relation between human history and natural history1 to determine the true basis and limits of the philosophy of nature1 etc4 ,as an inaugural dissertation1 ,i presented some general and novel considerations on the formation of the skeleton throughout the animal kingdom1 from the infusoria1 mollusks1 and insects to the vertebrates1 properly so called4 ,the examiners were sufficiently satisfied with my answers to give me my degree the #bcrd or #bdth of ,april1 without waiting for the colloquium and promotion1 writing to me that they were satisfied with my examination1 and therefore forwarded my diploma without regard to the oral examination4 4 4,the ,dean of the ,faculty1 in inclosing it to me1 added that he hoped before long to see me professor1 and no less the ornament of my university in that position than ,i had hitherto been as student4 ,i must try not to disappoint him4 4 4 ,a letter from his brother contains a few lines in reference to this4 ,last evening1 dear ,louis1 your two diplomas reached me4 ,i congratulate you with all my heart on your success4 ,i am going to send to grandpapa the one destined for him1 and ,i see in advance all his pleasure1 though it would be greater if the word medicine stood for that of philosophy4 ,the first part of the work on the ,brazilian ,fishes was now completed1 and he had the pleasure of sending it to his parents as his own forerunner4 ,after joining a scientific meeting to be held at ,heidelberg1 in ,september1 he was to pass a month at home before returning to ,munich for the completion of his medical studies4 ,,to ,,his ,,parents4 ,,munich1 ,july #d1 #ahbi4 4 4 4,i hope when you read this letter you will have received the first part of my ,brazilian ,fishes from ,m4--1 of ,geneva1 to whom ,martius had to send a package of plants1 with which my book was inclosed4 ,i venture to think that this work will give me a name1 and ,i await with impatience the criticism that ,i suppose it will receive from ,cuvier4 4 4,i think the best way of reaching the various aims ,i have in view is to continue the career on which ,i have started1 and to publish as soon as possible my natural history of the fresh-water fishes of ,germany and ,switzerland4 ,i propose to issue it in numbers1 each containing twelve colored plates accompanied by six sheets of letter-press4 4 4,in the middle of ,september there is to be a meeting of all the naturalists and medical men of ,germany1 to which foreign savants are invited4 ,a similar meeting has been held for the last two or three years in one or another of the brilliant centres of ,germany4 ,this year it will take place at ,heidelberg4 ,could one desire a better occasion to make known a projected work8 ,i could even show the original drawings already made of species only found in the environs of ,munich1 and1 so to speak1 unknown to naturalists4 ,at ,heidelberg will be assembled ,englishmen1 ,danes1 ,swedes1 ,russians1 and even ,italians4 ,if ,i could before then arrange everything and distribute the printed circulars of my work ,i should be sure of success4 4 4 ,in those days of costly postage one sheet of writing paper was sometimes made to serve for several members of the family4 ,the next crowded letter contains chiefly domestic details1 but closes with a postscript from ,mme4 ,agassiz1 filling1 as she says1 the only remaining corner1 and expressing her delight in his diploma and in the completion of his book4 ,,from ,,his ,,mother4 ,august #af1 #ahbi4 4 4 4,the place your brother has left me seems very insufficient for all that ,i have to say1 dear ,louis1 but ,i will begin by thanking you for the happiness1 as sweet as it is deeply felt1 which your success has given us4 ,already our satisfaction becomes the reward of your efforts4 ,we wait with impatience for the moment when we shall see you and talk with you4 ,your correspondence leaves many blanks1 and we are sometimes quite ashamed that we have so few details to give about your book4 ,you will be surprised that it has not yet reached us4 ,does the gentleman in ,geneva intend to read it before sending it to us1 or has he perhaps not received the package8 ,not hearing we are uneasy4 4 4,good-by1 my dear son2 ,i have no room for more1 except to add my tender love for you4 ,an honorable mention of your name in the ,lausanne ,gazette has brought us many pleasant congratulations4 4 4 ,,to ,,his ,,father4 ,august1 #ahbi4 4 4 4,i hope by this time you have my book4 ,i can the less explain the delay since ,m4 ,cuvier1 to whom ,i sent it in the same way1 has acknowledged its arrival4 ,i inclose his letter1 hoping it will give you pleasure to read what one of the greatest naturalists of the age writes me about it4 ,,cuvier ,,to ,,louis ,,agassiz4 ,,paris1 ,,au ,,jardin ,,du ,,roi1 ,august #c1 #ahbi4 4 4 4,you and ,m4 de ,martius have done me honor in placing my name at the head of a work so admirable as the one you have just published4 ,the importance and the rarity of the species therein described1 as well as the beauty of the figures1 will make the work an important one in ichthyology1 and nothing could heighten its value more than the accuracy of your descriptions4 ,it will be of the greatest use to me in my ,history of ,fishes4 ,i had already referred to the plates in the second edition of my ,regne ,animal4 ,i shall do all in my power to accelerate the sale among amateurs1 either by showing it to such as meet at my house or by calling attention to it in scientific journals4 ,i look with great interest for your history of the fishes of the ,alps4 ,it cannot but fill a wide gap in that portion of natural history1--above all1 in the different divisions of the genus ,salmo4 ,the figures of ,bloch1 those of ,meidinger1 and those of ,marsigli1 are quite insufficient4 ,we have the greater part of the species here1 so that it will be easy for me to verify the characters2 but only an artist1 working on the spot1 with specimens fresh from the water1 can secure the colors4 ,you will1 no doubt1 have much to add also respecting the development1 habits1 and use of all these fishes4 ,perhaps you would do well to limit yourself at first to a monograph of the ,salmones4 ,with my thanks for the promised documents1 accept the assurance of my warm regard and very sincere attachment4 ,b4,g4 ,,cuvier4 ,at last comes the moment1 so long anticipated1 when the young naturalist's first book is in the hands of his parents4 ,the news of its reception is given in a short and hurried note4 ,,from ,,his ,,father4 ,,orbe1 ,august #ca1 #ahbi4 ,i hasten1 my dear son1 to announce the arrival of your beautiful work1 which reached us on ,thursday1 from ,geneva4 ,i have no terms in which to express the pleasure it has given me4 ,in two words1 for ,i have only a moment to myself1 ,i repeat my urgent entreaty that you would hasten your return as much as possible4 4 4,the old father1 who waits for you with open heart and arms1 sends you the most tender greeting4 4 4 ,,chapter #d4 #ahbi-ahcj3 ,,age #bb-bc4 ,scientific ,meeting at ,heidelberg4 ,visit at ,home4 ,illness and ,death of his ,grandfather4 ,return to ,munich4 ,plans for ,future ,scientific ,publications4 ,takes his ,degree of ,medicine4 ,visit to ,vienna4 ,return to ,munich4 ,home ,letters4 ,last ,days at ,munich4 ,autobiographical ,review of ,school and ,university ,life4 ,,to ,,his ,,parents4 ,,heidelberg1 ,september #be1 #ahbi4 4 4 4,,the time of our meeting is almost at hand4 ,relieved from all anxiety about the subjects ,i had wished to present here1 ,i can now be quietly with you and enjoy the rest and freedom ,i have so long needed4 ,the tension of mind1 forced upon me by the effort to reach my goal in time1 has crowded out the thoughts which are most present when ,i am at peace4 ,i will not talk to you of what ,i have been doing lately1 7a short letter from ,frankfort will have put you on my track71 nor of the relations ,i have formed at the ,heidelberg meeting1 nor of the manner in which ,i have been received1 etc4 ,these are matters better told than written4 4 4,i intend to leave here to-morrow or the day after1 according to circumstances4 ,i shall stay some days at ,carlsruhe to put my affairs in order1 and from there make the journey home as quickly as possible4 4 4 ,the following month we find him once more at home in the parsonage of ,orbe4 ,after the first pleasure and excitement of return1 his time was chiefly spent in arranging his collections at ,cudrefin1 where his grandfather had given him house-room for them4 ,in this work he had the help of the family in general1 who made a sort of scientific fete of the occasion4 ,but it ended sadly with the illness and death of the kind old grandfather1 under whose roof children and grandchildren had been wont to assemble4 ,,agassiz ,,to ,,braun4 ,,orbe1 ,december #c1 #ahbi4 4 4 4,i will devote an hour of this last evening ,i am to pass in ,orbe1 to talking with you4 ,you will wonder that ,i am still here1 and that ,i have not written4 ,you already know that ,i have been arranging my collections at ,cudrefin1 and spending very happy days with my grandfather4 ,but he is now very ill1 and even should we have better news of him to-day1 the thought weighs heavily on my heart1 that ,i must take leave of him when he is perhaps on his death-bed4 4 4,i have just tied up my last package of plants1 and there lies my whole herbarium in order1--thirty packages in all4 ,for this ,i have to thank you1 dear ,alex1 and it gives me pleasure to tell you so and to be reminded of it4 ,what a succession of glorious memories came up to me as ,i turned them over4 ,free from all disturbing incidents1 ,i enjoyed anew our life together1 and even more1 if possible1 than in actual experience4 ,every talk1 every walk1 was present to me again1 and in reviewing it all ,i saw how our minds had been drawn to each other in an ever-strengthening union4 ,in you ,i see my own intellectual development reflected as in a mirror1 for to you1 and to my intercourse with you1 ,i owe my entrance upon this path of the noblest and most lasting enjoyment4 ,it is delightful to look back on such a past with the future so bright before us4 4 4 ,agassiz now returned to ,munich to add the title of ,doctor of ,medicine to that of ,doctor of ,philosophy4 ,a case of somnambulism1 which fell under his observation and showed him disease1 or1 at least1 abnormal action of the brain1 under an aspect which was new to him1 seems to have given a fresh impulse to his medical studies1 and1 for a time1 he was inclined to believe that the vocation which had thus far been to him one of necessity1 might become one of preference4 ,but the naturalist was stronger than the physician4 ,during this very winter1 when he was preparing himself with new earnestness for his profession1 a collection of fossil fishes was put into his hands by the ,director of the ,museum of ,munich4 ,it will be seen with what ardor he threw himself into this new investigation4 ,his work on the ,poissons ,fossiles1 which placed him in a few years in the front rank of ,european scientific men1 took form at once in his fertile brain4 ,,to ,,his ,,brother4 ,,munich1 ,january #ah1 #ahcj4 4 4 4,my resolve to study medicine is now confirmed4 ,i feel all that may be done to render this study worthy the name of science1 which it has so long usurped4 ,its intimate alliance with the natural sciences and the enlightenment it promises me regarding them are indeed my chief incitements to persevere in my resolution4 ,in order to gain time1 and to strike while the iron is hot 7don't be afraid it will grow cold2 the wood which feeds the fire is good71 ,i have proposed to ,euler1 with whom ,i am very intimate1 to review the medical course with me4 ,since then1 we pass all our evenings together1 and rarely separate before midnight1--reading alternately ,french and ,german medical books4 ,in this way1 although ,i devote my whole day to my own work about fishes1 ,i hope to finish my professional studies before summer4 ,i shall then pass my examination for the ,doctorate in ,germany1 and afterward do the same in ,lausanne4 ,i hope that this decision will please mama4 ,my character and conduct are the pledge of its accomplishment4 ,this1 then1 is my night-work4 ,i have still to tell you what ,i do by day1 and this is more important4 ,my first duty is to complete my ,brazilian ,fishes4 ,to be sure1 it is only an honorary work1 but it must be finished1 and is an additional means of making subsequent works profitable4 ,this is my morning occupation1 and ,i am sure of bringing it to a close about ,easter4 ,after much reflection1 ,i have decided that the best way to turn my ,fresh-,water ,fishes to account1 is to finish them completely before offering them to a publisher4 ,all the expenses being then paid1 ,i could afford1 if the first publisher should not feel able to take them on my own terms1 to keep them as a safe investment4 ,the publisher himself seeing the material finished1 and being sure of bringing it out as a complete work1 the value of which he can on that account better estimate1 will be more disposed to accept my proposals1 while ,i1 on my side1 can be more exacting4 ,the text for this ,i write in the afternoon4 ,my greatest difficulty at first was the execution of the plates4 ,but here1 also1 my good star has served me wonderfully4 ,i told you that beside the complete drawings of the fishes ,i wanted to represent their skeletons and the anatomy of the soft parts1 which has never been done for this class4 ,i shall thereby give a new value to the work1 and make it desirable for all who study comparative anatomy4 ,the puzzle was to find some one who was prepared to draw things of this kind2 but ,i have made the luckiest hit1 and am more than satisfied4 ,my former artist continues to draw the fishes1 a second draws the skeletons 7one who had already been engaged for several years in the same way1 for a work upon reptiles71 while a young physician1 who is an admirable draughtsman1 makes my anatomical figures4 ,for my share1 ,i direct their work while writing the text1 and thus the whole advances with great strides4 ,i do not1 however1 stop here4 ,having by permission of the ,director of the ,museum one of the finest collections of fossils in ,germany at my disposition1 and being also allowed to take the specimens home as ,i need them1 ,i have undertaken to publish the ichthyological part of the collection4 ,since it only makes the difference of one or two people more to direct1 ,i have these specimens also drawn at the same time4 ,nowhere so well as here1 where the ,academy of ,fine ,arts brings together so many draughtsmen1 could ,i have the same facility for completing a similar work2 and as it is an entirely new branch1 in which no one has as yet done anything of importance1 ,i feel sure of success2 the more so because ,cuvier1 who alone could do it 7for the simple reason that every one else has till now neglected the fishes71 is not engaged upon it4 ,add to this that just now there is a real need of this work for the determination of the different geological formations4 ,once before1 at the ,heidelberg meeting1 it had been proposed to me2 the ,director of the ,mines at ,strasbourg1 ,m4 ,voltz1 even offered to send me at ,munich the whole collection of fossil fishes from their ,museum4 ,i did not speak to you of this at the time because it would have been of no use4 ,but now that ,i have it in my power to carry out the project1 ,i should be a fool to let a chance escape me which certainly will not present itself a second time so favorably4 ,it is therefore my intention to prepare a general work on fossil ichthyology4 ,i hope1 if ,i can command another hundred louis1 to complete everything of which ,i have spoken before the end of the summer1 that is to say1 in ,july4 ,i shall then have on hand two works which should surely be worth a thousand louis to me4 ,this is a low estimate1 for even ephemeral pieces and literary ventures are paid at this price4 ,you can easily make the calculation4 ,they allow three louis for each plate with the accompanying text2 my fossils will have about two hundred plates1 and my fresh-water fishes about one hundred and fifty4 ,this seems to me plausible4 4 4 ,this letter evidently made a favorable impression on the business heads of the family at ,neuchatel1 for it is forwarded to his parents1 with these words from his brother on the last sheet3 ,i hasten1 dear father1 to send you this excellent letter from my brother1 which has just reached me4 ,they have read it here with interest1 and ,uncle ,francois ,mayor1 especially1 sees both stability and a sound basis in his projects and enterprises4 ,there is something touching and almost amusing in ,agassiz's efforts to give a prudential aspect to his large scientific schemes4 ,he was perfectly sincere in this1 but to the end of his life he skirted the edge of the precipice1 daring all1 and finding in himself the power to justify his risks by his successes4 ,he was of frugal personal habits2 at this very time1 when he was keeping two or three artists on his slender means1 he made his own breakfast in his room1 and dined for a few cents a day at the cheapest eating houses4 ,but where science was concerned the only economy he recognized1 either in youth or old age1 was that of an expenditure as bold as it was carefully considered4 ,in the above letter to his brother we have the story of his work during the whole winter of #ahcj4 ,that his medical studies did not suffer from the fact that1 in conjunction with them1 he was carrying on his two great works on the living and the dead world of fishes may be inferred from the following account of his medical theses4 ,it was written after his death1 to his son ,alexander ,agassiz1 by ,professor von ,siebold1 now ,director of the ,museum in the ,university of ,munich4 ,how earnestly ,agassiz devoted himself to the study of medicine is shown by the theses 7seventy-four in number71 a list of which was printed1 according to the prescribed rule and custom1 with his ',einladung4' ,i am astonished at the great number of these4 ,the subjects are anatomical1 pathological1 surgical1 obstetrical2 they are inquiries into materia medica1 medicina forensis1 and the relation of botany to these topics4 ,one of them interested me especially4 ,it read as follows4 ',foemina humana superior mare4' ,i would gladly have known how your father interpreted that sentence4 ,last fall 7#ahgc7 ,i wrote him a letter1 the last ,i ever addressed to him1 questioning him about this very subject4 ,that letter1 alas6 remained unanswered4 ,in a letter to his brother just before taking his degree1 ,agassiz says3 ,i am now determined to pursue medicine and natural history side by side4 ,thank you1 with all my heart1 for your disinterested offer1 but ,i shall not need it1 for ,i am going on well with my publisher1 ,m4 ,cotta1 of ,stuttgart4 ,i have great hope that he will accept my works1 since he has desired that they should be forwarded to him for examination4 ,i have sent him the whole1 and ,i feel very sure he will swallow the pill4 ,my conditions would be the only cause of delay1 but ,i hope he will agree to them4 ,for the fresh-water fishes and the fossils together ,i have asked twenty thousand ,swiss francs4 ,should he not consent to this1 ,i shall apply to another publisher4 ,on the #crd of ,april he received his degree of ,doctor of ,medicine4 ,a day or two later he writes to his mother that her great desire for him is accomplished4 ,,to ,,his ,,mother4 ,,munich1 ,april1 #ahcj4 4 4 4,my letter to-day must be to you1 for to you ,i owe it that ,i have undertaken the work just completed1 and ,i write to thank you for having encouraged my zeal4 ,i am very sure that no letter from me has ever given you greater pleasure than this one will bring2 and ,i can truly say1 on my own part1 that ,i have never written one with greater satisfaction4 ,yesterday ,i finished my medical examination1 after having satisfied every requirement of the ,faculty4 4 4,the whole ceremony lasted nine days4 ,at the close1 while they considered my case1 ,i was sent out of the room4 ,on my return1 the ,dean said to me1 ,the ,faculty have been ,,very ,,much 7emphasized7 pleased with your answers2 they congratulate themselves on being able to give the diploma to a young man who has already acquired so honorable a reputation4 ,on ,saturday1 after having argued your thesis1 you will receive your degree1 in the ,academic ,hall1 from the ,rector of the ,university4 ,the ,rector then added that he should look upon it as the brightest moment of his ,rectorship when he conferred upon me the title ,i had so well merited4 ,next ,saturday1 then1 at the very time you receive this letter1 at ten o'clock in the morning1 the discussion will have begun1 and at twelve ,i shall have my degree4 ,dear ,mother1 dismiss all anxiety about me4 ,you see ,i am as good as my word4 4 4,write soon2 in a few days ,i go to ,vienna for some months4 4 4 ,,from ,,his ,,mother4 ,,orbe1 ,april #g1 #ahcj4 ,i cannot thank you enough1 my dear ,louis1 for the happiness you have given me in completing your medical examinations1 and thus securing to yourself a career as safe as it is honorable4 ,it is a laurel added to those you have already won2 in my eyes the most precious of all4 ,you have for my sake gone through a long and arduous task2 were it in my power ,i would gladly reward you1 but ,i cannot even say that ,i love you the more for it1 because that is impossible4 ,my anxious solicitude for your future is a proof of my ardent affection for you2 only one thing was wanting to make me the happiest of mothers1 and this1 my ,louis1 you have just given me4 ,may ,god reward you by giving you all possible success in the care of your fellow-beings4 ,may the benedictions which honor the memory of a good physician be your portion1 as they have been in the highest degree that of your grandfather4 ,why can he not be here to share my happiness to-day in seeing my ,louis a medical graduate64 4 4 ,agassiz was recalled from ,vienna in less than two months by the arrival in ,munich of his publisher1 ,m4 ,cotta1 a personal interview with whom seemed to him important4 ,the only letter preserved from the ,vienna visit shows that his short stay there was full of interest and instruction4 ,,to ,,his ,,father4 ,,vienna1 ,may #aa1 #ahcj4 4 4 4,since my arrival ,i have seen so much that ,i hardly know where to begin my narrative1 and what ,i have seen has suggested reflections on many grave subjects1 of a kind ,i had hardly expected to make here4 ,nowhere have ,i seen establishments on broader or more stately foundations1 nor do ,i believe that anywhere are foreigners allowed more liberal use of like institutions4 ,i speak of the university1 the hospitals1 libraries1 and collections of all sorts4 ,neither have ,i seen anywhere else such fine churches1 and ,i have more than once felt the difference between worshiping within bare walls1 and in buildings more worthy of devotional purposes4 ,in one word1 ,i should be enchanted with my stay in ,vienna if ,i could be free from the idea that ,i am always surrounded by an imperceptible net1 ready to close upon me at the slightest signal4 ,with this exception1 the only discomfort to a foreigner here1 if he is unaccustomed to it1 is that of being obliged to abstain from all criticism of affairs in public places2 still more must he avoid commenting upon persons4 ,i am especially satisfied with my visit from a scientific point of view4 ,i have learned1 and am still learning1 the care of the eyes and how to operate upon them2 as to medicine1 the physicians1 however good1 do not surpass those ,i have already known2 and as ,i do not believe it important that a young physician should familiarize himself with a great variety of curative methods1 ,i try to observe carefully the patient and his disease rather than to remember the medicaments applied in special cases4 ,surgery and midwifery are poorly provided1 but one has a chance to see many interesting cases4 ,during the last fortnight ,i have visited the collection of natural history often1 generally in the afternoon4 ,to tell you how ,i have been expected there from the moment ,i was known to be here1 and how ,i was received on my first visit1 and have been feted since 7as ,ichthyologus primus seculi1--so they say71 would1 perhaps1 tire you and might seem egotistical in me1 neither of which do ,i desire4 ,but it will not be indifferent to you to know that ,cotta is disposed to accept my ,fishes4 ,he has been at ,munich for some days1 and ,schimper has been talking with him1 and has advanced matters more by a few words than ,i had been able to do by much writing4 ,for this reason ,i intend returning soon to ,munich to complete the business1 since ,cotta is to be there several weeks longer4 ,thus ,i shall have reached my aim1 and be provided from this autumn onward with an independent maintenance4 ,i was often very anxious this past winter1 in my uncertainty about the means of finally making good such large outlays4 ,if1 however1 ,cotta makes no other condition than that of a certain number of subscribers1 ,i shall be sure of them in six months4 ,you may thus regard what ,i have done as a speculation happily concluded1 and one which places me at the summit of my desires1 for it leaves me free1 at last1 to work upon my projects4 4 4 ,a letter to his brother1 of the #bith of ,may1 just after his return to ,munich1 gives a retrospect of the ,viennese visit1 including the personal details which he had hesitated to write to his father4 ,they are important as showing the position he already1 at twenty-three years of age1 held among scientific men4 ,everything1 he says1 was open to me as a foreigner1 and to my great surprise ,i was received as an associate already known4 ,was it not gratifying to go to ,vienna with no recommendation whatever1 and to be welcomed and sought by all the scientific men1 and afterwards presented and introduced everywhere8 ,in the ,museum1 not only were the rooms opened for me when ,i pleased1 but also the cases1 and even the jars1 so that ,i could take out whatever ,i needed for examination4 ,at the hospital several professors carried their kindness so far1 as to invite me to accompany them in their private visits4 ,you may fancy whether ,i profited by all this1 and how many things ,i saw4 ,after some account of his business arrangements with ,cotta1 he adds ,meantime1 be at ease about me4 ,i have strings enough to my bow1 and need not feel anxious about the future4 ,what troubles me is that the thing ,i most desire seems to me1 at least for the present1 farthest from my reach1--namely1 the direction of a great ,museum4 ,when ,i have finished with ,cotta ,i shall begin to pack my effects1 and shall hope to turn my face homeward somewhere about the end of ,august4 ,i can hardly leave earlier1 because1 for the sake of practice1 ,i have begun to deliver zoological lectures1 open to all who like to attend1 and ,i want to complete the course before my departure4 ,i lecture without even an outline or headings before me1 but this requires preparation4 ,you see ,i do not lose my time4 ,the next home letter announces an important change in the family affairs4 ,his father had been called from his parish at ,orbe to that of ,concise1 a small town situated on the south-western shore of the ,lake of ,neuchatel4 ,,from ,,his ,,mother4 ,,orbe1 ,july1 #ahcj4 4 4 4,since your father wrote you on the #dth of ,june1 dear ,louis1 we have had no news from you1 and therefore infer that you are working with especial zeal to wind up your affairs in ,germany and come home as soon as possible4 ,whatever haste you make1 however1 you will not find us here4 ,four days ago your father became pastor of ,concise1 and yesterday we went to visit our new home4 ,nothing can be prettier1 and by all who know the place it is considered the most desirable position in the canton4 ,there is a vineyard1 a fine orchard filled with fruit-trees in full bearing1 and an excellent kitchen garden4 ,a never-failing spring gushes from a grotto1 and within fifty steps of the house is a pretty winding stream with a walk along the bank1 bordered by shrubbery1 and furnished here and there with benches1 the whole disposed with much care and taste4 ,the house also is very well arranged4 ,all the rooms look out upon the lake1 lying hardly a gunshot from the windows4 ,there are a parlor and a dining-room on the first floor1 beside two smaller rooms2 and on the same floor two doors lead out into the flower garden4 ,the kitchen is small1 and on one side is a pretty ground where we can dine in the open air in summer4 ,the distribution of rooms in the upper story is the same1 with a large additional room for the accommodation of your father's catechumens4 ,a jasmine vine drapes the front of the house and climbs to the very roof4 4 4 ,to this quiet pretty parsonage ,madame ,agassiz became much attached4 ,her tranquil life is well described in a letter written many years afterward by one of her daughters4 ,here mama returned to her spinning-wheel with new ardor4 ,it was a work she much liked1 and in which she was very skillful4 ,in former times at grandpapa's every woman in the house1 whether mistress or maid1 had her wheel1 and the young ladies were accustomed to spin and make up their own trousseaus4 ,later1 mama continued her spinning for her children1 and even for her grandchildren4 ,we all preserve as a precious souvenir1 table linen of her making4 ,we delighted to see her at her wheel1 she was so graceful1 and the thread of her thought seemed to follow1 so to speak1 the fine and delicate thread of her work as it unwound itself under her touch from the distaff4 ,agassiz was detained by his publishing arrangements and his work longer than he had expected1 and ,november was already advanced before his preparations for leaving ,munich were completed4 ,,to ,,his ,,parents4 ,,munich1 ,november #i1 #ahcj4 4 4 4,according to your wish this refers to a suggestion about a fellow-student in a previous letter ,i shall not bring any friend with me4 ,i long to enjoy the pleasure of family life4 ,i shall1 however1 be accompanied by one person1 for whom ,i should like to make suitable arrangements4 ,he is the artist who makes all my drawings4 ,if there is no room for him in the house he can be lodged elsewhere2 but ,i wish you could give me the use of a well-lighted room1 where ,i could work and he could draw at my side through the day4 ,do not be frightened2 he is not at my charge2 but it would be a great advantage to me if ,i could have him in the house4 ,as ,i do not want to lose time in the mechanical part of my work1 ,i would beg papa to engage for me some handy boy1 fifteen years old or so1 whom ,i could employ in cleaning skeletons and the like4 ,finally1 you will receive several boxes for me2 leave them unopened till ,i come1 without even paying the freight upon them1--the most unsatisfactory of all expenses2--and ,i do not wish you to have an unpleasant association with my collections4 ,my affairs are all in order with ,cotta1 and ,i have even concluded the arrangement more advantageously than ,i had dared to hope1--a thousand louis1 six hundred payable on the publication of the first number1 and four hundred in installments1 as the publication goeson4 ,if ,i had not been in haste to close the matter in order to secure myself against all doubt1 ,i might have done even better4 ,but ,i hope ,i have reconciled you thereby to ,natural ,history4 ,what remains to be done will be the work of less than half a year1 during which ,i wish also to get together the materials for my second work1 on the fossils4 ,of that ,i have already spoken with my publisher1 and he will take it on more favorable conditions than ,i could have dictated4 ,do your best to find me subscribers1 that we may soon make our typographical arrangements4 4 4 ,his father's answer1 full of fun as it is1 shows1 nevertheless1 that the prospect of domesticating not only the naturalist and his collections1 but artist and assistant also1 was rather startling4 ,,from ,,his ,,father4 ,,concise1 ,november #af1 #ahcj4 4 4 4,you speak of ,christmas as the moment of your arrival2 let us call it the ,new ,year4 ,you will naturally pass some days at ,neuchatel to be with your brother1 to see the ,messrs4 ,coulon1 etc42 from there to ,cudrefin for a look at your collection2 then to ,concise1 then to ,montagny1 ,orbe1 ,lausanne1 ,geneva1 etc4 ,m4 le ,docteur will be claimed and feted by all in turn4 ,and during all these indispensable excursions1 for which1 to be within bounds1 ,i allow a month at least1 it is as clear as daylight that regular work must be set aside1 if1 indeed1 the time be not wholly lost4 ,now1 for ,heaven's sake1 what will you do1 or rather what shall ,,we do1 with your painter1 in this interval employed by you elsewhere4 ,neither is this all4 ,though the date of ,cecile's marriage is not fixed1 it is more than likely to take place in ,january1 so that you will be here for the wedding4 ,if you will recollect the overturning of the paternal mansion when your outfit was preparing for ,bienne1 ,zurich1 and other places1 you can form an idea of the state of our rooms above and below1 large and small1 when the work of the trousseau begins4 ,where1 in ,heaven's name1 will you stow away a painter and an assistant in the midst of half a brigade of dress-makers1 seamstresses1 lace-makers1 and milliners1 without counting the accompanying train of friends8 ,where would you1 or where could you1 put under shelter your possessions 7,i dare not undertake to enumerate them71 among all the taffetas and brocades1 linens1 muslin1 tulles1 laces1 etc48 ,but what am ,i saying8 ,i doubt if these names are still in existence1 for quite other appellations are sounding in my ears1 each one of which1 to the number of some hundred1 signifies at least twenty yards in width1 to say nothing of the length4 ,for my part1 ,i have already1 notwithstanding the approach of winter1 put up a big nail in the garret1 on which to hang my bands and surplice4 ,listen1 then1 to the conclusion of your father4 ,give all possible care to your affairs in ,munich1 put them in perfect order1 leave nothing to be done1 and leave nothing behind ,,except ,,the ,,painter4 ,you can call him in from here1 whenever you think you can make use of him4 ,,to ,,his ,,parents4 ,,munich1 ,november #bf1 #ahcj4 4 4 4,when you receive this ,i shall be no longer in ,munich2 by means of a last draft on ,m4 ,eichthal ,i have settled with every one1 and ,i hope to leave the day after to-morrow4 ,i fully recognize the justice of your observations1 my dear father1 but as you start from a mistaken point of view1 they do not coincide altogether with existing circumstances4 ,i intend to stay with you until the approach of summer1 not only with the aim of working upon the text of my book1 but chiefly in order to take advantage of all the fossil collections in ,switzerland4 ,for that purpose ,i positively need a draughtsman1 who1 thanks to my publisher1 is not in my pay1 and who must accompany me in future wherever ,i go4 ,since there is no room at home1 please see how he can be lodged in the neighborhood4 ,i have1 at the utmost1 to glance each day at what he has done4 ,i can even give him work for several weeks in which my presence would be unnecessary4 ,if there is a considerable collection of fossils at ,zurich1 ,i shall leave him there till he has finished his work1 and then he will rejoin me2 all that depends upon circumstances4 ,in any case he must not be a charge to you1 still less interfere with our family privacy4 ,that ,i may spend all my time with you1 ,i shall at present bring with me nothing that is not absolutely necessary4 ,we shall see later where ,i shall place my museum4 ,as to visits1 they are not to be thought of until the spring4 ,i could not bear the idea of interruption before the first number of my ,fishes is finished4 ,the artist in question was ,mr4 ,dinkel4 ,his relations with the family became of a truly friendly character4 ,the connection between him and ,agassiz1 most honorable to both parties1 lasted for sixteen years1 and was then only interrupted by the departure of ,agassiz for ,america4 ,during this whole period ,mr4 ,dinkel was occupied as his draughtsman1 living sometimes in ,paris1 sometimes in ,england1 sometimes in ,switzerland1 wherever1 in short1 there were specimens to be drawn4 ,in a private letter1 written long afterward1 he says1 in speaking of the break in their intercourse caused by ,agassiz's removal to ,america3 ,for a long time ,i felt unhappy at that separation4 4 4,he was a kind1 noble-hearted friend2 he was very benevolent1 and if he had possessed millions of money he would have spent them for his researches in science1 and have done good to his fellow-creatures as much as possible4 ,some passages from ,braun's letters complete the chapter of these years in ,munich1 so rich in purpose and in experience1 the prelude1 as it were1 to the intellectual life of the two friends who had entered upon them together4 ,these extracts show how seriously1 not without a certain sadness1 they near the end4 ,,braun ,,to ,,his ,,father4 ,,munich1 ,november #g1 #ahcj4 ,were ,i to leave ,munich now1 ,i must separate myself from ,agassiz and ,schimper1 which would be neither agreeable nor advantageous for me1 nor would it be friendly toward them4 ,we will not shorten the time1 already too scantly measured1 which we may still spend so quietly1 so wholly by ourselves1 but rather1 as long as it lasts1 make the best use of it in a mutual exchange of what we have learned1 trying to encourage each other in the right path1 and drawing more closely together for our whole life to come4 ,agassiz is to stay till the end of the month2 during this time he will give us lectures in anatomy1 and ,i shall learn a good deal of zoology4 ,beside all this one thing is certain2 namely1 that we can review our medical work much more quietly and uninterruptedly here than in ,carlsruhe4 ,add to this1 the advantage we enjoy here of visiting the hospitals4 4 4 ,the time passes delightfully with us of late1 for ,agassiz has received several baskets of books from ,cotta1 among others1 ,schiller's and ,goethe's complete works1 the ,conversations-,lexicon1 medical works1 and works on natural history4 ,how many books a man may receive in return for writing only one6 ,they are1 of course1 deducted from his share of the profits4 ,yesterday we did nothing but read ,goethe the whole day4 ,a brief account of ,agassiz's university life1 dictated by himself1 may fitly close the record of this period4 ,he was often urged to put together a few reminiscences of his life1 but he lived so intensely in the present1 every day bringing its full task1 that he had little time for retrospect1 and this sketch remained a fragment4 ,it includes some facts already told1 but is given almost verbatim1 because it forms a sort of summary of his intellectual development up to this date4 ,i am conscious that at successive periods of my life ,i have employed very different means and followed very different systems of study4 ,i may1 therefore1 be allowed to offer the result of my experience as a contribution toward the building up of a sound method for the promotion of the study of nature4 ,at first1 when a mere boy1 twelve years of age1 ,i did what most beginners do4 ,i picked up whatever ,i could lay my hands on1 and tried1 by such books and authorities as ,i had at my command1 to find the names of these objects4 ,my highest ambition1 at that time1 was to be able to designate the plants and animals of my native country correctly by a ,latin name1 and to extend gradually a similar knowledge in its application to the productions of other countries4 ,this seemed to me1 in those days1 the legitimate aim and proper work of a naturalist4 ,i still possess manuscript volumes in which ,i entered the names of all the animals and plants with which ,i became acquainted1 and ,i well remember that ,i then ardently hoped to acquire the same superficial familiarity with the whole creation4 ,i did not then know how much more important it is to the naturalist to understand the structure of a few animals1 than to command the whole field of scientific nomenclature4 ,since ,i have become a teacher1 and have watched the progress of students1 ,i have seen that they all begin in the same way2 but how many have grown old in the pursuit1 without ever rising to any higher conception of the study of nature1 spending their life in the determination of species1 and in extending scientific terminology6 ,long before ,i went to the university1 and before ,i began to study natural history under the guidance of men who were masters in the science during the early part of this century1 ,i perceived that while nomenclature and classification1 as then understood1 formed an important part of the study1 being1 in fact1 its technical language1 the study of living beings in their natural element was of infinitely greater value4 ,at that age1 namely1 about fifteen1 ,i spent most of the time ,i could spare from classical and mathematical studies in hunting the neighboring woods and meadows for birds1 insects1 and land and fresh-water shells4 ,my room became a little menagerie1 while the stone basin under the fountain in our yard was my reservoir for all the fishes ,i could catch4 ,indeed1 collecting1 fishing1 and raising caterpillars1 from which ,i reared fresh1 beautiful butterflies1 were then my chief pastimes4 ,what ,i know of the habits of the fresh-water fishes of ,central ,europe ,i mostly learned at that time2 and ,i may add1 that when afterward ,i obtained access to a large library and could consult the works of ,bloch and ,lacepede1 the only extensive works on fishes then in existence1 ,i wondered that they contained so little about their habits1 natural attitudes1 and mode of action with which ,i was so familiar4 ,the first course of lectures on zoology ,i attended was given in ,lausanne in #ahbc4 ,it consisted chiefly of extracts from ,cuvier's ',regne ,animal1' and from ,lamarck's ',animaux sans ,vertebres4' ,i now became aware1 for the first time1 that the learned differ in their classifications4 ,with this discovery1 an immense field of study opened before me1 and ,i longed for some knowledge of anatomy1 that ,i might see for myself where the truth was4 ,during two years spent in the ,medical ,school of ,zurich1 ,i applied myself exclusively to the study of anatomy1 physiology1 and zoology1 under the guidance of ,professors ,schinz and ,hirzel4 ,my inability to buy books was1 perhaps1 not so great a misfortune as it seemed to me2 at least1 it saved me from too great dependence on written authority4 ,i spent all my time in dissecting animals and in studying human anatomy1 not forgetting my favorite amusements of fishing and collecting4 ,i was always surrounded with pets1 and had at this time some forty birds flying about my study1 with no other home than a large pine-tree in the corner4 ,i still remember my grief when a visitor1 entering suddenly1 caught one of my little favorites between the floor and the door1 and he was killed before ,i could extricate him4 ,professor ,schinz's private collection of birds was my daily resort1 and ,i then described every bird it contained1 as ,i could not afford to buy even a text-book of ornithology4 ,i also copied with my own hand1 having no means of purchasing the work1 two volumes of ,lamarck's ',animaux sans ,vertebres1' and my dear brother copied another half volume for me4 ,i finally learned that the study of the things themselves was far more attractive than the books ,i so much coveted2 and when1 at last1 large libraries became accessible to me1 ,i usually contented myself with turning over the leaves of the volumes on natural history1 looking at the illustrations1 and recording the titles of the works1 that ,i might readily consult them for identification of such objects as ,i should have an opportunity of examining in nature4 ,after spending in this way two years in ,zurich1 ,i was attracted to ,heidelberg by the great reputation of its celebrated teachers1 ,tiedemann1 ,leuckart1 ,bronn1 and others4 ,it is true that ,i was still obliged to give up a part of my time to the study of medicine1 but while advancing in my professional course by a steady application to anatomy and physiology1 ,i attended the lectures of ,leuckart in zoology1 and those of ,bronn in paleontology4 ,the publication of ,goldfuss's great work on the fossils of ,germany was just then beginning1 and it opened a new world to me4 ,familiar as ,i was with ,cuvier's ',regne ,animal1' ,i had not then seen his ',researches on ,fossil ,remains1' and the study of fossils seemed to me only an extension of the field of zoology4 ,i had no idea of its direct connection with geology1 or of its bearing on the problem of the successive introduction of animals on the earth4 ,i had never thought of the larger and more philosophical view of nature as one great world1 but considered the study of animals only as it was taught by descriptive zoology in those days4 ,at about this time1 however1 ,i made the acquaintance of two young botanists1 ,braun and ,schimper1 both of whom have since become distinguished in the annals of science4 ,botany had in those days received a new impulse from the great conceptions of ,goethe4 ,the metamorphosis of plants was the chief study of my friends1 and ,i could not but feel that descriptive zoology had not spoken the last word in our science1 and that grand generalizations1 such as were opening upon botanists1 must be preparing for zoologists also4 ,intimate contact with ,german students made me feel that ,i had neglected my philosophical education2 and when1 in the year #ahbg1 the new ,university of ,munich opened1 with ,schelling as professor of philosophy1 ,oken1 ,schubert1 and ,wagler as professors of zoology1 ,dollinger as professor of anatomy and physiology1 ,martius and ,zuccarini as professors of botany1 ,fuchs and ,kobell as professors of mineralogy1 ,i determined to go there with my two friends and drink new draughts of knowledge4 ,during the years ,i passed at ,munich ,i devoted myself almost exclusively to the different branches of natural science1 neglecting more and more my medical studies1 because ,i began to feel an increasing confidence that ,i could fight my way in the world as a naturalist1 and that ,i was therefore justified in following my strong bent in that direction4 ,my experience in ,munich was very varied4 ,with ,dollinger ,i learned to value accuracy of observation4 ,as ,i was living in his house1 he gave me personal instruction in the use of the microscope1 and showed me his own methods of embryological investigation4 ,he had already been the teacher of ,karl ,ernst von ,baer2 and though the pupil outran the master1 and has become the pride of the scientific world1 it is but just to remember that he owed to him his first initiation into the processes of embryological research4 ,dollinger was a careful1 minute1 persevering observer1 as well as a deep thinker2 but he was as indolent with his pen as he was industrious with his brain4 ,he gave his intellectual capital to his pupils without stint or reserve1 and nothing delighted him more than to sit down for a quiet talk on scientific matters with a few students1 or to take a ramble with them into the fields outside the city1 and explain to them as he walked the result of any recent investigation he had made4 ,if he found himself understood by his listeners he was satisfied1 and cared for no farther publication of his researches4 ,i could enumerate many works of masters in our science1 which had no other foundation at the outset than these inspiriting conversations4 ,no one has borne warmer testimony to the influence ,dollinger has had in this indirect way on the progress of our science than the investigator ,i have already mentioned as his greatest pupil1--von ,baer4 ,in the introduction to his work on embryology he gratefully acknowledges his debt to his old teacher4 ,among the most fascinating of our professors was ,oken4 ,a master in the art of teaching1 he exercised an almost irresistible influence over his students4 ,constructing the universe out of his own brain1 deducing from a priori conceptions all the relations of the three kingdoms into which he divided all living beings1 classifying the animals as if by magic1 in accordance with an analogy based on the dismembered body of man1 it seemed to us who listened that the slow laborious process of accumulating precise detailed knowledge could only be the work of drones1 while a generous1 commanding spirit might build the world out of its own powerful imagination4 ,the temptation to impose one's own ideas upon nature1 to explain her mysteries by brilliant theories rather than by patient study of the facts as we find them1 still leads us away4 ,with the school of the physio-philosophers began 7at least in our day and generation7 that overbearing confidence in the abstract conceptions of the human mind as applied to the study of nature1 which still impairs the fairness of our classifications and prevents them from interpreting truly the natural relations binding together all living beings4 ,and yet1 the young naturalist of that day who did not share1 in some degree1 the intellectual stimulus given to scientific pursuits by physio-philosophy would have missed a part of his training4 ,there is a great distance between the man who1 like ,oken1 attempts to construct the whole system of nature from general premises and the one who1 while subordinating his conceptions to the facts1 is yet capable of generalizing the facts1 of recognizing their most comprehensive relations4 ,no thoughtful naturalist can silence the suggestions1 continually arising in the course of his investigations1 respecting the origin and deeper connection of all living beings2 but he is the truest student of nature who1 while seeking the solution of these great problems1 admits that the only true scientific system must be one in which the thought1 the intellectual structure1 rises out of and is based upon facts4 ,the great merit of the physio-philosophers consisted in their suggestiveness4 ,they did much in freeing our age from the low estimation of natural history as a science which prevailed in the last century4 ,they stimulated a spirit of independence among observers2 but they also instilled a spirit of daring1 which1 from its extravagance1 has been fatal to the whole school4 ,he is lost1 as an observer1 who believes that he can1 with impunity1 affirm that for which he can adduce no evidence4 ,it was a curious intellectual experience to listen day after day to the lectures of ,oken1 while following at the same time ,schelling's courses1 where he was shifting the whole ground of his philosophy from its negative foundation as an a priori doctrine to a positive basis1 as an historical science4 ,he unfolded his views in a succession of exquisite lectures1 delivered during four consecutive years4 ,among my fellow-students were many young men who now rank among the highest lights in the various departments of science1 and others1 of equal promise1 whose early death cut short their work in this world4 ,some of us had already learned at this time to work for ourselves2 not merely to attend lectures and study from books4 ,the best spirit of emulation existed among us2 we met often to discuss our observations1 undertook frequent excursions in the neighborhood1 delivered lectures to our fellow-students1 and had1 not infrequently1 the gratification of seeing our university professors among the listeners4 ,these exercises were of the highest value to me as a preparation for speaking1 in later years1 before larger audiences4 ,my study was usually the lecture-room4 ,it would hold conveniently from fifteen to twenty persons1 and both students and professors used to call our quarters ,the ,little ,academy4 ,in that room ,i made all the skeletons represented on the plates of ,wagler's ,natural ,system of ,reptiles2 there ,i once received the great anatomist1 ,meckel1 sent to me by ,dollinger1 to examine my anatomical preparations and especially the many fish-skeletons ,i had made from fresh-water fishes4 ,by my side were constantly at work two artists2 one engaged in drawing various objects of natural history1 the other in drawing fossil fishes4 ,i kept always one and sometimes two artists in my pay2 it was not easy1 with an allowance of #bej dollars a year1 but they were even poorer than ,i1 and so we managed to get along together4 ,my microscope ,i had earned by writing4 ,i had hardly finished the publication of the ,brazilian ,fishes1 when ,i began to study the works of the older naturalists4 ,professor ,dollinger had presented me with a copy of ,rondelet1 which was my delight for a long time4 ,i was especially struck by the naivete of his narrative and the minuteness of his descriptions as well as by the fidelity of his woodcuts1 some of which are to this day the best figures we have of the species they represent4 ,his learning overwhelmed me2 ,i would gladly have read1 as he did1 everything that had been written before my time2 but there were authors who wearied me1 and ,i confess that at that age ,linnaeus was among the number4 ,i found him dry1 pedantic1 dogmatic1 conceited2 while ,i was charmed with ,aristotle1 whose zoology ,i have read and re-read ever since at intervals of two or three years4 ,i must1 however1 do myself the justice to add1 that after ,i knew more of the history of our science ,i learned also duly to reverence ,linnaeus4 ,but a student1 already familiar with the works of ,cuvier1 and but indifferently acquainted with the earlier progress of zoology1 could hardly appreciate the merit of the great reformer of natural history4 ,his defects were easily perceived1 and it required more familiarity than mine then was with the gradual growth of the science1 from ,aristotle onward1 to understand how great and beneficial an influence ,linnaeus had exerted upon modern natural history4 ,i cannot review my ,munich life without deep gratitude4 ,the city teemed with resources for the student in arts1 letters1 philosophy1 and science4 ,it was distinguished at that time for activity in public as well as in academic life4 ,the king seemed liberal2 he was the friend of poets and artists1 and aimed at concentrating all the glories of ,germany in his new university4 ,i thus enjoyed for a few years the example of the most brilliant intellects1 and that stimulus which is given by competition between men equally eminent in different spheres of human knowledge4 ,under such circumstances a man either subsides into the position of a follower in the ranks that gather around a master1 or he aspires to be a master himself4 ,the time had come when even the small allowance ,i received from borrowed capital must cease4 ,i was now twenty-four years of age4 ,i was ,doctor of ,philosophy and ,medicine1 and author of a quarto volume on the fishes of ,brazil4 ,i had traveled on foot all over ,southern ,germany1 visited ,vienna1 and explored extensive tracts of the ,alps4 ,i knew every animal1 living and fossil1 in the ,museums of ,munich1 ,stuttgart1 ,tubingen1 ,erlangen1 ,wurzburg1 ,carlsruhe1 and ,frankfort2 but my prospects were as dark as ever1 and ,i saw no hope of making my way in the world1 except by the practical pursuit of my profession as physician4 ,so1 at the close of #ahcj1 ,i left the university and went home1 with the intention of applying myself to the practice of medicine1 confident that my theoretical information and my training in the art of observing would carry me through the new ordeal ,i was about to meet4 ,,chapter #e4 #ahcj-ahcb3 ,,age #bc-be4 ,year at ,home4 ,leaves ,home for ,paris4 ,delays on the ,road4 ,cholera4 ,arrival in ,paris4 ,first ,visit to ,cuvier4 ,cuvier's ,kindness4 ,his ,death4 ,poverty in ,paris4 ,home ,letters concerning ,embarrassments and about his ,work4 ,singular ,dream4 ,on the #dth of ,december1 #ahcj1 ,agassiz left ,munich1 in company with ,mr4 ,dinkel1 and after a short stay at ,st4 ,gallen and ,zurich1 spent in looking up fossil fishes and making drawings of them1 they reached ,concise on the #cjth of the same month4 ,anxiously as his return was awaited at home1 we have seen that his father was not without apprehension lest the presence of the naturalist1 with artist1 specimens1 and apparatus1 should be an inconvenience in the quiet parsonage4 ,but every obstacle yielded to the joy of reunion1 and ,agassiz was soon established with his painter1 his fossils1 and all his scientific outfit1 under the paternal roof4 ,thus quietly engaged in his ichthyological studies1 carrying on his work on the fossil fishes1 together with that on the fresh-water fishes of ,central ,europe1 he passed nearly a year at home4 ,he was not without patients also in the village and its environs1 but had1 as yet1 no prospect of permanent professional employment4 ,in the mean time it seemed daily more and more necessary that he should carry his work to ,paris1 to the great centre of scientific life1 where he could have the widest field for comparison and research4 ,there1 also1 he could continue and complete to the best advantage his medical studies4 ,his poverty was the greatest hindrance to any such move4 ,he was not1 however1 without some slight independent means1 especially since his publishing arrangements provided in part for the carrying on of his work4 ,his generous uncle added something to this1 and an old friend of his father's1 ,m4 ,christinat1 a ,swiss clergyman with whom he had been from boyhood a great favorite1 urged upon him his own contribution toward a work in which he felt the liveliest interest4 ,still the prospect with which he left for ,paris in ,september1 #ahca1 was dark enough1 financially speaking1 though full of hope in another sense4 ,on the road he made several halts for purposes of study1 combining1 as usual1 professional with scientific objects1 hospitals with museums4 ,he was1 perhaps1 a little inclined to believe that the most favorable conditions for his medical studies were to be found in conjunction with the best collections4 ,he had1 however1 a special medical purpose1 being earnest to learn everything regarding the treatment and the limitation of cholera1 then for the first time making its appearance in ,western ,europe with frightful virulence4 ,believing himself likely to continue the practice of medicine for some years at least1 he thought his observations upon this scourge would be of great importance to him4 ,his letters of this date to his father are full of the subject1 and of his own efforts to ascertain the best means of prevention and defense4 ,the following answer to an appeal from his mother shows1 however1 that his delays caused anxiety at home1 lest the small means he could devote to his studies in ,paris should be consumed on the road4 ,,to ,,his ,,mother4 ,,carlsruhe1 ,november1 #ahca4 4 4 4,i returned day before yesterday from my trip in ,wurtemberg1 and though ,i already knew what precautions had been taken everywhere in anticipation of cholera1 ,i do not think my journey was a useless one1 and am convinced that my observations will not be without interest1--chiefly for myself1 of course1 but of utility to others also ,i hope4 ,your letter being so urgent1 ,i will not1 however1 delay my departure an instant4 ,between to-day and to-morrow ,i shall put in order the specimens lent me by the ,museum1 and then start at once4 4 4,in proportion to my previous anxiety is my pleasure in the prospect of going to ,paris1 now that ,i am better fitted to present myself there as ,i could wish4 ,i have collected for my fossil fishes all the materials ,i still desired to obtain from the museums of ,carlsruhe1 ,heidelberg1 and ,strasbourg1 and have extended my knowledge of geology sufficiently to join1 without embarrassment at least1 in conversation upon the more recent researches in that department4 ,moreover1 ,braun has been kind enough to give me a superb collection1 selected by himself1 to serve as basis and guide in my researches4 ,i leave it at ,carlsruhe1 since ,i no longer need it4 4 4,i have also been able to avail myself of the ,museum of ,carlsruhe1 and of the mineralogical collection of ,braun's father4 ,beside the drawings made by ,dinkel1 ,i have added to my work one hundred and seventy-one pages of manuscript in ,french 7,i have just counted them71 written between my excursions and in the midst of other occupations4 4 4,i could not have foreseen so rich a harvest4 ,thus prepared1 he arrived in ,paris with his artist on the #afth of ,december1 #ahca4 ,on the #ahth he writes to his father4 4 4,dinkel and ,i had a very pleasant journey1 though the day after our arrival ,i was so fatigued that ,i could hardly move hand or foot1--that was yesterday4 ,nevertheless1 ,i passed the evening very agreeably at the house of ,m4 ,cuvier1 who sent to invite me1 having heard of my arrival4 ,to my surprise1 ,i found myself not quite a stranger1 --rather1 as it were1 among old acquaintances4 ,i have already given you my address1 ,rue ,copeau 7,hotel du ,jardin du ,roi1 ,numero #d74 ,as it happens1 ,m4 ,perrotet1 a traveling naturalist1 lives here also1 and has at once put me on the right track about whatever ,i most need to know4 ,there are in the house other well-known persons besides4 ,i am accommodated very cheaply1 and am at the same time within easy reach of many things1 the neighborhood of which ,i can turn to good account4 ,the medical school1 for instance1 is within ten minutes' walk2 the ,jardin des ,plantes not two hundred steps away2 while the ,hospital 7de la ,pitie71 where ,messieurs ,andral and ,lisfranc teach1 is opposite1 and nearer still4 ,to-day or to-morrow ,i shall deliver my letters1 and then set to work in good earnest4 ,pleased as he was from the beginning with all that concerned his scientific life in ,paris1 the next letter shows that the young ,swiss did not at once find himself at home in the great ,french capital4 ,,to ,,his ,,sister ,,olympe4 ,,paris1 ,january #ae1 #ahcb4 4 4 4,my expectations in coming here have been more than fulfilled4 ,in scientific matters ,i have found all that ,i knew must exist in ,paris 7indeed1 my anticipations were rather below than above the mark71 and beside that ,i have been met everywhere with courtesy1 and have received attentions of all sorts4 ,m4 ,cuvier and von ,humboldt especially treat me on all occasions as an equal1 and facilitate for me the use of the scientific collections so that ,i can work here as if ,i were at home4 ,and yet it is not the same thing2 this extreme1 but formal politeness chills you instead of putting you at your ease2 it lacks cordiality1 and1 to tell the truth1 ,i would gladly go away were ,i not held fast by the wealth of material of which ,i can avail myself for instruction4 ,in the morning ,i follow the clinical courses at the ,pitie4 4 4,at ten o'clock1 or perhaps at eleven1 ,i breakfast1 and then go to the ,museum of ,natural ,history1 where ,i stay till dark4 ,between five and six ,i dine1 and after that turn to such medical studies as do not require daylight4 ,so pass my days1 one like another1 with great regularity4 ,i have made it a rule not to go out after dinner1--,i should lose too much time4 4 4,on ,saturday only ,i spend the evening at ,m4 ,cuvier's4 4 4 ,the homesickness which is easily to be read between the lines of this letter1 due1 perhaps1 to the writer's want of familiarity with society in its conventional aspect1 yielded to the influence of an intellectual life1 which became daily more engrossing4 ,cuvier's kind reception was but an earnest of the affectionate interest he seems from the first to have felt in him4 ,after a few days he gave ,agassiz and his artist a corner in one of his own laboratories1 and often came to encourage them by a glance at their work as it went on4 ,this relation continued until ,cuvier's death1 and ,agassiz enjoyed for several months the scientific sympathy and personal friendship of the great master whom he had honored from childhood1 and whose name was ever on his lips till his own work in this world was closed4 ,the following letter1 written two months later1 to his uncle in ,lausanne tells the story in detail4 ,,to ,,dr4 ,,mayor4 ,,paris1 ,february #af1 #ahcb4 4 4 4,i have also a piece of good news to communicate1 which will1 ,i hope1 lead to very favorable results for me4 ,i think ,i told you when ,i left for ,paris that my chief anxiety was lest ,i might not be allowed to examine1 and still less to describe1 the fossil fishes and their skeletons in the ,museum4 ,knowing that ,cuvier intended to write a work on this subject1 ,i supposed that he would reserve these specimens for himself4 ,i half thought he might1 on seeing my work so far advanced1 propose to me to finish it jointly with him1 --but even this ,i hardly dared to hope4 ,it was on this account1 with the view of increasing my materials and having thereby a better chance of success with ,m4 ,cuvier1 that ,i desired so earnestly to stop at ,strasbourg and ,carlsruhe1 where ,i knew specimens were to be seen which would have a direct bearing on my aim4 ,the result has far surpassed my expectation4 ,i hastened to show my material to ,m4 ,cuvier the very day after my arrival4 ,he received me with great politeness1 though with a certain reserve1 and immediately gave me permission to see everything in the galleries of the ,museum4 ,but as ,i knew that he had put together in private collections all that could be of use to himself in writing his book1 and as he had never said a word to me of his plan of publication1 ,i remained in a painful state of doubt1 since the completion of his work would have destroyed all chance for the sale of mine4 ,last ,saturday ,i was passing the evening there1 and we were talking of science1 when he desired his secretary to bring him a certain portfolio of drawings4 ,he showed me the contents2 they were drawings of fossil fishes and notes which he had taken in the ,british ,museum and elsewhere4 ,after looking it through with me1 he said he had seen with satisfaction the manner in which ,i had treated this subject2 that ,i had indeed anticipated him1 since he had intended at some future time to do the same thing2 but that as ,i had given it so much attention1 and had done my work so well1 he had decided to renounce his project1 and to place at my disposition all the materials he had collected and all the preliminary notes he had taken4 ,you can imagine what new ardor this has given me for my work1 the more so because ,m4 ,cuvier1 ,m4 ,humboldt1 and several other persons of mark who are interested in it have promised to speak in my behalf to a publisher 7to ,levrault1 who seems disposed to undertake the publication should peace be continued71 and to recommend me strongly4 ,to accomplish my end without neglecting other occupations1 ,i work regularly at least fifteen hours a day1 sometimes even an hour or two more2 but ,i hope to reach my goal in good time4 ,this trust from ,cuvier proved to be a legacy4 ,less than three months after the date of this letter ,agassiz went1 as often happened1 to work one morning with him in his study4 ,it was ,sunday1 and he was employed upon something which ,cuvier had asked him to do1 saying1 ,you are young2 you have time enough for it1 and ,i have none to spare4 ,they worked together till eleven o'clock1 when ,cuvier invited ,agassiz to join him at breakfast4 ,after a little time spent over the breakfast table in talk with the ladies of the family1 while ,cuvier opened his letters1 papers1 etc41 they returned to the working room1 and were busily engaged in their separate occupations when ,agassiz was surprised to hear the clock strike five1 the hour for his dinner4 ,he expressed his regret that he had not quite finished his work1 but said that as he belonged to a student's table his dinner would not wait for him1 and he would return soon to complete his task4 ,cuvier answered that he was quite right not to neglect his regular hours for meals1 and commended his devotion to study1 but added1 ,be careful1 and remember that ,,work ,,kills4 ,they were the last words he heard from his beloved teacher4 ,the next day1 as ,cuvier was going up to the tribune in the ,chamber of ,deputies1 he fell1 was taken up paralyzed1 and carried home4 ,agassiz never saw him again499 799 ,this warning of ,cuvier1 ,work kills1 strangely recalls ,johannes ,muller's ,blood clings to work2 the one seems the echo of the other4 ,see ,memoir of ,johannes ,muller1 by ,rudolf ,virchow1 page #ch47 ,in order to keep intact these few data respecting his personal relations with ,cuvier1 as told in later years by ,agassiz himself1 the course of the narrative has been anticipated by a month or two4 ,let us now return to the natural order4 ,the letter to his uncle of course gave great pleasure at home4 ,just after reading it his father writes 7,february1 #ahcb71 ,now that you are intrusted with the portfolio of ,m4 ,cuvier1 ,i suppose your plan is considerably enlarged1 and that your work will be of double volume2 tell me1 then1 as much about it as you think ,i can understand1 which will not be a great deal after all4 ,his mother's letter on the same occasion is full of tender sympathy and gratitude4 ,meanwhile one daily anxiety embittered his scientific happiness4 ,the small means at his command could hardly be made1 even with the strictest economy1 to cover the necessary expenses of himself and his artist1 in which were included books1 drawing materials1 fees1 etc4 ,he was in constant terror lest he should be obliged to leave ,paris1 to give up his investigations on the fossil fishes1 and to stop work on the costly plates he had begun4 ,the truth about his affairs1 which he would gladly have concealed from those at home as long as possible1 was drawn from him by an accidental occurrence4 ,his brother had written to him for a certain book1 and1 failing to receive it1 inquired with some surprise why his commission was neglected4 ,agassiz's next letter1 about a month later than the one to his uncle1 gives the explanation4 ,,to ,,his ,,brother4 ,,paris1 ,march1 #ahcb4 4 4 4,here is the book for which you asked me1--price1 #ah francs4 ,i shall be very sorry if it comes too late1 but ,i could not help it 4 4 4,in the first place ,i had not money enough to pay for it without being left actually penniless4 ,you can imagine that after the fuel bill for the winter is paid1 little remains for other expenses out of my #bjj francs a month1 five louis of which are always due to my companion4 ,far from having anything in advance1 my month's supply is thus taken up at once4 4 4,beside this cause of delay1 you can have no idea what it is to hunt for anything in ,paris when you are a stranger there4 ,as ,i go out only in two or three directions leading to my work1 and might not otherwise leave my own street for a month at a time1 ,i naturally find myself astray when ,i am off this beaten track4 4 4,you have asked me several times how ,i have been received by those to whom ,i had introductions4 ,frankly1 after having delivered a few of my letters1 ,i have never been again1 because ,i cannot1 in my position1 spare time for visits4 4 4 ,another excellent reason for staying away now is that ,i have no presentable coat4 ,at ,m4 ,cuvier's only am ,i sufficiently at ease to go in a frock coat4 4 4,saturday1 a week ago1 ,m4 de ,ferussac offered me the editorship of the zoological section of the ,bulletin2 it would be worth to me an additional thousand francs1 but would require two or three hours' work daily4 ,write me soon what you think about it4 ,in the midst of all the encouragements which sustain me and renew my ardor1 ,i am depressed by the reverse side of my position4 ,this letter drew forth the following one4 ,,from ,,his ,,mother4 ,,concise1 ,march1 #ahcb4 4 4 4,much as your letter to your uncle delighted us1 that to your brother has saddened us4 ,it seems1 my dear child1 that you are painfully straitened in means4 ,i understand it by personal experience1 and in your case ,i have foreseen it2 it is the cloud which has always darkened your prospects to me4 ,i want to talk to you1 my dear ,louis1 of your future1 which has often made me anxious4 ,you know your mother's heart too well to misunderstand her thought1 even should its expression be unacceptable to you4 ,with much knowledge1 acquired by assiduous industry1 you are still at twenty-five years of age living on brilliant hopes1 in relation1 it is true1 with great people1 and known as having distinguished talent4 ,now1 all this would seem to me delightful if you had an income of fifty thousand francs2 but1 in your position1 you must absolutely have an occupation which will enable you to live1 and free you from the insupportable weight of dependence on others4 ,from this day forward1 my dear child1 you must look to this end alone if you would find it possible to pursue honorably the career you have chosen4 ,otherwise constant embarrassments will so limit your genius1 that you will fall below your own capacity4 ,if you follow our advice you will perhaps reach the result of your work in the natural sciences a little later1 but all the more surely4 ,let us see how you can combine the work to which you have already consecrated so much time1 with the possibility of self-support4 ,it appears from your letter to your brother that you see no one in ,paris2 the reason seems to me a sad one1 but it is unanswerable1 and since you cannot change it1 you must change your place of abode and return to your own country4 ,you have already seen in ,paris all those persons whom you thought it essential to see2 unless you are strangely mistaken in their good-will1 you will be no less sure of it in ,switzerland than in ,paris1 and since you cannot take part in their society1 your relations with them will be the same at the distance of a hundred leagues as they are now4 ,you must therefore leave ,paris for ,geneva1 ,lausanne1 or ,neuchatel1 or any city where you can support yourself by teaching4 4 4,this seems to me the most advantageous course for you4 ,if before fixing yourself permanently you like to take your place at the parsonage again1 you will always find us ready to facilitate1 as far as we can1 any arrangements for your convenience4 ,here you can live in perfect tranquillity and without expense4 ,there are two other subjects which ,i want to discuss with you1 though perhaps ,i shall not make myself so easily understood4 ,you have seen the handsome public building in process of construction at ,neuchatel4 ,it will be finished this year1 and ,i am told that the ,museum will be placed there4 ,i believe the collections are very incomplete1 and the city of ,neuchatel is rich enough to expend something in filling the blanks4 ,it has occurred to me1 my dear1 that this would be an excellent opportunity for disposing of your alcoholic specimens4 ,they form1 at present1 a capital yielding no interest1 requiring care1 and to be enjoyed only at the cost of endless outlay in glass jars1 alcohol1 and transportation1 to say nothing of the rent of a room in which to keep them4 ,all this1 beside attracting many visitors1 is too heavy a burden for you1 from which you may free yourself by taking advantage of this rare chance4 ,to this end you must have an immediate understanding with ,m4 ,coulon1 lest he should make a choice elsewhere4 ,your brother1 being on the spot1 might negotiate for you4 4 4,finally1 my last topic is ,mr4 ,dinkel4 ,you are very fortunate to have found in your artist such a thoroughly nice fellow2 nevertheless1 in view of the expense1 you must make it possible to do without him4 ,i see you look at me aghast2 but where a sacrifice is to be made we must not do it by halves2 we must pull up the tree by the roots4 ,it is a great evil to be spending more than one earns4 4 4 ,,to ,,his ,,mother4 ,,paris1 ,march #be1 #ahcb4 4 4 4,it is true1 dear mother1 that ,i am greatly straitened2 that ,i have much less money to spend than ,i could wish1 or even than ,i need2 on the other hand1 this makes me work the harder1 and keeps me away from distractions which might otherwise tempt me4 4 4,with reference to my work1 however1 things are not quite as you suppose1 as regards either my stay here or my relations with ,m4 ,cuvier4 ,certainly1 ,i hope that ,i should lose neither his good-will nor his protection on leaving here2 on the contrary1 ,i am sure that he would be the first to advise me to accept any professorship1 or any place which might be advantageous for me1 however removed from my present occupations1 and that his counsels would follow me there4 ,but what cannot follow me1 and what ,i owe quite as much to him1 is the privilege of examining all the collections4 ,these ,i can have nowhere but in ,paris1 since even if he would consent to it ,i could not carry away with me a hundred quintals of fossil fish1 which1 for the sake of comparison1 ,i must have before my eyes1 nor thousands of fish-skeletons1 which would alone fill some fifty great cases4 ,it is this which compels me to stay here till ,i have finished my work4 ,i should add that ,m4 ,elie de ,beaumont has also been kind enough to place at my disposition the fossil fishes from the collection at the ,mining ,school1 and that ,m4 ,brongniart has made me the same offer regarding his collection1 which is one of the finest among those owned by individuals in ,paris4 4 4 ,as to my collections1 ,i had already thought of asking either the ,vaudois government or the city of ,neuchatel to receive them into the ,museum1 merely on condition that they should provide for the expenses of exhibition and preservation1 making use of them1 meanwhile1 for the instruction of the public4 ,i should be sorry to lose all right to them1 because ,i hope they may have another final destination4 ,i do not despair of seeing the different parts of ,switzerland united at some future day by a closer tie1 and in case of such a union a truly ,helvetic university would become a necessity2 then1 my aim would be to make my collection the basis of that which they would be obliged to found for their courses of lectures4 ,it is really a shame that ,switzerland1 richer and more extensive than many a small kingdom1 should have no university1 when some states of not half its size have even two2 for instance1 the grand duchy of ,baden1 one of whose universities1 that of ,heidelberg1 ranks among the first in all ,germany4 ,if ever ,i attain a position allowing me so to do1 ,i shall make every effort in my power to procure for my country the greatest of benefits3 namely1 that of an intellectual unity1 which can arise only from a high degree of civilization1 and from the radiation of knowledge from one central point4 ,i1 too1 have considered the question about ,dinkel1 and if1 when ,i have finished my work here1 my position is not changed1 and ,i have no definite prospect1 such as would justify me in keeping him with me1--well6 then we must part6 ,i have long been preparing myself for this1 by employing him only upon what is indispensable to the publication of my first numbers1 hoping that these may procure me the means of paying for such illustrations as ,i shall further need4 ,as my justification for having engaged him in the first instance1 and continued this expense till now1 ,i can truly say that it is in a great degree through his drawings that ,m4 ,cuvier has been able to judge of my work1 and so has been led to make a surrender of all his materials in my favor4 ,i foresaw clearly that this was my only chance of competing with him1 and it was not without reason that ,i insisted so strongly on having ,dinkel with me in passing through ,strasbourg and subsequently at ,carlsruhe4 ,had ,i not done so1 ,m4 ,cuvier might still be in advance of me4 ,now my mind is at rest on this score2 ,i have already written you all about his kindness in offering me the work4 ,could ,i only be equally fortunate in its publication6 ,m4 ,cuvier urges me strongly to present my book to the ,academy1 in order to obtain a report upon its contents4 ,i must first finish it1 however1 and the task is not a light one4 ,for this reason1 above all1 ,i regret my want of means2 but for that ,i could have the drawings made at once1 and the ,academy report1 considered as a recommendation1 would certainly help on the publication greatly4 ,but in this respect ,i have long been straitened2 ,auguste knows that ,i had at ,munich an artist who was to complete what ,i had left there for execution1 and that ,i stopped his work on leaving ,concise4 ,if the stagnation of the book-trade continues ,i shall1 perhaps1 be forced to give up ,dinkel also2 for if ,i cannot begin the publication1 which will1 ,i hope1 bring me some return1 ,i must cease to accumulate material in advance4 ,should business revive soon1 however1 ,i may yet have the pleasure of seeing all completed before ,i leave ,paris4 ,i think ,i forgot to mention the arrival of ,braun six weeks after me4 ,i had a double pleasure in his coming1 for he brought with him his younger brother1 a charming fellow1 and a distinguished pupil of the polytechnic school of ,carlsruhe4 ,he means to be a mining engineer1 and comes to study such collections at ,paris as are connected with this branch4 ,you cannot imagine what happiness and comfort ,i have in my relations with ,alexander2 he is so good1 so cultivated and high-minded1 that his friendship is a real blessing to me4 ,we both feel very much our separation from the elder ,schimper1 who1 spite of his great desire to join us at ,carlsruhe and accompany us to ,paris1 was not able to leave ,munich4 4 4 ,p4,s4 ,my love to ,auguste4 ,to-day 7,sunday7 ,i went again to see ,m4 ,humboldt about ,auguste's99 799 ,concerning a business undertaking in ,mexico47 plan1 but did not find him4 ,then follow several pages1 addressed to his father1 in answer to the request contained in one of his last letters that ,louis would tell him as much as he thinks he can understand of his work4 ,there is something touching in this little lesson given by the son to the father1 as showing with what delight ,louis responded to the least touch of parental affection respecting his favorite studies1 so long looked upon at home with a certain doubt and suspicion4 ,the whole letter is not given here1 as it is simply an elementary treatise on geology2 but the close is not without interest as relating to the special investigations on which he was now employed4 ,the aim of our researches upon fossil animals is to ascertain what beings have lived at each one of these 7geological7 epochs of creation1 and to trace their characters and their relations with those now living2 in one word1 to make them live again in our thought4 ,it is especially the fishes that ,i try to restore for the eyes of the curious1 by showing them which ones have lived in each epoch1 what were their forms1 and1 if possible1 by drawing some conclusions as to their probable modes of life4 ,you will better understand the difficulty of my work when ,i tell you that in many species ,i have only a single tooth1 a scale1 a spine1 as my guide in the reconstruction of all these characters1 although sometimes we are fortunate enough to find species with the fins and the skeletons complete4 4 4 ,i ask pardon if ,i have tired you with my long talk1 but you know how pleasant it is to ramble on about what interests us1 and the pleasure of being questioned by you upon subjects of this kind has been such a rare one for me1 that ,i have wished to present the matter in its full light1 that you may understand the zeal and the enthusiasm which such researches can excite4 ,to this period belongs a curious dream mentioned by ,agassiz in his work on the fossil fishes499 799 ,recherches sur les ,poissons ,fossiles4 ,cyclopoma spinosum ,agassiz4 ,volume #d tab #a1 pages #bj1 #ba47 ,it is interesting both as a psychological fact and as showing how1 sleeping and waking1 his work was ever present with him4 ,he had been for two weeks striving to decipher the somewhat obscure impression of a fossil fish on the stone slab in which it was preserved4 ,weary and perplexed he put his work aside at last1 and tried to dismiss it from his mind4 ,shortly after1 he waked one night persuaded that while asleep he had seen his fish with all the missing features perfectly restored4 ,but when he tried to hold and make fast the image1 it escaped him4 ,nevertheless1 he went early to the ,jardin des ,plantes1 thinking that on looking anew at the impression he should see something which would put him on the track of his vision4 ,in vain1--the blurred record was as blank as ever4 ,the next night he saw the fish again1 but with no more satisfactory result4 ,when he awoke it disappeared from his memory as before4 ,hoping that the same experience might be repeated1 on the third night he placed a pencil and paper beside his bed before going to sleep4 ,accordingly toward morning the fish reappeared in his dream1 confusedly at first1 but at last with such distinctness that he had no longer any doubt as to its zoological characters4 ,still half dreaming1 in perfect darkness1 he traced these characters on the sheet of paper at the bedside4 ,in the morning he was surprised to see in his nocturnal sketch features which he thought it impossible the fossil itself should reveal4 ,he hastened to the ,jardin des ,plantes1 and1 with his drawing as a guide1 succeeded in chiseling away the surface of the stone under which portions of the fish proved to be hidden4 ,when wholly exposed it corresponded with his dream and his drawing1 and he succeeded in classifying it with ease4 ,he often spoke of this as a good illustration of the well-known fact1 that when the body is at rest the tired brain will do the work it refused before4 ,,chapter #f4 #ahcb3 ,,age #be4 ,unexpected ,relief from ,difficulties4 ,correspondence with ,humboldt4 ,excursion to the ,coast of ,normandy4 ,first ,sight of the ,sea4 ,correspondence concerning ,professorship at ,neuchatel4 ,birthday ,fete4 ,invitation to ,chair of ,natural ,history at ,neuchatel4 ,acceptance4 ,letter to ,humboldt4 ,,agassiz was not called upon to make the sacrifice of giving up his artist and leaving ,paris1 although he was1 or at least thought himself1 prepared for it4 ,the darkest hour is before the dawn1 and the letter next given announces an unexpected relief from pressing distress and anxiety4 ,,to ,,his ,,father ,,and ,,mother4 ,,paris1 ,march1 #ahcb4 4 4 4,i am still so agitated and so surprised at what has just happened that ,i scarcely believe what my eyes tell me4 ,i mentioned in a postscript to my last letter that ,i had called yesterday on ,m4 de ,humboldt1 whom ,i had not seen for a long time1 in order to speak to him concerning ,auguste's affair1 but that ,i did not find him4 ,in former visits ,i had spoken to him about my position1 and told him that ,i did not well know what course to take with my publisher4 ,he offered to write to him1 and did so more than two months ago4 ,thus far1 neither he nor ,i have had any answer4 ,this morning1 just as ,i was going out1 a letter came from ,m4 de ,humboldt1 who writes me that he is very uneasy at receiving no reply from ,cotta1 that he fears lest the uncertainty and anxiety of mind resulting from this may be injurious to my work1 and begs me to accept the inclosed credit of a thousand francs4 4 4--,oh6 if my mother would forget for one moment that this is the celebrated ,m4 de ,humboldt1 and find courage to write him only a few lines1 how grateful ,i should be to her4 ,i think it would come better from her than from papa1 who would do it more correctly1 no doubt1 but perhaps not quite as ,i should like4 ,humboldt is so good1 so indulgent1 that you should not hesitate1 dear mother1 to write him a few lines4 ,he lives ,rue du ,colombier1 ,number #bb2 address1 quite simply1 ,m4 de ,humboldt4 4 4 ,in the agitation of the moment the letter was not even signed4 ,the following note from ,humboldt to ,mme4 ,agassiz1 kept by her as a precious possession1 shows that in answer to her son's appeal his mother took her courage1 as the ,french saying is1 with both hands1 and wrote as she was desired4 ,,from ,,humboldt ,,to ,,mme4 ,,agassiz4 ,,paris1 ,april #aa1 #ahcb4 ,i should scold your son1 ,madame1 for having spoken to you of the slight mark of interest ,i have been able to show him2 and yet1 how can ,i complain of a letter so touching1 so noble in sentiment1 as the one ,i have just received from your hand4 ,accept my warmest thanks for it4 ,how happy you are to have a son so distinguished by his talents1 by the variety and solidity of his acquirements1 and1 withal1 as modest as if he knew nothing1--in these days1 too1 when youth is generally characterized by a cold and scornful amour-propre4 ,one might well despair of the world if a person like your son1 with information so substantial and manners so sweet and prepossessing1 should fail to make his way4 ,i approve highly the ,neuchatel plan1 and hope1 in case of need1 to contribute to its success4 ,one must aim at a settled position in life4 ,pray excuse1 ,madame1 the brevity of these lines1 and accept the assurance of my respectful regard4 ,,humboldt4 ,the letter which lifted such a load of care from ,louis and his parents was as follows3-- ,,humboldt ,,to ,,louis ,,agassiz4 ,,paris1 ,march #bg1 #ahcb4 ,i am very uneasy1 my dearest ,m4 ,agassiz1 at being still without any letter from ,cotta4 ,has he been prevented from writing by business1 or illness perhaps8 ,you know how tardy he always is about writing4 ,yesterday 7,monday7 ,i wrote him earnestly again concerning your affair 7an undertaking of such moment for science71 and urged upon him the issuing of the fossil and fresh-water fishes in alternate numbers4 ,in the mean time1 ,i fear that the protracted delay may weigh heavily on you and your friends4 ,a man so laborious1 so gifted1 and so deserving of affection as you are should not be left in a position where lack of serenity disturbs his power of work4 ,you will then surely pardon my friendly goodwill toward you1 my dear ,m4 ,agassiz1 if ,i entreat you to make use of the accompanying small credit4 ,you would do more for me ,i am sure4 ,consider it an advance which need not be paid for years1 and which ,i will gladly increase when ,i go away or even earlier4 ,it would pain me deeply should the urgency of my request made in the closest confidence1 --in short1 a transaction as between two friends of unequal age1 --be disagreeable to you4 ,i should wish to be pleasantly remembered by a young man of your character4 ,yours1 with the most affectionate respect1 ,,alexander ,,humboldt4 ,with this letter was found the following note of acknowledgment1 scrawled in almost illegible pencil marks4 ,whether sent exactly as it stands or not1 it is evidently the first outburst of ,agassiz's gratitude4 ,my benefactor and friend1--it is too much2 ,i cannot find words to tell you how deeply your letter of to-day has moved me4 ,i have just been at your house that ,i might thank you in person with all my heart2 but now ,i must wait to do so until ,i have the good fortune to meet you4 ,at what a moment does your help come to me6 ,i inclose a letter from my dear mother that you may understand my whole position4 ,my parents will now readily consent that ,i should devote myself entirely to science1 and ,i am freed from the distressing thought that ,i may be acting contrary to their wishes and their will4 ,but they have not the means to help me1 and had proposed that ,i should return to ,switzerland and give lessons either in ,geneva or ,lausanne4 ,i had already resolved to follow this suggestion in the course of next summer1 and had also decided to part with ,mr4 ,dinkel1 my faithful companion1 as soon as he should have finished the most indispensable drawings of the fossils on which he is now engaged here4 ,i meant to tell you of this on ,sunday1 and now to-day comes your letter4 ,imagine what must have been my feeling1 after having resolved on renouncing what till now had seemed to me noblest and most desirable in life1 to find myself unexpectedly rescued by a kind1 helpful hand1 and to have again the hope of devoting my whole powers to science1--you can judge of the state into which your letter has thrown me4 4 4 ,soon after this event ,agassiz made a short excursion with ,braun and ,dinkel to the coast of ,normandy2 worth noting1 because he now saw the sea for the first time4 ,he wrote home3 ,for five days we skirted the coast from ,havre to ,dieppe2 at last ,i have looked upon the sea and its riches4 ,from this excursion of a few days1 which ,i had almost despaired of making1 ,i bring back new ideas1 more comprehensive views1 and a more accurate knowledge of the great phenomena presented by the ocean in its vast expanse4 ,meanwhile the hope he had always entertained of finding a professorship of natural history in his own country was ripening into a definite project4 ,his first letter on this subject to ,m4 ,louis ,coulon1 himself a well-known naturalist1 and afterward one of his warmest friends in ,neuchatel1 must have been written just before he received from ,humboldt the note of the same date1 which extricated him from his pecuniary embarrassment4 ,,agassiz ,,to ,,louis ,,coulon4 ,,paris1 ,march #bg1 #ahcb4 4 4 4,when ,i had the pleasure of seeing you last summer ,i several times expressed my strong desire to establish myself near you1 and my intention of taking some steps toward obtaining the professorship of natural history to be founded in your ,lyceum4 ,the matter must be more advanced now than it was last year1 and you would oblige me greatly by giving me some information concerning it4 ,i have spoken of my project to ,m4 de ,humboldt1 whom ,i often see1 and who kindly interests himself about my prospects and helps me with his advice4 ,he thinks that under the circumstances1 and especially in my position1 measures should be taken in advance4 ,there is another point of great importance for me about which ,i wished also to speak to you4 ,though you have seen but a small part of it1 you nevertheless know that in my different journeys1 partly through my relations with other naturalists1 partly by exchange1 ,i have made a very fair collection of natural history1 especially rich in just those classes which are less fully represented in your museum4 ,my collection might1 therefore1 fill the gaps in that of the city of ,neuchatel1 and make the latter more than adequate for the illustration of a full course of natural history4 ,should an increase of your zoological collection make part of your plans for the ,lyceum1 ,i venture to believe that mine would fully answer your purpose4 ,in that case ,i would offer it to you1 since the expense of arranging it1 the rent of a room in which to keep it1 and1 in short1 its support in general1 is beyond my means4 ,i must find some way of relieving myself from this burden1 although it will be hard to part with these companions of my study1 upon which ,i have based almost all my investigations4 ,i have spoken of this also to ,m4 de ,humboldt1 who is good enough to show an interest in the matter1 and will even take all necessary steps with the government to facilitate this purchase4 ,you would render me the greatest service by giving me your directions about all this1 and especially by telling me3 #a4 ,on whom the nomination to the professorship depends8 #b4 ,with whom the purchase of the collection would rest8 #c4 ,what you think ,i should do with reference to both8 ,of course you will easily understand that ,i cannot give up my collections except under the condition that ,i should be allowed the free use of them4 4 4 ,the answer was not only courteous1 but kind1 although some time elapsed before the final arrangements were made4 ,meanwhile the following letter shows us the doubts and temptations which for a moment embarrassed ,agassiz in his decision4 ,the death of ,cuvier had intervened4 ,,agassiz ,,to ,,humboldt4 ,,paris1 ,may1 #ahcb4 4 4 4,i would not write you until ,i had definite news from ,neuchatel4 ,two days ago ,i received a very delightful letter from ,m4 ,coulon1 which ,i hasten to share with you4 ,i will not copy the whole1 but extract the essential part4 ,he tells me that he has proposed to the ,board of ,education the establishment of a professorship of natural history1 to be offered to me4 ,the proposition met with a cordial hearing4 ,the need of such a professorship was unanimously recognized1 but the ,president explained that neither would the condition of the treasury allow its establishment in the present year1 nor could the proposition be brought before the ,council of ,state until the opening of the new ,lyceum4 ,monsieur ,coulon was commissioned to thank me1 and to request me in the name of the board to keep the place in mind2 should ,i prefer it1 however1 he doubts not that whatever the city could not do might be made good by subscription before next autumn1 in which case ,i could enter upon office at once4 ,he requests a prompt answer in order that he may make all needful preparations4 ,only too gladly would ,i have consulted you about various propositions made to me here in the last few days1 and have submitted my course to your approval1 had it not been that here1 as in ,neuchatel1 a prompt answer was urged4 ,although guided rather by instinct than by anything else1 ,i think1 nevertheless1 that ,i have chosen rightly4 ,in such moments1 when one cannot see far enough in advance to form an accurate judgment upon deliberation1 feeling is1 after all1 the best adviser2 that inner impulse1 which is a safe guide if other considerations do not confuse the judgment4 ,this says to me1 ,go to ,neuchatel2 do not stay in ,paris4 ,but ,i speak in riddles2 ,i must explain myself more clearly4 ,last ,monday ,levrault sent for me in order to propose that ,valenciennes and ,i should jointly undertake the publication of the ,cuvierian fishes4 4 4,i was to give a positive answer this week4 ,i have carefully considered it1 and have decided that an unconditional engagement would lead me away from my nearest aim1 and from what ,i look upon as the task of my life4 ,the already published volumes of the ,system of ,ichthyology lie too far from the road on which ,i intend to pursue my researches4 ,finally1 it seems to me that in a quiet retired place like ,neuchatel1 whatever may be growing up within me will have a more independent and individual development than in this restless ,paris1 where obstacles or difficulties may not perhaps divert me from a given purpose1 but may disturb or delay its accomplishment4 ,i will therefore so shape my answer to ,levrault as to undertake only single portions of the work1 the choice of these1 on account of my interest in the fossil and the fresh-water fishes1 being allowed me1 with the understanding1 also1 that ,i should be permitted to have these collections in ,switzerland and work them up there4 ,from ,paris1 also1 it would not be so easy to transfer myself to ,germany1 whereas ,i could consider ,neuchatel as a provisional position from which ,i might be called to a ,german university4 4 4 ,in the mean time1 while waiting hopefully the result of his negotiations with ,neuchatel1 ,agassiz had organized with his friends1 the two ,brauns1 a bachelor life very like the one he and ,alexander had led with their classmates in ,munich4 ,the little hotel where they lodged had filled up with young ,german doctors1 who had come to visit the hospitals in ,paris and study the cholera4 ,some of these young men had been their fellow-students at the university1 and at their request ,agassiz and ,braun resumed the practice of giving private lectures on zoology and botany1 the whole being conducted in the most informal manner1 admitting absolute freedom of discussion1 as among intimate companions of the same age4 ,such an interchange naturally led to very genial relations between the amateur professors and their class1 and on the eve of ,agassiz's birthday 7#bhth of ,may7 his usual audience prepared for him a very pleasant surprise4 ,returning from a walk after dusk he found ,braun in his room4 ,continuing his stroll within four walls1 he and his friend paced the floor together in earnest talk1 when1 at a signal1 ,braun suddenly drew him to the window1 threw it open1 and on the pavement below stood their companions1 singing a part song1 composed in honor of ,agassiz4 ,deeply moved1 he withdrew from the window in time to receive them as they trooped up the stairway to offer their good wishes4 ,they presently led the way to another room which they had dressed with flowers1 ,agassiz's name1 among other decorations1 being braided in roses beneath two federal flags crossed on the wall4 ,here supper was laid1 and the rest of the evening passed gayly with songs and toasts1 not only for the hero of the feast and for friends far and near1 but for the progress of science1 the liberty of the people1 and the independence of nations4 ,there could be no meeting of ardent young ,germans and ,swiss in those days without some mingling of patriotic aspirations with the sentiment of the hour4 ,the friendly correspondence between ,agassiz and ,m4 ,coulon regarding the professorship at ,neuchatel was now rapidly bringing the matter to a happy conclusion4 ,,agassiz ,,to ,,louis ,,coulon4 ,,paris1 ,june #d1 #ahcb4 ,i have received your kind letter with great pleasure and hasten to reply4 ,what you write gives me the more satisfaction because it opens to me in the near future the hope of establishing myself in your neighborhood and devoting to my country the fruits of my labor4 ,it is true1 as you suppose1 that the death of ,m4 ,cuvier has sensibly changed my position2 indeed1 ,i have already been asked to continue his work on fishes in connection with ,m4 ,valenciennes1 who made me this proposition the day after your letter reached me4 ,the conditions offered me are1 indeed1 very tempting1 but ,i am too little ,french by character1 and too anxious to live in ,switzerland1 not to prefer the place you can offer me1 however small the appointments1 if they do but keep me above actual embarrassment4 ,i say thus much only in order to answer that clause in your letter where you touch upon this question4 ,i would add that ,i leave the field quite free in this respect1 and that ,i am yours without reserve1 if1 indeed1 within the fortnight1 the urgency of the ,parisians does not carry the day1 or1 rather1 as soon as ,i write you that ,i have been able finally to withdraw4 ,you easily understand that ,i cannot bluntly decline offers which seem to those who make them so brilliant4 ,but ,i shall hold out against them to the utmost4 ,my course with reference to my own publications will have shown you that ,i do not care for a lucrative position from personal interest2 that1 on the contrary1 ,i should always be ready to use such means as ,i may have at my disposition for the advancement of the institution confided to my care4 ,my work will still detain me for four or five months at ,paris1--my time being after that completely at my disposal4 ,the period at which ,i should like to begin my lectures is therefore very near1 and ,i think if your people are favorably disposed toward the creation of a new professorship we must not let them grow cold4 ,but you have shown me so much kindness that ,i may well leave to your care1 in concert with your friends1 the decision of this point2 the more so since you are willing to take charge of my interests1 until you see the success of what you are pleased to look upon as an advantage to your institution1 while for me it is the realization of a sincere desire to do what ,i can for the advancement of science1 and the instruction of our youth4 4 4 ,the next letter from ,m4 ,coulon 7,june #ah1 #ahcb7 announces that the sum of eighty louis having been guaranteed for three years1 chiefly by private individuals1 but partly also by the city1 they were now able to offer a chair of natural history at once to their young countryman4 ,in conclusion1 he adds3-- ,i can easily understand that the brilliant offers made you in ,paris strongly counterbalance a poor little professorship of natural history at ,neuchatel1 and may well cause you to hesitate2 especially since your scientific career there is so well begun4 ,on the other hand1 you cannot doubt our pleasure in the prospect of having you at ,neuchatel1 not only because of the friendship felt for you by many persons here1 but also on account of the lustre which a chair of natural history so filled would shed upon our institution4 ,of this our subscribers are well aware1 and it accounts for the rapid filling of the list4 ,i am very anxious1 as are all these gentlemen1 to know your decision1 and beg you therefore to let us hear from you as soon as possible4 ,a letter from ,humboldt to ,m4 ,coulon1 about this time1 is an earnest of his watchful care over the interests of ,agassiz4 ,,humboldt ,,to ,,louis ,,coulon4 ,,potsdam1 ,july #be1 #ahcb4 4 4 4,i do not write to ask a favor1 but only to express my warm gratitude for your noble and generous dealings with the young savant1 ,m4 ,agassiz1 who is well worthy your encouragement and the protection of your government4 ,he is distinguished by his talents1 by the variety and substantial character of his attainments1 and by that which has a special value in these troubled times1 his natural sweetness of disposition4 ,through our common friend1 ,m4 von ,buch1 ,i have known for many years that you study natural history with a success equal to your zeal1 and that you have brought together fine collections1 which you place at the disposal of others with a noble liberality4 ,it gratifies me to see your kindness toward a young man to whom ,i am so warmly attached2 whom the illustrious ,cuvier1 also1 whose loss we must ever deplore1 would have recommended with the same heartiness1 for his faith1 like mine1 was based on those admirable works of ,agassiz which are now nearly completed4 4 4 ,i have strongly advised ,m4 ,agassiz not to accept the offers made to him at ,paris since ,m4 ,cuvier's death1 and his decision has anticipated my advice4 ,how happy it would be for him1 and for the completion of the excellent works on which he is engaged1 could he this very year be established on the shores of your lake6 ,i have no doubt that he will receive the powerful protection of your worthy governor1 to whom ,i shall repeat my requests1 and who honors me1 as well as my brother1 with a friendship ,i warmly appreciate4 ,m4 von ,buch also has promised me1 before leaving ,berlin for ,bonn and ,vienna1 to add his entreaty to mine4 4 4,he is almost as much interested as myself in ,m4 ,agassiz and his work on fossil fishes1 the most important ever undertaken1 and equally exact in its relation to zoological characters and to geological deposits4 4 4 ,the next letter from ,agassiz to his influential friend is written after his final acceptance of the ,neuchatel professorship4 ,,agassiz ,,to ,,humboldt4 ,,paris1 ,july1 #ahcb4 4 4 4,i would most gladly have answered your delightful letter at once1 and have told you how smoothly all has gone at ,neuchatel4 ,your letters to ,m4 de ,coulon and to ,general von ,pfuel have wrought marvels2 but they are now inclined to look upon me there as a wonder from the deep199 799 ,ein blaues ,meerwunder47 and ,i must exert myself to the utmost lest my actual presence should give the lie to fame4 ,it is all right4 ,i shall be the less likely to relax in devotion to my work4 ,the real reason of my silence has been that ,i was unwilling to acknowledge so many evidences of efficient sympathy and friendly encouragement by an empty letter4 ,i wished especially to share with you the final result of my investigations on the fossil fishes1 and for that purpose it was necessary to revise my manuscripts and take an account of my tables in order to condense the whole in a few phrases4 ,i have already told you that the investigation of the living fishes had suggested to me a new classification1 in which families as at present circumscribed respectively received new1 and to my thinking more natural positions1 based upon other considerations than those hitherto brought forward4 ,i did not at first lay any special stress on my classification4 4 4,my object was only to utilize certain structural characters which frequently recur among fossil forms1 and which might therefore enable me to determine remains hitherto considered of little value4 4 4,absorbed in the special investigation1 ,i paid no heed to the edifice which was meanwhile unconsciously building itself up4 ,having however completed the comparison of the fossil species in ,paris1 ,i wanted1 for the sake of an easy revision of the same1 to make a list according to their succession in geological formations1 with a view of determining the characteristics more exactly and bringing them by their enumeration into bolder relief4 ,what was my joy and surprise to find that the simplest enumeration of the fossil fishes according to their geological succession was also a complete statement of the natural relations of the families among themselves2 that one might therefore read the genetic development of the whole class in the history of creation1 the representation of the genera and species in the several families being therein determined2 in one word1 that the genetic succession of the fishes corresponds perfectly with their zoological classification1 and with just that classification proposed by me4 ,the question therefore in characterizing formations is no longer that of the numerical preponderance of certain genera and species1 but of distinct structural relations1 carried through all these formations according to a definite direction1 following each other in an appointed order1 and recognizable in the organisms as they are brought forth4 4 4,if my conclusions are not overturned or modified through some later discovery1 they will form a new basis for the study of fossils4 ,should you communicate my discovery to others ,i shall be especially pleased1 because it may be long before ,i can begin to publish it myself1 and many may be interested in it4 ,this seems to me the most important of my results1 though ,i have also1 partly from perfect specimens1 partly from fragments1 identified some five hundred extinct species1 and more than fifty extinct genera1 beside reestablishing three families no longer represented4 ,cotta has written me in very polite terms that he could not undertake anything new at present2 he would rather pay1 without regard to profit1 for what has been done thus far1 and lets me have fifteen hundred francs4 ,this makes it possible for me to leave ,dinkel in ,paris to complete the drawings4 ,although it often seems to me hard1 ,i must reconcile myself to the thought of leaving investigations which are actually completed1 locked up in my desk4 4 4 ,,chapter #g4 #ahcb-ahcd3 ,,age #be-bg4 ,enters upon his ,professorship at ,neuchatel4 ,first ,lecture4 ,success as a ,teacher4 ,love of ,teaching4 ,influence upon the ,scientific ,life of ,neuchatel4 ,proposal from ,university of ,heidelberg4 ,proposal declined4 ,threatened ,blindness4 ,correspondence with ,humboldt4 ,marriage4 ,invitation from ,charpentier4 ,invitation to visit ,england4 ,wollaston ,prize4 ,first ,number of ,poissons ,fossiles4 ,review of the ,work4 ,,the following autumn ,agassiz assumed the duties of his professorship at ,neuchatel4 ,his opening lecture ,upon the ,relations between the different branches of ,natural ,history and the then prevailing tendencies of all the ,sciences was given on the #abth of ,november1 #ahcb1 at the ,hotel de ,ville4 ,judged by the impression made upon the listeners as recorded at the time1 this introductory discourse must have been characterized by the same broad spirit of generalization which marked ,agassiz's later teaching4 ,facts in his hands fell into their orderly relation as parts of a connected whole1 and were never presented merely as special or isolated phenomena4 ,from the beginning his success as an instructor was undoubted4 ,he had1 indeed1 now entered upon the occupation which was to be from youth to old age the delight of his life4 ,teaching was a passion with him1 and his power over his pupils might be measured by his own enthusiasm4 ,he was intellectually1 as well as socially1 a democrat1 in the best sense4 ,he delighted to scatter broadcast the highest results of thought and research1 and to adapt them even to the youngest and most uninformed minds4 ,in his later ,american travels he would talk of glacial phenomena to the driver of a country stage-coach among the mountains1 or to some workman1 splitting rock at the road-side1 with as much earnestness as if he had been discussing problems with a brother geologist2 he would take the common fisherman into his scientific confidence1 telling him the intimate secrets of fish structure or fish-embryology1 till the man in his turn grew enthusiastic1 and began to pour out information from the stores of his own rough and untaught habits of observation4 ,agassiz's general faith in the susceptibility of the popular intelligence1 however untrained1 to the highest truths of nature1 was contagious1 and he created or developed that in which he believed4 ,in ,neuchatel the presence of the young professor was felt at once as a new and stimulating influence4 ,the little town suddenly became a centre of scientific activity4 ,a society for the pursuit of the natural sciences1 of which he was the first secretary1 sprang into life4 ,the scientific collections1 which had already attained1 under the care of ,m4 ,louis ,coulon1 considerable value1 presently assumed the character and proportions of a well-ordered museum4 ,in ,m4 ,coulon ,agassiz found a generous friend and a scientific colleague who sympathized with his noblest aspirations1 and was ever ready to sustain all his efforts in behalf of scientific progress4 ,together they worked in arranging1 enlarging1 and building up a museum of natural history which soon became known as one of the best local institutions of the kind in ,europe4 ,beside his classes at the gymnasium1 ,agassiz collected about him1 by invitation1 a small audience of friends and neighbors1 to whom he lectured during the winter on botany1 on zoology1 on the philosophy of nature4 ,the instruction was of the most familiar and informal character1 and was continued in later years for his own children and the children of his friends4 ,in the latter case the subjects were chiefly geology and geography in connection with botany1 and in favorable weather the lessons were usually given in the open air4 ,one can easily imagine what joy it must have been for a party of little playmates1 boys and girls1 to be taken out for long walks in the country over the hills about ,neuchatel1 and especially to ,chaumont1 the mountain which rises behind it1 and thus to have their lessons1 for which the facts and scenes about them furnished subject and illustration1 combined with pleasant rambles4 ,from some high ground affording a wide panoramic view ,agassiz would explain to them the formation of lakes1 islands1 rivers1 springs1 water-sheds1 hills1 and valleys4 ,he always insisted that physical geography could be better taught to children in the vicinity of their own homes than by books or maps1 or even globes4 ,nor did he think a varied landscape essential to such instruction4 ,undulations of the ground1 some contrast of hill and plain1 some sheet of water with the streams that feed it1 some ridge of rocky soil acting as a water-shed1 may be found everywhere1 and the relation of facts shown perhaps as well on a small as on a large scale4 ,when it was impossible to give the lessons out of doors1 the children were gathered around a large table1 where each one had before him or her the specimens of the day1 sometimes stones and fossils1 sometimes flowers1 fruits1 or dried plants4 ,to each child in succession was explained separately what had first been told to all collectively4 ,when the talk was of tropical or distant countries pains were taken to procure characteristic specimens1 and the children were introduced to dates1 bananas1 cocoa-nuts1 and other fruits1 not easily to be obtained in those days in a small inland town4 ,they1 of course1 concluded the lesson by eating the specimens1 a practical illustration which they greatly enjoyed4 ,a very large wooden globe1 on the surface of which the various features of the earth as they came up for discussion could be shown1 served to make them more clear and vivid4 ,the children took their own share in the instruction1 and were themselves made to point out and describe that which had just been explained to them4 ,they took home their collections1 and as a preparation for the next lesson were often called upon to classify and describe some unusual specimen by their own unaided efforts4 ,there was no tedium in the class4 ,agassiz's lively1 clear1 and attractive method of teaching awakened their own powers of observation in his little pupils1 and to some at least opened permanent sources of enjoyment4 ,his instructions to his older pupils were based on the same methods1 and were no less acceptable to them than to the children4 ,in winter his professional courses to the students were chiefly upon zoology and kindred topics2 in the summer he taught them botany and geology1 availing himself of the fine days for excursions and practical instruction in the field4 ,professor ,louis ,favre1 speaking of these excursions1 which led them sometimes into the gorges of the ,seyon1 sometimes into the forests of ,chaumont1 says3 ,they were fete days for the young people1 who found in their professor an active companion1 full of spirits1 vigor1 and gayety1 whose enthusiasm kindled in them the sacred fire of science4 ,it was not long before his growing reputation brought him invitations from elsewhere4 ,one of the first of these was from ,heidelberg4 ,,professor ,,tiedemann ,,to ,,louis ,,agassiz4 ,,heidelberg1 ,december #d1 #ahcb4 4 4 4,last autumn1 when ,i had the pleasure of meeting you in ,carlsruhe1 ,i proposed to you to give some lectures on ,natural ,history at this university4 ,professor ,leuckart1 who till now represented zoology here1 is called to ,freiburg1 and you would therefore be the only teacher in that department4 ,the university being so frequented1 a numerous audience may be counted upon4 ,the zoological collection1 by no means an insignificant one1 is open to your use4 ,professor ,leuckart received a salary of five hundred florins4 ,this is now unappropriated1 and ,i do not doubt that the government1 conformably to the proposition of the medical faculty1 would give you the appointment on the same terms4 ,by your knowledge you are prepared for the work of an able academical teacher4 ,my advice is1 therefore1 that you should not bind yourself to any lyceum or gymnasium1 as a permanent position2 such a place would not suit a cultivated scientific man1 nor does it offer a field for an accomplished scholar4 ,consider carefully1 therefore1 a question which concerns the efficiency of your life1 and give me the result of your deliberation as soon as possible4 ,should it be favorable to the acceptance of my proposition1 ,i hope you will find yourself here at ,easter as full professor1 with a salary of five hundred florins1 and a fitting field of activity for your knowledge4 ,the fees for lectures and literary work might bring you in an additional fifteen hundred gulden yearly4 ,if you accede to this offer send me your inaugural dissertation1 and make me acquainted with your literary work1 that ,i may take the necessary steps with the ,curatorio4 ,consider this proposition as a proof of my high appreciation of your literary efforts and of my regard for you personally4 ,agassiz's next letter to ,humboldt is to consult him with respect to the call from ,heidelberg1 while it is also full of pleasure at the warm welcome extended to him in ,neuchatel4 ,,agassiz ,,to ,,humboldt4 ,december1 #ahcb4 4 4 4,at last ,i am in ,neuchatel1 having1 indeed1 begun my lectures some weeks ago4 ,i have been received in a way ,i could never have anticipated1 and which can only be due to your good-will on my behalf and your friendly recommendation4 ,you have my warmest thanks for the trouble you have taken about me1 and for your continued sympathy4 ,let me show you by my work in the years to come1 rather than by words1 that ,i am in earnest about science1 and that my spirit is not irresponsive to a noble encouragement such as you have given me4 ,you will have received my letter from ,carlsruhe4 ,could ,i only tell you all that ,i have since thought and observed about the history of our earth's development1 the succession of the animal populations1 and their genetic classification6 ,it cannot easily be compressed within letter limits2 ,i will1 nevertheless1 attempt it when my lectures make less urgent claim upon me1 and my eyes are less fatigued4 ,i should defer writing till then were it not that to-day ,i have something of at least outside interest to announce4 ,it concerns the inclosed letter received to-day4 7,the offer of a professorship at ,heidelberg47 ,should you think that ,i need not take it into consideration1 and you have no time to answer me1 let me know your opinion by your silence4 ,i will tell you the reasons which would induce me to remain for the present in ,neuchatel1 and ,i think you will approve them4 ,first1 as my lectures do not claim a great part of my time ,i shall have the more to bestow on other work2 add to this the position of ,neuchatel1 so favorable for observations such as ,i propose making on the history of development in several classes of animals2 then the hope of freeing myself from the burden of my collections2 and next1 the quiet of my life here with reference to my somewhat overstrained health4 ,beside my wish to remain1 these favorable circumstances furnish a powerful motive1 and then ,i am satisfied that people here would assist me with the greatest readiness should my publications not succeed otherwise4 ,as to the publication of my fishes1 ,i can1 after all1 better direct the lithographing of the plates here4 ,i have just written to ,cotta concerning this1 proposing also that he should advance the cost of the lithographs4 ,i shall attend to it all carefully1 and be content for the present with my small means4 ,from the gradual sale he can1 little by little1 repay my expenses1 and ,i shall ask no profit until the success of the work warrants it4 ,i await his answer4 ,this proposal seems to me the best and the most likely to advance the publication of this work4 ,since ,i arrived here some scientific efforts have been made with the help of ,m4 ,coulon4 ,we have already founded a society of ,natural ,history199 799 ,societe des ,sciences ,naturelles de ,neuchatel47 and ,i hope1 should you make your promised visit next year1 you will find this germ between foliage and flower at least1 though perhaps not yet ripened into seed4 4 4 ,m4 ,coulon told me the day before yesterday that he had spoken with ,m4 de ,montmollin1 the ,treasurer1 who would write to ,m4 ,ancillon concerning the purchase of my collection4 4 4,will you have the kindness1 when occasion offers1 to say a word to ,m4 ,ancillon about it84 4 4,not only would this collection be of the greatest value to the museum here1 but its sale would also advance my farther investigations4 ,with the sum of eighty louis1 which is all that is subscribed for my professorship1 ,i cannot continue them on any large scale4 ,i await now with anxiety ,cotta's answer to my last proposition2 but whatever it be1 ,i shall begin the lithographing of the plates immediately after the ,new ,year1 as they must be carried on under my own eye and direction4 ,this ,i can well do since my uncle1 ,dr4 ,mayor in ,lausanne1 gives me fifty louis toward it1 the amount of one year's pay to ,weber1 my former lithographer in ,munich4 ,i have therefore written him to come1 and expect him after ,new ,year4 ,with my salary ,i can also henceforth keep ,dinkel1 who is now in ,paris1 drawing the last fossils which ,i described4 4 4 ,no answer to this letter has been found beyond such as is implied in the following to ,m4 ,coulon4 ,,humboldt ,,to ,m4 ,,coulon1 ,,fils4 ,,berlin1 ,january #ba1 #ahcc4 4 4 4,it gives me great pleasure to acknowledge the flattering welcome offered by you and your fellow-citizens to ,m4 ,agassiz1 who stands so high in science1 and whose intellectual qualities are enhanced by his amiable character4 ,they write me from ,heidelberg that they intend the place of ,m4 ,leuckart in zoology for my young friend4 ,the choice is proposed by ,m4 ,tiedemann1 and certainly nothing could be more honorable to ,m4 ,agassiz4 ,nevertheless1 ,i hope that he will refuse it4 ,he should remain for some years in your country1 where a generous encouragement facilitates the publication of his work1 which is of equal importance to zoology and geology4 ,i have spoken with ,m4 ,ancillon1 and have left with him an official notice respecting the purchase of the ,agassiz collection4 ,the difficulty will be found1 as in all human affairs1 in the prose of life1 in money4 ,m4 ,ancillon writes me this morning3 ,your paper in favor of ,m4 ,agassiz is a scientific letter of credit which we shall try to honor4 ,the acquisition of a superior man and a superior collection at the same time would be a double conquest for the principality of ,neuchatel4 ,i have requested a report from the ,council of ,state on the means of accomplishing this1 and ,i hope that private individuals may do something toward it4 ,thus you see the affair is at least on the right road4 ,i do not think1 however1 that the royal treasury will give at present more than a thousand ,prussian crowns toward it4 4 4 ,regarding the invitation to ,heidelberg1 ,agassiz's decision was already made4 ,a letter to his brother toward the close of ,december mentions that he is offered a professorship at the ,university of ,heidelberg1 but that1 although his answer has not actually gone1 he has resolved to decline it2 adding that the larger salary is counterbalanced in his mind by the hope of selling his collection at ,neuchatel1 and thus freeing himself from a heavy burden4 ,agassiz was now threatened with a great misfortune4 ,already1 in ,paris1 his eyes had begun to suffer from the strain of microscopic work4 ,they now became seriously impaired2 and for some months he was obliged to abate his activity1 and to refrain even from writing a letter4 ,during this time1 while he was shut up in a darkened room1 he practiced the study of fossils by touch alone1 using even the tip of the tongue to feel out the impression1 when the fingers were not sufficiently sensitive4 ,he said he was sure at the time that he could bring himself in this way to such delicacy of touch that the loss of sight would not oblige him to abandon his work4 ,after some months his eyes improved1 and though at times threatened with a return of the same malady1 he was able1 throughout life1 to use his eyes more uninterruptedly than most persons4 ,his lectures1 always delivered extemporaneously1 do not seem to have been suspended for any length of time4 ,the following letter from ,agassiz to ,humboldt is taken from a rough and incomplete draught1 which was evidently put aside 7perhaps on account of the trouble in his eyes71 and only completed in the following ,may4 ,although imperfect1 it explains ,humboldt's answer1 which is not only interesting in itself1 but throws light on ,agassiz's work at this period4 ,,agassiz ,,to ,,humboldt4 ,,neuchatel1 ,january #bg1 #ahcc4 4 4 4,a thousand thanks for your last most welcome letter4 ,i can hardly tell you what pleasure it gave me1 or how ,i am cheered and stimulated to new activity by intercourse with you on so intimate a footing4 ,since ,i wrote you1 some things have become more clear to me1 as1 for instance1 my purpose of publishing the ,fossil ,fishes here4 ,certain doubts remain in my mind1 however1 about which1 as well as about other matters1 ,i would ask your advice4 ,now that ,cotta is dead1 ,i cannot wait till ,i have made an arrangement with his successor4 ,i therefore allow the ,fresh-,water ,fishes to lie by and drive on the others4 ,upon careful examination ,i have found1 to my astonishment1 that all necessary means for the publication of such a work are to be had here3 two good lithographers and two printing establishments1 both of which have excellent type4 ,i have sent for ,weber to engrave the plates1 or draw them on stone2 he will be here at the end of the month4 ,then ,i shall begin at once1 and hope in ,may to send out the first number4 ,the great difficulty remains now in the distribution of the numbers1 and in finding a sufficient sale so that they may follow each other with regularity4 ,i think it better to begin the publication as a whole than to send out an abridgment in advance4 ,the species can be characterized only by good illustrations4 ,a summary always requires farther demonstration1 whereas1 if ,i give the plates at once ,i can shorten the text and present the general results as an introduction to the first number4 ,with twelve numbers1 of twenty plates each1 followed by about ten pages of text1 ,i can tell all that ,i have to say4 ,the cost of one hundred and fifty copies printed here would1 according to careful inquiry1 be covered by seventy subscriptions if the price were put at one louis-d'or the number4 ,now comes the question whether ,i should print more than one hundred and fifty copies4 ,on account of the expense ,i shall not preserve the stones4 ,for the distribution of the copies and the collecting of the money could you1 perhaps1 recommend me to some house in ,berlin or ,leipzig1 who would take the work for sale in ,germany on commission under reasonable conditions8 ,for ,england1 ,i wrote yesterday to ,lyell1 and to-morrow ,i shall write to ,levrault and ,bossange4 ,both the magistrates and private individuals here are now much interested in public instruction1 and ,i am satisfied that sooner or later my collection will be purchased1 though nothing has been said about it lately499 799 ,his collection was finally purchased by the city of ,neuchatel in the spring of #ahcc47 ,for a closer description of my family of ,lepidostei1 to which belong all the ante-chalk bony fishes1 ,i am anxious to have for dissection a ,polypterus ,bichir and a ,lepidosteus osseus1 or any other species belonging exclusively to the present creation4 ,hitherto1 ,i have only been able to examine and describe the skeleton and external parts4 ,if you could obtain a specimen of both for me you would do me the greatest service4 ,if necessary1 ,i will engage to return the preparations4 ,i beg for this most earnestly4 ,forgive the many requests contained in this letter1 and see in it only my ardent desire to reach my aim1 in which you have already helped me so often and so kindly4 ,,humboldt ,,to ,,agassiz4 ,,sans ,,souci1 ,july #d1 #ahcc4 4 4 4,i am happy in your success1 my dear ,agassiz1 happy in your charming letter of ,may #bbnd1 happy in the hope of having been able to do something that may be useful to you for the subscription4 ,the ,prince ,royal's name seemed to me rather important for you4 ,i have delayed writing1 not because ,i am one of the most persecuted men in ,europe 7the persecution goes on crescendo2 there is not a scholar in ,prussia or ,germany having anything to ask of the ,king1 or of ,m4 d',altenstein1 who does not think it necessary to make me his agent1 with power of attorney71 but because it was necessary to await the ,prince ,royal's return from his military circuit1 and the opportunity of speaking to him alone1 which does not occur when ,i am with the ,king4 ,your prospectus is full of interest1 and does ample justice to those who have provided you with materials4 ,to name me among them was an affectionate deceit1 the ruse of a noble soul like yours2 ,i am a little vexed with you about it499 799 ,the few words which called forth this protest from ,humboldt were as follows4 ,after naming all those from whom he had received help in specimens or otherwise1 ,agassiz concludes3--,finally1 ,i owe to ,m4 de ,humboldt not only important notes on fossil fishes1 but so many kindnesses in connection with my work that in enumerating them ,i should fear to wound the delicacy of the giver4 ,this will hardly seem an exaggeration to those who know the facts of the case47 ,here is the beginning of a list4 ,i think the ,department of the ,mines de ,province will take three or four more copies4 ,we have not their answer yet4 ,do not be frightened at the brevity of the list 4 4 4,i am1 however1 the least apt of all men in collecting subscriptions1 seeing no one but the court1 and forced to be out of town three or four days in the week4 ,on account of this same inaptitude1 ,i beg you to send me1 through the publisher1 only my own three copies1 and to address the others1 through the publisher also1 to the individuals named on the list1 merely writing on each copy that the person has subscribed on the list of ,m4 de ,humboldt4 ,with all my affection for you1 my dear friend1 it would be impossible for me to take charge of the distribution of your numbers or the returns4 ,the publishing houses of ,dummler or of ,humblot and ,dunker would be useful to you at ,berlin4 ,i find it difficult to believe that you will navigate successfully among these literary corsairs6 ,i have had a short eulogium of your work inserted in the ,berliner ,staats-,zeitung4 ,you see that ,i do not neglect your interests1 and that1 for love of you1 ,i even turn journalist4 ,you have omitted to state in your prospectus whether your plates are lithographed1 as ,i fear they are1 and also whether they are colored1 which seems to me unnecessary4 ,have your superb original drawings remained in your possession1 or are they included in the sale of your collection84 4 4 ,i could not make use of your letter to the ,king1 and ,i have suppressed it4 ,you have been ill-advised as to the forms4 ,erhabener ,konig has too poetical a turn2 we have here the most prosaic and the most degrading official expressions4 ,m4 de ,pfuel must have some ,arch-,prussian with him1 who would arrange the formula of a letter for you4 ,at the head there must be ,most enlightened1 most powerful ,king1--all gracious sovereign and lord4 ,then you begin1 ,your ,royal ,majesty1 deeply moved1 ,i venture to lay at your feet most humbly my warmest thanks for the support so graciously granted to the purchase of my collection for the ,gymnasium in ,neuchatel4 ,did ,i know how to write1 etc4 ,the rest of your letter was very good2 put only so much grace as to answer instead of so much kindness4 ,you should end with the words1 ,i remain till death1 in deepest reverence1 the most humble and faithful servant of your ,royal ,majesty4 ,the whole on small folio1 sealed1 addressed outside1 ,to the ,king's ,majesty1 ,berlin4 ,send the letter1 not through me1 but officially1 through ,m4 de ,pfuel499 799 ,at the head there must be ,allerdurchlauchtigster1 grossmachtigster ,konig1--allergnadigster ,konig und ,herr4 ,then you begin1 ,euer koniglichen ,majestat1 wage ich meinen lebhaftesten ,dank fur die allergnadigst bewilligte ,unterstutzung zum ,ankauf meiner ,sammlung fur das ,gymnasium in ,neuchatel tief geruhrt allerunterthanigst zu ,fussen zu legen4 ,wusste ich zu schreiben1 etc4 ,the rest of your letter was very good1--put only1 so vieler ,gnade zu entsprechen instead of so vieler ,gute4 ,you should end with the words1 ,ich ersterbe in tiefster ,ehrfurcht ,euer koniglicher ,majestat aller onter thanigsten getreuester4 ,the whole in small folio1 sealed1 addressed outside1 ,an des ,konig's ,majestat1 ,berlin4 ,these forms are no longer in use4 ,they belong to a past generation47 ,the letter to the ,king is not absolutely necessary1 but it will give pleasure1 for the ,king likes any affectionate demonstration from the country that has now become yours499 799 ,it may not be known to all readers that ,neuchatel was then under ,prussian sovereignty47 ,it will be useful1 also1 with reference to our request for the purchase of some copies1 which we will make to the ,king as soon as the first number has appeared4 ,had ,i obtained the ,king's name for you to-day 7which would have been difficult1 since the ,king detests subscriptions71 we should have spoiled the sequence4 ,it seems to me that a letter of acknowledgment from you to ,m4 ,ancillon would be very suitable also4 ,do not think it is too late4 ,one addresses him as ,monsieur et plus votre ,excellence4 ,i am writing the most pedantic letter in the world in answer to yours1 so full of charm4 ,it must seem to you absurd that ,i write you in ,french1 when you1 ,french by origin1 or rather by language1 prefer to write me in ,german4 ,pray tell me1 did you learn ,german1 which you write with such purity1 as a child8 ,i am happy to see that you publish the whole together4 ,the parceling out of such a work would have led to endless delays2 but1 for mercy's sake1 take care of your eyes2 they are ,,ours4 ,i have not neglected the subscriptions in ,russia1 but ,i have1 as yet1 no answer4 ,at a venture1 ,i have placed the name of ,m4 von ,buch on my list4 ,he is absent2 it is said that he will go to ,greece this summer4 ,pray make it a rule not to give away copies of your work4 ,if you follow that inclination you will be pecuniarily ruined4 ,i wish ,i could have been present at your course of lectures4 ,what you tell me of them delights me1 though ,i am ready to do battle with you about those metamorphoses of our globe which have even slipped into your title4 ,i see by your letter that you cling to the idea of internal vital processes of the earth1 that you regard the successive formations as different phases of life1 the rocks as products of metamorphosis4 ,i think this symbolical language should be employed with great reserve1 ,i know that point of view of the old ,naturphilosophie2 ,i have examined it without prejudice1 but nothing seems to me more dissimilar than the vital action of the metamorphosis of a plant in order to form the calyx or the flower1 and the successive formation of beds of conglomerate4 ,there is order1 it is true1 in the superposed beds1 sometimes an alternation of the same substance1 an interior cause1--sometimes even a successive development1 starting from a central heat2 but can the term life be applied to this kind of movement8 ,limestone does not generate sandstone4 ,i do not know that there exists what physiologists call a vital force1 different from1 or opposed to1 the physical forces which we recognize in all matter2 ,i think the vital process is only a particular mode of action1 of limitation of those physical forces2 action1 the nature of which we have not yet fully sounded4 ,i believe there are nervous storms 7electric7 like those which set fire to the atmosphere1 but that special action which we call organic1 in which every part becomes cause or effect1 seems to me distinct from the changes which our planet has undergone4 ,i pause here1 for ,i feel that ,i must annoy you1 and ,i care for you too much to run that risk4 ,moreover1 a superior man like yourself1 my dear friend1 floats above material things and leaves a margin for philosophic doubt4 ,farewell2 count on the little of life that remains to me1 and on my affectionate devotion4 ,at twenty-six years of age1 and possessed of so much knowledge1 you are only entering upon life1 while ,i am preparing to depart2 leaving this world far different from what ,i hoped it would be in my youth4 ,i will not forget the ,bichir and the ,lepidosteus4 ,remember always that your letters give me the greatest pleasure4 4 4 ,p4,s4 ,look carefully at the new number of ,poggendorf1 in which you will find beautiful discoveries of ,ehrenberg 7microscopical7 on the difference of structure between the brain and the nerves of motion1 also upon the crystals forming the silvered portion of the peritoneum of ,esox lucius4 ,in ,october1 #ahcc1 ,agassiz's marriage to ,cecile ,braun1 the sister of his life-long friend1 ,alexander ,braun1 took place4 ,he brought his wife home to a small apartment in ,neuchatel1 where they began their housekeeping after the simplest fashion1 with such economy as their very limited means enforced4 ,her rare artistic talent1 hitherto devoted to her brother's botanical pursuits1 now found a new field4 ,trained to accuracy in drawing objects of ,natural ,history1 she had an artist's eye for form and color4 ,some of the best drawings in the ,fossil ,fishes and the ,fresh-,water ,fishes are from her hand4 ,throughout the summer1 notwithstanding the trouble in his eyes1 ,agassiz had been still pressing on these works4 ,his two artists1 ,mr4 ,dinkel and ,mr4 ,weber1 the former in ,paris1 the latter in ,neuchatel1 were constantly busy on his plates4 ,although ,agassiz was at this time only twenty-six years of age1 his correspondence already shows that the interest of scientific men1 all over ,europe1 was attracted to him and to his work4 ,from investigators of note in his own country1 from those of ,france1 ,italy1 and ,germany1 from ,england1 and even from ,america1 the distant ,el ,dorado of naturalists in those days1 came offers of cooperation1 accompanied by fossil fishes or by the drawings of rare or unique specimens4 ,he was known in all the museums of ,europe as an indefatigable worker and collector1 seeking everywhere materials for comparison4 ,among the letters of this date is one from ,charpentier1 one of the pioneers of glacial investigation1 under whose auspices1 two years later1 ,agassiz began his inquiries into glacial phenomena4 ,he writes him from the neighborhood of ,bex1 his home in the valley of the ,rhone1 the classic land of glacial work2 but he writes of ,agassiz's special subjects1 inviting him to come and see such fossils as were to be found in his neighborhood1 and to investigate certain phenomena of upheaval and of plutonic action in the same region1 little dreaming that the young zoologist was presently to join him in his own chosen field of research4 ,agassiz now began also to receive pressing invitations from the ,english naturalists1 from ,buckland1 ,lyell1 ,murchison1 and others1 to visit ,england1 and examine their wonderful collections of fossil remains4 ,,from ,,professor ,,buckland ,,to ,,agassiz4 ,,oxford1 ,december #be1 #ahcc4 4 4 4,i should very much like to put into your hands what few materials ,i possess in the ,oxford ,museum relating to fossil fishes1 and am also desirous that you should see the fossil fish in the various provincial museums of ,england1 as well as in ,london4 ,sir ,philip ,egerton has a very large collection of fishes from ,engi and ,oeningen1 which he wishes to place at your disposition4 ,like myself1 he would willingly send you drawings1 but drawings made without knowledge of the anatomical details which you require1 cannot well represent what the artist himself does not perceive4 ,i would willingly lend you my specimens1 if ,i could secure them against the barbarous hands of the custom-house officials4 ,what ,i would propose to you as a means of seeing all the collections of ,england1 and gaining at the same time additional subscriptions for your work1 is1 that you should come to ,england and attend the ,british ,association for the ,advancement of ,science in ,september next4 ,there you will meet all the naturalists of ,england1 and ,i do not doubt that among them you will find a good many subscribers4 ,you will likewise see a new mine of fossil fishes in the clayey schist of the coal formation at ,newhaven1 on the banks of the ,forth1 near ,edinburgh4 ,you can also make arrangements to visit the museums of ,york1 ,whitby1 ,scarborough1 and ,leeds1 as well as the museum of ,sir ,philip ,egerton1 on your way to and from ,edinburgh4 ,you may1 likewise1 visit the museums of ,london1 ,cambridge1 and ,oxford2 everywhere there are fossil fishes2 and traveling by coach in ,england is so rapid1 easy1 and cheap1 that in six weeks or less you can accomplish all that ,i have proposed4 ,as ,i seriously hope that you will come to ,england for the months of ,august and ,september1 ,i say nothing at present of any other means of putting into your hands the drawings or specimens of our ,english fossil fishes4 ,i forgot to mention the very rich collection of fossil fishes in the ,museum of ,mr4 ,mantell1 at ,brighton1 where1 ,i think1 you could take the weekly steam-packet for ,rotterdam as easily as in ,london1 and thus arrive in ,neuchatel from ,london in a very few days4 4 4 ,,agassiz ,,to ,,professor ,,buckland4 4 4 4,i thank you most warmly for the very important information you have so kindly given me respecting the rich collections of ,england2 ,i will1 if possible1 make arrangements to visit them this year1 and in that case ,i will beg you to let me have a few letters of recommendation to facilitate my examination of them in detail4 ,not that ,i question for a moment the liberality of the ,english naturalists4 ,all the continental savants who have visited your museums have praised the kindness shown in intrusting to them the rarest objects1 and ,i well know that the ,english rival other nations in this respect1 and even leave them far behind4 ,but one must have merited such favors by scientific labors2 to a beginner they are always a free gift1 wholly undeserved4 4 4 ,a few months later ,agassiz received a very gratifying and substantial mark of the interest felt by ,english naturalists in his work4 ,,charles ,,lyell ,,to ,,louis ,,agassiz4 ,,somerset ,,house1 ,,london1 ,february #d1 #ahcd4 4 4 4,it is with the greatest pleasure that ,i announce to you good news4 ,the ,geological ,society of ,london desires me to inform you that it has this year conferred upon you the prize bequeathed by ,dr4 ,wollaston4 ,he has given us the sum of one thousand pounds sterling1 begging us to expend the interest1 or about seven hundred and fifty francs every year1 for the encouragement of the science of geology4 ,your work on fishes has been considered by the ,council and the officers of the ,geological ,society worthy of this prize1 ,dr4 ,wollaston having said that it could be given for unfinished works4 ,the sum of thirty guineas1 or #ca pounds #aj shillings sterling1 has been placed in my hands1 but ,i would not send you the money before knowing exactly where you were and learning from you where you wish it to be paid4 ,you will probably like an order on some ,swiss banker4 ,i cannot yet give you the extract from the address of the ,president in which your work is mentioned1 but ,i shall have it soon4 ,in the mean time ,i am desired to tell you that the ,society declines to receive your magnificent work as a gift1 but wishes to subscribe for it1 and has already ordered a copy from the publishers4 4 4 ,,agassiz ,,to ,,lyell4 ,,neuchatel1 ,march #be1 #ahcd4 4 4 4,you cannot imagine the joy your letter has given me4 ,the prize awarded to me is at once so unexpected an honor and so welcome an aid that ,i could hardly believe my eyes when1 with tears of relief and gratitude1 ,i read your letter4 ,in the presence of a savant1 ,i need not be ashamed of my penury1 since ,i have spent the little ,i had1 wholly in scientific researches4 ,i do not1 therefore1 hesitate to confess to you that at no time could your gift have given me greater pleasure4 ,generous friends have helped me to bring out the first number of my ,fossil ,fishes2 the plates of the second are finished1 but ,i was greatly embarrassed to know how to print a sufficient number of copies before the returns from the first should be paid in4 ,the text is ready also1 so that now1 in a fortnight1 ,i can begin the distribution1 and1 the rotation once established1 ,i hope that preceding numbers will always enable me to publish the next in succession without interruption4 ,i even count upon this resource as affording me the means of making a journey to ,england before long4 ,if no obstacle arises ,i hope to accomplish this during the coming summer1 and to be present at the next meeting of the ,english naturalists4 ,i do not live the less happily on account of my anxieties1 but ,i am sometimes obliged to work more than ,i well can1 or ought in reason to do4 4 4,the second number of my ,fossil ,fishes contains the beginning of the anatomy of the fishes1 but only such portions as are to be found in the fossil state4 ,i have begun with the scales2 later1 ,i treat of the bones and the teeth4 ,then comes the continuation of the description of the ,ganoids and the ,scomberoids1 and an additional sheet contains a sketch of my ichthyological classification4 ,the plates are even more successful than those of the first number4 ,if all goes well the third number will appear next ,july4 ,i long to visit your rich collections2 ,i hope that whenever it becomes possible for me to do so1 ,i shall have the good fortune to find you in ,london4 4 4 ,i have thought a letter addressed to the ,president of the ,society in particular1 and to the members in general1 would be fitting4 ,will you have the kindness to deliver it for me to ,mr4 ,murchison8 ,the first number of the ,fossil ,fishes had already appeared1 and had been greeted with enthusiasm by scientific men4 ,elie de ,beaumont writes ,agassiz in ,june1 #ahcd3 ,i have read with great pleasure your first number2 it promises us a work as important for science as it is remarkable in execution4 ,do not let yourself be discouraged by obstacles of any kind2 they will give way before the concert of approbation which so excellent a work will awaken4 ,i shall always be glad to aid in overcoming any one of them4 ,perhaps it is as well to give here a slight sketch of this work1 the execution of which was carried on during the next ten years 7#ahcc-ahdc74 ,the inscription tells1 in few words1 the author's reverence for ,humboldt and his personal gratitude to him4 ,these pages owe to you their existence2 accept their dedication4 ,the title gives in a broad outline the comprehensive purpose of the work3 ,researches on the ,fossil ,fishes3 comprising an ,introduction to the ,study of these ,animals2 the ,comparative ,anatomy of ,organic ,systems which may contribute to facilitate the ,determination of ,fossil ,species2 a ,new ,classification of ,fishes expressing their ,relations to the ,series of ,formations2 the ,explanation of the ,laws of their ,succession and ,development during all the ,changes of the ,terrestrial ,globe1 accompanied by ,general ,geological ,considerations2 finally1 the ,description of about a thousand ,species which no longer exist1 and whose ,characters have been restored from ,remains contained in the ,strata of the ,earth4 ,the most novel results comprised in this work were3 first1 the remodeling of the classification of the whole type of fishes1 fossil and living1 and especially the separation of the ,ganoids from all other fishes1 under the rank of a distinct order2 second1 the recognition of those combinations of reptilian and bird-like characters in the earlier geological fishes1 which led the author to call them prophetic types2 and third1 his discovery of an analogy between the embryological phases of the higher present fishes and the gradual introduction of the whole type on earth1 the series in growth and the series in time revealing a certain mutual correspondence4 ,as these comprehensive laws have thrown light upon other types of the animal kingdom beside that of fishes1 their discovery may be said to have advanced general zoology as well as ichthyology4 ,the ,introduction presents1 as it were1 the prelude to this vast chapter of natural history in the simultaneous appearance of the four great types of the animal kingdom3 ,radiates1 ,mollusks1 ,articulates1 and ,vertebrates4 ,then comes the orderly development of the class by which the vertebrate plan was first expressed1 namely1 the fishes4 ,underlying all its divisions and subdivisions1 is the average expression of the type in the past and present2 the ,placoids and ,ganoids1 with their combination of reptilian and fishlike features1 characterizing the earlier geological epochs1 while in the later the simple bony fishes1 the ,cycloids and ,ctenoids1 take the ascendancy4 ,here1 for the first time1 ,agassiz presents his synthetic or prophetic types1 namely1 early types embracing1 as it were1 in one large outline1 features afterward individualized in special groups1 and never again reunited4 ,no less striking than these general views of structural relations are the clearness and simplicity with which the distribution of the whole class of fishes in relation to the geological formations1 or1 in other words1 to the physical history of the earth1 is shown4 ,in reading this introductory chapter1 one familiar with ,agassiz as a public teacher will almost hear his voice marshaling the long procession of living beings1 as he was wont to do1 in their gradual introduction upon the earth4 ,indeed1 his whole future work in ichthyology1 and one might almost say in general zoology1 was here sketched4 ,the technicalities of this work1 at once so comprehensive in its combinations and so minute in its details1 could interest only the professional reader1 but its generalizations may well have a certain attraction for every thoughtful mind4 ,it treats of the relations1 anatomical1 zoological1 and geological1 between the whole class of fishes1 fossil and living1 illustrated by numerous plates1 while additional light is thrown on the whole by the revelations of embryology4 ,notwithstanding these striking differences1 says the author in the opening of the fifth chapter on the relations of fishes in general1 it is none the less evident to the attentive observer that one single idea has presided over the development of the whole class1 and that all the deviations lead back to a primary plan1 so that even if the thread seem broken in the present creation1 one can reunite it on reaching the domain of fossil ichthyology499 799 ,volume #a chapter #e pages #ib1 #ic47 ,having shown how the present creation has given him the key to past creations1 how the complete skeleton of the living fishes has explained the scattered fragments of the ancient ones1 especially those of which the soft cartilaginous structure was liable to decay1 he presents two modes of studying the type as a whole2 either in its comparative anatomy1 including in the comparison the whole history of the type1 fossil and living1 or in its comparative embryology4 ,the results1 he adds1 of these two methods of study complete and control each other4 ,in all his subsequent researches indeed1 the history of the individual in its successive phases went hand in hand with the history of the type4 ,he constantly tested his zoological results by his embryological investigations4 ,after a careful description of the dorsal chord in its embryological development1 he shows that a certain parallelism exists between the comparative degrees of development of the vertebral column in the different groups of fishes1 and the phases of its embryonic development in the higher fishes4 ,farther on he shows a like coincidence between the development of the system of fins in the different groups of fishes1 and the gradual growth and differentiation of the fins in the embryo of the higher living fishes499 799 ,recherches sur les ,poissons ,fossiles1 volume #a chapter #e page #ajb47 ,there is1 then1 he concludes1 as we have said above1 a certain analogy1 or rather a certain parallelism1 to be established between the embryological development of the ,cycloids and ,ctenoids1 and the genetic or paleontological development of the whole class4 ,considered from this point of view1 no one will dispute that the form of the caudal fin is of high importance for zoological and paleontological considerations1 since it shows that the same thought1 the same plan1 which presides to-day over the formation of the embryo1 is also manifested in the successive development of the numerous creation which have formerly peopled the earth4 ,agassiz says himself in his ,preface3 ,i have succeeded in expressing the laws of succession and of the organic development of fishes during all geological epochs2 and science may henceforth1 in seeing the changes of this class from formation to formation1 follow the progress of organization in one great division of the animal kingdom1 through a complete series of the ages of the earth4 ,this is not inconsistent with his position as the leading opponent of the development or ,darwinian theories4 ,to him1 development meant development of plan as expressed in structure1 not the change of one structure into another4 ,to his apprehension the change was based upon intellectual1 not upon material causes4 ,he sums up his own conviction with reference to this question as follows399 799 ,recherches sur les ,poissons ,fossiles volume #a chapter #f pages #aga1 #agb4 ,essay on the ,classification of ,fishes47 ,such facts proclaim aloud principles not yet discussed in science1 but which paleontological researches place before the eyes of the observer with an ever-increasing persistency4 ,i speak of the relations of the creation with the creator4 ,phenomena closely allied in the order of their succession1 and yet without sufficient cause in themselves for their appearance2 an infinite diversity of species without any common material bond1 so grouping themselves as to present the most admirable progressive development to which our own species is linked1--are these not incontestable proofs of the existence of a superior intelligence whose power alone could have established such an order of things84 4 4 ,more than fifteen hundred species of fossil fishes1 which ,i have learned to know1 tell me that species do not pass insensibly one into another1 but that they appear and disappear unexpectedly1 without direct relations with their precursors2 for ,i think no one will seriously pretend that the numerous types of ,cycloids and ,ctenoids1 almost all of which are contemporaneous with one an other1 have descended from the ,placoids and ,ganoids4 ,as well might one affirm that the ,mammalia1 and man with them1 have descended directly from fishes4 ,all these species have a fixed epoch of appearance and disappearance2 their existence is even limited to an appointed time4 ,and yet they present1 as a whole1 numerous affinities more or less close1 a definite coordination in a given system of organization which has intimate relations with the mode of existence of each type1 and even of each species4 ,an invisible thread unwinds itself throughout all time1 across this immense diversity1 and presents to us as a definite result1 a continual progress in the development of which man is the term1 of which the four classes of vertebrates are intermediate forms1 and the totality of invertebrate animals the constant accessory accompaniment4 ,the difficulty of carrying out comparisons so rigorous and extensive as were needed in order to reconstruct the organic relations between the fossil fishes of all geological formations and those of the present world1 is best told by the author499 799 ,recherches sur les ,poissons ,fossiles volume #a4 ,addition a la ,preface47 ,possessing no fossil fishes myself1 and renouncing forever the acquisition of collections so precious1 ,i have been forced to seek the materials for my work in all the collections of ,europe containing such remains2 ,i have1 therefore1 made frequent journeys in ,germany1 in ,france1 and in ,england1 in order to examine1 describe1 and illustrate the objects of my researches4 ,but notwithstanding the cordiality with which even the most precious specimens have been placed at my disposition1 a serious inconvenience has resulted from this mode of working1 namely1 that ,i have rarely been able to compare directly the various specimens of the same species from different collections1 and that ,i have often been obliged to make my identification from memory1 or from simple notes1 or1 in the more fortunate cases1 from my drawings only4 ,it is impossible to imagine the fatigue1 the exhaustion of all the faculties1 involved in such a method4 ,the hurry of traveling1 joined to the lack of the most ordinary facilities for observation1 has not rendered my task more easy4 ,i therefore claim indulgence for such of my identifications as a later examination1 made at leisure1 may modify1 and for descriptions which sometimes bear the stamp of the precipitation with which they have been prepared4 ,it was1 perhaps1 this experience of ,agassiz's earlier life which made him so anxious to establish a museum of comparative zoology in this country1--a museum so abundant and comprehensive in material1 that the student should not only find all classes of the animal kingdom represented within its walls1 but preserved also in such numbers as to allow the sacrifice of many specimens for purposes of comparison and study4 ,he was resolved that no student should stand there baffled at the door of knowledge1 as he had often done himself1 when shown the one precious specimen1 which could not be removed1 or even examined on the spot1 because unique4 ,,chapter #h4 #ahcd-ahcg3 ,,age #bg-cj4 ,first ,visit to ,england4 ,reception by ,scientific ,men4 ,work on ,fossil ,fishes there4 ,liberality of ,english ,naturalists4 ,first ,relations with ,american ,science4 ,farther ,correspondence with ,humboldt4 ,second ,visit to ,england4 ,continuation of ,fossil ,fishes4 ,other ,scientific ,publications4 ,attention drawn to ,glacial ,phenomena4 ,summer at ,bex with ,charpentier4 ,sale of ,original ,drawings for ,fossil ,fishes4 ,meeting of ,helvetic ,society4 ,address on ,ice-,period4 ,letters from ,humboldt and ,von ,buch4 ,in ,august1 #ahcd1 according to his cherished hope1 ,agassiz went to ,england1 and was received by the scientific men with a cordial sympathy which left not a day or an hour of his short sojourn there unoccupied4 ,the following letter from ,buckland is one of many proffering hospitality and friendly advice on his arrival4 ,,dr4 ,,buckland ,,to ,,louis ,,agassiz4 ,,oxford1 ,august #bf1 #ahcd4 4 4 4,i am rejoiced to hear of your safe arrival in ,london1 and write to say that ,i am in ,oxford1 and that ,i shall be most happy to receive you and give you a bed in my house if you can come here immediately4 ,i expect ,m4 ,arago and ,mr4 ,pentland from ,paris tomorrow 7,wednesday7 afternoon4 ,i shall be most happy to show you our ,oxford ,museum on ,thursday or ,friday1 and to proceed with you toward ,edinburgh4 ,sir ,philip ,egerton has a fine collection of fossil fishes near ,chester1 which you should visit on your road4 ,i have partly engaged myself to be with him on ,monday1 ,september #ast1 but ,i think it would be desirable for you to go to him ,saturday1 that you may have time to take drawings of his fossil fishes4 ,i cannot tell certainly what day ,i shall leave ,oxford until ,i see ,m4 ,arago1 whom ,i hope you will meet at my house1 on your arrival in ,oxford4 ,i shall hope to see you ,wednesday evening or ,thursday morning4 ,pray come to my house in ,christ ,church1 with your baggage1 the moment you reach ,oxford4 4 4 ,agassiz always looked back with delight on this first visit to ,great ,britain4 ,it was the beginning of his life-long friendship with ,buckland1 ,sedgwick1 ,murchison1 ,lyell1 and others of like pursuits and interests4 ,made welcome in many homes1 he could scarcely respond to all the numerous invitations1 social and scientific1 which followed the ,edinburgh meeting4 ,guided by ,dr4 ,buckland1 to whom not only every public and private collection1 but every rare specimen in the ,united ,kingdom1 seems to have been known1 he wandered from treasure to treasure4 ,every day brought its revelation1 until1 under the accumulation of new facts1 he almost felt himself forced to begin afresh the work he had believed well advanced4 ,he might have been discouraged by a wealth of resources which seemed to open countless paths1 leading he knew not whither1 but for the generosity of the ,english naturalists who allowed him to cull1 out of sixty or more collections1 two thousand specimens of fossil fishes1 and to send them to ,london1 where1 by the kindness of the ,geological ,society1 he was permitted to deposit them in a room in ,somerset ,house4 ,the mass of materials once sifted and arranged1 the work of comparison and identification became comparatively easy4 ,he sent at once for his faithful artist1 ,mr4 ,dinkel1 who began1 without delay1 to copy all such specimens as threw new light on the history of fossil fishes1 a work which detained him in ,england for several years4 ,agassiz made at this time two friends1 whose sympathy and cooperation in his scientific work were invaluable to him for the rest of his life4 ,sir ,philip ,egerton and ,lord ,cole 7,earl of ,enniskillen7 owned two of the most valuable collections of fossil fishes in ,great ,britain499 799 ,now the property of the ,british ,museum47 ,to aid him in his researches1 their most precious specimens were placed at ,agassiz's disposition2 his artist was allowed to work for months on their collections1 and even after ,agassiz came to ,america1 they never failed to share with him1 as far as possible1 the advantages arising from the increase of their museums4 ,from this time his correspondence with them1 and especially with ,sir ,philip ,egerton1 is closely connected with the ever-growing interest as well as with the difficulties of his scientific career4 ,reluctantly1 and with many a backward look1 he left ,england in ,october1 and returned to his lectures in ,neuchatel1 taking with him such specimens as were indispensable to the progress of his work4 ,every hour of the following winter which could be spared from his lectures was devoted to his fossil fishes4 ,a letter of this date from ,professor ,silliman1 of ,new ,haven1 ,connecticut1 marks the beginning of his relations with his future ,new ,england home1 and announces his first ,new ,england subscribers4 ,,yale ,,college ,,new ,,haven1 ,,united ,,states ,,of ,,north ,,america1 ,april #bb1 #ahce4 4 4 4,from ,boston1 ,march #fth1 ,i had the honor to thank you for your letter of ,january #eth1 and for your splendid present of your great work on fossil fishes--livraison #a-bb--received1 with the plates4 ,i also gave a notice of the work in the ,april number of the ,journal99 799 ,the ,american ,journal of ,science and ,arts47 7this present month71 and republished ,mr4 ,bakewell's account of your visit to ,mr4 ,mantell's museum4 ,in ,boston ,i made some little efforts in behalf of your work1 and have the pleasure of naming as follows3-- ,harvard ,university1 ,cambridge 7,cambridge is only four miles from ,boston71 by ,hon4 ,josiah ,quincy1 ,president4 ,boston ,athenaeum1 by its ,librarian4 ,benjamin ,green1 ,esquire1 ,president of the ,boston ,natural ,history ,society4 ,i shall make application to some other institutions or individuals1 but do not venture to promise anything more than my best exertions 4 4 4 ,agassiz little dreamed1 as he read this letter1 how familiar these far-off localities would become to him1 or how often1 in after years1 he would traverse by day and by night the four miles which lay between ,boston and his home in ,cambridge4 ,agassiz still sought and received1 as we see by the following letter1 ,humboldt's sympathy in every step of his work4 ,,humboldt ,,to ,,louis ,,agassiz4 ,,berlin1 ,may1 #ahce4 ,i am to blame for my neglect of you1 my dear friend1 but when you consider the grief which depresses me199 799 ,owing to the death of his brother1 ,william von ,humboldt47 and renders me unfit to keep up my scientific connections1 you will not be so unkind as to bear me any ill-will for my long silence4 ,you are too well aware of my high esteem for your talents and your character--you know too well the affectionate friendship ,i bear you--to fear for a moment that you could be forgotten4 ,i have seen the being ,i loved most1 and who alone gave me some interest in this arid land1 slowly decline4 ,for four long years my brother had suffered from a weakness of all the muscles1 which made me always fear that the seat of the trouble was the medulla oblongata4 ,yet his step was firm2 his head was entirely clear4 ,the higher intellectual faculties retained all their energy4 ,he was engaged from twelve to thirteen hours a day on his works1 reading or rather dictating1 for a nervous trembling of the hand prevented him from using a pen4 ,surrounded by a numerous family2 living on a spot created1 so to speak1 by himself1 and in a house which he had adorned with antique statues2 withdrawn also from affairs1 he was still attached to life4 ,the illness which carried him off in ten days--an inflammation of the chest--was but a secondary symptom of his disease4 ,he died without pain1 with a strength of character and a serenity of mind worthy of the greatest admiration4 ,it is cruel to see so noble an intelligence struggle during ten long days against physical destruction4 ,we are told that in great grief we should turn with redoubled energy to the study of nature4 ,the advice is easy to give2 but for a long time even the wish for distraction is wanting4 ,my brother leaves two works which we intend to publish3 one upon the languages and ancient ,indian civilization of the ,asiatic archipelago1 and the other upon the structure of languages in general1 and the influence of that structure upon the intellectual development of nations4 ,this last work has great beauty of style4 ,we shall soon begin the publication of it4 ,my brother's extensive correspondence with all those countries over which his philological studies extended brings upon me just at present1 such a multiplicity of occupations and duties that ,i can only write you these few lines1 my dear friend1 as a pledge of my constant affection1 and1 ,i may also add1 my admiration of your eminent works4 ,it is a pleasure to watch the growing renown of those who are dear to us2 and who should merit success more than you1 whose elevation of character is proof against the temptations of literary self-love8 ,i thank you for the little you have told me of your home life4 ,it is not enough to be praised and recognized as a great and profound naturalist2 to this one must add domestic happiness as well4 4 4 ,i am about finishing my long and wearisome work of 7illegible72 a critical examinationinto the geography of the ,middle ,ages1 of which fifty sheets are already printed4 ,i will send you the volumes as soon as they appear1 in octavo4 ,i devoured your fourth number2 the plates are almost finer than the previous ones2 and the text1 though ,i have only looked it through hastily1 interested me deeply1 especially the analytical catalogue of ,bolca1 and the more general and very philosophical views of fishes in general1 pages #eg-fd4 ,the latter is also remarkable in point of style4 4 4 ,m4 von ,buch1 who has just left me1 sends you a warm greeting4 ,none the less does he consider the method of issuing your text in fragments from different volumes1 altogether diabolical4 ,i also complain a little1 though in all humility2 but ,i suppose it to be connected with the difficulty of concluding any one family1 when new materials are daily accumulating on your hands4 ,continue then as before4 ,in my judgment1 ,m4 ,agassiz never does wrong4 4 4 ,the above letter1 though written in ,may1 did not reach ,agassiz until the end of ,july1 when he was again on his way to ,england1 where his answer is dated4 ,,agassiz ,,to ,,humboldt4 7,,london71 ,october--1 #ahce4 4 4 4,i cannot express to you my pleasure in reading your letter of ,may #ajth 7which was1 unhappily1 only delivered to me on my passage through ,carlsruhe1 at the end of ,july74 4 4,to know that ,i have occupied your thoughts a moment1 especially in days of trial and sorrow such as you have had to bear1 raises me in my own eyes1 and redoubles my hope for the future4 ,and just now such encouragement is particularly cheering under the difficulties which ,i meet in completing my task in ,england4 ,i have now been here nearly two months1 and ,i hope before leaving to finish the description of all that ,i brought together at the ,geological ,society last year4 ,knowing that you are in ,paris1 however1 ,i cannot resist the temptation of going to see you2 indeed1 should your stay be prolonged for some weeks1 it would be my most direct path for home4 ,i should like to tell you a little of what ,i have done1 and how the world has gone with me since we last met4 4 4,i have certainly committed an imprudence in throwing myself into an enterprise so vast in proportion to my means as my ,fossil ,fishes4 ,but1 having begun it1 ,i have no alternative2 my only safety is in success4 ,i have a firm conviction that ,i shall bring my work to a happy issue1 though often in the evening ,i hardly know how the mill is to be turned to-morrow4 4 4 ,by a great good fortune for me1 the ,british ,association1 at the suggestion of ,buckland1 ,sedgwick1 and ,murchison1 has renewed1 for the present year1 its vote of one hundred guineas toward the facilitating of researches upon the fossil fishes of ,england1 and ,i hope that a considerable part of this sum may be awarded to me1 in which case ,i may be able to complete the greater number of the drawings ,i need4 ,if ,i had obtained in ,france only half the subscriptions ,i have had in ,england1 ,i should be afloat2 but thus far ,m4 ,bailliere has only disposed of some fifteen copies4 4 4,my work advances fairly2 ,i shall soon have described all the species ,i know1 numbering now about nine hundred4 ,i need some weeks in ,paris for the comparison of several tertiary species with living ones in order to satisfy myself of their specific identity1 and then my task will be accomplished4 ,next comes the putting in order of all my notes4 ,my long vacations will give me time to do this with the greatest care4 4 4 ,his second visit to ,england1 during which the above letter was written1 was chiefly spent in reviewing the work of his artist1 whom he now reinforced with a second draughtsman1 ,m4 ,weber1 the same who had formerly worked with him in ,munich4 ,he also attended the meeting of the ,british ,association in ,dublin1 stayed a few days at ,oulton ,park for another look at the collections of ,sir ,philip ,egerton1 made a second grand tour among the other fossil fishes of ,england and ,ireland1 and returned to ,neuchatel1 leaving his two artists in ,london with their hands more than full4 ,while ,agassiz thus pursued his work on fossil fishes with ardor and an almost perilous audacity1 in view of his small means1 he found also time for various other investigations4 ,during the year #ahcf1 though pushing forward constantly the publication of the ,poissons ,fossiles1 his ,prodromus of the ,class of ,echinodermata appeared in the ,memoirs of the ,natural ,history ,society of ,neuchatel1 as well as his paper on the fossil ,echini belonging to the ,neocomian group of the ,neuchatel ,jura1 accompanied by figures4 ,not long after1 he published in the ,memoirs of the ,helvetic ,society his descriptions of fossil ,echini peculiar to ,switzerland1 and issued also the first number of a more extensive work1 ,monographie d',echinodermes4 ,during this year he received a new evidence of the sympathy of the ,english naturalists1 in the ,wollaston medal awarded to him by the ,london ,geological ,society4 ,the summer of #ahcf was an eventful one for ,agassiz1--the opening1 indeed1 of a new and brilliant chapter in his life4 ,the attention of the ignorant and the learned had alike been called to the singular glacial phenomena of movement and transportation in the ,alpine valleys4 ,the peasant had told his strange story of boulders carried on the back of the ice1 of the alternate retreat and advance of glaciers1 now shrinking to narrower limits1 now plunging forward into adjoining fields1 by some unexplained power of expansion and contraction4 ,scientific men were awake to the interest of these facts1 but had considered them only as local phenomena4 ,venetz and ,charpentier were the first to detect their wider significance4 ,the former traced the ancient limits of the ,alpine glaciers as defined by the frame-work of debris or loose material they had left behind them2 and ,charpentier went farther1 and affirmed that all the erratic boulders scattered over the plain of ,switzerland and on the sides of the ,jura had been thus distributed by ice and not by water1 as had been supposed4 ,agassiz was among those who received this hypothesis as improbable and untenable4 ,still1 he was anxious to see the facts in place1 and ,charpentier was glad to be his guide4 ,he therefore passed his vacation1 during this summer of #ahcf1 at the pretty town of ,bex1 in the valley of the ,rhone4 ,here he spent a number of weeks in explorations1 which served at the same time as a relaxation from his more sedentary work4 ,he went expecting to confirm his own doubts1 and to disabuse his friend ,charpentier of his errors4 ,but after visiting with him the glaciers of the ,diablerets1 those of the valley of ,chamounix1 and the moraines of the great valley of the ,rhone and its principal lateral valleys1 he came away satisfied that a too narrow interpretation of the phenomena was ,charpentier's only mistake4 ,during this otherwise delightful summer1 he was not without renewed anxiety lest he should be obliged to suspend the publication of the ,fossil ,fishes for want of means to carry it on4 ,on this account he writes from ,bex to ,sir ,philip ,egerton in relation to the sale of his original drawings1 the only property he possessed4 ,it is absolutely impossible1 he says1 for me to issue even another number until this sale is effected4 4 4,i shall consider myself more than repaid if ,i receive1 in exchange for the whole collection of drawings1 simply what ,i have expended upon them1 provided ,i may keep those which have yet to be lithographed until that be done4 ,sir ,philip made every effort to effect a sale to the ,british ,museum4 ,he failed at the moment1 but the collection was finally purchased and presented to the ,british ,museum by a generous relative of his own1 ,lord ,francis ,egerton4 ,in the mean time1 ,sir ,philip and ,lord ,cole1 in order to make it possible for ,agassiz to retain the services of ,mr4 ,dinkel1 proposed to pay his expenses while he was drawing such specimens from their own collections as were needed for the work4 ,these drawings were1 of course1 finally to remain their own property4 ,during his sojourn at ,bex1 ,agassiz's intellect and imagination had been deeply stirred by the glacial phenomena4 ,in the winter of #ahcg1 on his return to ,neuchatel1 he investigated anew the slopes of the ,jura1 and found that the facts there told the same story4 ,although he resumed with unabated ardor his various works on fishes1 radiates1 and mollusks1 a new chapter of nature was all the while unfolding itself in his fertile brain4 ,when the ,helvetic ,association assembled at ,neuchatel in the following summer1 the young president1 from whom the members had expected to hear new tidings of fossil fishes1 startled them by the presentation of a glacial theory1 in which the local erratic phenomena of the ,swiss valleys assumed a cosmic significance4 ,it is worthy of remark here that the first large outlines in which ,agassiz1 when a young man1 planned his intellectual work gave the key-note to all that followed4 ,as the generalizations on which all his future zoological researches were based1 are sketched in the ,preface to his ,poissons ,fossiles1 so his opening address to the ,helvetic ,society in #ahcg unfolds the glacial period as a whole1 much as he saw it at the close of his life1 after he had studied the phenomena on three continents4 ,in this address he announced his conviction that a great ice-period1 due to a temporary oscillation of the temperature of the globe1 had covered the surface of the earth with a sheet of ice1 extending at least from the north pole to ,central ,europe and ,asia4 ,siberian winter1 he says1 established itself for a time over a world previously covered with a rich vegetation and peopled with large mammalia1 similar to those now inhabiting the warm regions of ,india and ,africa4 ,death enveloped all nature in a shroud1 and the cold1 having reached its highest degree1 gave to this mass of ice1 at the maximum of tension1 the greatest possible hardness4 ,in this novel presentation the distribution of erratic boulders1 instead of being classed among local phenomena1 was considered as one of the accidents accompanying the vast change occasioned by the fall of the temperature of our globe before the commencement of our epoch4 ,this was1 indeed1 throwing the gauntlet down to the old expounders of erratic phenomena upon the principle of floods1 freshets1 and floating ice4 ,many well-known geologists were present at the meeting1 among them ,leopold von ,buch1 who could hardly contain his indignation1 mingled with contempt1 for what seemed to him the view of a youthful and inexperienced observer4 ,one would have liked to hear the discussion which followed1 in special section1 between ,von ,buch1 ,charpentier1 and ,agassiz4 ,elie de ,beaumont1 who should have made the fourth1 did not arrive till later4 ,difference of opinion1 however1 never disturbed the cordial relation which existed between ,von ,buch and his young opponent4 ,indeed1 ,agassiz's reverence and admiration for ,von ,buch was then1 and continued throughout his life1 deep and loyal4 ,not alone from the men who had made these subjects their special study1 did ,agassiz meet with discouragements4 ,the letters of his beloved mentor1 ,humboldt1 in #ahcg1 show how much he regretted that any part of his young friend's energy should be diverted from zoology1 to a field of investigation which he then believed to be one of theory rather than of precise demonstration4 ,he was1 perhaps1 partly influenced by the fact that he saw through the prejudiced eyes of his friend ,von ,buch4 ,over your and ,charpentier's moraines1 he says1 in one of his letters1 ,leopold von ,buch rages1 as you may already know1 considering the subject1 as he does1 his exclusive property4 ,but ,i too1 though by no means so bitterly opposed to new views1 and ready to believe that the boulders have not all been moved by the same means1 am yet inclined to think the moraines due to more local causes4 ,the next letter shows that ,humboldt was seriously anxious lest this new field of activity1 with its fascinating speculations1 should draw ,agassiz away from his ichthyological researches4 ,,humboldt ,,to ,,agassiz4 ,,berlin1 ,december #b1 #ahcg4 ,i have this moment received1 my dear friend1 by the hand of ,m4 de ,werther1 the cabinet minister1 your eighth and ninth numbers1 with a fine pamphlet of text4 ,i hasten to express my warm thanks1 and ,i congratulate the public on your somewhat tardy resolution to give a larger proportion of text4 ,one should flatter neither the king1 nor the people1 nor one's dearest friend4 ,i maintain1 therefore1 that no one has told you forcibly enough how the very persons who justly admire your work1 constantly complain of this fragmentary style of publication1 which is the despair of those who have not the leisure to place your scattered sheets where they belong and disentangle the skein499 799 ,owing to the irregularity with which he received and was forced to work up his material1 ,agassiz was often either in advance or in arrears with certain parts of his subject1 so that his plates and his text did not keep pace with each other1 thus causing his readers much annoyance47 ,i think you would do well to publish for a while more text than plates4 ,you could do this the better because your text is excellent1 full of new and important ideas1 expressed with admirable clearness4 ,the charming letter 7again without a date7 which preceded your package impressed me painfully4 ,i see you are ill again2 you complain of congestion of the head and eyes4 ,for mercy's sake take care of your health which is so dear to us4 ,i am afraid you work too much1 and 7shall ,i say it frankly87 that you spread your intellect over too many subjects at once4 ,i think that you should concentrate your moral and also your pecuniary strength upon this beautiful work on fossil fishes4 ,in so doing you will render a greater service to positive geology1 than by these general considerations 7a little icy withal7 on the revolutions of the primitive world2 considerations which1 as you well know1 convince only those who give them birth4 ,in accepting considerable sums from ,england1 you have1 so to speak1 contracted obligations to be met only by completing a work which will be at once a monument to your own glory and a landmark in the history of science4 ,admirable and exact as your researches on other fossils are1 your contemporaries claim from you the fishes above all4 ,you will say that this is making you the slave of others2 perfectly true1 but such is the pleasing position of affairs here below4 ,have ,i not been driven for thirty-three years to busy myself with that tiresome ,america1 and am ,i not1 even yet1 daily insulted because1 after publishing thirty-two volumes of the great edition in folio and in quarto1 and twelve hundred plates1 one volume of the historical section is wanting8 ,we men of letters are the servants of an arbitrary master1 whom we have imprudently chosen1 who flatters and pets us first1 and then tyrannizes over us if we do not work to his liking4 ,you see1 my dear friend1 ,i play the grumbling old man1 and1 at the risk of deeply displeasing you1 place myself on the side of the despotic public4 4 4 ,with reference to the general or periodical lowering of the temperature of the globe1 ,i have never thought it necessary1 on account of the elephant of the ,lena1 to admit that sudden frost of which ,cuvier used to speak4 ,what ,i have seen in ,siberia1 and what has been observed in ,captain ,beechey's expedition on the northwest coast of ,america1 simply proves that there exists a layer of frozen drift1 in the fissures of which 7even now7 the muscular flesh of any animal which should accidentally fall into them would be preserved intact4 ,it is a slight local phenomenon4 ,to me1 the ensemble of geological phenomena seems to prove1 not the prevalence of this glacial surface on which you would carry along your boulders1 but a very high temperature spreading almost to the poles1 a temperature favorable to organizations resembling those now living in the tropics4 ,your ice frightens me1 and gladly as ,i would welcome you here1 my dear friend1 ,i think1 perhaps1 for the sake of your health1 and also that you may not see this country1 always so hideous1 under a sheet of snow and ice 7in ,february71 you would do better to come two months later1 with the first verdure4 ,this is suggested by a letter received yesterday by ,m4 d',o--1 which alarmed me a little1 because the state of your eyes obliged you to write by another hand4 ,pray do not think of traveling before you are quite well4 ,i close this letter1 feeling sure that it does not contain a line which is not an expression of friendship and of the high esteem ,i bear you4 ,the magnificence of your last numbers1 eight and nine1 cannot be told4 ,how admirably executed are your ,macropoma1 the ,ophiopris procerus1 ,mantell's great beast1 the minute details of the ,dercetis1 ,psammodus14 4 4the skeletons4 4 4 ,there is nothing like it in all that we possess upon vertebrates4 ,i have also begun to study your text1 so rich in well arranged facts2 the monograph of the ,lepidostei1 the passage upon the bony rays1 and1 dear ,agassiz1 ,i could hardly believe my eyes1 sixty-five continuous pages of the third volume1 without interruption6 ,you will spoil the public4 ,but1 my good friend1 you have already information upon a thousand species2 claudite jam rivos6 ,you say your work can go on if you have two hundred subscribers2 but if you continue to support two traveling draughtsmen1 ,i predict1 as a practical man1 that it cannot go on4 ,you cannot even publish what you have gathered in the last five years4 ,consider that in attempting to give a review of all the fossil fishes which now exist in collections1 you pursue a phantom which ever flies before you4 ,such a work would not be finished in less than fifteen years1 and besides1 this ,,now is an uncertain element4 ,cannot you conquer yourself so far as to finish what you have in your possession at present8 ,recall your artists4 ,with the reputation you enjoy in ,europe1 whatever might essentially change your opinion on certain organisms would willingly be sent to you4 ,if you continue to keep two ambassadors in foreign lands1 the means you destine for the engraving and printing will soon be absorbed4 ,you will struggle with domestic difficulties1 and at sixty years of age 7tremble at the sight of this number67 you will be as uncertain as you are to-day1 whether you possess1 even in your collection of drawings1 all that is to be found among amateurs4 ,how exhaust an ocean in which the species are indefinitely increasing8 ,finish1 first1 what you have this ,december1 #ahcg1 and then1 if the subject does not weary you1 publish the supplements in #ahdg4 ,you must not forget that these supplements will be of two kinds3 #ast4 ,ideas which modify some of your old views4 #bnd4 ,new species4 ,only the first kind of supplement would be really desirable4 ,furthermore1 you must regain your intellectual independence and not let yourself be scolded any more by ,m4 de ,humboldt4 ,little will it avail you should ,i vanish from the scene of this world with your fourteenth number6 ,when ,i am a fossil in my turn ,i shall still appear to you as a ghost1 having under my arm the pages you have failed to interpolate and the volume of that eternal ,america which ,i owe to the public4 ,i close with a touch of fun1 in order that my letter may seem a little less like preaching4 ,a thousand affectionate remembrances4 ,no more ice1 not much of echinoderms1 plenty of fish1 recall of ambassadors in partibus1 and great severity toward the book-sellers1 an infernal race1 two or three of whom have been killed under me4 ,a4 ,,de ,,humboldt4 ,i sigh to think of the trouble my horrible writing will give you4 ,a letter of about the same date from ,von ,buch shows that1 however he might storm at ,agassiz's heterodox geology1 he was in full sympathy with his work in general4 ,,leopold ,,von ,,buch ,,to ,,louis ,,agassiz4 ,december #bb1 #ahcg4 4 4 4,pray reinstate me in the good graces of my unknown benefactor among you4 ,by a great mistake the reports of the ,society forwarded to me from ,neuchatel have been sent back4 ,as it is well known at the post-office that ,i do not keep the piles of educational journals sent to me from ,france1 the postage on them being much too heavy for my means1 they took it for granted that this journal1 the charges on which amounted to several crowns1 was of the number4 ,i am very sorry4 ,i do not even know the contents of the journal1 but ,i suppose it contained papers of yours1 full of genius and ardor4 ,i like your way of looking at nature1 and ,i think you render great service to science by your observations4 ,a right spirit will readily lead you to see that this is the true road to glory1 far preferable to the one which leads to vain analogies and speculations1 the time for which is long past4 ,i am grieved to hear that you are not well1 and that your eyes refuse their service4 ,m4 de ,humboldt tells me that you are seeking a better climate here1 in the month of ,february4 ,you may find it1 perhaps1 thanks to our stoves4 ,but as we shall still have plenty of ice in the streets1 your glacial opinions will not find a market at that season4 ,i should like to present you with a memoir or monograph of mine1 just published1 on ,spirifer and ,orthis1 but ,i will take good care to let no one pay postage on a work which1 by its nature1 can have but a very limited interest4 4 4,i will await your arrival to give you these descriptions4 ,i am expecting the numbers of your ,fossil ,fishes1 which have not yet come4 ,humboldt often speaks of them to me4 ,ah6 how much ,i prefer you in a field which is wholly your own than in one where you break in upon the measured and cautious tread1 introduced by ,saussure in geology4 ,you1 too1 will reconsider all this1 and will yet treat the views of ,saussure and ,escher with more respect4 ,everything here turns to infusoria4 ,ehrenberg has just discovered that an apparently sandy deposit1 twenty feet in thickness1 under the ,luneburgerheyde1 is composed entirely of infusoria of a kind still living in the neighborhood of ,berlin4 ,this layer rests upon a brown deposit known to be ten feet in thickness4 ,the latter consists1 for one fifth of the depth1 of pine pollen1 which burns4 ,the rest is of infusoria4 ,thus these animals1 which the naked eye has not power to discern1 have themselves the power to build up mountain chains4 4 4 ,,chapter #i4 #ahcg-ahci3 ,,age #cj-cb4 ,invitation to ,professorships at ,geneva and ,lausanne4 ,death of his ,father4 ,establishment of ,lithographic ,press at ,neuchatel4 ,researches upon ,structure of ,mollusks4 ,internal ,casts of ,shells4 ,glacial ,explorations4 ,views of ,buckland4 ,relations with ,arnold ,guyot4 ,their ,work together in the ,alps4 ,letter to ,sir ,philip ,egerton concerning ,glacial ,work4 ,summer of #ahci4 ,publication of ,etudes sur les ,glaciers4 ,although ,agassiz's daring treatment of the glacial phenomena had excited much opposition and angry comment1 it had also made a powerful impression by its eloquence and originality4 ,to this may be partly due the fact that about this time he was strongly urged from various quarters to leave ,neuchatel for some larger field4 ,one of the most seductive of these invitations1 owing to the affectionate spirit in which it was offered1 came through ,monsieur de la ,rive1 in ,geneva4 ,m4 ,,auguste ,,de ,,la ,,rive ,,to ,,louis ,,agassiz4 ,,geneva1 ,may #ab1 #ahcf4 4 4 4,i have not yet received your address4 ,i hope you will send it to me without delay1 for ,i am anxious to bring it before our readers4 ,i hope also that you will not forget what you have promised me for the ,bibliotheque ,universelle4 ,i am exceedingly anxious to have your cooperation2 the more so that it will reinforce that of several distinguished savants whose assistance ,i have recently secured4 ,if ,i weary you with a second letter1 however1 it is not only to remind you of your promise about the ,bibliotheque ,universelle1 but for another object still more important and urgent4 ,the matter stands thus4 ,our academic courses have just opened under favorable auspices4 ,the number of students is much increased1 and1 especially1 we have a good many from ,germany and ,england4 ,this circumstance makes us feel more strongly the importance of completing our organization1 and of doing this wisely and quickly4 ,i will not play the diplomat with you1 but will frankly say1 without circumlocution1 that you seem to me the one essential1 the one indispensable man4 ,after having talked with some influential persons here1 ,i feel sure that if you say to me1 ,i will come1 ,i can obtain for you the following conditions3 #ast4 ,a regular salary of three thousand francs1 beside the student fees1 which1 in view of the character of your instruction1 your reputation1 and the novelty of your course1 ,i place too low at a thousand francs2 of this ,i am convinced4 #bnd4 ,the vacant professorship is one of geology and mineralogy1 but should you wish it ,de la ,planche will continue to teach the mineralogy1 and you will replace it by paleontology1 or any other subject which may suit you4 4 4,add to this resource that of a popular course for the world outside1 ladies and others1 which you might give in the winter1 as at ,neuchatel4 ,the custom here is to pay fifty francs for the course of from twenty-five to thirty lectures4 ,you will easily see that for such a course you would have at least as large an audience here as at ,neuchatel4 ,this is the more likely because there is a demand for these courses1 ,pictet being dead1 and ,m4 ,rossi and ,m4 de ,castella having ceased to give them4 ,no one has come forward as their heir1 fine as the inheritance is2 some are too busy1 others have not the kind of talent needed1 and none have attempted to replace these gentlemen in this especial line1 one in which you excel1 both by your gifts and your fortunate choice of a subject more in vogue just now than any other4 ,come then1 to work in this rich vein before others present themselves for the same purpose4 ,finally1 since ,i must make up your budget1 the ,bibliotheque ,universelle1 which pays fifty francs a sheet1 would be always open to you2 there you could bring the fruits of your productive leisure4 ,certainly it would be easy for you to make in this way an additional thousand francs4 ,here1 then1 is a statement1 precise and full1 of the condition of things1 and of what you may hope to find here4 ,the moment is propitious2 there is a movement among us just now in favor of the sciences1 and this winter the plan of a large building for our museum and library will be presented to our common council4 ,the work should begin next summer2 you well know how much we should value your ideas and your advice on this subject4 ,there may also be question of a director for the museum1 and of an apartment for him in the new edifice2 you will not doubt to whom such a place would be offered4 ,but let us not draw upon the future2 let us limit ourselves to the present1 and see whether what ,i propose suits you 4 4 4,come6 let yourself be persuaded4 ,sacrifice the capital to a provincial town4 ,at ,berlin1 no doubt1 you would be happy and honored2 at ,geneva1 you would be the happiest1 the most honored4 ,look at--1 who shone as a star of the first magnitude at ,geneva1 and who is but a star of second or third rank in ,paris4 ,this1 to be sure1 would not be your case2 nevertheless1 ,i am satisfied that at ,geneva1 where you would be a second de ,saussure1 your position would be still more brilliant4 ,i know that these motives of scientific self-love have little weight with you2 nevertheless1 wishing to omit nothing1 ,i give them for what they are worth4 ,but my hope rests far more on the arguments ,i have first presented2 they come from the heart1 and with you the heart responds as readily as the genius4 ,but enough6 ,i will not fatigue you with farther considerations4 ,i think ,i have given you all the points necessary for your decision4 ,be so kind as to let me know as soon as possible what you intend to do4 ,have the kindness also not to speak of the contents of this letter1 and remember that it is not the ,rector of the ,academy of ,geneva1 but the ,professor ,auguste de la ,rive1 who writes in his own private person4 ,promptitude and silence1 then1 are the two recommendations which ,i make to you while we await the ,yes we so greatly desire4 4 4 ,more tempting still must have been the official invitation received a few months later to a professorship at ,lausanne1 strengthened as it was by the affectionate entreaties of relations and friends1 urging him for the sake of family ties and patriotism to return to the canton where he had passed his earlier years4 ,but he had cast in his lot with the ,neuchatelois and was proof against all arguments4 ,he remained faithful to the post he had chosen until he left it1 temporarily as he then believed1 to come to ,america4 ,the citizens of his adopted town expressed their appreciation of his loyalty to them in a warm letter of thanks1 begging1 at the same time1 his acceptance of the sum of six thousand francs1 payable by installments during three years4 ,the summer of #ahcg was a sad one to ,agassiz and to his whole family2 his father died at ,concise1 carried off by a fever while still a comparatively young man4 ,the pretty parsonage1 to which they were so much attached1 passed into other hands1 and thenceforward the home of ,madame ,agassiz was with her children1 among whom she divided her time4 ,in #ahch ,agassiz founded a lithographic printing establishment in ,neuchatel1 which was carried on for many years under his direction4 ,thus far his plates had been lithographed in ,munich4 ,their execution at such a distance involved constant annoyance1 and sometimes great waste of time and money1 in sending the proofs to and fro for correction4 ,the scheme of establishing a lithographic press1 to be in a great degree at his charge1 was certainly an imprudent one for a poor man2 but ,agassiz hoped not only to facilitate his own publications by this means1 but also to raise the standard of execution in works of a purely scientific character4 ,supported partly by his own exertions1 partly by the generosity of others1 the establishment was almost exclusively dependent upon him for its unceasing activity4 ,he was fortunate in securing for its head ,m4 ,hercule ,nicolet1 a very able lithographic artist1 who had had much experience in engraving objects of natural history1 and was specially versed in the recently invented art of chromatic lithography4 ,agassiz was now driving all his steeds abreast4 ,beside his duties as professor1 he was printing at the same time his ,fossil ,fishes1 his ,fresh-,water ,fishes1 and his investigations on fossil ,echinoderms and ,mollusks1--the illustrations for all these various works being under his daily supervision4 ,the execution of these plates1 under ,m4 ,nicolet's care1 was admirable for the period4 ,professor ,arnold ,guyot1 in his memoir of ,agassiz1 says of the plates for the ,fresh-,water ,fishes3 ,we wonder at their beauty1 and at their perfection of color and outline1 when we remember that they were almost the first essays of the newly-invented art of lithochromy1 produced at a time when ,france and ,belgium were showering rewards on very inferior work of the kind1 as the foremost specimens of progress in the art4 ,all this work could hardly be carried on single handed4 ,in #ahcg ,m4 ,edouard ,desor joined ,agassiz in ,neuchatel1 and became for many years his intimate associate in scientific labors4 ,a year or two later ,m4 ,charles ,vogt also united himself to the band of investigators and artists who had clustered about ,agassiz as their central force4 ,m4 ,ernest ,favre says of this period of his life3 ,he displayed during these years an incredible energy1 of which the history of science offers1 perhaps1 no other example4 ,among his most important zoological researches at this time were those upon mollusks4 ,his method of studying this class was too original and too characteristic to be passed by without notice4 ,the science of conchology had heretofore been based almost wholly upon the study of the empty shells4 ,to ,agassiz this seemed superficial4 ,longing to know more of the relation between the animal and its outer covering1 he bethought himself that the inner moulding of the shell would give at least the form of its old inhabitant4 ,for the practical work he engaged an admirable moulder1 ,m4 ,stahl1 who continued to be one of his staff at the lithographic establishment until he became permanently employed at the ,jardin des ,plantes4 ,with his help and that of ,m4 ,henri ,ladame1 professor of physics and chemistry at ,neuchatel1 who prepared the delicate metal alloys in which the first mould was taken1 ,agassiz obtained casts in which the form of the animals belonging to the shells was perfectly reproduced4 ,this method has since passed into universal use4 ,by its aid he obtained a new means of ascertaining the relations between fossil and living mollusks4 ,it was of vast service to him in preparing his ,etudes critiques sur les ,mollusques fossiles1--a quarto volume with nearly one hundred plates4 ,the following letter to ,sir ,philip ,egerton gives some account of his undertakings at this time1 and of the difficulties entailed upon him by their number and variety4 ,,louis ,,agassiz ,,to ,,sir ,,philip ,,egerton4 ,,neuchatel1 ,august #aj1 #ahch4 4 4 4,these last months have been a time of trial to me1 and ,i have been forced to give up my correspondence completely in order to meet the ever-increasing demands of my work4 ,you know how difficult it is to find a quiet moment and an easy mind for writing1 when one is pursued by printing or lithographic proofs1 and forced besides to prepare unceasing occupation for numerous employees4 ,add to this the close research required by the work of editing1 and you surely will find an excuse for my delay4 ,i think ,i have already written you that in order to have everything under my own eye1 ,i had founded a lithographic establishment at ,neuchatel in the hope of avoiding in future the procrastinations to which my proofs were liable when the work was done at ,munich4 4 4,i hope that my new publications will be sufficiently well received to justify me in supporting an establishment unique of its kind1 which ,i have founded solely in the interest of science and at the risk of my peace and my health4 ,if ,i give you all these details1 it is simply to explain my silence1 which was caused not by pure negligence1 but by the demands of an undertaking in the success of which my very existence is involved4 4 4,this week ,i shall forward to the ,secretary of the ,british ,association for the ,advancement of ,science all that ,i have been able to do thus far1 being unable to bring it myself1 as ,i had hoped4 ,you would oblige me greatly if you would give a look at these different works1 which may1 ,i hope1 have various claims on your interest4 ,first1 there is the tenth number of the ,fossil ,fishes1 though the whole supply of publisher's copies will only be sent a few weeks later4 ,then there are the seven first plates of my sea-urchins1 engraved with much care and with many details4 ,a third series of plates relates to critical studies on fossil mollusks1 little or erroneously known1 and on their internal casts4 ,this is a quite novel side of the study of shells1 and will throw light on the organization of animals known hitherto only by the shell4 ,i have made a plaster collection of them for the ,geological ,society4 ,they have been packed some time1 but my late journey to ,paris has prevented me from forwarding them till now4 ,as soon as ,i have a moment1 ,i shall make out the catalogue and send it on4 ,when you go to ,london1 do not fail to examine them2 the result is curious enough4 ,finally1 the plates for the first number of my ,fresh-,water ,fishes are in great part finished1 and also included in my package for ,newcastle4 4 4,the plates are executed by a new process1 and printed in various tints on different stones1 resulting in a remarkable uniformity of coloring in all the impressions4 4 4 ,such are the new credentials with which ,i present myself1 as ,i bring my thanks for the honor paid to me by my nomination for the vacancy in the ,royal ,society of ,london4 ,if unbounded devotion to the interests of science constituted a sufficient title to such a distinction1 ,i should be the less surprised at the announcement contained in your last letter4 ,the action of the ,royal ,society1 so flattering to the candidate of your choice1 has satisfied a desire which ,i should hardly have dared to form for many a year1--that of becoming a member of a body so illustrious as the ,royal ,society of ,london4 4 4 ,each time ,i write ,i wish ,i could close with the hope of seeing you soon2 but ,i must work incessantly2 that is my lot1 and the happiness ,i find in it gives a charm to my occupations however numerous they may be4 4 4 ,while ,agassiz's various zoological works were thus pressed with unceasing activity1 the glaciers and their attendant phenomena1 which had so captivated his imagination1 were ever present to his thought4 ,in ,august of the year #ahch1 a year after he had announced at the meeting of the ,helvetic ,society his comprehensive theory respecting the action of ice over the whole northern hemisphere1 he made two important excursions in the ,alps4 ,the first was to the valley of ,hassli1 the second to the glaciers of ,mont ,blanc4 ,in both he was accompanied by his scientific collaborator1 ,m4 ,desor1 whose intrepidity and ardor hardly fell short of his own2 by ,mr4 ,dinkel as artist1 and by one or two students and friends4 ,these excursions were a kind of prelude to his more prolonged sojourns on the ,alps1 and to the series of observations carried on by him and his companions1 which attracted so much attention in later years4 ,but though ,agassiz carried with him1 on these first explorations1 only the simplest means of investigation and experiment1 they were no amateur excursions4 ,on these first ,alpine journeys he had in his mind the sketch he meant to fill out4 ,the significance of the phenomena was already clear to him4 ,what he sought was the connection4 ,following the same comparative method1 he intended to track the footsteps of the ice as he had gathered and put together the fragments of his fossil fishes1 till the scattered facts should fall into their natural order once more and tell their story from beginning to end4 ,in his explorations of #ahch he found everywhere the same phenomena2 the grooved and polished and graven surfaces and the rounded and modeled rocks1 often lying far above and beyond the present limits of the glaciers2 the old moraines1 long deserted by the ice1 but defining its ancient frontiers2 the erratic blocks1 transported far from their place of origin and disposed in an order and position unexplained by the agency of water4 ,these excursions1 though not without their dangers and fatigues1 were full of charm for men who1 however serious their aims1 were still young enough to enter like boys into the spirit of adventure4 ,agassiz himself was but thirty-one2 an ardent pedestrian1 he delighted in feats of walking and climbing4 ,his friend ,dinkel relates that one day1 while pausing at ,grindelwald for refreshment1 they met an elderly traveler who asked him1 after listening awhile to their gay talk1 in which appeals were constantly made to ,agassiz1 if that was perhaps the son of the celebrated professor of ,neuchatel4 ,the answer amazed him2 he could hardly believe that the young man before him was the naturalist of ,european reputation4 ,in connection with this journey occurs the first attempt at an ,english letter found among ,agassiz's papers4 ,it is addressed to ,buckland1 and contains this passage3 ,since ,i saw the glaciers ,i am quite of a snowy humor1 and will have the whole surface of the earth covered with ice1 and the whole prior creation dead by cold4 ,in fact1 ,i am quite satisfied that ice must be taken included in every complete explanation of the last changes which occurred at the surface of ,europe4 ,considered in connection with their subsequent work together in the ancient ice-beds and moraines of ,england1 ,scotland1 ,ireland1 and ,wales1 it is curious to find ,buckland answering3 ,i am sorry that ,i cannot entirely adopt the new theory you advocate to explain transported blocks by moraines2 for supposing it adequate to explain the phenomena of ,switzerland1 it would not apply to the granite blocks and transported gravel of ,england1 which ,i can only explain by referring to currents of water4 ,during the same summer ,mrs4 ,buckland writes from ,interlaken1 in the course of a journey in ,switzerland with her husband4 4 4,we have made a good tour of the ,oberland and have seen glaciers1 etc41 but ,dr4 ,buckland is as far as ever from agreeing with you4 ,we shall see hereafter how completely he became a convert to ,agassiz's glacial theory in its widest acceptation4 ,one friend1 scarcely mentioned thus far in this biography1 was yet1 from the beginning1 the close associate of ,agassiz's glacier work4 ,arnold ,guyot and he had been friends from boyhood4 ,their university life separated them for a time1 ,guyot being at ,berlin while ,agassiz was at ,munich1 and they became colleagues at ,neuchatel only after ,agassiz had been for some years established there4 ,from that time forward there was hardly any break in their intercourse2 they came to ,america at about the same time1 and finally settled as professors1 the one at ,harvard ,college1 in ,cambridge1 ,massachusetts1 and the other at the ,college of ,new ,jersey1 in ,princeton4 ,they shared all their scientific interests2 and when they were both old men1 ,guyot brought to ,agassiz's final undertaking1 the establishment of a summer school at ,penikese1 a cooperation as active and affectionate as that he had given in his youth to his friend's scheme for establishing a permanent scientific summer station in the high ,alps4 ,in a short visit made by ,agassiz to ,paris in the spring of #ahch he unfolded his whole plan to ,guyot1 then residing there1 and persuaded him to undertake a certain part of the investigation4 ,during this very summer of #ahch1 therefore1 while ,agassiz was tracing the ancient limits of the ice in the ,bernese ,oberland and the ,haut ,valais1 and later1 in the valley of ,chamounix1 ,guyot was studying the structure and movement of the ice during a six weeks' tour in the central ,alps4 ,at the conclusion of their respective journeys they met to compare notes1 at the session of the ,geological ,society of ,france1 at ,porrentruy1 where ,agassiz made a report upon the general results of his summer's work2 while ,guyot read a paper1 the contents of which have never been fully published1 upon the movement of glaciers and upon their internal features1 including the laminated structure of the ice1 the so-called blue bands1 deep down in the mass of the glacier499 799 ,see ,memoir of ,louis ,agassiz by ,arnold ,guyot1 written for the ,united ,states ,national ,academy of ,sciences1 page #ch47 ,in the succeeding years of their glacial researches together1 ,guyot took for his share the more special geological problems1 the distribution of erratic boulders and of the glacial drift1 as connected with the ancient extension of the glaciers4 ,this led him away from the central station of observation to remoter valleys on the northern and southern slopes of the ,alps1 where he followed the descent of the glacial phenomena to the plains of central ,europe on the one side and to those of northern ,italy on the other4 ,we therefore seldom hear of him with the band of workers who finally settled on the glacier of the ,aar1 because his share of the undertaking became a more isolated one4 ,it was nevertheless an integral part of the original scheme1 which was carried on connectedly to the end1 the results of the work in the different departments being constantly reported and compared4 ,so much was this the case1 that the intention of ,agassiz had been to embody the whole in a publication1 the first part of which should contain the glacial system of ,agassiz2 the second the ,alpine erratics1 by ,guyot2 while the third and final portion1 by ,e4 ,desor1 should treat of the erratic phenomena outside of ,switzerland4 ,the first volume alone was completed4 ,unlooked for circumstances made the continuation of the work impossible1 and the five thousand specimens of the erratic rocks of ,switzerland collected by ,professor ,guyot1 in preparation for his part of the publication1 are now deposited in the ,college of ,new ,jersey1 at ,princeton4 ,in the following summer of #ahci ,agassiz took the chain of ,monte ,rosa and ,matterhorn as the field of a larger and more systematic observation4 ,on this occasion1 the usual party consisting of ,agassiz1 ,desor1 ,m4 ,bettanier1 an artist1 and two or three other friends1 was joined by the geologist ,studer4 ,up to this time he had been a powerful opponent of ,agassiz's views1 and his conversion to the glacial theory during this excursion was looked upon by them all as a victory greater than any gained over the regions of ice and snow4 ,some account of this journey occurs in the following letter4 ,,louis ,,agassiz ,,to ,,sir ,,philip ,,egerton4 ,,neuchatel1 ,september #aj1 #ahci4 4 4 4,under these circumstances1 ,i thought ,i could not do better than to pass some weeks in the solitude of the high ,alps2 ,i lived about a fortnight in the region of the glaciers1 ascending some new field of ice every day1 and trying to scale the sides of our highest peaks4 ,i thus examined in succession all the glaciers descending from the majestic summits of ,monte ,rosa and the ,matterhorn1 whose numerous crests form a most gigantic amphitheatre1 which lifts itself above the everlasting snow4 ,afterward ,i visited the sea of ice which1 under the name of the glacier of ,aletsch1 flows from the ,jungfrau1 the ,monch1 and the ,eiger toward ,brieg2 thence ,i went to the glacier of the ,rhone1 and from there1 establishing my headquarters at the ,hospice of the ,grimsel1 ,i followed the glacier of the ,aar to the foot of the ,finsteraarhorn4 ,there ,i ascertained the most important fact that ,i now know concerning the advance of glaciers1 namely1 that the cabin constructed by ,hugi in #ahbg1 at the foot of the ,abschwung1 is now four thousand feet lower down4 ,slight as is the inclination of the glacier1 this cabin has been carried on by the ice with astonishing rapidity1 and still more important is it that this rapidity has been on the increase2 for in #ahcj the cabin was only some hundred feet from the rock1 in #ahcf it had already passed over a distance from word torn away of two thousand feet1 and in the last three years it has again doubled that distance4 ,not only have ,i confirmed my views upon glaciers and their attendant phenomena1 on this new ground1 but ,i have completed my examination of a number of details1 and have had besides the satisfaction of convincing one of my most severe opponents of the exactness of my observations1 namely1 ,m4 ,studer1 who accompanied me on a part of these excursions4 4 4 ,the winter of #ahdj was fully occupied by the preparation for the publication of the ,etudes sur les ,glaciers1 which appeared before the year was out1 accompanied by an atlas of thirty-two plates4 ,the volume of text consisted of an historical resume of all that had previously been done in the study of glaciers1 followed by an account of the observations of ,agassiz and his companions during the last three or four years upon the glaciers of the ,alps4 ,their structure1 external aspect1 needles1 tables1 perched blocks1 gravel cones1 rifts1 and crevasses1 as well as their movements1 mode of formation1 and internal temperature1 were treated in succession4 ,but the most interesting chapters1 from the author's own point of view1 and those which were most novel for his readers1 were the concluding ones upon the ancient extension of the ,swiss glaciers1 and upon the former existence of an immense1 unbroken sheet of ice1 which had once covered the whole northern hemisphere4 ,no one before had drawn such vast conclusions from the local phenomena of the ,alpine valleys4 ,the surface of ,europe1 says ,agassiz1 adorned before by a tropical vegetation and inhabited by troops of large elephants1 enormous hippopotami1 and gigantic carnivora1 was suddenly buried under a vast mantle of ice1 covering alike plains1 lakes1 seas and plateaus4 ,upon the life and movement of a powerful creation fell the silence of death4 ,springs paused1 rivers ceased to flow1 the rays of the sun1 rising upon this frozen shore 7if1 indeed1 it was reached by them71 were met only by the breath of the winter from the north and the thunders of the crevasses as they opened across the surface of this icy sea499 799 ,etudes sur les ,glaciers ,chapter #h page #ce47 ,the author goes on to state that on the breaking up of this universal shroud the ice must have lingered longest in mountainous strongholds1 and that all these fastnesses of retreat became1 as the ,alps are now1 centres of distribution for the broken debris and rocky fragments which are found scattered with a kind of regularity along certain lines1 and over given areas in northern and central ,europe4 ,how he followed out this idea in his subsequent investigations will be seen hereafter4 ,,chapter #aj4 #ahdj-ahdb3 ,,age #cc-ce4 ,summer ,station on the ,glacier of the ,aar4 ,hotel des ,neuchatelois4 ,members of the ,party4 ,work on the ,glacier4 ,ascent of the ,strahleck and the ,siedelhorn4 ,visit to ,england4 ,search for ,glacial ,remains in ,great ,britain4 ,roads of ,glen ,roy4 ,views of ,english ,naturalists concerning ,agassiz's ,glacial ,theory4 ,letter from ,humboldt4 ,winter ,visit to ,glacier4 ,summer of #ahda on the ,glacier4 ,descent into the ,glacier4 ,ascent of the ,jungfrau4 ,in the summer of #ahdj ,agassiz made his first permanent station on the ,alps4 ,hitherto the external phenomena1 the relation of the ice to its surroundings1 and its influence upon them1 had been the chief study4 ,now the glacier itself was to be the main subject of investigation1 and he took with him a variety of instruments for testing temperatures3 barometers1 thermometers1 hygrometers1 and psychometers2 beside a boring apparatus1 by means of which self-registering thermometers might be lowered into the heart of the glacier4 ,to these were added microscopes for the study of such insects and plants as might be found in these ice-bound regions4 ,the ,hospice of the ,grimsel was selected as his base of supplies1 and as guides ,jacob ,leuthold and ,johann ,wahren were chosen4 ,both of these had accompanied ,hugi in his ascension of the ,finsteraarhorn in #ahbh1 and both were therefore thoroughly familiar with all the dangers of ,alpine climbing4 ,the lower ,aar glacier was to be the scene of their continuous work1 and the centre from which their ascents of the neighboring summits would be made4 ,here1 on the great median moraine1 stood a huge boulder of micaceous schist4 ,its upper surface projected so as to form a roof1 and by closing it in on one side with a stone wall1 leveling the floor by a judicious arrangement of flat slabs1 and rigging a blanket in front to serve as a curtain across the entrance1 the whole was presently transformed into a rude hut1 where six persons could find sleeping-room4 ,a recess1 sheltered by the rock outside1 served as kitchen and dining-room2 while an empty space under another large boulder was utilized as a cellar for the keeping of provisions4 ,this was the abode so well known afterward as the ,hotel des ,neuchatelois4 ,its first occupants were ,louis ,agassiz1 ,edouard ,desor1 ,charles ,vogt1 ,francois de ,pourtales1 ,celestin ,nicolet1 and ,henri ,coulon4 ,it afforded1 perhaps1 as good a shelter as they could have found in the old cabin of ,hugi1 where they had hoped to make their temporary home4 ,in this they were disappointed1 for the cabin had crumbled on its last glacial journey4 ,the wreck was lying two hundred feet below the spot where they had seen the walls still standing the year before4 ,the work was at once distributed among the different members of the party1--,agassiz himself1 assisted by his young friend and favorite pupil1 ,francois de ,pourtales1 retaining for his own share the meteorological observations1 and especially those upon the internal temperature of the glaciers499 799 ,see ,tables of ,temperature1 ,measurements etc41 in ,agassiz's ,systeme ,glaciaire4 ,these results are also recorded in a volume entitled ,sejours dans les ,glaciers1 by ,edouard ,desor1 a collection of very bright and entertaining articles upon the excursions and sojourns made in the ,alps1 during successive summers1 by ,agassiz and his scientific staff47 ,to ,m4 ,vogt fell the microscopic study of the red snow and the organic life contained in it2 to ,m4 ,nicolet1 the flora of the glaciers and the surrounding rocks2 to ,m4 ,desor1 the glacial phenomena proper1 including those of the moraines4 ,he had the companionship and assistance of ,m4 ,henri ,coulon in the long and laborious excursions required for this part of the work4 ,this is not the place for scientific details4 ,for the results of ,agassiz's researches on the ,alpine glaciers1 to which he devoted much of his time and energy during ten years1 from #ahcf to #ahdf1 the reader is referred to his two larger works on this subject1 the ,etudes sur les ,glaciers1 and the ,systeme ,glaciaire4 ,of the work accomplished by him and his companions during these years this slight summary is given by his friend ,guyot499 799 ,see ,biographical ,sketch1 published by ,professor ,a4 ,guyot1 under the auspices of the ,united ,states ,national ,academy47 ,the position of eighteen of the most prominent rocks on the glacier was determined by careful triangulation by a skillful engineer1 and measured year after year to establish the rate of motion of every part4 ,the differences in the rate of motion in the upper and lower part of the glacier1 as well as in different seasons of the year1 was ascertained2 the amount of the annual melting was computed1 and all the phenomena connected with it studied4 ,all the surrounding peaks1--the ,jungfrau1 the ,schreckhorn1 the ,finsteraarhorn1 most of them until then reputed unscalable1--were ascended1 and the limit of glacial action discovered2 in short all the physical laws of the glacier were brought to light4 ,we now return to the personal narrative4 ,after a number of days spent in the study of the local phenomena1 the band of workers turned their attention to the second part of their programme1 namely1 the ascent of the ,strahleck1 by crossing which and descending on the other side1 they intended to reach ,grindelwald4 ,one morning1 then1 toward the end of ,august1 their guides1 according to agreement1 aroused them at three o'clock1--an hour earlier than their usual roll-call4 ,the first glance outside spread a general chill of disappointment over the party1 for they found themselves beleaguered by a wall of fog on every side4 ,but ,leuthold1 as he lighted the fire and prepared breakfast1 bade them not despair1--the sun might make all right4 ,in a few moments1 one by one1 the summits of the ,schreckhorn1 the ,finsteraarhorn1 the ,oberaarhorn1 the ,altmaner1 the ,scheuchzerhorn1 lighted by the first rays of the sun1 came out like islands above the ocean of mist1 which softly broke away and vanished with the advancing light4 ,in about three hours they reached the base of the ,strahleck4 ,their two guides1 ,leuthold and ,wahren1 had engaged three additional men for this excursion1 so that they now had five guides1 none of whom were superfluous1 since they carried with them various barometric instruments which required careful handling4 ,they began the ascent in single file1 but the slopes soon became so steep and the light snow 7in which they floundered to the knees at every step7 so deep1 that the guides resorted to the usual method in such cases of tying them all together4 ,the two head guides alone1 ,leuthold and ,wahren1 remained detached1 clearing the snow in front of them1 cutting steps in the ice1 and giving warning1 by cry and gesture1 of any hidden danger in the path4 ,at nine o'clock1 after an hour's climbing1 they stepped upon the small plateau1 evenly covered with unbroken snow1 formed by the summit of the ,strahleck4 ,the day had proved magnificent4 ,with a clear sky above them1 they looked down upon the valley of ,grindelwald at their feet1 while around and below them gathered the ,scheideck and the ,faulhorn1 the pyramidal outline of the ,niesen1 and the chain of the ,stockhorn4 ,in front lay the great masses of the ,eiger and the ,monch1 while to the southwest the ,jungfrau rose above the long chain of the ,viescherhorner4 ,the first pause of silent wonder and delight1 while they released themselves from their cords and arranged their instruments1 seems to have been succeeded by an outburst of spirits2 for in the journal of the youngest of the party1 ,francois de ,pourtales1 then a lad of seventeen1 we read3 ,the guides began to wrestle and we to dance1 when suddenly we saw a female chamois1 followed by her young1 ascending a neighboring slope1 and presently four or five more stretched their necks over a rock1 as if to see what was going on4 ,breathless the wrestlers and the dancers paused1 fearing to disturb by the slightest movement creatures so shy of human approach4 ,they drew nearer until within easy gunshot distance1 and then galloping along the opposite ridge disappeared over the summit4 ,the party passed more than an hour on the top of the ,strahleck1 making observations and taking measurements4 ,then having rested and broken their fast with such provisions as they had brought1 they prepared for a descent1 which proved the more rapid1 since much of it was a long slide4 ,tied together once more1 they slid1 wherever they found it possible to exchange the painful and difficult walking for this simpler process4 ,once below these slopes of snow1 says the journal of young de ,pourtales again1 rocks almost vertical1 or narrow ledges covered with grass1 served us as a road and brought us to the glacier of the ,grindelwald4 ,to reach the glacier itself we traversed a crevasse of great depth1 and some twenty feet wide2 on a bridge of ice1 one or two feet in width1 and broken toward the end1 where we were obliged to spring across4 ,once on the glacier the rest was nothing4 ,the race was to the fastest1 and we were soon on the path of the tourists4 ,reaching the village of ,grindelwald at three o'clock in the afternoon1 they found it difficult to persuade the people at the inn that they had left the glacier of the ,aar that morning4 ,from ,grindelwald they returned by the ,scheideck to the ,grimsel1 visiting on their way the upper glacier of ,grindelwald1 the glacier of ,schwartzwald1 and that of ,rosenlaui1 in order to see how far these had advanced since their last visit to them4 ,after a short rest at the ,hospice of the ,grimsel1 ,agassiz returned with two or three of his companions to their hut on the ,aar glacier for the purpose of driving stakes into the holes previously bored in the ice4 ,he hoped by means of these stakes to learn the following year what had been the rate of movement of the glacier4 ,the summer's work closed with the ascent of the ,siedelhorn4 ,in all these ascents1 the utmost pains was taken to ascertain how far the action of the ice might be traced upon these mountain peaks and the limits determined at which the polished surfaces ceased1 giving place to the rough1 angular rock which had never been modeled by the ice4 ,agassiz had hardly returned from the ,alps when he started for ,england4 ,he had long believed that the ,highlands of ,scotland1 the hilly ,lake ,country of ,england1 and the mountains of ,wales and ,ireland1 would present the same phenomena as the valleys of the ,alps4 ,dr4 ,buckland had offered to be his guide in this search after glacier tracks1 as he had formerly been in the hunt after fossil fishes in ,great ,britain4 ,when1 therefore1 the meeting of the ,british ,association at ,glasgow1 at which they were both present1 was over1 they started together for the ,highlands4 ,in a lecture delivered by ,agassiz1 at his summer school at ,penikese1 a few months before his death1 he recurred to this journey with the enthusiasm of a young man4 ,recalling the scientific isolation in which he then stood1 opposed as he was to all the prominent geologists of the day1 he said3 ,among the older naturalists1 only one stood by me4 ,dr4 ,buckland1 ,dean of ,westminster1 who had come to ,switzerland at my urgent request for the express purpose of seeing my evidence1 and who had been fully convinced of the ancient extension of ice there1 consented to accompany me on my glacier hunt in ,great ,britain4 ,we went first to the ,highlands of ,scotland1 and it is one of the delightful recollections of my life that as we approached the castle of the ,duke of ,argyll1 standing in a valley not unlike some of the ,swiss valleys1 ,i said to ,buckland3 ',here we shall find our first traces of glaciers2' and1 as the stage entered the valley1 we actually drove over an ancient terminal moraine1 which spanned the opening of the valley4 ,in short1 ,agassiz found1 as he had anticipated1 that in the mountains of ,scotland1 ,wales1 and the north of ,england1 the valleys were in many instances traversed by terminal moraines and bordered by lateral ones1 as in ,switzerland4 ,nor were any of the accompanying phenomena wanting4 ,the characteristic traces left by the ice1 as well known to him now as the track of the game to the hunter2 the peculiar lines1 furrows1 and grooves2 the polished surfaces1 the roches moutonnees2 the rocks1 whether hard or soft1 cut to one level1 as by a rigid instrument2 the unstratified drift and the distribution of loose material in relation to the ancient glacier beds1--all agreed with what he already knew of glacial action4 ,he visited the famous roads of ,glen ,roy in the ,grampian ,hills1 where so many geologists had broken a lance in defense of their theories of subsidence and upheaval1 of ancient ocean-levels and sea-beaches1 formed at a time when they believed ,glen ,roy and the adjoining valleys to have been so many fiords and estuaries4 ,to ,agassiz1 these parallel terraces explained themselves as the shores of a glacial lake1 held back in its bed for a time by neighboring glaciers descending from more sheltered valleys4 ,the terraces marked the successively lower levels at which the water stood1 as these barriers yielded1 and allowed its gradual escape499 799 ,for details1 see a paper by ,agassiz on ,the ,glacial ,theory and its ,recent ,progress in the ,edinburgh ,new ,philosophical ,journal ,october #ahdb1 accompanied by a map of the ,glen ,roy region1 and also an article entitled ,parallel ,roads of ,glen ,roy1 in ,scotland1 in the second volume of ,agassiz's ,geological ,sketches47 ,the glacial action in the whole neighborhood was such as to leave no doubt in the mind of ,agassiz that ,glen ,roy and the adjoining glens1 or valleys1 had been the drainage-bed for the many glaciers formerly occupying the western ranges of the ,grampian ,hills4 ,he returned from his tour satisfied that the mountainous districts of ,great ,britain had all been centres of glacial distribution1 and that the drift material and the erratic boulders1 scattered over the whole country1 were due to exactly the same causes as the like phenomena in ,switzerland4 ,on the #dth of ,november1 #ahdj1 he read a paper before the ,geological ,society of ,london1 giving a summary of the scientific results of their excursion1 followed by one from ,dr4 ,buckland1 who had become an ardent convert to his views4 ,apropos of this meeting1 ,dr4 ,buckland writes in advance as follows3-- ,,taymouth ,,castle1 ,october #ae1 #ahdj4 4 4 4,lyell has adopted your theory in toto666 ,on my showing him a beautiful cluster of moraines1 within two miles of his father's house1 he instantly accepted it1 as solving a host of difficulties that have all his life embarrassed him4 ,and not these only1 but similar moraines and detritus of moraines1 that cover half of the adjoining counties are explicable on your theory1 and he has consented to my proposal that he should immediately lay them all down on a map of the county and describe them in a paper to be read the day after yours at the ,geological ,society4 ,i propose to give in my adhesion by reading1 the same day with yours1 as a sequel to your paper1 a list of localities where ,i have observed similar glacial detritus in ,scotland1 since ,i left you1 and in various parts of ,england4 ,there are great reefs of gravel in the limestone valleys of the central bog district of ,ireland4 ,they have a distinct name1 which ,i forget4 ,no doubt they are moraines2 if you have not1 ere you get this1 seen one of them1 pray do so499 799 ,agassiz was then staying at ,florence ,court1 the seat of the ,earl of ,enniskillen1 in ,county ,fermanagh1 ,ireland4 ,while there he had an opportunity of studying most interesting glacial phenomena4 7 ,but it will not be worth while to go out of your way to see more than one2 all the rest must follow as a corollary4 ,i trust you will not fail to be at ,edinboro' on the #bjth1 and at ,sir ,w4 ,trevelyan's on the #bdth4 4 4 ,a letter of later date in the same month shows that ,agassiz felt his views to be slowly gaining ground among his ,english friends4 ,,louis ,,agassiz ,,to ,,sir ,,philip ,,egerton4 ,,london1 ,november #bd1 #ahdj4 4 4 4,our meeting on ,wednesday passed off very well2 none of my facts were disturbed1 though ,whewell and ,murchison attempted an opposition2 but as their objections were far-fetched1 they did not produce much effect4 ,i was1 however1 delighted to have some appearance of serious opposition1 because it gave me a chance to insist upon the exactness of my observations1 and upon the want of solidity in the objections brought against them4 ,dr4 ,buckland was truly eloquent4 ,he has now full possession of this subject2 is1 indeed1 completely master of it4 ,i am happy to tell you that everything is definitely arranged with ,lord ,francis199 799 ,apropos of the sale of his original drawings of fossil fishes to ,lord ,francis ,egerton47 and that ,i now feel within myself a courage which doubles my strength4 ,i have just written to thank him4 ,to-morrow ,i shall devote to the fossils sent me by ,lord ,enniskillen1 a list of which ,i will forward to you4 4 4 ,we append here1 a little out of the regular course1 a letter from ,humboldt1 which shows that he too was beginning to look more leniently upon ,agassiz's glacial conclusions4 ,,humboldt ,,to ,,louis ,,agassiz4 ,,berlin1 ,august #ae1 #ahdj4 ,i am the most guilty of mortals1 my dear friend4 ,there are not three persons in the world whose remembrance and affection ,i value more than yours1 or for whom ,i have a warmer love and admiration1 and yet ,i allow half the year to pass without giving you a sign of life1 without any expression of my warm gratitude for the magnificent gifts ,i owe to you499 799 ,probably the plates of the ,fresh-,water ,fishes and other illustrated publications47 ,i am a little like my republican friend who no longer answers any letters because he does not know where to begin4 ,i receive on an average fifteen hundred letters a year4 ,i never dictate4 ,i hold that resort in horror4 ,how dictate a letter to a scholar for whom one has a real regard8 ,i allow myself to be drawn into answering the persons ,i know least1 whose wrath is the most menacing4 ,my nearer friends 7and none are more dear to me than yourself7 suffer from my silence4 ,i count with reason upon their indulgence4 ,the tone of your excellent letters shows that ,i am right4 ,you spoil me4 ,your letters continue to be always warm and affectionate4 ,i receive few like them4 ,since two thirds of the letters addressed to me 7partly copies of letters written to the king or the ministers7 remain unanswered1 ,i am blamed1 charged with being a parvenu courtier1 an apostate from science4 ,this bitterness of individual claims does not diminish my ardent desire to be useful4 ,i act oftener than ,i answer4 ,i know that ,i like to do good1 and this consciousness gives me tranquillity in spite of my over burdened life4 ,you are happy1 my dear ,agassiz1 in the more simple and yet truly proud position which you have created for yourself4 ,you ought to take satisfaction in it as the father of a family1 as an illustrious savant1 as the originator and source of so many new ideas1 of so many great and noble conceptions4 ,your admirable work on the fossil fishes draws to a close4 ,the last number1 so rich in discoveries1 and the prospectus1 explaining the true state of this vast publication1 have soothed all irritation regarding it4 ,it is because ,i am so attached to you that ,i rejoice in the calmer atmosphere you have thus established about you4 ,the approaching completion of the fossil fishes delivers me also from the fear that a too great ardor might cause you irreparable losses4 ,you have shown not only what a talent like yours can accomplish1 but also how a noble courage can triumph over seemingly insurmountable obstacles4 ,in what words shall ,i tell you how greatly our admiration is increased by this new work of yours on the ,fresh-,water ,fishes8 ,nothing has appeared more admirable1 more perfect in drawing and color4 ,this chromatic lithography resembles nothing we have had thus far4 ,what taste has directed the publication6 ,then the short descriptions accompanying each plate add singularly to the charm and the enjoyment of this kind of study4 ,accept my warm thanks1 my dear friend4 ,i not only delivered your letter and the copy with it to the king1 but ,i added a short note on the merit of such an undertaking4 ,the counselor of the ,royal ,cabinet writes me officially that the king has ordered the same number of copies of the ,fresh-,water ,fishes as of the ,fossil ,fishes2 that is to say1 ten copies4 ,m4 de ,werther has already received the order4 ,this is1 to be sure1 but a slight help2 still1 it is all that ,i have been able to obtain1 and these few copies1 with the king's name as subscriber1 will always be useful to you4 ,i cannot close this letter without asking your pardon for some expressions1 too sharp1 perhaps1 in my former letters1 about your vast geological conceptions4 ,the very exaggeration of my expressions must have shown you how little weight ,i attached to my objections4 4 4,my desire is always to listen and to learn4 ,taught from my youth to believe that the organization of past times was somewhat tropical in character1 and startled therefore at these glacial interruptions1 ,i cried ,heresy6 at first4 ,but should we not always listen to a friendly voice like yours8 ,i am interested in whatever is printed on these topics2 so1 if you have published anything at all complete lately on the ensemble of your geological ideas1 have the great kindness to send it to me through a book-seller4 4 4 ,shall ,i tell you anything of my own poor and superannuated works8 ,the sixth volume is wanting to my ,geography of the ,fifteenth ,century 7,examen ,critique74 ,it will appear this summer4 ,i am also printing the second volume of a new work to be entitled ,central ,asia4 ,it is not a second edition of ,asiatic ,fragments1 but a new and wholly different work4 ,the thirty-five sheets of the last volume are printed1 but the two volumes will only be issued together4 ,you can judge of the difficulty of printing at ,paris and correcting proofs here1--at ,poretz or at ,toplitz4 ,i am just now beginning to print the first number of my physics of the world1 under the title of ,cosmos3 in ,german1 ,ideen zur erner physischen ,weltbeschreibung4 ,it is in no sense a reproduction of the lectures ,i gave here4 ,the subject is the same1 but the presentation does not at all recall the form of a popular course4 ,as a book1 it has a somewhat graver and more elevated style4 ,a spoken book is always a poor book1 just as lectures read are poor however well prepared4 ,published courses of lectures are my detestation4 ,cotta is also printing a volume of mine in ,german1 ,physikalische geographische ,erinnerungen4 ,many unpublished things concerning the volcanoes of the ,andes1 about currents1 etc4 ,and all this at the age when one begins to petrify6 ,it is very rash6 ,may this letter prove to you and to ,madame ,agassiz that ,i am petrifying only at the extremities1 --the heart is still warm4 ,retain for me the affection which ,i hold so dear4 ,a4 ,,de ,,humboldt4 ,in the following winter1 or1 rather1 in the early days of ,march1 #ahda1 ,agassiz visited1 in company with ,m4 ,desor1 the glacier of the ,aar and that of ,rosenlaui4 ,he wished to examine the stakes planted the summer before on the glacier of the ,aar1 and to compare the winter and summer temperature within as well as without the mass of ice4 ,but his chief object was to ascertain whether water still flowed from beneath the glaciers during the frosts of winter4 ,this fact would have a direct bearing upon the theory which referred the melting and movement of the glaciers chiefly to their lower surface1 explaining them by the central heat of the earth as their main cause4 ,satisfied as he was of the fallacy of this notion1 ,agassiz still wished to have the evidence of the glacier itself4 ,the journey was1 of course1 a difficult one at such a season1 but the weather was beautiful1 and they accomplished it in safety1 though not without much suffering4 ,they found no water except the pure and limpid water from springs that never freeze4 ,the glacier lay dead in the grasp of winter4 ,the results of this journey1 tables of temperature1 etc41 are recorded in the ,systeme ,glaciaire4 ,in ,e4 ,desor's ,sejours dans les ,glaciers is found an interesting description of the incidents of this excursion and the appearance of the glaciers in winter4 ,in ascending the course of the ,aar they frequently crossed the shrunken river on natural snow bridges1 and approaching the ,handeck over fearfully steep slopes of snow they had some difficulty in finding the thread of water which was all that remained of the beautiful summer cascade4 ,on the glacier of the ,aar they found the ,hotel des ,neuchatelois buried in snow1 while the whole surface of the glacier as well as the surrounding peaks1 from base to summit1 wore the same spotless mantle4 ,the ,finsteraarhorn alone stood out in bold relief1 black against a white world1 its abrupt slopes affording no foothold for the snow4 ,the scene was far more monotonous than in summer4 ,crevasses1 with their blue depths of ice1 were closed2 the many-voiced streams were still2 the moraines and boulders were only here and there visible through the universal shroud4 ,the sky was without a cloud1 the air transparent1 but the glitter of the uniform white surface was exquisitely painful to the eyes and skin1 and the travelers were obliged to wrap their heads in double veils4 ,they found the glacier of ,rosenlaui less enveloped in snow than that of the ,aar2 and though the magnificent ice-cave1 so well known to travelers for its azure tints1 was inaccessible1 they could look into the vault and see that the habitual bed of the torrent was dry4 ,the journey was accomplished in a week without any untoward accident4 ,in the summer of #ahda ,agassiz made a longer ,alpine sojourn than ever before4 ,the special objects of the season's work were the internal structure of these vast moving fields of ice1 the essential conditions of their origin and continued existence1 the action of water within them as influencing their movement1 and their own agency in direct contact with the beds and walls of the valleys they occupied4 ,the fact of their former extension and their present oscillations might be considered as established4 ,it remained to explain these facts with reference to the conditions prevailing within the mass itself4 ,in short1 the investigation was passing from the domain of geology to that of physics4 ,agassiz1 who was as he often said of himself no physicist1 was the more anxious to have the cooperation of the ablest men in that department1 and to share with them such facilities for observation and such results as he had thus far accumulated4 ,in addition to his usual collaborators1 ,m4 ,desor and ,m4 ,vogt1 he had1 therefore1 invited as his guest1 during part of the season1 the distinguished physicist1 ,professor ,james ,d4 ,forbes1 of ,edinburgh1 who brought with him his friend1 ,mr4 ,heath1 of ,cambridge499 799 ,as the impressions of ,mr4 ,forbes were only made known in connection with his own later and independent researches it is unnecessary to refer to them here47 ,m4 ,escher de la ,linth took also an active part in the work of the later summer4 ,to his working corps ,agassiz had added the foreman of ,m4 ,kahli1 an engineer at ,bienne1 to whom he had confided his plans for the summer1 and who furnished him with a skilled workman to direct the boring operations1 assist in measurements1 etc4 ,the artist of this year was ,m4 ,jacques ,burkhardt1 a personal friend of ,agassiz1 and his fellow-student at ,munich1 where he had spent some time at the school of art4 ,as a draughtsman he was subsequently associated with ,agassiz in his work at various times1 and when they both settled in ,america ,mr4 ,burkhardt became a permanent member of ,agassiz's household1 accompanied him on his journeys1 and remained with him in relations of uninterrupted and affectionate regard till his own death in #ahfg4 ,he was a loyal friend and a warm-hearted man1 with a thread of humor running through his dry good sense1 which made him a very amusing and attractive companion4 ,as it was necessary1 in view of his special programme of work1 to penetrate below the surface of the glacier1 and reach1 if possible1 its point of contact with the valley bottom1 ,agassiz had caused a larger boring apparatus than had been used before1 to be transported to the old site on the ,aar glacier4 ,the results of these experiments are incorporated in the ,systeme ,glaciaire1 published in #ahdf1 with twenty-four folio plates and two maps4 ,they were of the highest interest with reference to the internal structure and temperature of the ice and the penetrability of its mass1 pervious throughout1 as it proved1 to air and water4 ,on one occasion the boring-rod1 having been driven to a depth of one hundred and ten feet1 dropped suddenly two feet lower1 showing that it had passed through an open space hidden in the depth of the ice4 ,the release of air-bubbles at the same time gave evidence that this glacial cave1 so suddenly broken in upon1 was not hermetically sealed to atmospheric influences from without4 ,agassiz was not satisfied with the report of his instruments from these unknown regions4 ,he determined to be lowered into one of the so-called wells in the glacier1 and thus to visit its interior in person4 ,for this purpose he was obliged to turn aside the stream which flowed into the well into a new bed which he caused to be dug for it4 ,this done1 he had a strong tripod erected over the opening1 and1 seated upon a board firmly attached by ropes1 he was then let down into the well1 his friend ,escher lying flat on the edge of the precipice1 to direct the descent and listen for any warning cry4 ,agassiz especially desired to ascertain how far the laminated or ribboned structure of the ice 7the so-called blue bands7 penetrated the mass of the glacier4 ,this feature of the glacier had been observed and described by ,m4 ,guyot 7see page #bib71 but ,mr4 ,forbes had called especial attention to it1 as in his belief connected with the internal conditions of the glacier4 ,it was agreed1 as ,agassiz bade farewell to his friends on this curious voyage of discovery1 that he should be allowed to descend until he called out that they were to lift him4 ,he was lowered successfully and without accident to a depth of eighty feet4 ,there he encountered an unforeseen difficulty in a wall of ice which divided the well into two compartments4 ,he tried first the larger one1 but finding it split again into several narrow tunnels1 he caused himself to be raised sufficiently to enter the smaller1 and again proceeded on his downward course without meeting any obstacle4 ,wholly engrossed in watching the blue bands1 still visible in the glittering walls of ice1 he was only aroused to the presence of approaching danger by the sudden plunge of his feet into water4 ,his first shout of distress was misunderstood1 and his friends lowered him into the ice-cold gulf instead of raising him4 ,the second cry was effectual1 and he was drawn up1 though not without great difficulty1 from a depth of one hundred and twenty-five feet4 ,the most serious peril of the ascent was caused by the huge stalactites of ice1 between the points of which he had to steer his way4 ,any one of them1 if detached by the friction of the rope1 might have caused his death4 ,he afterward said3 ,had ,i known all its dangers1 perhaps ,i should not have started on such an adventure4 ,certainly1 unless induced by some powerful scientific motive1 ,i should not advise any one to follow my example4 ,on this perilous journey he traced the laminated structure to a depth of eighty feet1 and even beyond1 though with less distinctness4 ,the summer closed with their famous ascent of the ,jungfrau4 ,the party consisted of twelve persons ,agassiz1 ,desor1 ,forbes1 ,heath1 and two travelers who had begged to join them1--,m4 de ,chatelier1 of ,nantes1 and ,m4 de ,pury1 of ,neuchatel1 a former pupil of ,agassiz4 ,the other six were guides2 four beside their old and tried friends1 ,jacob ,leuthold and ,johann ,wahren4 ,they left the hospice of the ,grimsel on the #bgth of ,august1 at four o'clock in the morning4 ,crossing the ,col of the ,oberaar they descended to the snowy plateau which feeds the ,viescher glacier4 ,in this grand amphitheatre1 walled in by the peaks of the ,viescherhorner1 they rested for their midday meal4 ,in crossing these fields of snow1 while walking with perfect security upon what seemed a solid mass1 they observed certain window-like openings in the snow4 ,stooping to examine one of them1 they looked into an immense open space1 filled with soft blue light4 ,they were1 in fact1 walking on a hollow crust1 and the small window was1 as they afterward found1 opposite a large crevasse on the other side of this ice-cavern1 through which the light entered1 flooding the whole vault and receiving from its icy walls its exquisite reflected color499 799 ,the effect is admirably described by ,m4 ,desor in his account of this excursion1 ,sejours dans les ,glaciers page #cfg47 ,once across the fields of snow and neve1 a fatiguing walk of five hours brought them to the chalets of ,meril199 799 ,sometimes ,moril1 but ,i have retained the spelling of ,m4 ,desor4--,e4,c4,a47 where they expected to sleep4 ,the night which should have prepared them for the fatigue of the next day was1 however1 disturbed by an untoward accident4 ,the ladder left by ,jacob ,leuthold when last here with ,hugi in #ahcb1 nine years before1 and upon which he depended1 had been taken away by a peasant of ,viesch4 ,two messengers were sent in the course of the night to the village to demand its restoration4 ,the first returned unsuccessful2 the second was the bearer of such threats of summary punishment from the whole party that he carried his point1 and appeared at last with the recovered treasure on his back4 ,they had1 in the mean while1 lost two hours4 ,they should have been on their road at three o'clock2 it was now five4 ,jacob warned them therefore that they must make all speed1 and that any one who felt himself unequal to a forced march should stay behind4 ,no one responded to his suggestion1 and they were presently on the road4 ,passing ,lake ,meril1 with its miniature icebergs1 they reached the glacier of the ,aletsch and its snow-fields1 where the real difficulties and dangers of the ascent were to begin4 ,in this great semicircular space1 inclosed by the ,jungfrau1 the ,monch1 and the lesser peaks of this mountain group1 lies the ,aletsch reservoir of snow or neve4 ,as this spot presented a natural pause between the laborious ascent already accomplished and the immense declivities which lay before them yet to be climbed1 they named it ,le ,repos1 and halted there for a short rest4 ,here they left also every needless incumbrance1 taking only a little bread and wine1 in case of exhaustion1 some meteorological instruments1 and the inevitable ladder1 axe1 and ropes of the ,alpine climber4 ,on their left1 to the west of the amphitheatre1 a vast passage opened between the ,jungfrau and the ,kranzberg1 and in this could be distinguished a series of terraces1 one above the other4 ,the story is the usual one1 of more or less steep slopes1 where they sank in the softer snow or cut their steps in the icy surfaces2 of open crevasses1 crossed by the ladder1 or the more dangerous ones1 masked by snow1 over which they trod cautiously1 tied together by the rope4 ,but there was nothing to appall the experienced mountaineer with firm foot and a steady head1 until they reached a height where the summit of the ,jungfrau detached itself in apparently inaccessible isolation from all beneath or around it4 ,to all but the guides their farther advance seemed blocked by a chaos of precipices1 either of snow and ice or of rock4 ,leuthold remained however quietly confident1 telling them he clearly saw the course he meant to follow4 ,it began by an open gulf of unknown depth1 though not too wide to be spanned by their ladder twenty-three feet in length4 ,on the other side of this crevasse1 and immediately above it1 rose an abrupt wall of icy snow4 ,up this wall ,leuthold and another guide led the way1 cutting steps as they went4 ,when half way up they lowered the rope1 holding one end1 while their companions fastened the other to the ladder1 so that it served them as a kind of hand-rail1 by which to follow4 ,at the top they found themselves on a terrace1 beyond which a far more moderate slope led to the ,col of ,roththal1 overlooking the ,aletsch valley on one side1 the ,roththal on the other4 ,from this point the ascent was more and more steep and very slow1 as every step had to be cut4 ,their difficulties were increased1 also1 by a mist which gathered around them1 and by the intense cold4 ,leuthold kept the party near the border of the ridge1 because there the ice yielded more readily to the stroke of the axe2 but it put their steadiness of nerve to the greatest test1 by keeping the precipice constantly in view1 except when hidden by the fog4 ,indeed1 they could drive their alpenstocks through the overhanging rim of frozen snow1 and look sheer down through the hole thus made to the amphitheatre below4 ,one of the guides left them1 unable longer to endure the sight of these precipices so close at hand4 ,as they neared their goal they feared lest the mist might1 at the last1 deprive them of the culminating moment for which they had braved such dangers4 ,but suddenly1 as if touched by their perseverance1 says ,m4 ,desor1 the veil of fog lifted1 and the summit of the ,jungfrau1 in its final solitude1 rose before them4 ,there was still a certain distance to be passed before they actually reached the base of the extreme peak4 ,here they paused1 not without a certain hesitation1 for though the summit lay but a few feet above them1 they were separated from it by a sharp and seemingly inaccessible ridge4 ,even ,agassiz1 who was not easily discouraged1 said1 as he looked up at this highest point of the fortress they had scaled ,we can never reach it4 ,for all answer1 ,jacob ,leuthold1 their intrepid guide1 flinging down everything which could embarrass his movements1 stretched his alpenstock over the ridge as a grappling pole1 and1 trampling the snow as he went1 so as to flatten his giddy path for those who were to follow1 was in a moment on the top4 ,to so steep an apex does this famous peak narrow1 that but one person can stand on the summit at a time1 nor was even this possible till the snow was beaten down4 ,returning on his steps1 ,leuthold1 whose quiet1 unflinching audacity of success was contagious1 assisted each one to stand for a few moments where he had stood4 ,the fog1 the effect of which they had so much feared1 now lent something to the beauty of the view from this sublime foothold4 ,masses of vapor rolled up from the ,roththal on the southwest1 but1 instead of advancing to envelop them1 paused at a little distance arrested by some current from the plain4 ,the temperature being below freezing point1 the drops of moisture in this wall of vapor were congealed into ice-crystals1 which glittered like gold in the sunlight and gave back all the colors of the rainbow4 ,when all the party were once more assembled at the base of the peak1 ,jacob1 whose resources never failed1 served to each one a little wine1 and they rested on the snow before beginning their perilous descent4 ,of living things they saw only a hawk1 poised in the air above their heads2 of plants1 a few lichens1 where the surface of the rock was exposed4 ,it was four o'clock in the afternoon before they started on their downward path1 turning their faces to the icy slope1 and feeling for the steps behind them1 some seven hundred in all1 which had been cut in ascending4 ,in about an hour they reached the ,col of the ,roththal1 where the greatest difficulties of the ascent had begun and the greatest dangers of the descent were over4 ,so elated were they by the success of the day1 and so regardless of lesser perils after those they had passed through1 that they were now inclined to hurry forward incautiously4 ,jacob1 prudent when others were rash1 as he was bold when others were intimidated1 constantly called them to order with his3 ,hubschle6 nur immer hubschle6 7,gently6 always gently67 ,at six o'clock they were once more at ,le ,repos1 having retraced their steps in two hours over a distance which had cost them six in going4 ,evening was now falling1 but daylight was replaced by moonlight1 and when they reached the glacier its whole surface shone with a soft silvery lustre1 broken here and there by the gigantic shadow of some neighboring mountain thrown black across it4 ,at about nine o'clock1 just as they had passed that part of the glacier which was1 on account of the frequent crevasses1 the most dangerous1 they were cheered by the sound of a distant yodel4 ,it was the call of a peasant who had been charged to meet them with provisions1 at a certain distance above ,lake ,meril1 in case they should be overcome by hunger and fatigue4 ,the most acceptable thing he brought was his great wooden bucket1 filled with fresh milk4 ,the picture of the party1 as they stood around him in the moonlight1 dipping eagerly into his bucket1 and drinking in turn until they had exhausted the supply1 is so vivid1 that one shares their good spirits and their enjoyment4 ,thus refreshed1 they started on the last stage of their journey1 three leagues of which yet lay before them1 and at half-past eleven arrived at the chalets of ,meril1 which they had left at dawn4 ,on the morrow the party broke up1 and ,agassiz and ,desor1 accompanied by their friend1 ,m4 ,escher de la ,linth1 returned to the ,grimsel1 and after a day's rest there repaired once more to the ,hotel des ,neuchatelois4 ,they remained on the glacier until the #eth of ,september1 spending these few last days in completing their measurements1 and in planting the lines of stakes across the glacier1 to serve as a means of determining its rate of movement during the year1 and the comparative rapidity of that movement at certain fixed points4 ,thus concluded one of the most eventful seasons ,agassiz and his companions had yet passed upon the ,alps499 799 ,though quoting his exact language only in certain instances1 the account of this and other ,alpine ascensions described above has been based upon ,m4 ,e4 ,desor's ,sejours dans les ,glaciers4 ,his very spirited narratives1 added to my own recollections of what ,i had heard from ,mr4 ,agassiz himself on the same subject1 have given me my material4--,e4,c4,a47 ,,chapter #aa4 #ahdb-ahdc3 ,,age #ce-cf4 ,zoological ,work uninterrupted by ,glacial ,researches4 ,various ,publications4 ,nomenclator ,zoologicus4 ,bibliographia ,zoologiae et ,geologiae4 ,correspondence with ,english ,naturalists4 ,correspondence with ,humboldt4 ,glacial ,campaign of #ahdb4 ,correspondence with ,prince de ,canino concerning ,journey to ,united ,states4 ,fossil ,fishes from the ,old ,red ,sandstone4 ,glacial ,campaign of #ahdc4 ,death of ,leuthold1 the ,guide4 ,although his glacier work was now so prominent a feature of ,agassiz's scientific life1 his zoological studies1 especially his ichthyological researches1 and more especially his work on fossil fishes1 went on with little interruption4 ,his publications upon ,fossil ,mollusks199 799 ,etudes ,critiques sur les ,mollusques ,fossiles #d numbers quarto with #ajj plates47 upon ,tertiary ,shells199 799 ,iconographie des ,coquilles ,tertiaires reputees identiques sur les vivans #a number quarto #ad plates47 upon ,living and ,fossil ,echinoderms199 799 ,monographie d',echinodermes vivans et fossiles #d numbers quarto with #cg plates47 with many smaller monographs on special subjects1 were undertaken and completed during the most active period of his glacial investigations4 ,more surprising is it to find him1 while pursuing new lines of investigation with passionate enthusiasm1 engaged at the same time upon works seemingly so dry and tedious as his ,nomenclator ,zoologicus1 and his ,bibliographia ,zoologiae et ,geologiae4 ,the former work1 a large quarto volume with an ,index199 799 ,the ,index was also published separately as an octavo47 comprised an enumeration of all the genera of the animal kingdom1 with the etymology of their names1 the names of those who had first proposed them1 and the date of their publication4 ,he obtained the cooperation of other naturalists1 submitting each class as far as possible for revision to the leaders in their respective departments4 ,in his letter of presentation to the library of the ,neuchatel ,academy1 addressed to ,m4 le ,baron de ,chambrier1 ,president of the ,academic ,council1 ,agassiz thus describes the ,nomenclator4 4 4 4,have the kindness to accept for the library of the ,academy the fifth number of a work upon the sources of zoological criticism1 the publication of which ,i have just begun4 ,it is a work of patience1 demanding long and laborious researches4 ,i had conceived the plan in the first years of my studies1 and since then have never lost sight of it4 ,i venture to believe it will be a barrier against the ,babel of confusion which tends to overwhelm the domain of zoological synonymy4 ,my book will be called ',nomenclator ,zoologicus4'4 4 4 ,the ,bibliographia 7#d volumes1 octavo7 was in some measure a complement of the ,nomenclator1 and contained a list of all the authors named in the latter1 with notices of their works4 ,it appeared somewhat later1 and was published by the ,ray ,society in ,england1 in #ahdh1 after ,agassiz had left ,europe for the ,united ,states4 ,the material for this work also had been growing upon his hands for years4 ,feeling more and more the importance of such a register as a guide for students1 he appealed to naturalists in all parts of ,europe for information upon the scientific bibliography of their respective countries1 and at last succeeded in cataloguing1 with such completeness as was possible1 all known works and all scattered memoirs on zoology and geology4 ,unable to publish this costly but unremunerative material1 he was delighted to give it up to the ,ray ,society4 ,the first three volumes were edited with corrections and additions by ,mr4 ,h4,e4 ,strickland1 who died before the appearance of the fourth volume1 which was finally completed under the care of his father-in-law1 ,sir ,william ,jardine4 ,the ability1 so eminently possessed by ,agassiz of dealing with a number of subjects at once1 was due to no superficial versatility4 ,to him his work had but one meaning4 ,it was never disconnected in his thought1 and therefore he turned from his glaciers to his fossils1 and from the fossil to the living world1 with the feeling that he was always dealing with kindred problems1 bound together by the same laws4 ,nowhere is this better seen than in the records of the scientific society of ,neuchatel1 the society he helped to found in the first months of his professorship1 and to which he always remained strongly attached1 being a constant attendant at its sessions from #ahcc to #ahdf4 ,here we find him from month to month1 with philosophic breadth of thought1 treating of animals in their widest relations1 or describing minute structural details with the skill of a specialist4 ,he presents organized beings in their geological succession1 in their geographical distribution1 in their embryonic development4 ,he reviews and remodels laws of classification4 ,sometimes he illustrates the fossil by the living world1 sometimes he finds the key to present phenomena in the remote past4 ,he reconstructs the history of the glacial period1 and points to its final chapter in the nearest ,alpine valleys1 connecting these facts again with like phenomena in distant parts of the globe4 ,but however wide his range and however various his topics1 under his touch they are all akin1 all coordinate parts of a whole which he strives to understand in its entirety4 ,a few extracts from his correspondence will show him in his different lines of research at this time4 ,the following letter is from ,edward ,forbes1 one of the earliest explorers of the deep-sea fauna4 ,agassiz had asked him for some help in his work upon echinoderms4 ,,edward ,,forbes ,,to ,,louis ,,agassiz4 #ba ,,lothian ,,st41 ,,edinburgh1 ,february #ac1 #ahda4 4 4 4,a letter from you was to me one of the greatest of pleasures1 and with great delight 7though1 ,i fear1 imperfectly7 ,i have executed the commission you gave me4 ,it should have been done much sooner had not the storms been so bad in the sea near this that1 until three days ago1 ,i was not able to procure a living sea-urchin from which to make the drawings required4 4 4,you have made all the geologists glacier-mad here1 and they are turning ,great ,britain into an ice-house4 ,some amusing and very absurd attempts at opposition to your views have been made by one or two pseudo-geologists2 among others1 poor--1 who has read a paper at the ,royal ,society here1 maintaining that all the appearances you refer to glaciers were caused by blocks of ice which floated this way in the ,deluge6 and that the fossils of the pleistocene strata were mollusks1 etc41 which1 climbing upon the ice-blocks1 were carried to warmer seas against their will66 ,to my mind1 one of the best proofs of the truth of your views lies in the decidedly arctic character of the pleistocene fauna1 which must be referred to the glacier time1 and by such reference is easily understood4 ,i mean during the summer to collect data on that point1 in order to present a mass of geological proofs of your theory4 ,dr4 ,traill tells me you are proposing to visit ,england again during the coming summer4 ,if you do1 ,i hope we shall meet1 when ,i shall have many things to show you1 which time did not permit when you were here4 ,i look anxiously for the forth-coming number of your history of the ,echinodermata4 4 4 ,,from ,,sir ,,roderick ,,murchison4 ,june #ac1 #ahdb4 4 4 4,your letters have given me great pleasure3 first1 in assuring me that your zeal in ichthyology is undiminished1 and that you are about to give such striking proofs of it to the ,british ,association2 and next that you still pursue with enthusiasm your admirable researches upon the glaciers4 ,i should be charmed to put myself under your guidance for a walk on the glaciers of the ,aar1 but ,i hardly dare promise it yet4 4 4,even were ,i to make every haste1 ,i doubt if it be possible to reach your ,swiss meeting in time4 ,it is just possible that ,i may find you in your glacial cantonment after your return1 but even this will depend upon circumstances over which ,i have no control4 ,i send this letter to you by my friend1 ,admiral ,sir ,charles ,malcolm1 who passes through ,neuchatel on his way to ,geneva4 ,accompanying it is a copy of my last discourse1 which ,i request you to accept and to read all parts of it4 ,you will see that ,i have grappled honestly and according to my own faith with your ice1 but have never lost sight of your great merit4 ,my concluding paragraph will convince you and all your friends that if ,i am wrong it is not from any preconceived notions1 but only because ,i judge from what you will call incomplete evidence4 ,your ,venez voir6 still sounds in my ears4 4 4 ,murchison remained for many years an opponent of the glacial theory in its larger application4 ,in the discourse to which the above letter makes allusion 7,address at the ,anniversary ,meeting of the ,geological ,society of ,london1 #ahdb499 799 ,extract from ,report in volume #cc of the ,edinburgh ,new ,philosophical ,journal477 is this passage3 ,once grant to ,agassiz that his deepest valleys of ,switzerland1 such as the enormous ,lake of ,geneva1 were formerly filled with snow and ice1 and ,i see no stopping place4 ,from that hypothesis you may proceed to fill the ,baltic and the northern seas1 cover southern ,england and half of ,germany and ,russia with similar icy sheets1 on the surfaces of which all the northern boulders might have been shot off4 ,so long as the greater number of the practical geologists of ,europe are opposed to the wide extension of a terrestrial glacial theory1 there can be little risk that such a doctrine should take too deep a hold of the mind4 4 4 ,the existence of glaciers in ,scotland and ,england 7,i mean in the ,alpine sense7 is not1 at all events1 established to the satisfaction of what ,i believe to be by far the greater number of ,british geologists4 ,twenty years later1 with rare candor1 ,murchison wrote to ,agassiz as follows2 by its connection1 though not by its date1 the extract is in place here3 ,i send you my last anniversary address1 which ,i wrote entirely myself2 and ,i beg you to believe that in the part of it that refers to the glacial period1 and to ,europe as it was geographically1 ,i have had the sincerest pleasure in avowing that ,i was wrong in opposing as ,i did your grand and original idea of my native mountains4 ,yes6 ,i am now convinced that glaciers did descend from the mountains to the plains as they do now in ,greenland4 ,during the summer of #ahdb1 at about the same date with ,murchison's letter disclaiming the glacial theory1 ,agassiz received1 on the other hand1 a new evidence1 and one which must have given him especial pleasure1 of the favorable impression his views were making in some quarters in ,england4 ,,from ,,dr4 ,,buckland4 ,,oxford1 ,july #bb1 #ahdb4 ,you will1 ,i am sure1 rejoice with me at the adhesion of ,c4 ,darwin to the doctrine of ancient glaciers in ,north ,wales1 of which ,i send you a copy1 and which was communicated to me by ,dr4 ,tritten1 during the late meeting at ,manchester1 in time to be quoted by me versus ,murchison1 when he was proclaiming the exclusive agency of floating icebergs in drifting erratic blocks and making scratched and polished surfaces4 ,it has raised the glacial theory fifty per cent1 as far as relates to glaciers descending inclined valleys2 but ,hopkins and the ,cantabrigians are still as obstinate as ever against allowing the power of expansion to move ice along great distances on horizontal surfaces4 4 4 ,the following is the letter referred to above4 ,c4 ,,darwin ,,to ,,dr4 ,,tritten4 ,yesterday 7and the previous days7 ,i had some most interesting work in examining the marks left by ,,extinct glaciers4 ,i assure you1 an extinct volcano could hardly leave more evident traces of its activity and vast powers4 ,i found one with the lateral moraine quite perfect1 which ,dr4 ,buckland did not see4 ,pray if you have any communication with ,dr4 ,buckland give him my warmest thanks for having guided me1 through the published abstract of his memoir1 to scenes1 and made me understand them1 which have given me more delight than ,i almost remember to have experienced since ,i first saw an extinct crater4 ,the valley about here and the site of the inn at which ,i am now writing must once have been covered by at least #hjj or #a1jjj feet in thickness of solid ice6 ,eleven years ago ,i spent a whole day in the valley where yesterday everything but the ice of the glaciers was palpably clear to me1 and ,i then saw nothing but plain water and bare rock4 ,these glaciers have been grand agencies4 ,i am the more pleased with what ,i have seen in ,north ,wales1 as it convinces me that my view of the distribution of the boulders on the ,south ,american plains1 as effected by floating ice1 is correct4 ,i am also more convinced that the valleys of ,glen ,roy and the neighboring parts of ,scotland have been occupied by arms of the sea1 and very likely 7for in that point ,i cannot1 of course1 doubt ,agassiz and ,buckland7 by glaciers also4 ,it continued to be a grief to ,agassiz that ,humboldt1 the oldest of all his scientific friends1 and the one whose opinion he most reverenced1 still remained incredulous4 ,humboldt's letters show that ,agassiz did not willingly renounce the hope of making him a convert4 ,agassiz's own letters to ,humboldt are missing from this time onward4 ,overwhelmed with occupation1 and more at his ease in his relations with the older scientific men1 he had ceased to make the rough drafts in which his earlier correspondence is recorded4 ,,humboldt ,,to ,,agassiz4 ,,berlin1 ,march #b1 #ahdb4 4 4 4,when one has been so long separated1 even accidentally1 from a friend as ,i have been from you1 my dear ,agassiz1 it is difficult to find beginning or end to a letter4 ,the kindly remembrance which you send me is evidence that my long silence has not seemed strange to you4 4 4,it would be wasting words to tell you how ,i have been prevented1 by the distractions of my life1 always increasing with old age1 from acknowledging the admirable things received from you1 --upon living and fossil fishes1 echinoderms1 and glaciers4 ,my admiration of your boundless activity1 of your beautiful intellectual life1 increases with every year4 ,this admiration for your work and your bold excursions is based upon the most careful reading of all the views and investigations1 for which ,i have to thank you4 ,this very week ,i have read with great satisfaction your truly philosophical address1 and your long treatise in ,cotta's fourth ,jahresschrift4 ,even ,l4 von ,buch confessed that the first half of your treatise1 the living presentation of the succession of organized beings1 was full of truth1 sagacity1 and novelty4 ,i in no way reproach you1 my dear friend1 for the urgent desire expressed in all your letters1 that your oldest friends should accept your comprehensive geological view of your ice-period4 ,it is very noble and natural to wish that what has impressed us as true should also be recognized by those we love4 4 4,i believe ,i have read and compared all that has been written for and against the ice-period1 and also upon the transportation of boulders1 whether pushed along or carried by floods or gliding over slopes4 ,my own opinion1 as you know1 can have no weight or authority1 since ,i have not myself seen the most decisive points4 ,indeed ,i am1 perhaps wrongly1 inclined to look upon all geological theories as having their being in a mythical region1 in which1 with the progress of physics1 the phantasms are modified century by century4 ,but the elephants caught in the ice1 and ,cuvier's instantaneous change of climate1 seem to me no more intelligible today than when ,i wrote my ,asiatic fragments4 ,according to all that we know of the decrease of heat in the earth1 ,i cannot understand such a change of temperature in a space of time which does not also allow for the decaying of flesh4 ,i understand much better how wolves1 hares1 and dogs1 should they fall to-day into clefts of the frozen regions of ,northern ,siberia 7and the so-called elephant-ice is in plain prose only porphyritic drift mixed with ice-crystals1 true drift material71 might retain their flesh and muscles4 4 4,but ,i am only a grumbling rebellious subject in your kingdom4 4 4,do not be vexed with a friend who is more than ever impressed with your services to geology1 your philosophical views of nature1 your profound knowledge of organized beings4 4 4 ,with old attachment and the warmest friendship1 your ,a4 ,,de ,,humboldt4 ,in the same strain is this extract from another letter of ,humboldt's1 written two or three months later4 4 4 4',grace from on high1' says ,madame de ,sevigne1 'comes slowly4' ,i especially desire it for the glacial period and for that fatal cap of ice which frightens me1 child of the equator that ,i am4 ,my heresy1 of little importance1 since ,i have seen nothing1 does not1 ,i assure you1 my dear ,agassiz1 diminish my ardent desire that all your observations should be published4 4 4,i rejoice in the good news you give me of the fishes4 ,i should pain you did ,i add that this work of yours1 by the light it has shed on the organic development of animals1 makes the true foundation of your glory44 4 4 ,,louis ,,agassiz ,,to ,,sir ,,philip ,,egerton4 ,,neuchatel1 ,june1 #ahdb4 4 4 4,i am hard at work on the fishes of the ,old ,red1 and will send you at ,manchester a part at least of the plates1 with a general summary of the species of that formation4 ,i aim to finish the work with such care that it shall mark a sensible advance in ichthyology4 ,i hope it will satisfy you4 4 4,you ask me how ,i intend to finish my ,fossil ,fishes8 ,as follows3 ,as soon as the number on the species of the ,old ,red is finished1 ,i shall complete the general outline of the work as ,i did with volume #d1 in order that the arrangement and character of all the families in the four orders may be studied in their zoological affinities1 with their genera and principal species4 ,but as this outline can no longer contain the innumerable species now known to me1 ,i take up monographically the species from the different geological formations in the order of the deposits1 and publish as many supplements as there are great formations rich in fossil fishes4 ,i shall limit myself to the species described in the body of the work1 merely adding the description of the new species in each deposit1 and such additions as ,i may have to make for those already known4 ,in this way1 those who wish to study fossil fishes from the zoological stand-point can turn to the work in the original form1 while those who wish to study them in their geological relations can confine themselves to the supplements4 ,by means of double registers at the end of each volume1 these two distinct parts of the work will be again united as a complete whole4 ,this is the only plan ,i have been able to devise by which ,i could publish in succession all my materials without burdening my first subscribers1 who will thus be free to accept the supplements or not1 as they prefer4 ,should you have occasion to mention this arrangement to the friends of fossil ichthyology1 pray do so2 it seems to me for the interest of the matter that it should be known4 4 4,i propose to resume with new zeal my researches upon the fossil fishes as soon as ,i return from an excursion ,i wish to make in ,july and ,august to the glacier of the ,aar1 where ,i hope1 by a last visit this year1 to conclude my labors on this subject4 ,you will be glad to learn that the beautiful barometer you gave me has been my faithful companion in the ,alps4 4 4,i have the pleasure to tell you that the ,king of ,prussia has made me a handsome gift of nearly #bjj pounds for the continuance of my glacial work4 ,i feel1 therefore1 the greater certainty of completing what remains for me to do4 4 4 ,the campaign of #ahdb opened on the #dth of ,july4 ,the boulder had ceased to be a safe shelter1 and was replaced by a rough frame cabin covered with canvas4 ,if the party had some regrets in leaving their picturesque hut beneath the rock1 the greater comfort of the new abode consoled them4 ,it had several divisions4 ,a sleeping-place for the guides and workmen was partitioned off from a middle room occupied by ,agassiz and his friends1 while the front space served as dining-room1 sitting-room1 and laboratory4 ,this outer apartment boasted a table and one or two benches2 even a couple of chairs were kept as seats of honor for occasional guests4 ,a shelf against the wall and a few pegs accommodated books1 instruments1 coats1 etc41 and a plank floor1 on which to spread their blankets at night1 was a good exchange for the frozen surface of the glacier499 799 ,in bidding farewell to the boulder which had been the first ,hotel des ,neuchatelois we may add a word of its farther fortunes4 ,it had begun to split in #ahda1 and was completely rent asunder in #ahdd1 after which frost and rain completed its dismemberment4 ,strange to say1 during the last summer 7#ahhd7 certain fragments of the mass have been found1 inscribed with the names of some of the party2 one of the blocks bearing beside names1 the mark ,number #b4 ,the account says ,the middle stone1 the one numbered #b1 was at the intersecting point of two lines drawn from the ,pavilion ,dollfuss to the ,scheuchzerhorn on the one part1 and from the ,rothhorn to the ,thierberg on the other4 ,according to the measurements taken by ,agassiz1 the ,hotel des ,neuchatelois in #ahdj stood at #gig metres from the promontory of ,abschwung4 ,we are thus enabled1 by referring to the large glacier map of ,wild and ,stengel1 to compare the present with the then position of the stone1 and thereby ascertain the progress of the glacier since the time in question4 ,thus the boulder still contributes something toward the sequel of the work begun by those who once found shelter beneath it4--,e4,c4,a47 ,mr4 ,wild1 an engineer of known ability1 was now a member of their party1 as a topographical survey was to be one of the chief objects of the summer's work4 ,the results of this survey1 which was continued during two summers1 are embodied in the map accompanying ,agassiz's ,systeme ,glaciaire4 ,experiments upon the extent and connection of the net-work of capillary fissures that admitted water into the interior of the glaciers1 occupied ,agassiz's own attention during a great part of the summer4 ,in order to ascertain this1 colored liquids were introduced into the glacier by means of boring1 and it was found that they threaded their way through the mass of the ice and reappeared at lower points with astonishing rapidity4 ,a gallery was cut at a depth of ten metres below the surface1 through a wall of ice intervening between two crevasses4 ,the colored liquid poured into a hole above soon appeared on the ceiling of the gallery4 ,the experimenters were surprised to find that at night the same result was obtained1 and that the liquid penetrated from the surface to the roof of the gallery even more quickly than during the day4 ,this was explained by the fact that the fissures were then free from any moisture arising from surface melting1 so that the passage through them was unimpeded499 799 ,distrust has been thrown upon these results by the failure of more recent attempts to repeat the same experiments4 ,in reference to this1 ,agassiz himself says ,the infiltration has been denied in consequence of the failure of some experiments in which an attempt was made to introduce colored fluids into the glacier4 ,to this ,i can only answer that ,i succeeded completely myself in the self-same experiment which a later investigator found impracticable1 and that ,i see no reason why the failure of the latter attempt should cast a doubt upon the success of the former4 ,the explanation of the difference in the result may perhaps be found in the fact that as a sponge gorged with water can admit no more fluid than it already contains1 so the glacier1 under certain circumstances1 and especially at noonday in summer1 may be so soaked with water that all attempts to pour colored fluids into it would necessarily fail4--,see ,geological ,sketches by ,l4 ,agassiz1 page #bcf47 ,the comparative rate of advance in the different parts of the glacier was ascertained this summer with greater precision than before4 ,the rows of stakes planted in a straight line across the glacier by ,agassiz and ,escher de la ,linth1 in the previous ,september1 now described a crescent with the curve turned toward the terminus of the glacier1 showing1 contrary to the expectation of ,agassiz1 that the centre moved faster than the sides4 ,the correspondence of the curve in the stratification with that of the line of stakes confirmed this result4 ,the study of the stratification of the snow was a marked feature of the season's work1 and ,agassiz believed1 as will be seen by a later letter1 that he had established this fact of glacial structure beyond a doubt4 ,the origin and mode of formation of the crevasses also especially occupied the observers4 ,on the #gth of ,august1 ,agassiz had an opportunity of watching this phenomenon in its initiation4 ,attracted to a certain spot on the glacier by a commotion among his workmen1 he found them alarmed at the singular noises and movements in the ice4 ,i heard1 he says1 at a little distance a sound like the simultaneous discharge of fire-arms2 hurrying in the direction of the noise1 it was repeated under my feet with a movement like that of a slight earthquake2 the ground seemed to shift and give way under me1 but now the sound differed from the preceding1 and resembled a crumbling of rocks1 without1 however1 any perceptible sinking of the surface4 ,the glacier actually trembled1 nevertheless2 for a block of granite three feet in diameter1 perched on a pedestal two feet high1 suddenly fell down4 ,at the same instant a crack opened between my feet and ran rapidly across the glacier in a straight line499 799 ,extract from a letter of ,louis ,agassiz to ,m4 ,arago dated from the ,hotel des ,neuchatelois1 ,glacier of the ,aar1 ,august #g1 #ahdb47 ,on this occasion ,agassiz saw three crevasses formed in an hour and a half1 and heard others opening at a greater distance from him4 ,he counted eight new fissures in a space of one hundred and twenty-five feet4 ,the phenomenon continued throughout the evening1 and recurred1 though with less frequency1 during the night4 ,the cracks were narrow1 the largest an inch and a half in width1 and their great depth was proved by the rapidity with which they drained any standing water in their immediate vicinity4 ,a boring-hole1 says ,agassiz1 one hundred and thirty feet deep and six inches in diameter1 full of water1 was completely emptied in a few minutes1 showing that these narrow cracks penetrated to great depths4 ,the summer's work included observations also on the comparative movement of the glacier during the day and night1 on the surface waste of the mass1 its reparation1 on the neve and snow of the upper regions1 on the meridian holes1 the sun-dials of the glaciers1 as they have been called499 799 ,here and there on the glacier there are patches of loose material1 dust1 sand1 or gravel1 accumulated by diminutive water-rills and small enough to become heated during the day4 ,they will1 of course1 be warmed first on their eastern side1 then still more powerfully on their southern side1 and1 in the afternoon1 with less force again1 on their western side1 while the northern side will remain comparatively cool4 ,thus around more than half of their circumference they melt the ice in a semicircle1 and the glacier is covered with little crescent-shaped troughs of this description1 with a steep wall on one side and a shallow one on the other1 and a little heap of loose materials in the bottom4 ,they are the sun-dials of the glacier1 recording the hour by the advance of the sun's rays upon them4-- ,geological ,sketches by ,l4 ,agassiz page #bic47 ,on the whole1 the most important result of the campaign was the topographical survey of the glacier1 recorded in the map published in ,agassiz's second work on the glacier4 ,at about this time there begin to be occasional references in his correspondence to a journey of exploration in the ,united ,states4 ,especially was this plan in frequent discussion between him and ,charles ,bonaparte1 ,prince of ,canino1 a naturalist almost as ardent as himself1 with whom he had long been in intimate scientific correspondence4 ,in ,april1 #ahdb1 the prince writes him3 ,i indulge myself in dreaming of the journey to ,america in which you have promised to accompany me4 ,what a relaxation6 and at the same time what an amount of useful work6 ,again1 a few months later1 ,you must keep me well advised of your plans1 and ,i1 in my turn1 will try so to arrange my affairs as to find myself free in the spring of #ahdd for a voyage1 the chief object of which will be to show my oldest son the country where he was born1 and where man may develop free of shackles4 ,the mere anticipation of this journey is delightful to me1 since ,i shall have you at my side1 and may thus feel sure that it will make an epoch in science4 ,this letter is answered from the glacier2 the first part refers to the ,nomenclator1 in regard to which he often consulted the prince4 ,,louis ,,agassiz ,,to ,,the ,,prince ,,of ,,canino4 ,,glacier ,,of ,,the ,,aar1 ,september #a1 #ahdb4 4 4 4,i thank you most sincerely for the pains you have so kindly taken with my proof1 and for pointing out the faults and omissions you have noticed in my register of birds4 ,i made the corrections at once1 and have taken the liberty of mentioning on the cover of this number the share you have consented to take in my ,nomenclator4 ,i shall try to do better and better in the successive classes1 but you well know the impossibility of avoiding grave errors in such a work1 and that they can be wholly weeded out only in a second and third edition4 ,i should have written sooner in answer to your last1 had not your letter reached me on the ,glacier of the ,aar1 where ,i have been since the beginning of ,july1 following up observations1 the results of which become every day more important and more convincing4 ,the most striking fact1 one which ,i think ,i have placed beyond the reach of doubt1 is the primitive stratification of the neve1 or fields of snow1--stratified from the higher regions across the whole course of the glacier to its lower extremity4 ,i have prepared a general map1 with transverse sections1 showing how the layers lift themselves on the borders of the glacier and also at their junction1 where two glaciers meet at the outlet of adjoining valleys2 and how1 also1 the waving lines formed by the layers on the surface change to sharper concentric curves with a marked axis1 as the glacier descends to lower levels4 ,for a full demonstration of the matter1 ,i ought to send you my map and plans1 of which ,i have1 as yet1 no duplicates2 but the fact is incontestable1 and you will oblige me by announcing it in the geological section at ,padua4 ,m4 ,charpentier1 who is going to your meeting1 will contest it1 but you can tell him from me that it is as evident as the stratification of the ,neptunic rocks4 ,to see and understand it fully1 however1 one must stand well above the glacier1 so as to command the surface as a whole in one view4 ,i would add that ,i am not now alluding to the blue and white bands in the ice of which ,i spoke to you last year2 this is a quite distinct phenomenon4 ,i wish ,i could accept your kind invitation1 but until ,i have gone to the bottom of the glacier question and terminated my ,fossil ,fishes1 ,i do not venture to move4 ,it is no light task to finish all this before our long journey1 to which ,i look forward1 as it draws nearer1 with a constantly increasing interest4 ,i am very sorry not to join you at ,florence4 ,it would have been a great pleasure for me to visit the collections of northern ,italy in your company4 4 4,i write you on a snowy day1 which keeps me a prisoner in my tent2 it is so cold that ,i can hardly hold my pen1 and the water froze at my bedside last night4 ,the greatest privation is1 however1 the lack of fruit and vegetables4 ,hardly a potato once a fortnight1 but always and every day1 morning and night1 mutton1 everlasting mutton1 and rice soup4 ,as early as the end of ,july we were caught for three days by the snow2 ,i fear ,i shall be forced to break up our encampment next week without having finished my work4 ,what a contrast between this life and that of the plain6 ,i am afraid my letter may be long on the road before reaching the mail1 and ,i pause here that ,i may not miss the chance of forwarding it by a man who has just arrived with provisions and is about to return to the hospice of the ,grimsel1 where some trustworthy guide will undertake to deliver it at the first post-office4 ,no sooner is ,agassiz returned from the glacier than we meet him again in the domain of his fossil fishes4 ,,louis ,,agassiz ,,to ,,sir ,,philip ,,egerton4 ,,neuchatel1 ,december #ae1 #ahdb4 4 4 4,in the last few months ,i have made an important step in the identification of fossil fishes4 ,the happy idea occurred to me of applying the microscope to the study of fragments of their bones1 especially those of the head1 and ,i have found in their structure modifications as remarkable and as numerous as those which ,mr4 ,owen discovered in the structure of teeth4 ,here there is a vast new field to explore4 ,i have already applied it to the identification of the fossil fishes in the ,old ,red of ,russia sent me for that purpose by ,mr4 ,murchison4 ,you will find more ample details about it in my report to him4 ,i congratulate myself doubly on the results2 first1 because of their great importance in paleontology1 and also because they will draw more closely my relations with ,mr4 ,owen1 whom ,i always rejoice to meet on the same path with myself1 and whom ,i believe incapable of jealousy in such matters4 4 4,the only point indeed1 on which ,i think ,i may have a little friendly difference with him1 is concerning the genus ,labyrinthodon1 which ,i am firmly resolved1 on proofs that seem to me conclusive1 to claim for the class of fishes499 799 ,on seeing ,owen's evidence some years later1 ,agassiz at once acknowledged himself mistaken on this point4 7 ,as soon as ,i have time ,i will write to ,mr4 ,owen1 but this need not prevent you from speaking to him on the subject if you have an early opportunity to do so4 ,i am now exclusively occupied with the fossil fishes1 which at any cost ,i wish to finish this winter4 4 4 ,before even returning to my glacier work1 ,i will finish my monograph of the ,old ,red1 so that you may present it at the ,cork meeting1 which it will be impossible for me to attend4 4 4,i am infinitely grateful to you and ,lord ,enniskillen for your willingness to trust your ,sheppy fishes to me2 ,i shall thus be prepared in advance for a strict determination of these fossils4 ,having them for some time before my eyes1 ,i shall become familiar with all the details4 ,when ,i know them thoroughly1 and have compared them with the collections of skeletons in the ,museums of ,paris1 of ,leyden1 of ,berlin1 and of ,halle1 ,i will then come to ,england to see what there may be in other collections which ,i cannot have at my disposal here4 ,the winter of #ahdc1 apart from his duties as professor1 was devoted to the completion of the various zoological works on which he was engaged1 and to the revision of materials he had brought back from the glacier4 ,his habits with reference to physical exercise were very irregular4 ,he passed at once from the life of the mountaineer to that of the closet student4 ,after weeks spent on the snow and ice of the glacier1 constantly on foot and in the open air1 he would shut himself up for a still longer time in his laboratory1 motionless for hours at his microscope by day1 and writing far into the night1 rarely leaving his work till long after midnight4 ,he was also forced at this time to press forward his publications in the hope that he might have some return for the sums he had expended upon them4 ,this was indeed a very anxious period of his life4 ,he could never be brought to believe that purely intellectual aims were not also financially sound1 and his lithographic establishment1 his glacier work1 and his costly researches in zoology had proved far beyond his means4 ,the prophecies of his old friend ,humboldt were coming true4 ,he was entangled in obligations1 and crushed under the weight of his own undertakings4 ,he began to doubt the possibility of carrying out his plan of a scientific journey to the ,united ,states4 ,,agassiz ,,to ,,the ,,prince ,,of ,,canino4 ,,neuchatel1 ,april1 #ahdc4 4 4 4,i have worked like a slave all winter to finish my fossil fishes2 you will presently receive my fifteenth and sixteenth numbers1 forwarded two days since1 with more than forty pages of text1 containing many new observations4 ,i shall allow myself no interruption until this work is finished1 hoping thereby to obtain a little freedom1 for if my position here is not changed ,i shall be forced to seek the means of existence elsewhere4 ,meantime1 extravagant projects present themselves1 as is apt to be the case when one is in difficulties4 ,that of accompanying you to the ,united ,states was so tempting1 that ,i am bitterly disappointed to think that its execution becomes impossible in my present circumstances4 ,all my projects for further publications must also be adjourned1 or perhaps renounced4 4 4,possibly1 when my work on the fossil fishes is completed1 the sale of some additional copies may help me to rise again4 ,and yet ,i have not much hope of this1 since all the attempts of my friends to obtain subscriptions for me in ,france and ,russia have failed3 because the ,french government takes no interest in what is done out of ,paris2 and in ,russia such researches1 having little direct utility1 are looked upon with indifference4 ,do you think any position would be open to me in the ,united ,states1 where ,i might earn enough to enable me to continue the publication of my unhappy books2 which never pay their way because they do not meet the wants of the world84 4 4 ,in the following ,july we find him again upon the glacier4 ,but the campaign of #ahdc opened sadly for the glacial party4 ,arriving at ,meiringen they heard that ,jacob ,leuthold was ill and would probably be unable to accompany them4 ,they went to his house1 and found him1 indeed1 the ghost of his former self1 apparently in a rapid decline4 ,nevertheless1 he welcomed them gladly to his humble home1 and would have kept them for some refreshment4 ,fearing to fatigue him1 however1 they stayed but a few moments4 ,as they left1 one of the party pointed to the mountains1 adding a hope that he might soon join them4 ,his eyes filled with tears2 it was his only answer1 and he died three days later4 ,he was but thirty-seven years of age1 and at that time the most intrepid and the most intelligent of the ,oberland guides4 ,his death was felt as a personal grief by the band of workers whose steps he had for years guided over the most difficult ,alpine passes4 ,the summer's work continued and completed that of the last season4 ,on leaving the glacier the year before they had marked a network of loose boulders1 such as travel with the ice1 and also a number of fixed points in the valley walls1 comparing and registering their distance from each other4 ,they had also sunk a line of stakes across the glacier4 ,the change in the relative position of the two sets of signals and the curve in their line of stakes gave them1 self-recorded1 as it were1 the rate of advance of the glacier as a whole1 and also the comparative rate of progression in its different parts4 ,great pains was also taken during the summer to measure the advance in every twenty-four hours1 as well as to compare the diurnal with the nocturnal movement1 and to ascertain the amount of surface waste4 ,the season was an unfavorable one1 beginning so late and continuing so cold that the period of work was shortened4 ,,chapter #ab4 #ahdc-ahdf3 ,,age #cf-ci4 ,completion of ,fossil ,fishes4 ,followed by ,fossil ,fishes of the ,old ,red ,sandstone4 ,review of the ,later ,work4 ,identification of ,fishes by the ,skull4 ,renewed ,correspondence with ,prince ,canino about ,journey to the ,united ,states4 ,change of ,plan owing to the ,interest of the ,king of ,prussia in the ,expedition4 ,correspondence between ,professor ,sedgwick and ,agassiz on ,development ,theory4 ,final ,scientific ,work in ,neuchatel and ,paris4 ,publication of ,systeme ,glaciaire4 ,short ,stay in ,england4 ,farewell ,letter from ,humboldt4 ,sails for ,united ,states4 ,in #ahdc the ,recherches sur les ,poissons ,fossiles was completed1 and fast upon its footsteps1 in #ahdd1 followed the author's ,monograph on the ,fossil ,fishes of the ,old ,red ,sandstone1 or the ,devonian ,system of ,great ,britain and ,russia1 a large quarto volume of text1 accompanied by forty-one plates4 ,nothing in his paleontological studies ever interested ,agassiz more than this curious fauna of the ,old ,red1 so strange in its combinations that even well-informed naturalists had attributed its fossil remains to various classes of the animal kingdom in turn1 and1 indeed1 long remained in doubt as to their true nature4 ,agassiz says himself in his ,preface3 ,i can never forget the impression produced upon me by the sight of these creatures1 furnished with appendages resembling wings1 yet belonging1 as ,i had satisfied myself1 to the class of fishes4 ,here was a type entirely new to us1 about to reenter 7for the first time since it had ceased to exist7 the series of beings2 nor could anything1 thus far revealed from extinct creations1 have led us to anticipate its existence4 ,so true is it that observation alone is a safe guide to the laws of development of organized beings1 and that we must be on our guard against all those systems of transformation of species so lightly invented by the imagination4 ,the author goes on to state that the discovery of these fossils was mainly due to ,hugh ,miller1 and that his own work had been confined to the identification of their character and the determination of their relations to the already known fossil fishes4 ,this work1 upon a type so extraordinary1 implied1 however1 innumerable and reiterated comparisons1 and a minute study of the least fragments of the remains which could be procured4 ,the materials were chiefly obtained in ,scotland2 but ,sir ,roderick ,murchison also contributed his own collection from the ,old ,red of ,russia1 and various other specimens from the same locality4 ,not only on account of their peculiar structure were the fishes of the ,old ,red interesting to ,agassiz1 but also because1 with this fauna1 the vertebrate type took its place for the first time in what were then supposed to be the most ancient fossiliferous beds4 ,when ,agassiz first began his researches on fossil fishes1 no vertebrate form had been discovered below the coal4 ,the occurrence of fishes in the ,devonian and ,silurian beds threw the vertebrate type back1 as he believed1 into line with all the invertebrate classes1 and seemed to him to show that the four great types of the animal kingdom1 ,radiates1 ,mollusks1 ,articulates1 and ,vertebrates1 had appeared together499 799 ,introduction to the ,poissons ,fossiles de ,vieux ,gres ,rouge page #bb47 ,it is henceforth demonstrated1 says ,agassiz1 that the fishes were included in the plan of the first organic combinations which made the point of departure for all the living inhabitants of our globe in the series of time4 ,in his opinion this simultaneity of appearance1 as well as the richness and variety displayed by invertebrate classes from the beginning1 made it99 799 ,introduction to the ,poissons ,fossiles du ,vieux ,gres ,rouge page #ba47 impossible to refer the first inhabitants of the earth to a few stocks1 subsequently differentiated under the influence of external conditions of existence44 4 4,he adds399 799 ,introduction to the ,poissons ,fossiles de ,vieux ,gres ,rouge page #bd47 ,i have elsewhere presented my views upon the development through which the successive creations have passed during the history of our planet4 ,but what ,i wish to prove here1 by a careful discussion of the facts reported in the following pages1 is the truth of the law now so clearly demonstrated in the series of vertebrates1 that the successive creations have undergone phases of development analogous to those of the embryo in its growth and similar to the gradations shown by the present creation in the ascending series1 which it presents as a whole4 ,one may consider it as henceforth proved that the embryo of the fish during its development1 the class of fishes as it at present exists in its numerous families1 and the type of fish in its planetary history1 exhibit analogous phases through which one may follow the same creative thought like a guiding thread in the study of the connection between organized beings4 ,following this comparison closely1 he shows how the early embryonic condition of the present fishes is recalled by the general disposition of the fins in the fishes of the ,old ,red ,sandstone1 and especially by the caudal fin1 making the unevenly lobed tail1 so characteristic of these ancient forms4 ,this so called heterocercal tail is only known to exist1 as a permanent adult feature1 in the sturgeons of to-day4 ,the form of the head and the position of the mouth and eyes in the fishes of the ,old ,red were also shown to be analogous with embryonic phases of our present fishes4 ,from these analogies1 and also from the ascendancy of fishes as the only known vertebrate1 and therefore as the highest type in those ancient deposits1 ,agassiz considered this fauna as representing the embryonic age of the reign of fishes2 and he sums up his results in conclusion in the following words3 ,the facts1 taken as a whole1 seem to me to show1 not only that the fishes of the ,old ,red constitute an independent fauna1 distinct from those of other deposits1 but that they also represent in their organization the most remarkable analogy with the first phases of embryonic development in the bony fishes of our epoch1 and a no less marked parallelism with the lower degrees of certain types of the class as it now exists on the surface of the earth4 ,it has been said by one of the biographers of ,agassiz199 799 ,louis ,agassiz3 ,notice biographique par ,ernest ,favre47 in reference to this work upon the fishes of the ,old ,red ,sandstone3 ,it is difficult to understand why the results of these admirable researches1 and of later ones made by him1 did not in themselves lead him to support the theory of transformation1 of which they seem the natural consequence4 ,it is true that except for the frequent allusion to a creative thought or plan1 this introduction to the ,fishes of the ,old ,red might seem to be written by an advocate of the development theory rather than by its most determined opponent1 so much does it deal with laws of the organic world1 now used in support of evolution4 ,these comprehensive laws1 announced by ,agassiz in his ,poissons ,fossiles1 and afterward constantly reiterated by him1 have indeed been adopted by the writers on evolution1 though with a wholly different interpretation4 ,no one saw more clearly than ,agassiz the relation which he first pointed out1 between the succession of animals of the same type in time and the phases of their embryonic growth to-day1 and he often said1 in his lectures1 the history of the individual is the history of the type4 ,but the coincidence between the geological succession1 the embryonic development1 the zoological gradation1 and the geographical distribution of animals in the past and the present1 rested1 according to his belief1 upon an intellectual coherence and not upon a material connection4 ,so1 also1 the variability1 as well as the constancy1 of organized beings1 at once so plastic and so inflexible1 seemed to him controlled by something more than the mechanism of self-adjusting forces4 ,in this conviction he remained unshaken all his life1 although the development theory came up for discussion under so many various aspects during that time4 ,his views are now in the descending scale2 but to give them less than their real prominence here would be to deprive his scientific career of its true basis4 ,belief in a ,creator was the keynote of his study of nature4 ,in summing up the comprehensive results of ,agassiz's paleontological researches1 and especially of his ,fossil ,fishes1 ,arnold ,guyot says399 799 ,see ,biographical ,memoir of ,louis ,agassiz page #bh47--,whatever be the opinions which many may entertain as to the interpretation of some of these generalizations1 the vast importance of these results of ,agassiz's studies may be appreciated by the incontestable fact1 that nearly all the questions which modern paleontology has treated are here raised and in great measure solved4 ,they already form a code of general laws which has become a foundation for the geological history of the life-system1 and which the subsequent investigations of science have only modified and extended1 not destroyed4 ,nowhere did the mind of ,agassiz show more power of generalization1 more vigor1 or more originality4 ,the discovery of these great truths is truly his work2 he derived them immediately from nature by his own observations4 ,hence it is that all his later zoological investigations tend to a common aim1 namely1 to give by farther studies1 equally conscientious but more extensive1 a broader and more solid basis to those laws which he had read in nature and which he had proclaimed at that early date in his immortal work1 ',poissons ,fossiles4' ,let us not be astonished that he should have remained faithful to these views to the end of his life4 ,it is because he had ,,seen that he ,,believed1 and such a faith is not easily shaken by new hypotheses4 ,,louis ,,agassiz ,,to ,,sir ,,philip ,,egerton4 ,,neuchatel1 ,september #g1 #ahdd4 4 4 4,i write in all haste to ask for any address to which ,i can safely forward my report on the ,sheppy fishes1 so that they may arrive without fail in time for the meeting at ,york4 ,since my last letter ,i have made progress in this kind of research4 ,i have sacrificed all my duplicates of our present fishes to furnish skeletons4 ,i have prepared more than a hundred since ,i last wrote you1 and ,i can now determine the family1 and even the genus1 simply by seeing the skull4 ,there remains nothing impossible now in the determination of fishes1 and if ,i can obtain certain exotic genera1 which ,i have not as yet1 ,i can make an osteology of fishes as complete as that which we possess for the other classes of vertebrates4 ,every family has its special type of skull4 ,all this is extremely interesting4 ,i have already corrected a mass of inaccurate identifications established upon external characters2 and as for fossils1 ,i have recognized and characterized seventeen new genera among the less perfect undetermined specimens you have sent me4 ,several families appear now for the first time among the fossils4 ,i have been able to determine to what family all the doubtful genera belong2 indeed ,sheppy will prove as rich in species as ,mont ,bolca4 ,when you see your specimens again you will hardly recognize them1 they are so changed2 ,i have chiseled and cleaned them1 until they are almost like anatomical preparations4 ,try to procure as many more specimens as possible and send them to me4 ,i cannot stir from ,neuchatel1 now that ,i am so fully in the spirit of work1 and besides it would be a useless expense4 4 4,you will receive with my report the three numbers which complete my monograph of the ,fishes of the ,old ,red4 ,i feel sure1 in advance1 that you will be satisfied with them4 4 4 ,,sir ,,philip ,,egerton ,,to ,,louis ,,agassiz4 ,,tolly ,,house1 ,,alness1 ,,ross-,,shire4 ,september #ae1 #ahdd4 4 4 4,i have only this day received your letter of the #fth1 and ,i fear much you will scarcely receive this in time to make it available4 ,i shall not be able to reach ,york for the commencement of the meeting1 but hope to be there on ,saturday1 ,september #bhth4 ,a parcel will reach me in the shortest possible time addressed ,sir ,p4 ,egerton1 ,donnington ,rectory1 ,york4 ,i am delighted with the bright results of your comparison of the ,sheppy fossils with recent forms4 ,you appear to have opened out an entirely new field of investigation1 likely to be productive of most brilliant results4 ,should any accident delay the arrival of your monograph for the ,york meeting1 ,i shall make a point of communicating to our scientific friends the contents of your letter1 as ,i know they will rejoice to hear of the progress of fossil ichthyology in your masterly hands4 ,when next you come1 ,i wish you could spend a few days here4 ,we are surrounded on all sides by the debris of the moraines of the ancient glaciers that descended the flank of ,ben ,wyvis1 and ,i think you would find much to interest you in tracing their relations4 ,we have also the ,cromarty ,fish-beds within a few miles1 and many other objects of geological interest4 4 4,i shall see ,lord ,enniskillen at ,york1 and will tell him of your success4 ,we shall1 of course1 procure all the ,sheppy fish we can either by purchase or exchange4 4 4 ,the pressure of work upon his various publications detained ,agassiz at home during the summer of #ahdd4 ,for the first time he was unable to make one of the glacial party this year1 but the work was carried on uninterruptedly1 and the results reported to him4 ,meantime his contemplated journey to the ,united ,states flitted constantly before him4 ,,agassiz ,,to ,,the ,,prince ,,of ,,canino4 ,,neuchatel1 ,november #ai1 #ahdd4 4 4 4,your idea of an illustrated ,american ichthyology is admirable4 ,but for that we ought to have with us an artist clever enough to paint fishes rapidly from the life4 ,work but half done is no longer permissible in our days4 4 4,in this matter ,i think there is a justice due to ,rafinesque4 ,however poor his descriptions1 he nevertheless first recognized the necessity of multiplying genera in ichthyology1 and that at a time when the thing was far more difficult than now4 ,several of his genera have even the priority over those now accepted1 and ,i think in the ,united ,states it would be easier than elsewhere to find again a part of the materials on which he worked4 ,we must not neglect from this time forth to ask ,americans to put us in the way of extending this work throughout ,north ,america4 ,if you accept me for your collaborator1 ,i will at once do all that ,i can on my side to bring together notes and specimens4 ,i will write to several naturalists in the ,united ,states1 and tell them that as ,i am to accompany you on your voyage ,i should be glad to know in advance what they have done in ichthyology1 so that we may be the better prepared to profit by our short sojourn in their country4 ,however1 ,i will do nothing before having your directions1 which1 for the sake of the matter in hand1 ,i should be glad to receive as early as possible4 4 4 ,the next letter announces a new aspect of the projected journey4 ,in explanation1 it should be said that finding ,agassiz might be prevented by his poverty from going1 the prince had invited him to be his guest for a summer in the ,united ,states4 ,,agassiz ,,to ,,the ,,prince ,,of ,,canino4 ,,neuchatel1 ,january #g1 #ahde4 4 4 4,i have received an excellent piece of news from ,humboldt1 which ,i hasten to share with you4 ,i venture to believe that it will please you also4 4 4,i had written to ,humboldt of our plans1 and of your kind offer to take me with you to the ,united ,states1 telling him at the same time how much ,i regretted that ,i should be unable to visit the regions which attracted me the most from a geological point of view1 and asking him if it would be possible to interest the king in this journey and obtain means from his majesty for a longer stay on the other side of the ,atlantic4 ,i have just received a delightful and most unexpected reply4 ,the king will grant me #ae1 #jjj francs for this object1 so that ,i shall1 in any event1 be able to make the journey4 ,all the more do ,i desire to make it in your society1 and ,i think by combining our forces we shall obtain more important results2 but ,i am glad that ,i can do it without being a burden to you4 ,before answering ,humboldt1 ,i am anxious to know whether your plans are definitely decided upon for this summer1 and whether this arrangement suits you4 4 4 ,the pleasant plan so long meditated was not to be fulfilled4 ,the prince was obliged to defer the journey and never accomplished it4 ,this was a great disappointment to ,agassiz4 ,am ,i then to go without you1 he writes2 is this irrevocable8 ,if ,i were to defer my departure till ,september would it then be possible for you to leave ,rome8 ,it would be too delightful if we could make this journey together4 ,i wish also1 before starting1 to review everything that has been done of late in paleontology1 zoology1 and comparative anatomy1 that ,i may1 in behalf of all these sciences1 take advantage of the circumstances in which ,i shall be placed4 4 4,whatever befalls me1 ,i feel that ,i shall never cease to consecrate my whole energy to the study of nature2 its all powerful charm has taken such possession of me that ,i shall always sacrifice everything to it2 even the things which men usually value most4 ,agassiz had determined1 before starting on his journey1 to complete all his unfinished works1 and to put in order his correspondence and collections1 including the vast amount of specimens sent him for identification or for his own researches4 ,the task of setting his house in order for a change which1 perhaps1 he dimly felt to be more momentous than it seemed1 proved long and laborious4 ,from all accounts1 he performed prodigies of work1 but the winter and spring passed1 and the summer of #ahde found him still at his post4 ,humboldt writes him not without anxiety lest his determination to complete all the tasks he had undertaken1 including the ,nomenclator1 should involve him in endless delays and perplexities4 ,,humboldt ,,to ,,agassiz4 ,,berlin1 ,september #af1 #ahde4 4 4 4,your ,nomenclator frightens me with its double entries4 ,the ,milky ,way must have crossed your path1 for you seem to be dealing with nebulae which you are trying to resolve into stars4 ,for pity's sake husband your strength4 ,you treat this journey as if it were for life4 ,as to finishing1--alas6 my friend1 one does not finish4 ,considering all that you have in your well-furnished brain beside your accumulated papers1 half the contents of which you do not yourself know1 your expression aufraumen1--to put in final order1 is singularly inappropriate4 ,there will always remain some burdensome residue1--last things not yet accounted for4 ,i beg you1 then1 not to abuse your strength4 ,be content to finish only what seems to you nearest completion1--the most advanced of your work4 ,your letter reached me1 unaccompanied1 however1 by the books it announces4 ,they are to come1 no doubt1 in some other way4 ,spite of the demands made upon me by the continuation of my ,cosmos1 ,i shall find time to read and profit by your introduction to the ,old ,red4 ,i am inclined to sing hymns of praise to the ,hyperboreans who have helped you in this admirable work4 ,what you say of the specific difference in vertical line and of the increased number of biological epochs is full of interest and wisdom4 ,no wonder you rebel against the idea that the ,baltic contains microscopic animals identical with those of the chalk6 ,i foresee1 however1 a new battle of ,waterloo between you and my friend ,ehrenberg1 who accompanied me lately1 just after the ,victoria festivals1 to the volcanoes of the ,eifel with ,dechen4 ,not an inch of ground without infusoria in those regions6 ,for ,heaven's sake do not meddle with the infusoria before you have seen the ,canada ,lakes and completed your journey4 ,defer them till some more tranquil period of your life4 4 4,i must close my letter with the hope that you will never doubt my warm affection4 ,assuredly ,i shall find no fault with any course of lectures you may give in the new world1 nor do ,i see the least objection to giving them for money4 ,you can thus propagate your favorite views and spread useful knowledge1 while at the same time you will1 by most honorable and praiseworthy means1 provide additional funds for your traveling expenses4 4 4 ,the following correspondence with ,professor ,adam ,sedgwick is of interest1 as showing his attitude and that of ,agassiz toward questions which have since acquired a still greater scientific importance4 ,,professor ,,adam ,,sedgwick ,,to ,,louis ,,agassiz4 ,,trinity ,,college1 ,,cambridge1 ,april #aj1 #ahde4 ,,my ,,dear ,,professor1 ,the ,british ,association is to meet here about the middle of ,june1 and ,i trust that the occasion will again bring you to ,england and give me the great happiness of entertaining you in ,trinity ,college4 ,indeed1 ,i wish very much to see you2 for many years have now elapsed since ,i last had that pleasure4 ,may ,god long preserve your life1 which has been spent in promoting the great ends of truth and knowledge6 ,your great work on fossil fishes is now before me1 and ,i also possess the first number of your monograph upon the fishes of the ,old ,red ,sandstone4 ,i trust the new numbers will follow the first in rapid succession4 ,i love now and then to find a resting-place2 and your works always give me one4 ,the opinions of ,geoffroy ,st4 ,hilaire and his dark school seem to be gaining some ground in ,england4 ,i detest them1 because ,i think them untrue4 ,they shut out all argument from ,,design and all notion of a ,creative ,providence1 and in so doing they appear to me to deprive physiology of its life and strength1 and language of its beauty and meaning4 ,i am as much offended in taste by the turgid mystical bombast of ,geoffroy as ,i am disgusted by his cold and irrational materialism4 ,when men of his school talk of the elective affinity of organic types1 ,i hear a jargon ,i cannot comprehend1 and ,i turn from it in disgust2 and when they talk of spontaneous generation and transmutation of species1 they seem to me to try nature by an hypothesis1 and not to try their hypothesis by nature4 ,where are their facts on which to form an inductive truth8 ,i deny their starting condition4 ,oh6 but they reply1 we have progressive development in geology4 ,now1 ,i allow 7as all geologists must do7 a ,,kind ,,of ,,progressive ,,development4 ,for example1 the first fish are below the reptiles2 and the first reptiles older than man4 ,i say1 we have successive forms of animal life adapted to successive conditions 7so far1 proving design71 and not derived in natural succession in the ordinary way of generation4 ,but if no single fact in actual nature allows us to suppose that the new species and orders were produced successively in the natural way1 how did they begin8 ,i reply1 by a way out of and above common known1 material nature1 and this way ,i call ,,creation4 ,generation and creation are two distinct ideas1 and must be described by two distinct words1 unless we wish to introduce utter confusion of thought and language4 ,in this view ,i think you agree with me2 for ,i spoke to you on the subject when we met 7alas1 ,,ten years since67 at ,dublin4 ,would you have the great kindness to give me your most valuable opinion on one or two points8 7#a47 ,is it possible1 according to the known laws of actual nature1 or is it probable1 on any analogies of nature1 that the vast series of fish1 from those of the ,ludlow rock and the ,old ,red ,sandstone to those of our actual seas1 lakes1 and rivers1 are derived from one common original low type1 in the way of development and by propagation or natural breeding8 ,i should say1 ,,no4 ,but my knowledge is feeble and at second-hand4 ,yours is strong and from the fountain-head4 7#b47 ,is the organic type of fish higher now than it was during the carboniferous period1 when the ,sauroids so much abounded8 ,if the progressive theory of ,geoffroy be true1 in his sense1 each class of animals ought to be progressive in its organic type4 ,it appears to me that this is not true4 ,pray tell me your own views on this point4 7#c47 ,there are ,,odd ,,fish 7as we say in jest7 in the ,old ,red ,sandstone4 ,do these so graduate into crustaceans as to form anything like such an organic link that one could1 by generation1 come naturally from the other8 ,i should say1 ,,no1 being instructed by your labors4 ,again1 allowing this1 for the sake of argument1 are there not much higher types of fish which are contemporaneous with the lower types 7if1 indeed1 they be lower71 and do not these nobler fish of the ,old ,red ,sandstone stultify the hypothesis of natural generative development8 7#d47 ,will you give me1 in a few general words1 your views of the scale occupied by the fish of the ,old ,red1 considered as a natural group8 ,are they so rudimentary as to look like abortions or creatures derived from some inferior class1 which have not yet by development reached the higher type of fish8 ,again1 ,i should say1 ,,no2 but ,i long for an answer from a great authority like yours4 ,i am most anxious for a good general conception of the fish of the ,old ,red1 with reference to some intelligible scale4 7#e47 ,lastly1 is there the shadow of ground for supposing that by any natural generative development the ,ichthyosaurians and other kindred forms of reptile have come from ,sauroid1 or any other type of fish8 ,i believe you will say1 ,,no4 ,at any rate1 the facts of geology lend no support to such a view1 for the nobler forms of ,reptile appear in strata below those in which the ,ichthyosaurians1 etc41 are first seen4 ,but ,i must not trouble you with more questions4 ,professor ,whewell is now ,master of ,trinity ,college4 ,we shall all rejoice to see you4 ,ever1 my dear ,professor1 your most faithful and most grateful friend1 ,a4 ,,sedgwick4 ,,from ,,louis ,,agassiz ,,to ,a4 ,,sedgwick4 ,,neuchatel1 ,june1 #ahde4 4 4 4,i reproach myself for not acknowledging at once your most interesting letter of ,april #ajth4 ,but you will easily understand that in the midst of the rush of work consequent upon my preparation for a journey of several years' duration ,i have not noticed the flight of time since ,i received it1 until to-day1 when the sight of the date fills me with confusion4 ,and yet1 for years1 ,i have not received a letter which has given me greater pleasure or moved me more deeply4 ,i have felt in it and have received from it that vigor of conviction which gives to all you say or write a virile energy1 captivating alike to the listener or the reader4 ,like you1 ,i am pained by the progress of certain tendencies in the domain of the natural sciences2 it is not only the arid character of this philosophy of nature 7and by this ,i mean1 not ,,natural ,,philosophy1 but the ,natur-philosophie of the ,germans and ,french7 which alarms me4 ,i dread quite as much the exaggeration of religious fanaticism1 borrowing fragments from science1 imperfectly or not at all understood1 and then making use of them to prescribe to scientific men what they are allowed to see or to find in ,nature4 ,between these two extremes it is difficult to follow a safe road4 ,the reason is1 perhaps1 that the domain of facts has not yet received a sufficiently general recognition1 while traditional beliefs still have too much influence upon the study of the sciences4 ,wishing to review such ideas as ,i had formed upon these questions1 ,i gave a public course this winter upon the plan of creation as shown in the development of the animal kingdom4 ,i wish ,i could send it to you1 for ,i think it might please you4 ,unhappily1 ,i had no time to write it out1 and have not even an outline of it4 ,but ,i intend to work further upon this subject and make a book upon it one of these days4 ,if ,i speak of it to-day it is because in this course ,i have treated all the questions upon which you ask my opinion4 ,let me answer them here after a somewhat aphoristic fashion4 ,i find it impossible to attribute the biological phenomena1 which have been and still are going on upon the surface of our globe1 to the simple action of physical forces4 ,i believe they are due1 in their entirety1 as well as individually1 to the direct intervention of a creative power1 acting freely and in an autonomic way4 4 4,i have tried to make this intentional plan in the organization of the animal kingdom evident1 by showing that the differences between animals do not constitute a material chain1 analogous to a series of physical phenomena1 bound together by the same law1 but present themselves rather as the phases of a thought1 formulated according to a definite aim4 ,i think we know enough of comparative anatomy to abandon forever the idea of the transformation of the organs of one type into those of another4 ,the metamorphoses of certain animals1 and especially of insects1 so often cited in support of this idea1 prove1 by the fixity with which they repeat themselves in innumerable species1 exactly the contrary4 ,in the persistency of these metamorphoses1 distinct for each species and known to repeat themselves annually in a hundred thousand species1 and to have done so ever since the present order of things was established on the earth1 have we not the most direct proof that the diversity of types is not due to external natural influences8 ,i have followed this idea in all the types of the animal kingdom4 ,i have also tried to show the direct intervention of a creative power in the geographical distribution of organized beings on the surface of the globe when the species are definitely circumscribed4 ,as evidence of the fixity of generic types and the existence of a higher and free causal power1 ,i have made use of a method which appears to me new as a process of reasoning4 ,the series of reptiles1 for instance1 in the family of lizards1 shows apodal forms1 forms with rudimentary feet1 then with a successively larger number of fingers until we reach1 by seemingly insensible gradations1 the genera ,anguis1 ,ophisaurus1 and ,pseudopus1 the ,chamosauria1 ,chirotes1 ,bipes1 ,sepo1 ,scincus1 and at last the true lizards4 ,it would seem to any reasonable man that these types are the transformations of a single primitive type1 so closely do the modifications approach each other2 and yet ,i now reject any such supposition1 and after having studied the facts most thoroughly1 ,i find in them a direct proof of the creation of all these species4 ,it must not be forgotten that the genus ,anguis belongs to ,europe1 the ,ophisaurus to ,north ,america1 the ,pseudopus to ,dalmatia and the ,caspian steppe1 the ,sepo to ,italy1 etc4 ,now1 ,i ask how portions of the earth so absolutely distinct could have combined to form a continuous zoological series1 now so strikingly distributed1 and whether the idea of this development could have started from any other source than a creative purpose manifested in space8 ,these same purposes1 this same constancy in the employment of means toward a final end1 may be read still more clearly in the study of the fossils of the different creations4 ,the species of all the creations are materially and genealogically as distinct from each other as those of the different points on the surface of the globe4 ,i have compared hundreds of species reputed identical in various successive deposits1--species which are always quoted in favor of a transition1 however indirect1 from one group of species to another1 --and ,i have always found marked specific differences between them4 ,in a few weeks ,i will send you a paper which ,i have just printed on this subject1 where it seems to me this view is very satisfactorily proved4 ,the idea of a procreation of new species by preceding ones is a gratuitous supposition opposed to all sound physiological notions4 ,and yet it is true that1 taken as a whole1 there is a gradation in the organized beings of successive geological formations1 and that the end and aim of this development is the appearance of man4 ,but this serial connection of all successive creatures is not material2 taken singly these groups of species show no relation through intermediate forms genetically derived one from the other4 ,the connection between them becomes evident only when they are considered as a whole emanating from a creative power1 the author of them all4 ,to your special questions ,i may now very briefly reply4 ,have fishes descended from a primitive type8 ,so far am ,i from thinking this possible1 that ,i do not believe there is a single specimen of fossil or living fish1 whether marine or fresh-water1 that has not been created with reference to a special intention and a definite aim1 even though we may be able to detect but a portion of these numerous relations and of the essential purpose4 ,are the present fishes superior to the older ones8 ,as a general proposition1 ,i would say1 ,,no2 it seems to me even that the fishes which preceded the appearance of reptiles in the plan of creation were higher in certain characters than those which succeeded them2 and it is a strange fact that these ancient fishes have something analogous with reptiles1 which had not then made their appearance4 ,one would say that they already existed in the creative thought1 and that their coming1 not far removed1 was actually anticipated4 ,can the fishes of the ,old ,red be considered the embryos of those of later epochs8 ,of course they are the first types of the vertebrate series1 including the most ancient of the ,silurian system2 but they each constitute an independent fauna1 as numerous in the places where these earlier fishes are found1 as the present fishes in any area of similar extent on our sea-shore to-day4 ,i now know one hundred and four species of fossil fish from the ,old ,red1 belonging to forty-four genera1 comprised under seven families1 between several of which there is but little analogy as to organization4 ,it is therefore impossible to look upon them as coming from one primitive stock4 ,the primitive diversity of these types is quite as remarkable as that of those belonging to later epochs4 ,it is nevertheless true that1 regarded as part of the general plan of creation1 this fauna presents itself as an inferior type of the vertebrate series1 connecting itself directly in the creative thought with the realization of later forms1 the last of which 7and this seems to me to have been the general end of creation7 was to place man at the head of organized beings as the key-stone and term of the whole series1 the final point in the premeditated intention of the primitive plan which has been carried out progressively in the course of time4 ,i would even say that ,i believe the creation of man has closed creation on this earth1 and ,i draw this conclusion from the fact that the human genus is the first cosmopolite type in ,nature4 ,one may even affirm that man is clearly announced in the phases of organic development of the animal kingdom as the final term of this series4 ,lastly3 ,is there any reason to believe that the ,ichthyosaurians are descendants of the ,sauroid fishes which preceded the appearance of these reptiles8 ,not the least4 ,i should consider any naturalist who would seriously present the question in this light as incapable of discussing it or judging it4 ,he would place himself outside of the facts and would reason from a basis of his own creating4 4 4 ,in the ,revue ,suisse of ,april1 #ahde1 there is a notice of the course of lectures to which reference is made in the above letter4 ,a numerous audience assembled on the #bfth of ,march for the opening of a course by ,professor ,agassiz on the ',plan of ,creation4' ,it is with an ever new pleasure that our public come together to listen to this savant1 still so young and already so celebrated4 ,not content with pursuing in seclusion his laborious scientific investigations1 he makes a habit of communicating1 almost annually1 to an audience less restricted than that of the ,academy the general result of some of his researches4 ,all the qualities to which ,mr4 ,agassiz has accustomed his listeners were found in the opening prelude2 the fullness and freedom of expression which give to his lectures the character of a scientific causerie2 the dignified ease of bearing1 joined with the simplicity and candor of a savant who teaches neither by aphorisms nor oracles1 but who frankly admits the public to the results of his researches2 the power of generalization always based upon a patient study of facts1 which he knows how to present with remarkable clearness in a language that all can understand4 ,we will not follow the professor in tracing the outlines of his course4 ,suffice it to say that he intends to show in the general development of the animal kingdom the existence of a definite preconceived plan1 successively carried out2 in other words1 the manifestation of a higher thought1--the thought of ,god4 ,this creative thought may be studied under three points of view3 as shown in the relations which1 spite of their manifold diversity1 connect all the species now living on the surface of the globe2 in their geographical distribution2 and in the succession of beings from primitive epochs until the present condition of things4 ,the summer of #ahde was the last which ,agassiz passed at home4 ,it was broken by a short and hurried visit to the glacier of the ,aar1 respecting which no details have been preserved4 ,he did not then know that he was taking a final leave of his cabin among the rocks and ice4 ,affairs connected with the welfare of the institution in ,neuchatel1 with which he had been so long connected1 still detained him for a part of the winter1 and he did not leave for ,paris until the first week in ,march1 #ahdf4 ,his wife and daughters had already preceded him to ,germany1 where he was to join them again on his way to ,paris1 and where they were to pass the period of his absence1 under the care of his brother-in-law1 ,mr4 ,alexander ,braun1 then living at ,carlsruhe4 ,his son was to remain at school at ,neuchatel4 ,it was two o'clock at night when he left his home of so many years4 ,there had been a general sadness at the thought of his departure1 and every testimony of affection and respect accompanied him4 ,the students came in procession with torch-lights to give him a parting serenade1 and many of his friends and colleagues were also present to bid him farewell4 ,m4 ,louis ,favre says in his ,memoir1 ,great was the emotion at ,neuchatel when the report was spread abroad that ,agassiz was about to leave for a long journey4 ,it is true he promised to come back1 but the ,new ,world might shower upon him such marvels that his return could hardly be counted upon4 ,the young people1 the students1 regretted their beloved professor not only for his scientific attainments1 but for his kindly disposition1 the charm of his eloquence1 the inspiration of his teaching2 they regretted also the gay1 animated1 untiring companion of their excursions1 who made them acquainted with nature1 and knew so well how to encourage and interest them in their studies4 ,pausing at ,carlsruhe on his journey1 he proceeded thence to ,paris1 where he was welcomed with the greatest cordiality by scientific men4 ,in recognition of his work on the ,fossil ,fishes the ,monthyon ,prize of ,physiology was awarded him by the ,academy4 ,he felt this distinction the more because the bearing of such investigations upon experimental physiology had never before been pointed out1 and it showed that he had succeeded in giving a new direction and a more comprehensive character to paleontological research4 ,he passed some months in ,paris1 busily occupied with the publication of the ,systeme ,glaciaire1 his second work on the glacial phenomena4 ,the ,etudes sur les ,glaciers had simply contained a resume of all the researches undertaken upon the ,alpine fields of ice and the results obtained up to #ahdj1 inclusive of the author's own work and his wider interpretation of the facts4 ,the ,systeme ,glaciaire was1 on the contrary1 an account of a connected plan of investigation during a succession of years1 upon a single glacier1 with its geodetic and topographic features1 its hydrography1 its internal structure1 its atmospheric conditions1 its rate of annual and diurnal progress1 and its relations to surrounding glaciers4 ,all the local phenomena1 so far as they could be observed1 were subjected to a strict scrutiny1 and the results corrected by careful comparison1 during five seasons4 ,as we have seen1 and as ,agassiz himself says in his ,preface1 this band of workers had lived in the intimacy of the glacier1 striving to draw from it the secret of its formation and its annual advance4 ,the work was accompanied by three maps and nine plates4 ,in such a volume of detail there is no room for picturesque description1 and little is told of the wonderful scenes they witnessed by day and night1 nothing of personal peril and adventure4 ,this task concluded1 he went to ,england1 where he was to spend the few remaining days previous to his departure4 ,among the last words of farewell which reached him just as he was leaving the ,old ,world1 little thinking then that he was to make a permanent home in ,america1 were these lines from ,humboldt1 written at ,sans ,souci3 ,be happy in this new undertaking1 and preserve for me the first place under the head of friendship in your heart4 ,when you return ,i shall be here no more1 but the king and queen will receive you on this 'historic hill' with the affection which1 for so many reasons1 you merit4 4 4 ,your illegible but much attached friend1 ,a4 ,,humboldt4 ,so closed this period of ,agassiz's life4 ,the next was to open in new scenes1 under wholly different conditions4 ,he sailed for ,america in ,september1 #ahdf4 ,,part #b4 ,,in ,,america4 ,,chapter #ac4 #ahdf3 ,,age #ci4 ,arrival at ,boston4 ,previous ,correspondence with ,charles ,lyell and ,mr4 ,john ,a4 ,lowell concerning ,lectures at the ,lowell ,institute4 ,relations with ,mr4 ,lowell4 ,first ,course of ,lectures4 ,character of ,audience4 ,home ,letter giving an ,account of his first ,journey in the ,united ,states4 ,impressions of ,scientific ,men1 ,scientific ,institutions and ,collections4 ,,agassiz arrived in ,boston during the first week of ,october1 #ahdf4 ,he had not come to ,america without some prospect of employment beside that comprised in his immediate scientific aims4 ,in #ahde1 when his plans for a journey in the ,united ,states began to take definite shape1 he had written to ask ,lyell whether1 notwithstanding his imperfect ,english1 he might not have some chance as a public lecturer1 hoping to make in that way additional provision for his scientific expenses beyond the allowance he was to receive from the ,king of ,prussia4 ,lyell's answer1 written by his wife1 was very encouraging4 ,,london1 ,february #bh1 #ahde4 4 4 4,my husband thinks your plan of lecturing a very good one1 and sure to succeed1 for the ,americans are fond of that kind of instruction4 ,we remember your ,english was pleasant1 and if you have been practicing since1 you have probably gained facility in expression1 and a little foreign accent would be no drawback4 ,you might give your lectures in several cities1 but he would like very much if you could give a course at the ,lowell ,institute at ,boston1 an establishment which pays very highly4 4 4,in six weeks you might earn enough to pay for a twelve months' tour1 besides passing an agreeable time at ,boston1 where there are several eminent naturalists4 4 4,as my husband is writing to ,mr4 ,lowell to-morrow upon other matters1 he will ask him whether there is any course still open1 for he feels sure in that case they would be glad to have you4 4 4,mr4 ,lowell is sole trustee of the ,institute1 and can nominate whom he pleases4 ,it was very richly endowed for the purpose of lectures by a merchant of ,boston1 who died a few years ago4 ,you will get nothing like the same remuneration anywhere else4 4 4 ,lyell and ,mr4 ,lowell soon arranged all preliminaries1 and it was understood that ,agassiz should begin his tour in the ,united ,states by a course of lectures in ,boston before the ,lowell ,institute4 ,a month or two before sailing he writes as follows to ,mr4 ,lowell4 ,,paris1 ,july #f1 #ahdf4 4 4 4,time is pressing1 summer is running away1 and ,i feel it a duty to write to you about the contemplated lectures1 that you may not be uncertain about them4 ,so far as the subject is concerned1 ,i am quite ready2 all the necessary illustrations are also completed1 and if ,i am not mistaken they must by this time be in your hands 4 4 4,i understand from ,mr4 ,lyell that you wish me to lecture in ,october4 ,for this also ,i am quite prepared1 as ,i shall1 immediately after my arrival in ,boston1 devote all my time to the consideration of my course4 ,if a later date should suit your plans better1 ,i have no objection to conform to any of your arrangements1 as ,i shall at all events pass the whole winter on the shores of the ,atlantic1 and be everywhere in reach of ,boston in a very short time4 4 4,with your approbation1 ,i would give to my course the title of ,lectures on the ,plan of the ,creation1 especially in the ,animal ,kingdom4 ,thus was ,agassiz introduced to the institution under whose auspices he first made acquaintance with his ,american audiences4 ,there he became a familiar presence during more than a quarter of a century4 ,the enthusiastic greeting accorded to him1 as a stranger whose reputation had preceded him1 ripened with years into an affectionate welcome from friends and fellow-citizens1 whenever he appeared on the platform4 ,in the director of the institution1 ,mr4 ,john ,a4 ,lowell1 he found a friend upon whose sympathy and wise counsels he relied in all his after years4 ,the cordial reception he met from him and his large family circle made him at once at home in a strange land4 ,never was ,agassiz's power as a teacher1 or the charm of his personal presence more evident than in his first course of ,lowell ,lectures4 ,he was unfamiliar with the language1 to the easy use of which his two or three visits in ,england1 where most of his associates understood and spoke ,french1 had by no means accustomed him4 ,he would often have been painfully embarrassed but for his own simplicity of character4 ,thinking only of his subject and never of himself1 when a critical pause came1 he patiently waited for the missing word1 and rarely failed to find a phrase which was expressive if not technically correct4 ,he often said afterward that his sole preparation for these lectures consisted in shutting himself up for hours and marshaling his vocabulary1 passing in review1 that is1 all the ,english words he could recall4 ,as the ,lyells had prophesied1 his foreign accent rather added a charm to his address1 and the pauses in which he seemed to ask the forbearance of the audience1 while he sought to translate his thought for them1 enlisted their sympathy4 ,their courtesy never failed him4 ,his skill in drawing with chalk on the blackboard was also a great help both to him and to them4 ,when his ,english was at fault he could nevertheless explain his meaning by illustrations so graphic that the spoken word was hardly missed4 ,he said of himself that he was no artist1 and that his drawing was accurate simply because the object existed in his mind so clearly4 ,however this may be1 it was always pleasant to watch the effect of his drawings on the audience4 ,when showing1 for instance1 the correspondence of the articulate type1 as a whole1 with the metamorphoses of the higher insects1 he would lead his listeners along the successive phases of insect development1 talking as he drew and drawing as he talked1 till suddenly the winged creature stood declared upon the blackboard1 almost as if it had burst then and there from the chrysalis1 and the growing interest of his hearers culminated in a burst of delighted applause4 ,after the first lecture in ,boston there was no doubt of his success4 ,he carried his audience captive4 ,his treatment of the animal kingdom on the broad basis of the comparative method1 in which the great types were shown in their relation to each other and to the physical history of the world1 was new to his hearers4 ,agassiz had also the rare gift of divesting his subject of technicalities and superfluous details4 ,his special facts never obscured the comprehensive outline1 which they were intended to fill in and illustrate4 ,this simplicity of form and language was especially adapted to the audience he had now to address1 little instructed in the facts or the nomenclature of science1 though characterized by an eager curiosity4 ,a word respecting the quality of the ,lowell ,institute audience of those days1 as new to the ,european professor as he to them1 is in place here4 ,the institution was intended by its founder to fertilize the general mind rather than to instruct the selected few4 ,it was liberally endowed1 the entrance was free1 and the tickets were drawn by lot4 ,consequently the working men and women had as good an opportunity for places as their employers4 ,as the remuneration1 however1 was generous1 and the privilege of lecturing there was coveted by literary and scientific men of the first eminence1 the instruction was of a high order1 and the tickets1 not to be had for money1 were as much in demand with the more cultivated and even with the fashionable people of the community as with their poorer neighbors4 ,this audience1 composed of strongly contrasted elements and based upon purely democratic principles1 had1 from the first1 a marked attraction for ,agassiz4 ,a teacher in the widest sense1 he sought and found his pupils in every class4 ,but in ,america for the first time did he come into contact with the general mass of the people on this common ground1 and it influenced strongly his final resolve to remain in this country4 ,indeed1 the secret of his greatest power was to be found in the sympathetic1 human side of his character4 ,out of his broad humanity grew the genial personal influence1 by which he awakened the enthusiasm of his audiences for unwonted themes1 inspired his students to disinterested services like his own1 delighted children in the school-room1 and won the cordial interest as well as the cooperation in the higher aims of science1 of all classes whether rich or poor4 ,his first course was to be given in ,december4 ,having1 therefore1 a few weeks to spare1 he made a short journey1 stopping at ,new ,haven to see the elder ,silliman1 with whom he had long been in correspondence4 ,shortly before leaving ,europe he had written him1 ,i can hardly tell you with what pleasure ,i look forward to seeing you1 and making the personal acquaintance of the distinguished savans of your country1 whose works ,i have lately been studying with especial care4 ,there is something captivating in the prodigious activity of the ,americans1 and the thought of contact with the superior men of your young and glorious republic renews my own youth4 ,some account of this journey1 including his first impressions of the scientific men as well as the scientific societies and collections of the ,united ,states1 is given in the following letter4 ,it is addressed to his mother1 and with her to a social club of intimate friends and neighbors in ,neuchatel1 at whose meetings he had been for years an honored guest4 ,,boston1 ,december1 #ahdf4 4 4 4,having no time to write out a complete account of my journey of last month1 ,i will only transcribe for you some fugitive notes scribbled along the road in stages or railroad carriages4 ,they bear the stamp of hurry and constant interruption4 ,leaving ,boston the #afth of ,october1 ,i went by railroad to ,new ,haven1 passing through ,springfield4 ,the rapidity of the locomotion is frightful to those who are unused to it1 but you adapt yourself to the speed1 and soon become1 like all the rest of the world1 impatient of the slightest delay4 ,i well understand that an antipathy for this mode of travel is possible4 ,there is something infernal in the irresistible power of steam1 carrying such heavy masses along with the swiftness of lightning4 ,the habits growing out of continued contact with railroads1 and the influence they exert on a portion of the community1 are far from agreeable until one is familiar with them4 ,you would cry out in dismay did you see your baggage flung about pell-mell like logs of wood1 trunks1 chests1 traveling-bags1 hat-boxes1 all in the same mill1 and if here and there something goes to pieces no one is astonished2 never mind6 we go fast1--we gain time1--that is the essential thing4 ,the manners of the country differ so greatly from ours that it seems to me impossible to form a just estimate regarding them1 or1 indeed1 to pronounce judgment at all upon a population so active and mobile as that of the ,northern ,states of the ,union1 without having lived among them for a long time4 ,i do not therefore attempt any such estimate4 ,i can only say that the educated ,americans are very accessible and very pleasant4 ,they are obliging to the utmost degree2 indeed1 their cordiality toward strangers exceeds any that ,i have met elsewhere4 ,i might even add that if ,i could complain of anything it would be of an excess1 rather than a lack1 of attention4 ,i have often found it difficult to make it understood that the hotel1 where ,i can work at my ease1 suits me better than the proffered hospitality4 4 4 ,but what a country is this6 all along the road between ,boston and ,springfield are ancient moraines and polished rocks4 ,no one who had seen them upon the track of our present glaciers could hesitate as to the real agency by which all these erratic masses1 literally covering the country1 have been transported4 ,i have had the pleasure of converting already several of the most distinguished ,american geologists to my way of thinking2 among others1 ,professor ,rogers1 who will deliver a public lecture upon the subject next ,tuesday before a large audience4 ,a characteristic feature of ,american life is to be found in the frequent public meetings where addresses are delivered4 ,shortly after my arrival in ,boston ,i was present at a meeting of some three thousand workmen1 foremen of workshops1 clerks1 and the like4 ,no meeting could have been more respectable and well-conducted4 ,all were neatly dressed2 even the simplest laborer had a clean shirt4 ,it was a strange sight to see such an assemblage1 brought together for the purpose of forming a library1 and listening attentively in perfect quiet for two hours to an address on the advantages of education1 of reading1 and the means of employing usefully the leisure moments of a workman's life4 ,the most eminent men vie with each other in instructing and forming the education of the population at large4 ,i have not yet seen a man out of employment or a beggar1 except in ,new ,york1 which is a sink for the emptyings of ,europe4 ,yet do not think that ,i forget the advantages of our old civilization4 ,far from it4 ,i feel more than ever the value of a past which belongs to you and in which you have grown up4 ,generations must pass before ,america will have the collections of art and science which adorn our cities1 or the establishments for public instruction1 sanctuaries as it were1 consecrated by the devotion of those who give themselves wholly to study4 ,here all the world works to gain a livelihood or to make a fortune4 ,few establishments 7of learning7 are old enough1 or have taken sufficiently deep root in the habits of the people1 to be safe from innovation2 very few institutions offer a combination of studies such as1 in its ensemble1 meets the demands of modern civilization4 ,all is done by the single efforts of individuals or of corporations1 too often guided by the needs of the moment4 ,thus ,american science lacks the scope which is characteristic of higher instruction in our old ,europe4 ,objects of art are curiosities but little appreciated and usually still less understood4 ,on the other hand1 the whole population shares in the advanced education provided for all4 4 4,from ,springfield the railroad follows the course of the ,connecticut as far as ,hartford1 turning then directly toward the sea-coast4 ,the valley strikingly resembles that of the ,rhine between ,carlsruhe and ,heidelberg4 ,the same rock1 the same aspect of country1 and gres bigarre99 799 ,trias47 everywhere4 ,the forest reminds one of ,odenwald and of ,baden-,baden4 ,nearer the coast are cones of basalt like those of ,brissac and the ,kaiserstuhl4 ,the erratic phenomena are also very marked in this region2 polished rocks everywhere1 magnificent furrows on the sandstone and on the basalt1 and parallel moraines defining themselves like ramparts upon the plain4 ,at ,new ,haven ,i passed several days at the house of ,professor ,silliman1 with whom ,i have been in correspondence for several years4 ,the ,university 7,yale7 owes to the efforts of the ,professor a fine collection of minerals and extensive physical and chemical apparatus4 ,silliman is the patriarch of science in ,america4 ,for thirty years he has edited an important scientific journal1 the channel through which1 ever since its foundation1 ,european scientific researches have reached ,america4 4 4,one of his sons-in-law1 ,mr4 ,shepard199 799 ,an error3 ,mr4 ,shepard was not the son-in-law of ,professor ,silliman4--,,ed47 is also chemical professor in the ,university of ,south ,carolina4 ,another1 ,mr4 ,dana1 still a very young man1 strikes me as likely to be the most distinguished naturalist of the ,united ,states4 ,he was a member of the expedition around the world under the command of ,captain ,wilkes1 and has just published a magnificent volume containing monographs of all the species of polyps and corals1 with curious observations on their mode of growth and on the coral islands4 ,i was surprised to find in the collection at ,new ,haven a fine specimen of the great fossil salamander of ,oeningen1 the ,homo diluvii testis of ,scheuchzer4 ,from ,new ,haven ,i went to ,new ,york by steamboat4 ,the ,sound1 between ,long ,island and the coast of ,connecticut1 presents a succession of cheerful towns and villages1 with single houses scattered over the country1 while magnificent trees overhang the sea2 we constantly disturbed numbers of aquatic birds which1 at our approach1 fluttered up around the steamer1 only to alight farther on4 ,i have never seen such flocks of ducks and gulls4 ,at ,new ,york ,i hastened to see ,auguste ,mayor1 of whom my uncle will no doubt have given you news1 since ,i wrote to him4 ,obliged to continue my road in order to join ,mr4 ,gray at ,princeton ,i stopped but one day in ,new ,york1 the greater part of which ,i passed with ,mr4 ,redfield1 author of a paper on the fossil fishes of ,connecticut4 ,his collection1 which he has placed at my disposal1 has great interest for me2 it contains a large number of fossil fishes of different kinds1 from a formation in which but one species has been found in ,europe4 ,the new red sandstone of ,connecticut will also fill a gap in the history of fossil fishes1 and this acquisition is so much the more important1 because1 at the epoch of the gres bigarre1 a marked change took place in the anatomical character of fishes4 ,it presents an intermediate type between the primitive fishes of the ancient deposits and the more regular forms of the jurassic deposits4 ,mr4 ,asa ,gray1 professor of botany at ,cambridge1 near ,boston1 had offered to accompany me on my journey to ,washington4 ,we were to meet at the house of ,professor ,torrey1 at ,princeton1 a small town half a day's journey from ,new ,york1 and the seat of a considerable university1 one of the oldest in the ,united ,states4 ,the physical department1 under the direction of ,professor ,henry1 is remarkably rich in models of machinery and in electrical apparatus1 to which the professor especially devotes himself4 ,the museum contains a collection of animals and fossil remains4 ,in the environs of the town1 in the ditches1 is found a rare kind of turtle1 remarkable for the form of the jaws and the length of the tail4 ,i wish very much to procure one1 were it only to oblige ,professor ,johannes ,muller1 of ,berlin1 who especially desires one for investigation4 ,but ,i have failed thus far2 the turtles are already withdrawn into their winter quarters4 ,mr4 ,torrey promises me some1 however1 in the spring4 ,it is not easy to get them because their bite is dreaded4 ,after this ,i passed four days in ,philadelphia4 ,here1 notwithstanding my great desire to see the beautiful country along the shores of the rich bay of ,delaware and the banks of the ,schuylkill1 between which the city lies1 ,i was entirely occupied with the magnificent collections of the ,academy of ,science and of the ,philosophical ,society4 ,the zoological collections of the ,academy of ,science are the oldest in the ,united ,states1 the only ones1 except those of the ,wilkes ,expedition1 which can equal in interest those of ,europe4 ,there are the collections of ,say1 the earliest naturalist of distinction in the ,united ,states2 there are also the fossil remains and the animals described by ,harlan1 by ,godman1 and by ,hayes1 and the fossils described by ,conrad and ,morton4 ,dr4 ,morton's unique collection of human skulls is also to be found in ,philadelphia4 ,imagine a series of six hundred skulls1 mostly ,indian1 of all the tribes who now inhabit or formerly inhabited ,america4 ,nothing like it exists elsewhere4 ,this collection alone is worth a journey to ,america4 ,dr4 ,morton has had the kindness to give me a copy of his great illustrated work representing all the types of his collection4 ,quite recently a generous citizen of ,philadelphia has enriched this museum with the fine collection of birds belonging to the ,duke of ,rivoli4 ,he bought it for #cg1jjj francs1 and presented it to his native city4 ,the number of fossil remains comprised in these collections is very considerable2 mastodons especially1 and fossils of the cretaceous and jurassic deposits4 4 4,imagine that all this is at my full disposal for description and illustration1 and you will understand my pleasure4 ,the liberality of the ,american naturalists toward me is unparalleled4 ,i must not omit to mention ,mr4 ,lea's collection of fresh-water shells1--a series of the magnificent ,unios of the rivers and lakes of ,america1 comprising four hundred species1 represented by some thirty specimens of each4 ,mr4 ,lea has promised me specimens of all the species4 ,had ,i not been bound by an engagement at ,washington1 and could ,i have remained three or four days longer in order to label and pack them1 ,i might have taken at once these valuable objects1 which will be of great importance in verifying and rectifying the synonyms of ,european conchologists4 ,after having seen the astonishing variations undergone by these shells in their growth1 ,i am satisfied that all which ,european naturalists have written on this subject must be revised4 ,only with the help of a very full series of individuals can one fully understand these animals1 and we have only single specimens in our collections4 ,if ,i had time and means to have drawings made of all these forms1 the collection of ,mr4 ,lea would be at my command for the purpose1 and the work would be a very useful one for science4 ,there are several other private and public collections at ,philadelphia1 which ,i have only seen cursorily2 that of the ,medical ,school1 for instance1 and that of the older ,peale1 who discovered the first mastodon found in the ,united ,states1 now mounted in his museum4 ,beside these1 there is the collection of ,dr4 ,griffith1 rich in skulls from the ,gulf of ,mexico2 that of ,mr4 ,ord1 and others4 ,during my stay in ,philadelphia1 there was also an exhibition of industrial products at the ,franklin ,institute1 where ,i especially remarked the chemical department4 ,there are no less than three professors of chemistry in ,philadelphia1--,mr4 ,hare1 ,mr4 ,booth1 and ,mr4 ,frazer4 ,the first is1 ,i think1 the best known in ,europe4 ,how a nearer view changes the aspect of things6 ,i thought myself tolerably familiar with all that is doing in science in the ,united ,states1 but ,i was far from anticipating so much that is interesting and important4 ,what is wanting to all these men is neither zeal nor knowledge4 ,in both1 they seem to compete with us1 and in ardor and activity they even surpass most of our savans4 ,what they need is leisure4 ,i have never felt more forcibly what ,i owe to the king for enabling me to live for science alone1 undisturbed by anxieties and distractions4 ,here1 ,i do not lose a moment1 and when ,i receive invitations outside the circle of men whom ,i care particularly to know1 ,i decline1 on the ground that ,i am not free to dispose for my pleasure of time which does not belong to me4 ,for this no one can quarrel with me1 and so far as ,i myself am concerned1 it is much better4 ,i stopped at ,baltimore only long enough to see the city4 ,it was ,sunday1 and as ,i could make no visits1 and was anxious to arrive in good time at ,washington1 ,i took advantage of the first train4 ,the capital of the ,united ,states is laid out upon a gigantic scale1 and1 consequently1 portions of the different quarters are often to be traced only by isolated houses here and there1--a condition which has caused it to be called the ,city of ,magnificent ,distances4 ,some of the streets are very handsome1 and the capitol itself is really imposing4 ,their profound veneration for the founder of their liberty and their republic is a noble trait of the ,american people4 ,the evidences of this are to be seen everywhere4 ,no less than two hundred towns1 villages1 and counties bear his name1 rather to the inconvenience of the postal administration4 ,after having visited the capitol and the presidential mansion1 and delivered my letters for the ,prussian ,minister1 ,i went to the ,museum of the ,national ,institute4 ,i was impatient to satisfy myself as to the scientific value of the results obtained in the field of my own studies by the voyage of ,captain ,wilkes around the world1 --this voyage having been the object of equally exaggerated praise and criticism4 ,i confess that ,i was agreeably surprised by the richness of the zoological and geological collections2 ,i do not think any ,european expedition has done more or better2 and in some departments1 in that of the ,crustacea1 for example1 the collection at ,washington surpasses in beauty and number of specimens all that ,i have seen4 ,it is especially to ,dr4 ,pickering and ,mr4 ,dana that these collections are due4 ,as the expedition did not penetrate to the interior of the continents in tropical regions1 the collections of birds and mammals1 which fell to the charge of ,mr4 ,peale1 are less considerable4 ,mr4 ,gray tells me1 however1 that the botanical collections are very large4 ,more precious1 perhaps1 than all the collections are the magnificent drawings of mollusks1 zoophytes1 fishes1 and reptiles1 painted from life by ,mr4 ,drayton4 ,all these plates1 to the number of about six hundred1 are to be engraved1 and indeed are already1 in part1 executed4 ,i can only compare them to those of the ,astrolabe1 although they are very superior in variety of position and naturalness of attitude to those of the ,french ,expedition4 ,this is particularly true of the mollusks and fishes4 ,the zoophytes are to be published2 they are admirable in detail4 ,the hydrographic portion and the account of the voyage1 edited by ,captain ,wilkes 7unhappily he was absent and ,i did not see him71 has been published for some time1 and comprises an enormous mass of information1 its chief feature being charts to the number of two hundred4 ,it is amazing2 the number of soundings extraordinarily large499 799 ,agassiz subsequently took some part in working up the fish collections from this expedition1 but the publication was stopped for want of means to carry it on47 ,at ,washington are also to be seen the headquarters of the ,coast ,survey1 where the fine charts of the coasts and harbors now making under direction of ,dr4 ,bache are executed4 ,these charts are admirably finished4 ,dr4 ,bache1 the superintendent1 was in camp1 so that ,i could not deliver my letters for him4 ,i saw1 however1 ,colonel ,abert1 the head of the topographic office1 who gave me important information about the ,west for the very season when ,i am likely to be there4 ,i am indebted to him also for a series of documents concerning the upper ,missouri and ,mississippi1 ,california and ,oregon1 printed by order of the government1 and for a collection of fresh-water shells from those regions4 ,i should like to offer him1 in return1 such sheets of the ,federal ,map as have appeared4 ,i beg ,guyot to send them to me by the first occasion4 ,as ,i was due in ,boston on an appointed day ,i was obliged to defer my visit to ,richmond1 ,charleston1 and other places in the ,south4 ,i had1 beside1 gathered so much material that ,i had need of a few quiet weeks to consider and digest it all4 ,returning therefore to ,philadelphia1 ,i made there the acquaintance of ,mr4 ,haldeman1 author of a monograph on the fresh-water shells of the ,united ,states4 ,i had made an appointment to meet him at ,philadelphia1 being unable to make a detour of fifty leagues in order to visit him at his own home1 which is situated beyond the lines of rapid transit4 ,he is a distinguished naturalist1 equally well versed in several branches of our science4 ,he has made me acquainted1 also1 with a young naturalist from the interior of ,pennsylvania1 ,mr4 ,baird1 professor at ,dickinson ,college1 in ,carlisle1 ,pennsylvania1 who offered me duplicates from his collections of birds and other animals4 ,in order to avail myself more promptly of this and like acquisitions1 ,i wish that ,m4 ,coulon would send me at the close of the winter all that he can procure of the common ,european birds1 of our small mammalia1 and some chamois skins1 adding also the fish that ,charles put aside for me before his departure4 ,it would be safest to send them to the care of ,auguste ,mayor4 ,at ,philadelphia ,i separated from my traveling companion1 ,mr4 ,gray1 who was obliged to return to his home4 ,from ,philadelphia1 ,mr4 ,haldeman and ,mr4 ,lea accompanied me to ,bristol1 where ,mr4 ,vanuxem possesses an important collection of fossils from ancient deposits1 duplicates of which he promises me4 ,mr4 ,vanuxem is one of the official geologists of the ,state of ,new ,york1 and author of one of a series of volumes upon the geology of the ,state1 about which ,i shall presently have something to say4 ,to gain time ,i took the night train from ,bristol to ,new ,york1 and arrived at ,mayor's at midnight1 having written him to expect me4 ,the next day ,i visited the market1 and in five days ,i had filled a great barrel with different kinds of fish and fresh-water turtles1 beside making several skeletons and various dissections of mollusks4 ,wishing to employ my time as usefully as possible1 ,i postponed my visits to the savans of the city1 and the delivery of my letters1 till ,i was on the eve of departure1 that ,i might avoid all invitations4 ,i had especial pleasure in making the acquaintance of the two ,le ,contes1 father and son1 who own the finest collection of insects in the ,united ,states4 ,i can easily make some thousand exchanges with them when ,i receive those that ,m4 ,coulon has put aside for me1 with a view to exchange4 4 4,every morning ,auguste ,mayor went with me to the market before going to his office and helped me to carry my basket when it was too heavy4 ,one day ,i brought back no less than twenty-four turtles1 taken in one draught of the net4 ,i made four skeletons1 and dissected several others4 ,under such conditions the day ought to have thirty-six working hours4 ,were ,i an artist1 instead of describing my voyage from ,new ,york to ,albany1 ,i would draw you a panorama of the shores of the ,hudson4 ,i know nothing except the banks of the ,rhine to compare with those of this magnificent river4 ,the resemblance between them is striking2 the sites1 the nature of the rocks1 the appearance of the towns and villages1 the form of the ,albany bridges1 even the look of the inhabitants1 of whom the greater number are of ,dutch or ,german origin1--all are similar4 ,i stopped at ,west ,point to make the acquaintance of ,professor ,bailey of the ,military ,school there4 ,i already knew him by reputation4 ,he is the author of very detailed and interesting researches upon the microscopic animalcules of ,america4 ,i had a pamphlet to deliver to him from ,ehrenberg1 who has received from him a great deal of material for his large work on fossil ,infusoria4 ,i spent three most delightful days with him1 passed chiefly in examining his collections1 from which he gave me many specimens4 ,we also made several excursions in the neighborhood1 in order to study the erratic phenomena and the traces of glaciers1 which everywhere cover the surface of the country4 ,polished rocks1 as distinct as possible2 moraines continuous over large spaces2 stratified drift1 as on the borders of the glacier of ,grindelwald2 in short1 all the usual accompaniments of the glaciers are there1 and one may follow the roches moutonnees with the eye to a great distance4 ,albany is the seat of government of the ,state of ,new ,york4 ,it has a medical school1 an agricultural society1 a geological museum1 an anatomical museum1 and a museum of natural history4 ,the government has just completed the publication of a work1 unique of its kind1 a natural history of the ,state in sixteen volumes1 quarto1 with plates2 twenty-five hundred copies have been printed1 only five hundred of which are for sale1 the rest being distributed throughout the ,state4 ,four volumes are devoted to geology and mining alone1 the others to zoology1 botany1 and agriculture4 ,yes1 twenty-five hundred copies of a work in sixteen volumes1 quarto1 scattered throughout the ,state of ,new ,york alone6 ,when ,i think that ,i began my studies in natural history by copying hundreds of pages from a ,lamarck which some one had lent me1 and that to-day there is a ,state in which the smallest farmer may have access to a costly work1 worth a library to him in itself1 ,i bless the efforts of those who devote themselves to public instruction4 4 4,i have not neglected the opportunity offered by the ,north ,river 7the ,hudson7 for the study of the fresh-water fishes of this country4 ,i have filled a barrel with them4 ,the species differ greatly from ours1 with the exception of the perch1 the eel1 the pike1 and the sucker1 in which only a practiced eye could detect the difference2 all the rest belong to genera unknown in ,europe1 or1 at least1 in ,switzerland4 4 4 ,i was fortunate enough to procure also1 in the few days of my stay1 all the species taken in the lakes and rivers around ,albany4 ,several others have been given me from ,lake ,superior4 ,since my return to ,boston ,i have been collecting birds and comparing them with those of ,europe4 ,if ,m4 ,coulon could obtain for me a collection of ,european eggs1 even the most common1 ,i could exchange them for an admirable series of the native species here4 ,i have also procured several interesting mammals2 among others1 two species of hares different from those ,i brought from ,halifax1 striped squirrels1 etc4 ,i will tell you another time something of the collections of ,boston and ,cambridge1 the only ones in the ,united ,states which can rival those of ,philadelphia4 ,to-day ,i have made my first attempt at lecturing4 ,of that1 also1 ,i will tell you more in my next letter1 when ,i know how it has been liked4 ,it is no small matter to satisfy an audience of three thousand people in a language with which you are but little familiar4 4 4 ,,chapter #ad4 #ahdf-ahdg3 ,,age #ci-dj4 ,course of ,lectures in ,boston on ,glaciers4 ,correspondence with ,scientific ,friends in ,europe4 ,house in ,east ,boston4 ,household and ,housekeeping4 ,illness4 ,letter to ,elie de ,beaumont4 ,letter to ,james ,d4 ,dana4 ,,the course at the ,lowell ,institute was immediately followed by one upon glaciers1 the success of which was guaranteed by private subscription1--an unnecessary security1 since the audience1 attracted by the novelty and picturesqueness of the subject1 as well as by the charm of presentation and fullness of illustration1 was large and enthusiastic4 ,agassiz was evidently encouraged himself by his success1 for toward the close of his ,lowell ,lectures he writes as follows3-- ,,to ,,chancellor ,,favargez4 ,,boston1 ,december #ca1 #ahdf4 4 4 4,beside my lecture course1 now within a few days of its conclusion1 and the ever-increasing work which grows on my hands in proportion as ,i become familiar with the environs of ,boston1 where ,i shall still remain a few weeks longer1 ,i have so much to do in keeping up my journals1 notes1 and observations that ,i have not found a moment to write you since the last steamer4 4 4,never did the future look brighter to me than now4 ,if ,i could for a moment forget that ,i have a scientific mission to fulfill1 to which ,i will never prove recreant1 ,i could easily make more than enough by lectures which would be admirably paid and are urged upon me1 to put me completely at my ease hereafter4 ,but ,i will limit myself to what ,i need in order to repay those who have helped me through a difficult crisis1 and that ,i can do without even turning aside from my researches4 ,beyond that all must go again to science1--there lies my true mission4 ,i rejoice in what ,i have been able to do thus far1 and ,i hope that at ,berlin they will be satisfied with the results which ,i shall submit to competent judges on my return4 ,if ,i only have time to finish what ,i have begun6 ,you know my plans are not wont to be too closely restricted4 ,why do you not write to me8 ,am ,i then wholly forgotten in your pleasant circle while my thoughts are every day constantly with my ,neuchatel friends84 4 4 ,midnight1 ,january #ast4 ,a happy new year to you and to all members of the ,tuesday ,club4 ,bonjour et bon an4 4 4 ,some portions of ,agassiz's correspondence with his ,european friends and colleagues during the winter and summer of #ahdg give a clew to the occupations and interests of his new life1 and keep up the thread of the old one4 ,,louis ,,agassiz ,,to ,m4 ,,decaisne4 ,february1 #ahdg4 4 4 4,i write only to thank you for the pleasure your note gave me4 ,when one is far away1 as ,i am1 from everything belonging to one's past life1 the merest sign of friendly remembrance is a boon4 ,do not infer from this that ,america does not please me4 ,on the contrary1 ,i am delighted with my stay here1 although ,i do not quite understand all that surrounds me2 or ,i should perhaps rather say that many principles which1 theoretically1 we have been wont to think perfect in themselves1 seem in their application to involve results quite contrary to our expectations4 ,i am constantly asking myself which is better1--our old ,europe1 where the man of exceptional gifts can give himself absolutely to study1 opening thus a wider horizon for the human mind1 while at his side thousands barely vegetate in degradation or at least in destitution2 or this new world1 where the institutions tend to keep all on one level as part of the general mass1--but a mass1 be it said1 which has no noxious elements4 ,yes1 the mass here is decidedly good4 ,all the world lives well1 is decently clad1 learns something1 is awake and interested4 ,instruction does not1 as in some parts of ,germany for instance1 furnish a man with an intellectual tool and then deny him the free use of it4 ,the strength of ,america lies in the prodigious number of individuals who think and work at the same time4 ,it is a severe test of pretentious mediocrity1 but ,i fear it may also efface originality 4 4 4,you are right in believing that one works1 or at least that one ,,can work1 better in ,paris than elsewhere1 and ,i should esteem myself happy if ,i had my nest there1 but who will make it for me8 ,i am myself incapable of making efforts for anything but my work4 4 4 ,,agassiz ,,to ,,milne ,,edwards4 ,may #ca1 #ahdg4 4 4 4,after six weeks of an illness which has rendered me unfit for serious work ,i long to be transported into the circle of my ,paris friends1 to find myself again among the men whose devotion to science gives them a clear understanding of its tendency and influence4 ,therefore ,i take my way quite naturally to the ,rue ,cuvier and mount your stairs1 confident that there ,i shall find this chosen society4 ,question upon question greets me regarding this new world1 on the shore of which ,i have but just landed1 and yet about which ,i have so much to say that ,i fear to tire my listeners4 ,naturalist as ,i am1 ,i cannot but put the people first1--the people who have opened this part of the ,american continent to ,european civilization4 ,what a people6 ,but to understand them you must live among them4 ,our education1 the principles of our society1 the motives of our actions1 differ so greatly from what ,i see here1 that ,i should try in vain to give you an idea of this great nation1 passing from childhood to maturity with the faults of spoiled children1 and yet with the nobility of character and the enthusiasm of youth4 ,their look is wholly turned toward the future2 their social life is not yet irrevocably bound to exacting antecedents1 and thus nothing holds them back1 unless1 perhaps1 a consideration for the opinion in which they may be held in ,europe4 ,this deference toward ,england 7unhappily1 to them1 ,europe means almost exclusively ,england7 is a curious fact in the life of the ,american people4 ,they know us but little1 even after having made a tour in ,france1 or ,italy1 or ,germany4 ,from ,england they receive their literature1 and the scientific work of central ,europe reaches them through ,english channels4 4 4,notwithstanding this kind of dependence upon ,england1 in which ,american savans have voluntarily placed themselves1 ,i have formed a high opinion of their acquirements1 since ,i have learned to know them better1 and ,i think we should render a real service to them and to science1 by freeing them from this tutelage1 raising them in their own eyes1 and drawing them also a little more toward ourselves4 ,do not think that these remarks are prompted by the least antagonism toward ,english savans1 whom no one more than myself has reason to regard with affection and esteem4 ,but since these men are so worthy to soar on their own wings1 why not help them to take flight8 ,they need only confidence1 and some special recognition from ,europe would tend to give them this4 4 4 ,among the zoologists of this country ,i would place ,mr4 ,dana at the head4 ,he is still very young1 fertile in ideas1 rich in facts1 equally able as geologist and mineralogist4 ,when his work on corals is completed1 you can better judge of him4 ,one of these days you will make him a correspondent of the ,institute1 unless he kills himself with work too early1 or is led away by his tendency to generalization4 ,then there is ,gould1 author of the malacologic fauna of ,massachusetts1 and who is now working up the mollusks of the ,wilkes ,expedition4 ,de ,kay and ,lea1 whose works have long been known1 are rather specialists1 ,i should say4 ,i do not yet know ,holbrook personally4 ,pickering1 of the ,wilkes ,expedition1 is a well of science1 perhaps the most erudite naturalist here4 ,haldeman knows the fresh-water gasteropods of this country admirably well1 and has published a work upon them4 ,le ,conte is a critical entomologist who seems to me thoroughly familiar with what is doing in ,europe4 ,in connection with ,haldeman he is working up the articulates of the ,wilkes ,expedition4 ,wyman1 recently made professor at ,cambridge1 is an excellent comparative anatomist1 and the author of several papers on the organization of fishes4 4 4,the botanists are less numerous1 but ,asa ,gray and ,dr4 ,torrey are known wherever the study of botany is pursued4 ,gray1 with his indefatigable zeal1 will gain upon his competitors4 4 4,the geologists and mineralogists form the most numerous class among the savans of the country4 ,the fact that every state has its corps of official geologists has tended to develop study in this direction to the detriment of other branches1 and will later1 ,i fear1 tend to the detriment of science itself2 for the utilitarian tendency thus impressed on the work of ,american geologists will retard their progress4 ,with us1 on the contrary1 researches of this kind constantly tend to assume a more and more scientific character4 ,still1 the body of ,american geologists forms1 as a whole1 a most respectable contingent4 ,the names of ,charles ,t4 ,jackson1 ,james ,hall1 ,hitchcock1 ,henry and ,william ,rogers 7two brothers71 have long been familiar to ,european science4 ,after the geologists1 ,i would mention ,dr4 ,morton1 of ,philadelphia1 well known as the author of several papers upon fossils1 and still better by his great work upon the indigenous races of ,america4 ,he is a man of science in the best sense2 admirable both as regards his knowledge and his activity4 ,he is the pillar of the ,philadelphia ,academy4 ,the chemists and physicists1 again1 form another utilitarian class of men in this country4 ,as with many of them purely scientific work is not their sole object1 it is difficult for an outsider to distinguish between the clever manipulators and those who have higher aims4 4 4 ,the mathematicians have also their culte1 dating back to ,bowditch1 the translator of the ,mecanique celeste1 and the author of a work on practical navigation4 ,he died in ,boston1 where they are now erecting a magnificent monument to his memory4 ,mr4 ,peirce1 professor at ,cambridge1 is considered here the equal of our great mathematicians4 ,it is not for me1 who cannot do a sum in addition1 to pretend to a judgment in the matter499 799 ,though ,agassiz was no mathematician1 and ,peirce no naturalist1 they soon found that their intellectual aims were the same1 and they became very close friends47 ,you are familiar1 no doubt1 with the works of ,captain ,wilkes and the report of his journey around the world4 ,his charts are much praised4 ,the charts of the coasts and harbors of the ,united ,states1 made under the direction of ,dr4 ,bache and published at government expense1 are admirable4 ,the reports of ,captain ,fremont concerning his travels are also most interesting and instructive2 to botanists especially so1 on account of the scientific notes accompanying them4 ,i will not speak at length of my own work1--my letter is already too long4 ,during the winter ,i have been chiefly occupied in making collections of fishes and birds1 and also of the various woods4 ,the forests here differ greatly from ours in the same latitude4 ,i have even observed that they resemble astonishingly the forests of the ,molasse epoch1 and the analogy is heightened by that between the animals of this country and those of the eastern coasts of ,asia as compared with those of the ,molasse1 such as the chelydras1 andreas1 etc4 ,i will send a report upon this to ,m4 ,brongniart as soon as ,i have the time to prepare it4 ,on the erratic phenomena1 also1 ,i have made numerous observations1 which ,i am anxious to send to ,m4 de ,beaumont4 ,these phenomena1 so difficult of explanation with us1 become still more complicated here1 both on account of their contact with the sea and of the vast stretches of flat country over which they extend4 ,for the last few days ,i have been especially occupied with the development of the medusae4 ,in studying the actiniae ,i have made a striking discovery1 and ,i should be glad if you would communicate it to the ,academy in advance of the illustrated paper on the same subject1 which ,i hope soon to send you4 ,notwithstanding their star-like appearance1 the star-fishes have1 like the sea-urchins1 indications by no means doubtful1 of a symmetrical disposition of their organs in pairs1 and an anterior and posterior extremity easily recognized by the special form of their oral opening4 ,i have now satisfied myself that the madrepores have something analogous to this in the arrangement of their partitions1 so that ,i am tempted to believe that this tendency to a symmetrical arrangement of parts in pairs1 is a general character of polyps1 disguised by their radiating form4 ,among the medusae something similar exists in the disposition of the marginal appendages and the ocelli4 ,i attach the more importance to these observations1 because they may lead to a clearer perception than we have yet reached of the natural relations between the radiates and the other great types of the animal kingdom4 ,this summer ,i hope to explore the lower lakes of ,canada1 and also the regions lying to the eastward as far as ,nova ,scotia2 in the autumn ,i shall resume my excursions on the coast and in the ,alleghenies1 and shall pass a part of the winter in the ,carolinas4 ,i will soon write to ,monsieur ,brongniart concerning my plans for next year4 ,if the ,museum were desirous to aid me in my undertakings1 ,i should like to make a journey of exploration next summer in a zone thus far completely neglected by naturalists1 the region1 namely1 of the small lakes to the west of ,lake ,superior1 where the ,mississippi takes its rise1 and also of that lying between this great basin of fresh water and the southern arm of ,hudson ,bay4 ,i would employ the autumn in exploring the great valley of the ,mississippi1 and would pass the winter on the borders of the ,gulf of ,mexico4 ,to carry out such projects1 however1 ,i have need of larger resources than ,i can create by my own efforts1 and ,i shall soon be at the end of the subsidy granted me by the ,king of ,prussia4 ,i shall1 however1 subordinate all these projects to the possibilities of which you kindly tell me4 ,notwithstanding the interest offered by the exploration of a country so rich as this1 notwithstanding the gratifying welcome ,i have received here1 ,i feel1 after all1 that nowhere can one work better than in our old ,europe1 and the friendship you have shown me is a more than sufficient motive1 impelling me to return as soon as possible to ,paris4 ,remember me to our common friends4 ,i have made some sufficiently interesting collections which ,i shall forward to the ,museum2 they will show you that ,i have done my best to fulfill my promises1 forgetting no one4 4 4 ,in the summer of #ahdg ,agassiz established himself in a small house at ,east ,boston1 sufficiently near the sea to be a convenient station for marine collections4 ,here certain members of his old working corps assembled about him1 and it soon became1 like every place he had ever inhabited1 a hive of industry4 ,chief among his companions were ,count ,francois de ,pourtales1 who had accompanied him to this country2 ,mr4 ,e4 ,desor1 who soon followed him to ,america2 and ,mr4 ,jacques ,burkhardt1 who had preceded them all1 and was now draughtsman in chief to the whole party4 ,to his labors were soon added those of ,mr4 ,a4 ,sonrel1 the able lithographic artist1 who illustrated the most important works subsequently published by ,agassiz4 ,to an exquisite skill in his art he added a quick1 intelligent perception of structural features from the naturalist's point of view1 which made his work doubly valuable4 ,besides those above-mentioned1 there were several assistants who shared the scientific work in one department or another4 ,it must be confessed that this rather original establishment had the aspect of a laboratory rather than a home1 domestic comfort being subordinate to scientific convenience4 ,every room served in some sort the purposes of an aquarium or a studio1 while garret and cellar were devoted to collections4 ,the rules of the household were sufficiently elastic to suit the most erratic student4 ,a sliding scale for meals allowed the greatest freedom for excursions along the neighboring shores and beaches1 and punctuality in work was the only punctuality demanded4 ,agassiz himself was necessarily often absent1 for the maintenance of the little colonydepended in great degree upon his exertions4 ,during the winter of #ahdg1 while continuing his lectures in ,boston and its vicinity1 he lectured in other places also4 ,it is difficult to track his course at this time2 but during the winters of #ahdg and #ahdh he lectured in all the large eastern cities1 ,new ,york1 ,albany1 ,philadelphia1 and ,charleston1 ,s4,c4 ,everywhere he drew large crowds1 and in those days his courses of lectures were rarely allowed to close without some public expression of gratitude and appreciation from the listeners4 ,among his papers are preserved several sets of resolutions from medical and scientific societies1 from classes of students1 and from miscellaneous audiences1 attesting the enthusiasm awakened by his instruction4 ,what he earned in this way enabled him to carry on his work and support his assistants4 ,still1 the strain upon his strength1 combined with all that he was doing beside in purely scientific work1 was severe1 and before the twelvemonth was out he was seriously ill4 ,at this time ,dr4 ,b4,e4 ,cotting1 a physician whose position as curator of the ,lowell ,institute had brought him into contact with ,agassiz1 took him home to his house in the country1 where he tended him through some weeks of tedious illness1 hastening his convalescence by excursions in all the neighboring country1 from which they returned laden with specimens1--plants1 birds1 etc4 ,in this hospitable home he passed his fortieth birthday1 the first in this country4 ,his host found him standing thoughtful and abstracted by the window4 ,why so sad8 he asked4 ,that ,i am so old1 and have done so little1 was the answer4 ,after a few weeks he was able to return to his work1 and the next letter gives some idea of his observations1 especially upon the traces of glacial action in the immediate vicinity of ,boston and upon the shores of ,massachusetts ,bay4 ,indeed1 he never lost sight of these features1 which had caught his attention the moment he landed on the continent4 ,in one of his later lectures he gives a striking account of this first impression4 ,in the autumn of #ahdf1 he says1 six years after my visit to ,great ,britain in search of glaciers1 ,i sailed for ,america4 ,when the steamer stopped at ,halifax1 eager to set foot on the new continent so full of promise for me1 ,i sprang on shore and started at a brisk pace for the heights above the landing4 ,on the first undisturbed ground1 after leaving the town1 ,i was met by the familiar signs1 the polished surfaces1 the furrows and scratches1 the ,,line ,,engraving1 so well known in the ,old ,world2 and ,i became convinced of what ,i had already anticipated as the logical sequence of my previous investigations1 that here also this great agent had been at work4 ,the incident seems a very natural introduction to the following letter1 written a few months later3-- ,,to ,,elie ,,de ,,beaumont4 ,,boston1 ,august #ca1 #ahdg4 4 4 4,i have waited to write until ,i should have some facts sufficiently important to claim your attention4 ,in truth1 the study of the marine animals1 which ,i am1 for the first time1 able to observe in their natural conditions of existence1 has engrossed me almost exclusively since ,i came to the ,united ,states1 and only incidentally1 as it were1 ,i have turned my attention to paleontology and geology4 ,i must1 however1 except the glacial phenomena1 a problem1 the solution of which always interests me deeply4 ,this great question1 far from presenting itself more simply here1 is complicated by peculiarities never brought to my notice in ,europe4 ,happily for me1 ,mr4 ,desor1 who had been in ,scandinavia before joining me here1 called my attention at once to certain points of resemblance between the phenomena there and those which ,i had seen in the neighborhood of ,boston4 ,since then1 we have made several excursions together1 have visited ,niagara1 and1 in short1 have tried to collect all the special facts of glacial phenomena in ,america4 4 4,you are1 no doubt1 aware that the whole rocky surface of the ground here is polished4 ,i do not think that anywhere in the world there exist polished and rounded rocks in better preservation or on a larger scale4 ,here1 as elsewhere1 erratic debris are scattered over these surfaces1 scratched pebbles impacted in mud1 forming unstratified masses mixed with and covered by large erratic boulders1 more or less furrowed or scratched1 the upper ones being usually angular and without marks4 ,the absence of moraines1 properly so-called1 in a country so little broken1 is not surprising2 ,i have1 however1 seen very distinct ones in some valleys of the ,white ,mountains and in ,vermont4 ,up to this time there had been nothing very new in the aspect of the phenomena as a whole2 but on examining attentively the internal arrangement of all these materials1 especially in the neighborhood of the sea1 one soon becomes convinced that the ocean has partially covered and more or less remodeled them4 ,in certain places there are patches of stratified sand interposed between masses of glacial drift-deposit2 elsewhere1 banks of sand and pebbles crown the irregularities of the glacial deposit1 or fill in its depressions2 in other localities the glacial pebbles may be washed and completely cleared of mud1 retaining1 however1 their markings2 or again1 these markings may have disappeared1 and the material is arranged in lines or ramparts1 as it were1 of diverse conformation1 in which ,mr4 ,desor recognized all the modifications of the oesars of ,scandinavia4 ,the disposition of the oesars1 as seen here1 is evidently due entirely to the action of the waves1 and their frequency along the coast is a proof of this4 ,in a late excursion with ,captain ,davis on board a government vessel ,i learned to understand the mode of formation of the submarine dikes bordering the coast at various distances1 which would be oesars were they elevated2 with the aid of the dredge ,i satisfied myself of their identity4 ,with these facts before me ,i cannot doubt that the oesars of the ,united ,states consist essentially of glacial material remodeled by the sea2 while farther inland1 though here and there reaching the sea-coast1 we have unchanged glacial drift deposit4 ,at some points the alteration is so slight as to denote only a momentary rise of the sea4 ,under these circumstances one would naturally look for fossils in the drift1 and ,m4 ,desor1 in company with ,m4 de ,pourtales1 was the first to find them1 at ,brooklyn1 in ,long ,island1 which lies to the south of ,new ,york4 ,they were imbedded in a glacial clay deposit1 having all the ordinary character of such deposits1 with only slight traces of stratified sand4 ,it is true that the greater number of these fossils 7all belonging to species now living on the coast7 were broken into angular fragments1 not excepting even the thick tests of the ,venus mercenaria4 4 4 ,the suburb of ,boston where ,i am living 7,east ,boston7 is built on an island1 one kilometer and a half long1 extending from north to southeast1 and varying in width at different points from two to six or seven hundred metres4 ,its height above the sea-level is about sixty feet4 ,this little island is composed entirely of glacial muddy deposit1 containing scratched pebbles mixed with larger boulders or blocks1 and covered also with a considerable number of boulders of divers forms and dimensions4 ,at ,east ,boston you cannot see what underlies this deposit2 but no doubt it rests upon a rounded mass of granite1 polished and grooved like several others in ,boston harbor4 4 4 ,in our journey to ,niagara1 ,mr4 ,desor and ,i assured ourselves that the river deposits1 in which1 among other things1 the mastodon is found with the fresh-water shells of ,goat ,island1 are posterior to the drift4 ,it is a fact worth consideration that the mastodons found in ,europe are buried in true tertiary formations1 while the great mastodon of the ,united ,states is certainly posterior to the drift4 4 4,in another letter ,i will tell you something of my observations upon the geographical distribution of marine animals at different depths and on different bottoms1 and also upon the relations between this distribution and that of the fossils in the tertiary deposits4 4 499 799 ,i have left out a portion of this letter which appeared in the first edition of the book1 because ,i learned that the facts there given concerning the deposit of ,zostera marina were not substantiated1 and that ,agassiz consequently did not forward the letter in its first form4 ,the remainder of this chapter appears in this edition for the first time4--,e4,c4,a47 ,although so deeply interested by the geological features of the country1 ,agassiz was nevertheless drawn even more strongly to the study of the marine animals for which his position on the sea-coast gave him such opportunities as he had never before had4 ,the next letter shows how fully his time was occupied1 and how fascinating this new field of observation was to him4 ,the ,english is still a little foreign4 ,he was not yet quite at home in the language which he afterward wrote and spoke with such fluency4 ,,to ,,james ,d4 ,,dana4 ,,east ,,boston1 ,september1 #ahdg4 4 4 4,what have you thought of me all this time1 not having written a single line neither to you nor to ,professor ,silliman after the kind reception ,i have met with by your whole family8 ,pray excuse me and consider1 if you please1 the difficulty under which ,i labor1 having every day to look after hundreds of new things which always carry me beyond usual hours of working1 when ,i am then so much tired that ,i can think of nothing4 ,nevertheless1 it is a delightful life to be allowed to examine in a fresh state so many things of which ,i had but an imperfect knowledge from books4 ,the ,boston market supplies me with more than ,i can examine4 ,since ,i had the pleasure of seeing you ,i have been very successful in collecting specimens1 especially in ,new ,york and ,albany4 ,in ,washington ,i have been delighted to see the collections of the ,exploring ,expedition4 ,they entitle you to the highest thanks from all scientific naturalists1 and ,i hope it will be also felt in the same manner by your countrymen at large4 4 4,i long for the opportunity of studying your fossil shells4 ,as soon as ,i have gone over my ,lowell lectures ,i hope to be able to move4 ,i shall only pack up what ,i have already collected2 but ,i cannot yet tell you precisely the time4 ,i began studying your ,zoophytes1 but it is so rich a book that ,i proceed slowly4 ,for years ,i have not learned so much from a book as from yours4 ,as ,i soon saw ,i would not be able to go through in a short time1 ,i sent a short preliminary report to one of our most widely diffused papers1 ,preussische ,staats ,zeitung1 giving only the general impression of your work1 and ,i shall send to ,erichson a fuller scientific report after ,i have done with the whole volume4 ,as ,i happen to have a lithograph of the original specimen of the ,homo deluvii testis of ,scheuchzer1 ,i will forward it to ,professor ,silliman with this letter4 ,i expect you will find it the counterpart of the specimen in your museum2 or very nearly in the same state of preservation4 ,having just lately received my books1 ,i also inclose a pamphlet from ,ehrenberg1 which he desired me to leave with you1 and also the books ,professor ,silliman has had the kindness to lend me4 4 4 ,i have made many observations which ,i wish to publish1 but ,i can find no time to write them for you now4 ,i must wait till the weather is so dull as to bring nothing into the hands of gunners and fishermen4 4 4 ,so closed his first year in ,america4 ,the second unfolded events both in the home he had left and in the one to which he had unconsciously come1 which were to shape his future career1 and exert the most powerful influence upon his whole life4 ,,chapter #ae4 #ahdg-ahej3 ,,age #dj-dc4 ,excursions on ,coast ,survey ,steamer4 ,relations with ,dr4 ,bache1 the ,superintendent of the ,coast ,survey4 ,political ,disturbances in ,switzerland4 ,change of ,relations with ,prussia4 ,scientific ,school established in ,cambridge4 ,chair of ,natural ,history offered to ,agassiz4 ,acceptance4 ,removal to ,cambridge4 ,literary and ,scientific ,associations there and in ,boston4 ,household in ,cambridge4 ,beginning of ,museum4 ,journey to ,lake ,superior4 ,report1 with ,narration4 ,principles of ,zoology1 by ,agassiz and ,gould4 ,letters from ,european ,friends respecting these ,publications4 ,letter from ,hugh ,miller4 ,second ,marriage4 ,arrival of his ,children in ,america4 ,one of ,agassiz's great pleasures in the summer of #ahdg consisted in excursions on board the ,coast ,survey steamer ,bibb1 then employed in the survey of the harbor and bay of ,boston1 under command of ,captain 7afterward ,admiral7 ,charles ,henry ,davis4 ,under no more kindly auspices could ,agassiz's relations with this department of government work have been begun4 ,my cabin1 writes ,captain ,davis1 after their first trip together1 seems lonely without you4 ,hitherto the sea-shore had been a closed book to the ,swiss naturalist1 and now it opened to him a field of research almost as stimulating as his own glaciers4 ,born and bred among the mountains1 he knew marine animals only as they can be known in dried and alcoholic specimens1 or in a fossil state4 ,from the ,bibb he writes to a friend on shore3 ,i learn more here in a day than in months from books or dried specimens4 ,captain ,davis is kindness itself4 ,everything ,i can wish for is at my disposal so far as it is possible4 ,dr4 ,bache was at this time ,superintendent of the ,coast ,survey1 and he saw at once how the work of the naturalist might ally itself with the professional work of the ,survey to the greater usefulness of both4 ,from the beginning to the end of his ,american life1 therefore1 the hospitalities of the ,united ,states ,coast ,survey were open to ,agassiz4 ,as a guest on board her vessels he studied the reefs of ,florida and the ,bahama ,banks1 as well as the formations of our ,new ,england shores4 ,from the deck of the ,bibb1 in connection with ,count de ,pourtales1 his first dredging experiments were undertaken2 and his last long voyage around the continent1 from ,boston to ,san ,francisco1 was made on board the ,hassler1 a ,coast ,survey vessel fitted out for the ,pacific shore4 ,here was another determining motive for his stay in this country4 ,under no other government1 perhaps1 could he have had opportunities so invaluable to a naturalist4 ,but events were now passing in ,europe which made his former position there1 as well as that of many of his old friends1 wholly unstable4 ,in ,february1 #ahdh1 the proclamation of the ,french republic broke upon ,europe like a clap of thunder from a clear sky4 ,the news created great disturbances in ,switzerland1 and especially in the canton of ,neuchatel1 where a military force was immediately organized by the republican party in opposition to the conservatives1 who would fain have continued loyal to the ,prussian king4 ,for the moment all was chaos1 and the prospects of institutions of learning were seriously endangered4 ,the republican party carried the day2 the canton of ,neuchatel ceased to be a dependence of the ,prussian monarchy1 and became merged in the general confederation of ,switzerland4 ,at about the same time that ,agassiz1 in consequence of this change of conditions1 was honorably discharged from the service of the ,prussian king1 a scientific school was organized at ,cambridge1 ,massachusetts1 in direct connection with ,harvard ,university4 ,this school1 known as the ,lawrence ,scientific ,school1 owed its existence to the generosity of ,abbott ,lawrence1 formerly ,united ,states ,minister at the ,court of ,st4 ,james4 ,he immediately offered the chair of ,natural ,history 7,zoology and ,geology7 to ,agassiz1 with a salary of fifteen hundred dollars1 guaranteed by ,mr4 ,lawrence himself1 until such time as the fees of the students should be worth three thousand dollars to their professor4 ,this time never came4 ,agassiz's lectures1 with the exception of the more technical ones addressed to small classes1 were always fully attended1 but special students were naturally very few in a department of pure science1 and their fees never raised the salary of the professor perceptibly4 ,this was1 however1 counterbalanced in some degree by the clause in his contract which allowed him entire freedom for lectures elsewhere1 so that he could supplement his restricted income from other sources4 ,in accordance with this new position ,agassiz now removed his bachelor household to ,cambridge1 where he opened his first course in ,april1 #ahdh4 ,he could hardly have come to ,harvard at a more auspicious moment1 so far as his social and personal relations were concerned4 ,the college was then on a smaller scale than now1 but upon its list of professors were names which would have given distinction to any university4 ,in letters1 there were ,longfellow and ,lowell1 and ,felton1 the genial ,greek scholar1 of whom ,longfellow himself wrote1 ,in ,attica thy birthplace should have been4 ,in science1 there were ,peirce1 the mathematician1 and ,dr4 ,asa ,gray1 then just installed at the ,botanical ,garden1 and ,jeffries ,wyman1 the comparative anatomist1 appointed at about the same time with ,agassiz himself4 ,to these we might almost add1 as influencing the scientific character of ,harvard1 ,dr4 ,bache1 the ,superintendent of the ,coast ,survey1 and ,charles ,henry ,davis1 the head of the ,nautical ,almanac1 since the kindly presence of the former was constantly invoked as friend and counselor in the scientific departments1 while the latter had his residence in ,cambridge1 and was as intimately associated with the interests of ,harvard as if he had been officially connected with the university4 ,a more agreeable set of men1 or one more united by personal relations and intellectual aims1 it would have been difficult to find4 ,in connection with these names1 those of ,prescott1 ,ticknor1 ,motley1 and ,holmes also arise most naturally1 for the literary men and scholars of ,cambridge and ,boston were closely united2 and if ,emerson1 in his country home at ,concord1 was a little more withdrawn1 his influence was powerful in the intellectual life of the whole community1 and acquaintance readily grew to friendship between him and ,agassiz4 ,such was the pleasant and cultivated circle into which ,agassiz was welcomed in the two cities1 which became almost equally his home1 and where the friendships he made gradually transformed exile into household life and ties4 ,in ,cambridge he soon took his share in giving as well as receiving hospitalities1 and his ,saturday evenings were not the less attractive because of the foreign character and somewhat unwonted combination of the household4 ,over its domestic comforts now presided an old ,swiss clergyman1 ,monsieur ,christinat4 ,he had been attached to ,agassiz from childhood1 had taken the deepest interest in his whole career1 and1 as we have seen1 had assisted him to complete his earlier studies4 ,now1 under the disturbed condition of things at home1 he had thrown in his lot with him in ,america4 ,if your old friend1 he writes1 can live with his son ,louis1 it will be the height of his happiness4 ,to ,agassiz his presence in the house was a benediction4 ,he looked after the expenses1 and acted as commissary in chief to the colony4 ,obliged1 as ,agassiz was1 frequently to be absent on lecturing tours1 he could1 with perfect security1 intrust the charge of everything connected with the household to his old friend1 from whom he was always sure of an affectionate welcome on his return4 ,in short1 so far as an old man could1 papa ,christinat1 as he was universally called in this miscellaneous family1 strove to make good to him the absence of wife and children4 ,the make-up of the settlement was somewhat anomalous4 ,the house1 though not large1 was sufficiently roomy1 and soon after ,agassiz was established there he had the pleasure of receiving under his roof certain friends and former colleagues1 driven from their moorings in ,europe by the same disturbances which had prevented him from returning there4 ,the arrival among them of ,mr4 ,guyot1 with whom his personal and scientific intimacy was of such long standing1 was a great happiness4 ,it was especially a blessing at this time1 for troubles at home weighed upon ,agassiz and depressed him4 ,his wife1 always delicate in health1 had died1 and although his children were most affectionately provided for in her family and his own1 they were separated from each other1 as well as from him2 nor did he think it wise to bring them while so young1 to ,america4 ,the presence1 therefore1 of one who was almost like a brother in sympathy and companionship1 was now more than welcome4 ,his original staff of co-workers and assistants still continued with him1 and there were frequent guests besides1 chiefly foreigners1 who1 on arriving in a new country1 found their first anchorage and point of departure in this little ,european settlement4 ,the house stood in a small plot of ground1 the cultivation of which was the delight of papa ,christinat4 ,it soon became a miniature zoological garden1 where all sorts of experiments in breeding and observations on the habits of animals1 were carried on4 ,a tank for turtles and a small alligator in one corner1 a large hutch for rabbits in another1 a cage for eagles against the wall1 a tame bear and a family of opossums1 made up the menagerie1 varied from time to time by new arrivals4 ,but ,agassiz could not be long in any place without beginning to form a museum4 ,when he accepted the chair offered him at ,cambridge1 there were neither collections nor laboratories belonging to his department4 ,the specimens indispensable to his lectures were gathered almost by the day1 and his outfit1 with the exception of the illustrations he had brought from ,europe1 consisted of a blackboard and a lecture-room4 ,there was no money for the necessary objects1 and the want of it had to be supplied by the professor's own industry and resources4 ,on the banks of the ,charles ,river1 just where it is crossed by ,brighton ,bridge1 was an old wooden shanty set on piles2 it might have served perhaps1 at some time1 as a bathing or a boat house4 ,the use of this was allowed ,agassiz for the storing of such collections as he had brought together4 ,pine shelves nailed against the walls served for cases1 and with a table or two for dissection this rough shelter was made to do duty as a kind of laboratory4 ,the fact is worth noting1 for here was the beginning of the ,museum of ,comparative ,zoology in ,cambridge1 now admitted to a place among the great institutions of its kind in the world4 ,in the summer of #ahdh ,agassiz organized an expedition entirely after his own heart1 inasmuch as it combined education with observation in the field4 ,the younger portion of the party consisted of several of his special pupils1 and a few other ,harvard students who joined the expedition from general interest4 ,beside these1 there were several volunteer members1 who were either naturalists or had been attracted to the undertaking by their love of nature and travel4 ,their object was the examination of the eastern and northern shores of ,lake ,superior from ,sault ,ste4 ,marie to ,fort ,william1 a region then little known to science or to tourists4 ,agassiz taught along the road4 ,at evening1 around the camp-fire1 or when delayed by weather or untoward circumstances1 he would give to his companions short and informal lectures1 it might be on the forest about them1 or on the erratic phenomena in the immediate neighborhood1--on the terraces of the lake shore1 or on the fish of its waters4 ,his lecture-room1 in short1 was everywhere2 his apparatus a traveling blackboard and a bit of chalk2 while his illustrations and specimens lay all around him1 wherever the party chanced to be4 ,to ,agassiz himself the expedition was of the deepest interest4 ,glacial phenomena had1 as we have seen1 met him at every turn since his arrival in the ,united ,states1 but nowhere had he found them in greater distinctness than on the shores of ,lake ,superior4 ,as the evidence accumulated about him1 he became more than ever satisfied that the power which had modeled and grooved the rocks all over the country1 and clothed it with a sheet of loose material reaching to the sea1 must have been the same which had left like traces in ,europe4 ,in a continent of wide plains and unbroken surfaces1 and1 therefore1 with few centres of glacial action1 the phenomena were more widely and uniformly scattered than in ,europe4 ,but their special details1 down to the closest minutiae1 were the same1 while their definite circumscription and evenness of distribution forbade the idea of currents or floods as the moving cause4 ,here1 as elsewhere1 ,agassiz recognized at once the comprehensive scope of the phenomena4 ,the whole history reconstructed itself in his mind1 to the time when a sheet of ice clothed the land1 reaching the ,atlantic sea-board1 as it now does the coast of ,spitzbergen and the ,arctic shores4 ,he made also a careful survey of the local geology of ,lake ,superior1 and especially of the system of dykes1 by the action of which he found that its bed had been excavated1 and the outline of its shores determined4 ,but perhaps the inhabitants of the lake itself occupied him even more than its conformation or its surrounding features4 ,not only for its own novelty and variety1 but for its bearing on the geographical distribution of animals1 the fauna of this great sheet of fresh water interested him deeply4 ,on this journey he saw at ,niagara for the first time a living gar-pike1 the only representative among modern fishes of the fossil type of ,lepidosteus4 ,from this type he had learned more perhaps than from any other1 of the relations between the past and the present fishes4 ,when a student of nineteen years of age1 his first sight of a stuffed skin of a gar-pike in the ,museum of ,carlsruhe told him that it stood alone among living fishes4 ,its true alliance with the ,lepidosteus of the early geological ages became clear to him only later in his study of the fossil fishes4 ,he then detected the reptilian character of the type1 and saw that from the articulation of the vertebrae the head must have moved more freely on the trunk than that of any fish of our days4 ,to his great delight1 when the first living specimen of the gar-pike1 or modern ,lepidosteus1 was brought to him1 it moved its head to the right and left and upward1 as a ,saurian does and as no other fish can4 ,the result of this expedition was a valuable collection of fishes and a report upon the fauna and the geology of ,lake ,superior1 comprising the erratic phenomena4 ,a narrative written by ,james ,elliot ,cabot formed the introduction to the report1 and it was also accompanied by two or three shorter contributions on special subjects from other members of the party4 ,the volume was illustrated by a number of plates exquisitely drawn and colored on stone by ,a4 ,sonrel4 ,this was not ,agassiz's first publication in ,america4 ,his ,principles of ,zoology 7,agassiz and ,gould7 was published in #ahdh4 ,the book had a large sale1 especially for schools4 ,edition followed edition1 but the sale of the first part was checked by the want of the second1 which was never printed4 ,agassiz was always swept along so rapidly by the current of his own activity that he was sometimes forced to leave behind him unfinished work4 ,before the time came for the completion of the second part of the zoology1 his own knowledge had matured so much1 that to be true to the facts1 he must have remodeled the whole of the first part1 and for this he never found the time4 ,apropos of these publications the following letters are in place4 ,,from ,,sir ,,roderick ,,murchison4 ,,belgrave ,,square1 ,october #c1 #ahdi4 4 4 4,i thank you very sincerely for your most captivating general work on the ,principles of ,zoology4 ,i am quite in love with it4 ,i was glad to find that you had arranged the nummulites with the tertiary rocks1 so that the broad generalization ,i attempted in my last work on the ,alps1 ,apennines1 and ,carpathians is completely sustained zoologically1 and you will not be sorry to see the stratigraphical truth vindicated 7versus ,e4 de ,beaumont and--74 ,i beseech you to look at my memoir1 and especially at my reasoning about the miocene and pliocene divisions of the ,alps and ,italy4 ,it seems to me manifest that the percentage system derived from marine life can never be applied to tertiary ,,terrestrial successions4 4 4 ,my friends have congratulated me much on this my last effort1 and as ,lyell and others most interested in opposing me have been forward in approval1 ,i begin to hope that ,i am not yet quite done up2 and that unlike the ,bishop of ,oviedo1 my last sermon ne sent pas de l'apoplexie4 ,i have1 nevertheless1 been desperately out of sorts and full of gout and liver and all kinds of irritation this summer1 which is the first for many a long year in which ,i have been unable to take the field4 ,the meeting at ,birmingham1 however1 revived me4 ,professor ,w4 ,rogers will have told you all about our doings4 ,buckland is up to his neck in sewage1 and wishes to change all underground ,london into a fossil cloaca of pseudo coprolites4 ,this does not quite suit the chemists charged with sanitary responsibilities2 for they fear the ,dean will poison half the population in preparing his choice manures6 ,but in this as in everything he undertakes there is a grand sweeping view4 ,when are we to meet again8 ,and when are we to have a stand-up fight on the erratics of the ,alps8 ,you will see by the abstract of my memoir appended to my ,alpine affair that ,i have taken the field against the extension of the ,jura6 ,in a word1 ,i do not believe that great trunk glaciers ever filled the valleys of the ,rhone1 etc4 ,perhaps you will be present at our next meeting of the ,british ,association at ,edinburgh1 ,august1 #ahej4 ,olim meminisse juvabit6 and then1 my dear and valued and most enlightened friend1 we may study once more together the surface of my native rocks for auld lang syne44 4 4 ,,from ,,charles ,,darwin4 ,,down1 ,,farnborough1 ,,kent1 ,june #ae #ahej1 probably4 ,,my ,,dear ,,sir1 ,i have seldom been more deeply gratified than by receiving your most kind present of ,lake ,superior4 ,i had heard of it1 and had much wished to read it1 but ,i confess it was the very great honor of having in my possession a work with your autograph1 as a presentation copy1 that has given me such lively and sincere pleasure4 ,i cordially thank you for it4 ,i have begun to read it with uncommon interest1 which ,i see will increase as ,i go on4 ,the ,cirripedia1 which you and ,dr4 ,gould were so good as to send me1 have proved of great service to me4 ,the sessile species from ,massachusetts consist of five species4 4 4,of the genus ,balanus1 on the shores of ,britain1 we have ,,one species 7,b4 perforata ,bruguiere71 which you have not in the ,united ,states1 in the same way as you exclusively have ,b4 eburneus4 ,all the above species attain a somewhat larger average size on the shores of the ,united ,states than on those of ,britain1 but the specimens from the glacial beds of ,uddevalla1 ,scotland1 and ,canada1 are larger even than those of the ,united ,states4 ,once again allow me to thank you with cordiality for the pleasure you have given me4 ,believe me1 with the highest respect1 your truly obliged1 ,c4 ,,darwin4 ,the following letter from ,hugh ,miller concerning ,agassiz's intention of introducing ,the ,footprints of the ,creator to the ,american public by a slight memoir of ,miller is of interest here4 ,it is to be regretted that with this exception no letters have been found from him among ,agassiz's papers1 though he must have been in frequent correspondence with him1 and they had1 beside their scientific sympathy1 a very cordial personal relation4 ,,edinburgh1 #b ,,stuart ,,street1 ,may #be1 #ahej4 ,,dear ,,sir1 ,i was out of town when your kind letter reached here1 and found such an accumulation of employment on my return that it is only now ,i find myself able to devote half an hour to the work of reply1 and to say how thoroughly sensible ,i am of the honor you propose doing me4 ,it never once crossed my mind when1 in writing my little volume1 the ,footprints1 ,i had such frequent occasion to refer to my master1 our great authority in ichthyic history1 that he himself would have associated his name with it on the other side of the ,atlantic1 and referred in turn to its humble writer4 ,in the accompanying parcel ,i send you two of my volumes1 which you may not yet have seen1 and in which you may find some materials for your proposed introductory memoir4 ,at all events they may furnish you with amusement in a leisure hour4 ,the bulkier of the two1 ,scenes and ,legends1 of which a new edition has just appeared1 and of which the first edition was published1 after lying several years beside me1 in #ahce1 is the earliest of my works to which ,i attached my name4 ,it forms a sort of traditionary history of a district of ,scotland1 about two hundred miles distant from the capital1 in which the character of the people has been scarce at all affected by the cosmopolitanism which has been gradually modifying and altering it in the larger towns2 and as it has been frequently remarked1--,i know not with what degree of truth1--that there is a closer resemblance between the ,scotch and ,swiss than between any other two peoples of ,europe1 you may have some interest in determining whether the features of your own country-folk are not sometimes to be seen in those of mine1 as exhibited in my legendary history4 ,certainly both countries had for many ages nearly the same sort of work to do2 both had to maintain a long and ultimately successful war of independence against nations greatly more powerful than themselves2 and as their hills produced little else than the soldier and his sword1 both had to make a trade abroad of that art of war which they were compelled in self-defense to acquire at home4 ,even in the laws of some nations we find them curiously enough associated together4 ,in ,france1 under the old regime1 the personal property of all strangers dying in the country1 ,,swiss ,,and ,,scots ,,excepted1 was forfeited to the king4 ,the other volume1 ,first ,impressions of ,england and its ,people1 contains some personal anecdotes and some geology4 ,but the necessary materials you will chiefly find in the article from the ,north ,british ,review which ,i also inclose4 ,it is from the pen of ,sir ,david ,brewster1 with whom for the last ten years ,i have spent a few very agreeable days every year at ,christmas1 under the roof of a common friend1--one of the landed proprietors of ,fifeshire4 ,sir ,david's estimate of the writer is1 ,i fear1 greatly too high1 but his statement of facts regarding him is correct2 and ,i think you will find it quite full enough for the purposes of a brief memoir4 ,with his article ,i send you one of my own1 written about six years ago for the same periodical1 as the subject is one in which1 from its connection with your master study1--the natural history of fishes1--you may take more interest than most men4 ,it embodies1 from observation1 what may be regarded as ,,the ,,natural ,,history ,,of ,,the ,,fisherman1 and describes some curious scenes and appearances which ,i witnessed many years ago when engaged1 during a truant boyhood1 in prosecuting the herring fishery as an amateur4 ,many of my observations of natural phenomena date from this idle1 and yet not wholly wasted1 period of my life4 ,with the volumes ,i send also a few casts of my less fragile specimens of ,asterolepis4 ,two of the number1 those of the external and internal surfaces of the creature's cranial buckler1 are really very curious combinations of plates1 and when viewed in a slant light have a decidedly sculpturesque and not ungraceful effect4 ,i have seen on our rustic tombstones worse representations of angels1 winged and robed1 than that formed by the central plates of the interior surface when the light is made to fall along their higher protuberances1 leaving the hollows in the shade4 ,you see how truly your prediction regarding the flatness of the creature's head is substantiated by these casts2 it is really not easy to know how1 placed on so flat a surface1 the eyes could have been very available save for star-gazing2 but as nature makes no mistakes in such matters1 it is possible that the creature1 like the flatfishes1 may have lived much at the bottom1 and that most of the seeing it had use for may have been seeing in an upward direction4 ,none of my other specimens of bucklers are so entire and in so good a state of keeping as the two from which ,i have taken the casts1 but they are greatly larger4 ,one specimen1 nearly complete1 exhibits an area about four times as great as the largest of these two1 and ,i have fragments of others which must have belonged to fish still more gigantic4 ,the two other casts are of specimens of gill covers1 which in the ,asterolepis1 as in the sturgeon1 consisted each of a single plate4 ,in both the exterior surface of the buckler and of the operculum the tubercles are a good deal enveloped in the stone1 which is of a consistency too hard to be removed without injuring what it overlies2 but you will find them in the smaller cast which accompanies the others1 and which1 as shown by the thickness of the plate in the original1 indicates their size and form in a large individual1 very characteristically shown4 ,so coral-like is their aspect1 that if it was from such a cast1 not a fossil 7which would1 of course1 exhibit the peculiarities of the bone71 that ,lamarck founded his genus ,monticularia1 ,i think his apology for the error might almost be maintained as good4 ,i am sorry ,i cannot venture on taking casts from some of my other specimens2 but they are exceedingly fragile1 and as they are still without duplicates ,i am afraid to hazard them4 ,since publishing my little volume ,i have got several new plates of ,asterolepis1--a broad palatal plate1 covered with tubercles1 considerably larger than those of the creature's external surface1--a key-stone shaped plate1 placed1 when in situ1 in advance of the little plate between the eyes1 which form the head and face of the effigy in the centre of the buckler1--and a side-plate1 into which the condyloid processes of the lower jaw were articulated1 and which exhibited the processes on which these hinged4 ,there are besides some two or three plates more1 whose places ,i have still to find4 ,the small cast1 stained yellow1 is taken from an instructive specimen of the jaws of coccosteus1 and exhibits a peculiarity which ,i had long suspected and referred to in the first edition of my volume on the ,old ,red ,sandstone in rather incautious language1 but which a set of my specimens now fully establishes4 ,each of the under jaws of the fish was furnished with two groups of teeth3 one group in the place where1 in quadrupeds1 we usually find the molars2 and another group in the line of the symphyses4 ,and how these both could have acted is a problem which our anatomists here--many of whom have carefully examined my specimen--seem unable1 and in some degree1 indeed1 afraid to solve4 ,i have written to the ,messrs4 ,gould1 ,kendall ,lincoln to say that the third edition of the ,footprints differs from the first and second only by the addition of a single note and an illustrative diagram1 both of which ,i have inclosed to them in my communication4 ,i anticipate much pleasure from the perusal of your work on ,lake ,superior1 when it comes to hand1 which1 as your publishers have intrusted it to the care of a gentleman visiting this country1 will1 ,i think1 be soon4 ,it is not often that a region so remote and so little known as that which surrounds the great lake of ,america is visited by a naturalist of the first class4 ,from such a terra incognita1 at length unveiled to eyes so discerning1 ,i anticipate strange tidings4 ,i am1 my dear sir1 with respect and admiration1 very truly yours1 ,,hugh ,,miller4 ,in the spring of #ahej ,agassiz married ,elizabeth ,cabot ,cary1 daughter of ,thomas ,graves ,cary1 of ,boston4 ,this marriage confirmed his resolve to remain1 at least for the present1 in the ,united ,states4 ,it connected him by the closest ties with a large family circle1 of which he was henceforth a beloved and honored member1 and made him the brother-in-law of one of his most intimate friends in ,cambridge1 ,professor ,c4,c4 ,felton4 ,thus secure of favorable conditions for the care and education of his children1 he called them to this country4 ,his son 7then a lad of fifteen years of age7 had joined him the previous summer4 ,his daughters1 younger by several years than their brother1 arrived the following autumn1 and home built itself up again around him4 ,the various foreign members of his household had already scattered4 ,one or two had returned to ,europe1 others had settled here in permanent homes of their own4 ,among the latter were ,professor ,guyot and ,m4 de ,pourtales1 who remained1 both as scientific colleagues and personal friends1 very near and dear to him all his life4 ,papa ,christinat had also withdrawn4 ,while ,agassiz was absent on a lecturing tour1 the kind old man1 knowing well the opposition he should meet1 and wishing to save both himself and his friend the pain of parting1 stole away without warning and went to ,new ,orleans1 where he had obtained a place as pastor4 ,this was a great disappointment to ,agassiz1 who had urged him to make his home with him1 a plan in which his wife and children cordially concurred1 but which did not approve itself to the judgment of his old friend4 ,m4 ,christinat afterward returned to ,switzerland1 where he ended his days4 ,he wrote constantly until his death1 and was always kept advised of everything that passed in the family at ,cambridge4 ,of the old household1 ,mr4 ,burkhardt alone remained a permanent member of the new one4 ,,chapter #af4 #ahej-aheb3 ,,age #dc-de4 ,proposition from ,dr4 ,bache4 ,exploration of ,florida ,reefs4 ,letter to ,humboldt concerning ,work in ,america4 ,appointment to ,professorship of ,medical ,college in ,charleston1 ,s4,c4 ,life at the ,south4 ,views concerning ,races of ,men4 ,prix ,cuvier4 ,,the following letter from the ,superintendent of the ,coast ,survey determined for ,agassiz the chief events of the winter of #ahea4 ,,from ,,alexander ,,dallas ,,bache4 ,,webb',s ,,hill1 ,october #cj1 #ahej4 ,,my ,,dear ,,friend1 ,would it be possible for you to devote six weeks or two months to the examination of the ,florida reefs and keys in connection with their survey8 ,it is extremely important to ascertain what they are and how formed4 ,one account treats them as growing corals1 another as masses of something resembling oolite1 piled together1 barrier-wise4 ,you see that this lies at the root of the progress of the reef1 so important to navigation1 of the use to be made of it in placing our signals1 of the use as a foundation for light-houses1 and of many other questions practically important and of high scientific interest4 ,i would place a vessel at your disposal during the time you were on the reef1 say six weeks4 ,the changes at or near ,cape ,florida1 from the ,atlantic coast and its siliceous sand1 to the ,florida coast and its coral sand1 must be curious4 ,you will be free to move from one end of the reef to the other1 which will be1 say one hundred and fifty miles4 ,motion to eastward would be slow in the windy season1 though favored by the ,gulf ,stream as the winds are trade4 ,whatever collections you might make would be your own4 ,i would only ask for the survey such information and such specimens as would be valuable to its operations1 especially to its hydrography1 and some report on these matters4 ,as this will1 if your time and engagements permit1 lead to a business arrangement1 ,i must1 though reluctantly1 enter into that4 ,i will put aside six hundred dollars for the two months1 leaving you to pay your own expenses2 or1 if you prefer it1 will pay all expenses of travel1 including subsistence1 to and from ,key ,west1 and furnish vessel and subsistence while there1 and four hundred dollars4 ,what results would flow to science from your visit to that region6 ,you have spoken of the advantage of using our vessels when they were engaged in their own work4 ,now ,i offer you a vessel the motions of which you will control1 and the assistance of the officers and crew of which you will have4 ,you shall be at no expense for going and coming1 or while there1 and shall choose your own time4 4 4 ,agassiz accepted this proposal with delight1 and at once made arrangements to take with him a draughtsman and an assistant1 in order to give the expedition such a character as would make it useful to science in general1 as well as to the special objects of the ,coast ,survey4 ,it will be seen that ,dr4 ,bache gladly concurred in all these views4 ,,from ,,alexander ,,dallas ,,bache4 ,,washington1 ,december #ah1 #ahej4 ,,my ,,dear ,,friend1 ,on the basis of our former communications ,i have been1 as the time served1 raising a superstructure4 ,i have arranged with ,lieutenant ,commander ,alden to send the schooner ,w4,a4 ,graham1 belonging to the ,coast ,survey1 under charge of an officer who will take an interest in promoting the great objects in which you will be engaged1 to ,key ,west1 in time to meet you on your arrival in the ,isabel of the #aeth1 from ,charleston to ,key ,west4 ,the vessel will be placed at your absolute disposal for four to six weeks1 as you may find desirable1 doing just such things as you require1 and going to such places as you direct4 ,if you desire more than a general direction1 ,i will give any specific ones which you may suggest4 4 4 ,i have requested that room be made in the cabin for you and for two aids1 as you desire to take a draughtsman with you2 and in reference to your enlarged plan of operating1 of which ,i see the advantage1 ,i have examined the financial question1 and propose to add two hundred dollars to the six hundred in my letter of ,october #cjth1 to enable you to execute it4 ,i would suggest that you stop a day in ,washington on your way to ,charleston1 to pick up the topographical and geographical information which you desire1 and to have all matters of a formal kind arranged to suit your convenience and wishes1 which1 ,i am sure1 will all be promotive of the objects in view from your visit to ,florida4 4 4,you say ,i shall smile ,,at your plans1--instead of which1 they have been smiled ,,on2 now1 there is a point for you1--a true ,saxon distinction4 ,if you succeed 7and did you ever fail687 in developing for our ,coast ,survey the nature1 structure1 growth1 and all that1 of the ,florida reefs1 you will have conferred upon the country a priceless favor4 4 4 ,the ,superintendent of the ,coast ,survey never had cause to regret the carte-blanche he had thus given4 ,a few weeks1 with the facilities so liberally afforded1 gave ,agassiz a clew to all the phenomena he had been commissioned to examine1 and enabled him to explain the relation between the keys and the outer and inner reefs1 and the mud swamps1 or more open channels1 dividing them1 and to connect these again with the hummocks and everglades of the main-land4 ,it remains to be seen whether his theory will hold good1 that the whole or the greater part of the ,florida peninsula has1 like its southern portion1 been built up of concentric reefs4 ,but his explanation of the present reefs1 their structure1 laws of growth1 relations to each other and to the main-land1 as well as to the ,gulf ,stream and its prevailing currents1 was of great practical service to the ,coast ,survey4 ,it was especially valuable in determining how far the soil now building up from accumulations of mud and coral debris was likely to remain for a long time shifting and uncertain1 and how far and in what localities it might be relied upon as affording a stable foundation4 ,when1 at the meeting of the ,american ,association in the following spring1 ,agassiz gave an account of his late exploration1 ,dr4 ,bache1 who was present1 said that for the first time he understood the bearing of the whole subject1 though he had so long been trying to unravel it4 ,the following letter was written immediately after ,agassiz's return4 ,,to ,,sir ,,charles ,,lyell4 ,,cambridge1 ,april #bf1 #ahea4 4 4 4,i have spent a large part of the winter in ,florida1 with a view of studying the coral reefs4 ,i have found that they constitute a new class of reefs1 distinct from those described by ,darwin and ,dana under the name of fringing reefs1 barrier reefs1 and atolls4 ,i have lately read a paper upon that subject before the ,american ,academy1 which ,i shall send you as soon as it is printed4 ,the case is this4 ,there are several concentric reefs separated by deep channels2 the peninsula of ,florida itself is a succession of such reefs1 the everglades being the filled-up channels1 while the hummocks were formerly little intervening islands1 like the mangrove islands in the present channels4 ,but what is quite remarkable1 all these concentric reefs are upon one level1 above that of the sea1 and there is no indication whatever of upheaval4 ,you will find some observations upon upheavals1 etc41 in ,silliman1 by ,tuomey2 it is a great mistake1 as ,i shall show4 ,the ,tortugas are a real atoll1 but formed without the remotest indication of subsidence4 ,of course this does not interfere in the least with the views of ,darwin1 for the whole ground presents peculiar features4 ,i wish you would tell him something about this4 ,one of the most remarkable peculiarities of the rocks in the reefs of the ,tortugas consists in their composition2 they are chiefly made up of ,,corallines1 limestone algae1 and1 to a small extent only1 of real corals4 4 4 ,agassiz's report to the ,coast ,survey upon the results of this first investigation made by him upon the reefs of ,florida was not published in full at the time4 ,the parts practically most important to the ,coast ,survey were incorporated in their subsequent charts2 the more general scientific results1 as touching the physical history of the peninsula as a whole1 appeared in various forms1 were embodied in ,agassiz's lectures1 and were printed some years after in his volume entitled ,methods of ,study4 ,the original report1 with all the plates prepared for it1 was published in the ,memoirs of the ,museum of ,comparative ,zoology1 under the supervision of ,alexander ,agassiz1 after the death of his father4 ,it forms a quarto volume1 containing some sixty pages of text1 with twenty-two plates1 illustrative of corals and coral structure1 and a map of ,southern ,florida with its reefs and keys4 ,this expedition was also of great importance to ,agassiz's collections1 and to the embryo museum in ,cambridge4 ,it laid the foundation of a very complete collection of corals of all varieties and in all stages of growth4 ,all the specimens1 from huge coral heads and branching fans down to the most minute single corals1 were given up to him1 the value of the whole being greatly enhanced by the drawings taken on the spot from the living animals4 ,to this period belongs also the following fragment of a letter to ,humboldt4 ,,to ,,alexander ,,von ,,humboldt4 ,probably #aheb1--;date not given4 4 4 4,what a time has passed since my last letter6 ,had you not been constantly in my thoughts1 and your counsels always before me as my guide1 ,i should reproach myself for my silence4 ,i hope my two papers on the medusae1 forwarded this year1 have reached you1 and also one upon the classification of insects1 as based upon their development4 ,i have devoted myself especially to the organization of the invertebrate animals1 and to the facts bearing upon the perfecting of their classification4 ,i have succeeded in tracing the same identity of structure between the three classes of radiates1 and also between those of mollusks1 as has already been recognized in the vertebrates1 and partially in the articulates4 ,it is truly a pleasure for me now to be able to demonstrate in my lectures the insensible gradations existing between polyps1 medusae1 and echinoderms1 and to designate by the same name organs seemingly so different4 ,especially has the minute examination of the thickness of the test in echinoderms revealed to me unexpected relations between the sea-urchin and the medusa4 ,no one suspects1 ,i fancy1 at this moment1 that the solid envelope of the ,scutellae and the ,clypeasters is traversed by a net-work of radiating tubes1 corresponding to those of the medusae1 so well presented by ,ehrenberg in ,aurelia aurita4 ,if the ,berlin zoologists will take the trouble to file off the surface of the test of an ,echinarachnius parma1 they will find a circular canal as large and as continuous as that of the medusae4 ,the aquiferous tubes specified above open into this canal4 ,but the same thing may be found under various modifications in other genera of the family4 ,since ,i have succeeded in injecting colored liquid into the beroids1 for instance1 and keeping them alive with it circulating in their transparent mass1 ,i am able to show the identity of their zones of locomotive fringes 7combs71 from which they take their name of ,ctenophorae1 with the ambulacral 7locomotive7 apparatus of the echinoderms4 ,furnished with these facts1 it is not difficult to recognize true beroidal forms in the embryos of sea-urchins and star-fishes1 published by ,muller in his beautiful plates1 and thus to trace the medusoid origin of the echinoderms1 as the polypoid origin of the medusae has already been recognized4 ,i do not here allude to their primitive origin1 but simply to the general fact that among radiates the embryos of the higher classes represent1 in miniature1 types of the lower classes1 as1 for instance1 those of the echinoderms resemble the medusae1 those of the medusae the polyps4 ,having passed the greater part of last winter in ,florida1 where ,i was especially occupied in studying the coral reefs1 ,i had the best opportunity in the world for prosecuting my embryological researches upon the stony corals4 ,i detected relations among them which now enable me to determine the classification of these animals according to their mode of development with greater completeness than ever before1 and even to assign a superior or inferior rank to their different types1 agreeing with their geological succession1 as ,i have already done for the fishes4 ,i am on the road to the same results for the mollusks and the articulates1 and can even now say in general terms1 that the most ancient representatives of all the families belonging to these great groups1 strikingly recall the first phases in the embryonic development of their successors in more recent formations1 and even that the embryos of comparatively recent families recall families belonging to ancient epochs4 ,you will find some allusion to these results in my ,lectures on ,embryology1 given in my ,lake ,superior1 of which ,i have twice sent you a copy1 that it might reach you the more surely2 but these first impressions have assumed greater coherence now1 and ,i constantly find myself recurring to my fossils for light upon the embryonic forms ,i am studying and vice versa1 consulting my embryological drawings in order to decipher the fossils with greater certainty4 ,the proximity of the sea and the ease with which ,i can visit any part of the coast within a range of some twenty degrees give me inexhaustible resources for the whole year1 which1 as time goes on1 ,i turn more and more to the best account4 ,on the other hand1 the abundance and admirable state of preservation of the fossils found in our ancient deposits1 as well as the regular succession of the beds containing them1 contribute admirable material for this kind of comparative study4 4 4 ,in the summer of #ahea ,agassiz was invited to a professorship at the ,medical ,college in ,charleston1 ,s4,c4 ,this was especially acceptable to him1 because it substituted a regular course of instruction to students1 for the disconnected lectures given to miscellaneous audiences1 in various parts of the country1 by which he was obliged to eke out his small salary and provide for his scientific expenses4 ,while more fatiguing than class-room work1 these scattered lectures had a less educational value1 though1 on the other hand1 they awakened a very wide-spread interest in the study of nature4 ,the strain of constant traveling for this purpose1 the more harassing because so unfavorable to his habits of continuous work1 had already told severely upon his health2 and from this point of view also the new professorship was attractive1 as promising a more quiet1 though no less occupied1 life4 ,the lectures were to be given during the three winter months1 thus occupying the interval between his autumn and spring courses at ,cambridge4 ,he assumed his new duties at ,charleston in ,december1 #ahea1 and by the kindness of his friend ,mrs4 ,rutledge1 who offered him the use of her cottage for the purpose1 he soon established a laboratory on ,sullivan's ,island1 where the two or three assistants he had brought with him could work conveniently4 ,the cottage stood within hearing of the wash of the waves1 at the head of the long1 hard sand beach which fringed the island shore for some three or four miles4 ,there could hardly be a more favorable position for a naturalist1 and there1 in the midst of their specimens1 ,agassiz and his band of workers might constantly be found4 ,his studies here were of the greater interest to him because they connected themselves with his previous researches1 not only upon the fishes1 but also upon the lower marine animals of the coast of ,new ,england and of the ,florida reefs2 so that he had now a basis for comparison of the fauna scattered along the whole ,atlantic coast of the ,united ,states4 ,the following letter gives some idea of his work at this time4 ,,to ,,professor ,,james ,d4 ,,dana4 ,,charleston1 ,january #bf1 #aheb4 ,,my ,,dear ,,friend1 ,you should at least know that ,i think of you often on these shores4 ,and how could ,i do otherwise when ,i daily find new small crustacea1 which remind me of the important work you are now preparing on that subject4 ,of course1 of the larger ones there is nothing to be found after ,professor ,gibbes has gone over the ground1 but among the lower orders there are a great many in store for a microscopic observer4 ,i have only to regret that ,i cannot apply myself more steadily4 ,i find my nervous system so over-excited that any continuous exertion makes me feverish4 ,so ,i go about as much as the weather allows1 and gather materials for better times4 ,several interesting medusae have been already observed2 among others1 the entire metamorphosis and alternate generation of a new species of my genus tiaropsis4 ,you will be pleased to know that here1 as well as at the ,north1 tiaropsis is the medusa of a campanularia4 ,mr4 ,clark1 one of my assistants1 has made very good drawings of all its stages of growth1 and of various other hydroid medusae peculiar to this coast4 ,mr4 ,stimpson1 another very promising young naturalist1 who has been connected with me for some time in the same capacity1 draws the crustacea and bryozoa1 of which there are also a good many new ones here4 ,my son and my old friend ,burkhardt are also with me 7upon ,sullivan's ,island71 and they look after the larger species1 so that ,i shall probably have greatly increased my information upon the fauna of the ,atlantic coast by the time ,i return to ,cambridge4 ,in town1 where ,i go three times a week to deliver lectures at the ,medical ,college 7beside a course just now in the evening also before a mixed audience71 ,i have the rest of my family1 so that nothing would be wanting to my happiness if my health were only better4 4 4,what a pity that a man cannot work as much as he would like2 or at least accomplish what he aims at4 ,but no doubt it is best it should be so2 there is no harm in being compelled by natural necessities to limit our ambition1--on the contrary1 the better sides of our nature are thus not allowed to go to sleep4 ,however1 ,i cannot but regret that ,i am unable at this time to trace more extensively subjects for which ,i should have ample opportunities here1 as for instance the anatomy of the echinoderms1 and also the embryology of the lower animals in general4 4 4 ,this winter1 notwithstanding the limitations imposed upon his work by the state of his health1 was a very happy one to ,agassiz4 ,as mentioned in the above letter his wife and daughters had accompanied him to ,charleston1 and were established there in lodgings4 ,their holidays and occasional vacations were passed at the house of ,dr4 ,john ,e4 ,holbrook 7the ,hollow ,tree71 an exquisitely pretty and picturesque country place in the neighborhood of ,charleston4 ,here ,agassiz had been received almost as one of the family on his first visit to ,charleston1 shortly after his arrival in the ,united ,states4 ,dr4 ,holbrook's name1 as the author of the ,herpetology of ,south ,carolina1 had long been familiar to him1 and he now found a congenial and affectionate friend in the colleague and fellow-worker1 whose personal acquaintance he had been anxious to make4 ,dr4 ,holbrook's wife1 a direct descendant of ,john ,rutledge of our revolutionary history1 not only shared her husband's intellectual life1 but had herself rare mental qualities1 which had been developed by an unusually complete and efficient education4 ,the wide and various range of her reading1 the accuracy of her knowledge in matters of history and literature1 and the charm of her conversation1 made her a delightful companion4 ,she exercised the most beneficent influence upon her large circle of young people1 and without any effort to attract1 she drew to herself whatever was most bright and clever in the society about her4 ,the ,hollow ,tree1 presided over by its hospitable host and hostess was1 therefore1 the centre of a stimulating and cultivated social intercourse1 free from all gene or formality4 ,here ,agassiz and his family spent many happy days during their southern sojourn of #aheb4 ,the woods were yellow with jessamine1 and the low1 deep piazza was shut in by vines and roses2 the open windows and the soft air full of sweet1 out-of-door fragrance made one forget1 spite of the wood fire on the hearth1 that it was winter by the calendar4 ,the days1 passed almost wholly in the woods or on the veranda1 closed with evenings spent not infrequently in discussions upon the scientific ideas and theories of the day1 carried often beyond the region of demonstrated facts into that of speculative thought4 ,an ever-recurring topic was that of the origin of the human race4 ,it was ,agassiz's declared belief that man had sprung not from a common stock1 but from various centres1 and that the original circumscription of these primordial groups of the human family corresponded in a large and general way with the distribution of animals and their combination into faunae4 99 799 ,see ,sketch of the ,natural ,provinces of the ,animal ,world and their ,relation to the ,different ,types of ,man included in ,nott ,gliddon's ,types of ,mankind47 ,his special zoological studies were too engrossing to allow him to follow this line of investigation closely1 but it was never absent from his view of the animal kingdom as a whole4 ,he valued extremely ,mrs4 ,holbrook's thoughtful sympathy1 and as the following letter connects itself with the winter evening talks by the ,hollow ,tree fireside1 and was suggested by them1 it may be given here1 though in date it is a little in advance of the present chapter4 ,,to ,,mrs4 ,,holbrook4 ,,cambridge1 ,july1 #aheb4 4 4 4,i am again working at the human races1 and have opened another line of investigation in that direction4 ,the method followed by former investigators does not seem to me to have been altogether the best1 since there is so little agreement between them4 ,the difficulty has1 no doubt1 arisen on one side from the circumstance that the inquirer sought for evidence of the unity of all races1 expecting the result to agree with the prevailing interpretation of ,genesis2 and on the other from too zoological a point of view in weighing the differences observed4 ,again1 both have almost set aside all evidence not directly derived from the examination of the races themselves4 ,it has occurred to me that as a preliminary inquiry we ought to consider the propriety of applying to man the same rules as to animals1 examining the limits within which they obtain1 and paying due attention to all circumstances bearing upon the differences observed among men1 from whatever quarter in the study of nature they may be gathered4 ,what do the monkeys say to this8 or1 rather1 what have they to tell in reference to it8 ,there are among them as great1 and1 indeed1 even greater1 differences than among men1 for they are acknowledged to constitute different genera1 and are referred to many1 indeed to more than a hundred1 species2 but they are the nearest approach to the human family1 and we may at least derive some hints from them4 ,how much mixture there is among these species1 if any1 is not at all ascertained2 indeed1 we have not the least information respecting their intercourse2 but one point is certain1--zoologists agree as little among themselves respecting the limits of these species as they do respecting the affinities of the races of men4 ,what some consider as distinct species1 others consider as mere varieties1 and these varieties or species differ in particulars neither more constant nor more important than those which distinguish the human races4 ,the fact that they are arranged in different genera1 species1 and varieties does not lessen the value of the comparison2 for the point in question is just to know whether nations1 races1 and what have also been called families of men1 such as the ,indo-,germanic1 the ,semitic1 etc41 do not in reality correspond to the families1 genera1 and species of monkeys4 ,now the first great subdivisions among the true monkeys 7excluding ,makis and ,arctopitheci7 are founded upon the form of the nose1 those of the new world having a broad partition between the nostrils1 while those of the old world have it narrow4 ,how curious that this fact1 which has been known to naturalists for half a century1 as presenting a leading feature among monkeys1 should have been overlooked in man1 when1 in reality1 the negroes and ,australians differ in precisely the same manner from the other races2 they having a broad partition1 and nostrils opening sideways1 like the monkeys of ,south ,america1 while the other types of the human family have a narrow partition and nostrils opening downward1 like the monkeys of ,asia and ,africa4 ,again1 the minor differences1 such as the obliquity of the anterior teeth1 the thickness of the lips1 the projection of the cheek-bones1 the position of the eyes1 the characteristic hair1 or wool1 afford as constant differences as those by which the chimpanzees1 orangs1 and gibbons are separated into distinct genera2 and their respective species differ no more than do the ,greeks1 ,germans1 and ,arabs1--or the ,chinese1 ,tartars1 and ,finns1 --or the ,new ,zealanders and ,malays1 which are respectively referred to the same race4 ,the truth is1 that the different ,,species admitted by some among the orangs are in reality ,,races among monkeys1 or else the races among men are nothing more than what are called species among certain monkeys4 4 4,listen for a moment to the following facts1 and when you read this place a map of the world before you4 ,upon a narrow strip of land along the ,gulf of ,guinea1 from ,cape ,palmas to the ,gaboon1 live two so-called species of chimpanzee2 upon the islands of ,sumatra and ,borneo live three or four orangs2 upon the shores of the ,gulf of ,bengal1 including the neighborhood of ,calcutta1 ,burmah1 ,malacca1 ,sumatra1 ,borneo1 and ,java together1 ten or eleven species of gibbons1 all of which are the nearest relatives to the human family1 some being as large as certain races of men2 altogether1 fifteen species of anthropoid monkeys playing their part in the animal population of the world upon an area not equaling by any means the surface of ,europe4 ,some of these species are limited to ,borneo1 others to ,sumatra1 others to ,java alone1 others to the peninsula of ,malacca2 that is to say to tracts of land similar in extent to ,spain1 ,france1 ,italy1 and even to ,ireland2 distinct animals1 considered by most naturalists as distinct species1 approaching man most closely in structural eminence and size1 limited to areas not larger than ,spain or ,italy4 ,why1 then1 should not the primitive theatre of a nation of men have been circumscribed within similar boundaries1 and from the beginning have been as independent as the chimpanzee of ,guinea1 or the orangs of ,borneo and ,sumatra8 ,of course1 the superior powers of man have enabled him to undertake migrations1 but how limited are these1 and how slight the traces they have left behind them4 4 4 ,unfortunately for natural history1 history so-called has recorded more faithfully the doings of handfuls of adventurers than the real history of the primitive nations with whom the migrating tribes came into contact4 ,but ,i hope it will yet be possible to dive under these waves of migration1 to remove1 as it were1 the trace of their passage1 and to read the true history of the past inhabitants of the different parts of the world1 when it will be found1 if all analogies are not deceptive1 that every country equaling in extent those within the limits of which distinct nationalities are known to have played their part in history1 has had its distinct aborigines1 the character of which it is now the duty of naturalists to restore1 if it be not too late1 in the same manner as paleontologists restore fossil remains4 ,i have already made some attempts1 by studying ancient geography1 and ,i hope the task may yet be accomplished4 4 4,look1 for instance1 at ,spain4 ,the ,iberians are known as the first inhabitants1 never extending much beyond the ,pyrenees to the ,garonne1 and along the gulfs of ,lyons and ,genoa4 ,as early as during the period of ,phoenician prosperity they raised wool from their native sheep1 derived from the ,mouflon1 still found wild in ,spain1 ,corsica1 and ,sardinia2 they had a peculiar breed of horses1 to this day differing from all other horses in the world4 ,is this not better evidence of their independent origin1 than is the fancied lineage with the ,indo-,germanic family of their ,oriental descent8 ,for we must not forget1 in connection with this1 that the ,basque language was once the language of all ,spain1 that which the ,iberian spoke1 and which has no direct relation to ,sanskrit4 ,i have alluded but slightly to the negro race1 and not at all to the ,indians4 ,i would only add with reference to these that ,i begin to perceive the possibility of distinguishing different centres of growth in these two continents4 ,if we leave out of consideration fancied migrations1 what connection can be traced1 for instance1 between the ,eskimos1 along the whole northern districts of this continent1 and the ,indians of the ,united ,states1 those of ,mexico1 those of ,peru1 and those of ,brazil8 ,is there any real connection between the coast tribes of the northwest coast1 the mound builders1 the ,aztec civilization1 the ,inca1 and the ,gueranis8 ,it seems to me no more than between the ,assyrian and ,egyptian civilization4 ,and as to negroes1 there is1 perhaps1 a still greater difference between those of ,senegal1 of ,guinea1 and the ,caffres and ,hottentots1 when compared with the ,gallahs and ,mandingoes4 ,but where is the time to be taken for the necessary investigations involved in these inquiries8 ,pray write to me soon what you say to all this1 and believe me always your true friend1 ,l4 ,,agassiz4 ,in the spring of #aheb1 while still in ,charleston1 ,agassiz heard that the ,prix ,cuvier1 now given for the first time1 was awarded to him for the ,poissons ,fossiles4 ,this gratified him the more because the work had been so directly bequeathed to him by ,cuvier himself4 ,to his mother1 through whom he received the news in advance of the official papers1 it also gave great pleasure4 ,your fossil fishes1 she says1 which have cost you so much anxiety1 so much toil1 so many sacrifices1 have now been estimated at their true value by the most eminent judges4 4 4,this has given me such happiness1 dear ,louis1 that the tears are in my eyes as ,i write it to you4 ,she had followed the difficulties of his task too closely not to share also its success4 ,,chapter #ag4 #aheb-ahee3 ,,age #de-dh4 ,return to ,cambridge4 ,anxiety about ,collections4 ,purchase of ,collections4 ,second ,winter in ,charleston4 ,illness4 ,letter to ,james ,d4 ,dana concerning ,geographical ,distribution and ,geological ,succession of ,animals4 ,resignation of ,charleston ,professorship4 ,propositions from ,zurich4 ,letter to ,oswald ,heer4 ,decision to remain in ,cambridge4 ,letters to ,james ,d4 ,dana1 ,s4,s4 ,haldeman1 and ,others respecting ,collections illustrative of the ,distribution of ,fishes1 ,shells1 etc41 in our ,rivers4 ,establishment of ,school for ,girls4 ,agassiz returned from ,charleston to ,cambridge in the early spring1 pausing in ,washington to deliver a course of lectures before the ,smithsonian ,institution4 ,by this time he had become intimate with ,professor ,henry1 at whose hospitable house he and his family were staying during their visit at ,washington4 ,he had the warmest sympathy not only with ,professor ,henry's scientific work and character1 but also with his views regarding the ,smithsonian ,institution1 of which he had become the ,superintendent shortly after ,agassiz arrived in this country4 ,agassiz himself was soon appointed one of the ,regents of the ,institution and remained upon the ,board until his death4 ,agassiz now began to feel an increased anxiety about his collections4 ,during the six years of his stay in the ,united ,states he had explored the whole ,atlantic sea-board as well as the lake and river system of the ,eastern and ,middle ,states1 and had amassed such materials in natural history as already gave his collections1 in certain departments at least1 a marked importance4 ,in the lower animals1 and as illustrating the embryology of the marine invertebrates1 they were especially valuable4 ,it had long been a favorite idea with him to build up an embryological department in his prospective museum2 the more so because such a provision on any large scale had never been included in the plan of the great zoological institutions1 and he believed it would have a direct and powerful influence on the progress of modern science4 ,the collections now in his possession included ample means for this kind of research1 beside a fair representation of almost all classes of the animal kingdom4 ,packed together1 however1 in the narrowest quarters1 they were hardly within his own reach1 much less could they be made available for others4 ,his own resources were strained to the utmost1 merely to save these precious materials from destruction4 ,it is true that in #ahej the sum of four hundred dollars1 to be renewed annually1 was allowed him by the ,university for their preservation1 and a barrack-like wooden building on the college grounds1 far preferable to the bath-house by the river1 was provided for their storage4 ,but the cost of keeping them was counted by thousands1 not by hundreds1 and the greater part of what ,agassiz could make by his lectures outside of ,cambridge was swallowed up in this way4 ,it was1 perhaps1 the knowledge of this which induced certain friends1 interested in him and in science1 to subscribe twelve thousand dollars for the purchase of his collections1 to be thus permanently secured to ,cambridge4 ,this gave him back1 in part1 the sum he had already spent upon them1 and which he was more than ready to spend again in their maintenance and increase4 ,the next year showed that his over-burdened life was beginning to tell upon his health4 ,scarcely had he arrived in ,charleston and begun his course at the ,medical ,college when he was attacked by a violent fever1 and his life was in danger for many days4 ,fortunately for him his illness occurred at the ,hollow ,tree1 where he was passing the ,christmas holidays4 ,dr4 and ,mrs4 ,holbrook were like a brother and sister to him1 and nothing could exceed the kindness he received under their roof4 ,one young friend who had been his pupil1 and to whom he was much attached1 ,dr4 ,st4 ,julian ,ravenel1 was constantly at his bedside4 ,his care was invaluable1 for he combined the qualities of physician and nurse4 ,under such watchful tending1 ,agassiz could hardly fail to mend if cure were humanly possible4 ,the solicitude of these nearer friends seemed to be shared by the whole community1 and his recovery gave general relief4 ,he was able to resume his lectures toward the end of ,february4 ,spite of the languor of convalescence his elastic mind was at once ready for work1 as may be seen by the following extract from one of his first letters4 ,,to ,,james ,d4 ,,dana4 ,,sullivan',s ,,island1 ,,charleston1 ,february #af1 #ahec4 4 4 4,it seems1 indeed1 to me as if in the study of the geographical distribution of animals the present condition of the animal kingdom was too exclusively taken into consideration4 ,whenever it can be done1 and ,i hope before long it may be done for all classes1 it will be desirable to take into account the relations of the living to the fossil species4 ,since you are as fully satisfied as ,i am that the location of animals1 with all their peculiarities1 is not the result of physical influences1 but lies within the plans and intentions of the ,creator1 it must be obvious that the successive introduction of all the diversity of forms which have existed from the first appearance of any given division of the animal kingdom up to the present creation1 must have reference to the location of those now in existence4 ,for instance1 if it be true among mammalia that the highest types1 such as quadrumana1 are essentially tropical1 may it not be that the prevailing distribution of the inferior pachyderms within the same geographical limits is owing to the circumstance that their type was introduced upon earth during a warmer period in the history of our globe1 and that their present location is in accordance with that fact1 rather than related to their degree of organization8 ,the pentacrinites1 the lowest of the echinoderms1 have only one living representative in tropical ,america1 where we find at the same time the highest and largest spatangi and holothuridae4 ,is this not quite a parallel case with the monkeys and pachyderms8 for once crinoids were the only representatives of the class of echinoderms4 ,may we not say the same of crocodiles when compared with the ancient gigantic saurians8 or are the crocodiles1 as an order1 distinct from the other saurians1 and really higher than the turtles8 ,innumerable questions of this kind1 of great importance for zoology1 are suggested at every step1 as soon as we compare the present distribution of animals with that of the inhabitants of former geological periods4 ,among crustacea1 it is very remarkable that trilobites and limulus-like forms are the only representatives of the class during the paleozoic ages2 that macrourans prevailed in the same manner during the secondary period2 and that brachyurans make their appearance only in the tertiary period4 ,do you discover in your results any connection between such facts and the present distribution of crustacea8 ,there is certainly one feature in their classification which must appear very striking1--that1 taken on a large scale1 the organic rank of these animals agrees in the main with their order of succession in geological times2 and this fact is of no small importance when it is found that the same correspondence between rank and succession obtains through all classes of the animal kingdom1 and that similar features are displayed in the embryonic growth of all types so far as now known4 ,but ,i feel my head is growing dull1 and ,i will stop here4 ,let me conclude by congratulating you on having completed your great work on crustacea4 4 4 ,agassiz returned to the ,north in the spring of #ahec by way of the ,mississippi1 stopping to lecture at ,mobile1 ,new ,orleans1 and ,st4 ,louis4 ,on leaving ,charleston he proffered his resignation with deep regret1 for1 beside the close personal ties he had formed1 he was attached to the place1 the people1 and to his work there4 ,he had hoped to establish a permanent station for sustained observations in ,south ,carolina1 and thus to carry on a series of researches which1 taken in connection with his studies on the ,new ,england coast and its vicinity1 and on the ,florida reefs and shores1 would afford a wide field of comparison4 ,this was not to be1 however4 ,the ,medical ,college refused1 indeed1 to accept his resignation1 granting him1 at the same time1 a year of absence4 ,but it soon became evident that his health was seriously shaken1 and that he needed the tonic of the northern winter4 ,he was1 indeed1 never afterward as strong as he had been before this illness4 ,the winter of #ahed was passed in ,cambridge with such quiet and rest as the conditions of his life would allow4 ,in ,may of that year he received an invitation to the recently established ,university of ,zurich1 in ,switzerland4 ,his acceptance was urged upon the ground of patriotism as well as on that of a liberal endowment both for the professor1 and for the museum of which he was to have charge4 ,the offer was tempting1 but ,agassiz was in love 7the word is not too strong7 with the work he had undertaken and the hopes he had formed in ,america4 ,he believed that by his own efforts1 combined with the enthusiasm for science which he had aroused and constantly strove to keep alive and foster in the community1 he should at last succeed in founding a museum after his own heart in the ,united ,states1--a museum which should not be a mere accumulation1 however vast or extensive1 of objects of natural history1 but should have a well-combined and clearly expressed educational value4 ,as we shall see1 neither the associations of his early life nor the most tempting scientific prizes in the gift of the old world could divert him from this settled purpose4 ,the proposition from ,zurich was not official1 but came through a friend and colleague1 for whom he had the deepest sympathy and admiration1--,oswald ,heer4 ,to work in his immediate neighborhood would have been in itself a temptation4 ,,to ,,professor ,,oswald ,,heer4 ,,cambridge1 ,january #i1 #ahee4 ,,my ,,honored ,,friend1 ,how shall ,i make you understand why your kind letter1 though it reached me some months ago1 has remained till now unanswered4 ,it concerns a decision of vital importance to my whole life1 and in such a case one must not decide hastily1 nor even with too exclusive regard for one's own preference in the matter4 ,you cannot doubt that the thought of joining an institution of my native country1 and thus helping to stimulate scientific progress in the land of my birth1 my home1 and my early friends1 appeals to all ,i hold dear and honorable in life4 ,on the other side ,i have now been eight years in ,america1 have learned to understand the advantages of my position here1 and have begun undertakings which are not yet brought to a conclusion4 ,i am aware also how wide an influence ,i already exert upon this land of the future1--an influence which gains in extent and intensity with every year1--so that it becomes very difficult for me to discern clearly where ,i can be most useful to science4 ,among my privileges ,i must not overlook that of passing much of my time on the immediate sea-shore1 where the resources for the zoologist and embryologist are inexhaustible4 ,i have now a house distant only a few steps from an admirable locality for these studies1 and can therefore pursue them uninterruptedly throughout the whole year1 instead of being limited1 like most naturalists1 to the short summer vacations4 ,it is true ,i miss the larger museums1 libraries1 etc41 as well as the stimulus to be derived from association with a number of like-minded co-workers1 all striving toward the same end4 ,with every year1 however1 the number of able and influential investigators increases here1 and among them are some who might justly claim a prominent place anywhere4 4 4 ,neither are means for publication lacking4 ,the larger treatises with costly illustrations appear in the ,smithsonian ,contributions1 in the ,transactions of the ,american ,philosophical ,society1 in those of the ,academy of ,natural ,sciences1 and in the ,memoirs of the ,american ,academy2 while the smaller communications find a place in ,silliman's ,journal1 in the ,journal of the ,boston ,natural ,history ,society1 and in the proceedings of other scientific societies4 ,museums also are already founded24 4 4and beside these there are a number of private collections in single departments of zoology4 4 4 ,better than all this1 however1 is the lively and general interest taken in the exploration of the country itself4 ,every scientific expedition sent out by the government to the interior1 or to the ,western ,states of ,oregon and ,california1 is accompanied by a scientific commission1--zoologists1 geologists1 and botanists4 ,by this means magnificent collections1 awaiting only able investigators to work them up1 have been brought together4 ,indeed1 ,i do not believe that as many new things are accumulated anywhere as just here1 and it is my hope to contribute hereafter to the more critical and careful examination of these treasures4 ,under these circumstances ,i have asked myself for months past how ,i ought to decide2 not what were my inclinations1 for that is not the question1--but what was my duty toward science8 ,after the most careful consideration ,i am no longer in doubt1 and though it grieves me to do so1 ,i write to beg that you will withdraw from any action which might bring me a direct call to the professorship in ,zurich4 ,i have decided to remain here for an indefinite time1 under the conviction that ,i shall exert a more advantageous and more extensive influence on the progress of science in this country than in ,europe4 ,i regret that ,i cannot accept your offer of the ,oeningen fossils4 ,in the last two years ,i have spent more than #bj1jjj francs on my collection1 and must not incur any farther expense of that kind at present4 ,as soon1 however1 as ,i have new means at my command such a collection would be most welcome1 and should it remain in your hands ,i may be very glad to take it4 ,neither can ,i make any exchange of duplicates just now1 as ,i have not yet been able to sort my collections and set aside the specimens which may be considered only as materials for exchange4 ,can you procure for me ,glarus fishes in any considerable number8 ,i should like to purchase them for my collection1 and do not care for single specimens of every species1 but would prefer whole suites that ,i may revise my former identifications in the light of a larger insight4 ,remember me kindly to all my ,zurich friends1 and especially to ,arnold ,escher4 4 4 ,agassiz's increasing and at last wholly unmanageable correspondence attests the general sympathy for and cooperation with his scientific aims in the ,united ,states4 ,in #ahec1 for instance1 he had issued a circular1 asking for collections of fishes from various fresh-water systems of the ,united ,states1 in order that he might obtain certain data respecting the laws of their distribution and localization4 ,to this he had hundreds of answers coming from all parts of the country1 many of them very shrewd and observing1 giving facts respecting the habits of fishes1 as well as concerning their habitat1 and offering aid in the general object4 ,nor were these empty promises4 ,a great number and variety of collections1 now making part of the ichthyological treasures of the ,museum at ,cambridge1 were forwarded to him in answer to this appeal4 ,indeed1 he now began to reap1 in a new form1 the harvest of his wandering lecture tours4 ,in this part of his ,american experience he had come into contact with all classes of people1 and had found some of his most intelligent and sympathetic listeners in the working class4 ,now that he needed their assistance he often found his co-laborers among farmers1 stock-raisers1 sea-faring men1 fishermen1 and sailors4 ,many a ,new ,england captain1 when he started on a cruise1 had on board collecting cans1 furnished by ,agassiz1 to be filled in distant ports or nearer home1 as the case might be1 and returned to the ,museum at ,cambridge4 ,one or two letters1 written to scientific friends at the time the above-mentioned circular was issued1 will give an idea of the way in which ,agassiz laid out such investigations4 ,,to ,,james ,d4 ,,dana4 ,,cambridge1 ,july #h1 #ahec4 4 4 4,i have been lately devising some method of learning how far animals are truly autochthones1 and how far they have extended their primitive boundaries4 ,i will attempt to test that question with ,long ,island1 the largest of all the islands along our coast4 ,for this purpose ,i will for the present limit myself to the fresh-water fishes and shells1 and for the sake of comparison ,i will try to collect carefully all the species living in the rivers of ,connecticut1 ,new ,york1 and ,new ,jersey1 and see whether they are identical with those of the island4 ,whatever may come out of such an investigation it will1 at all events1 furnish interesting data upon the local distribution of the species4 4 4,i am almost confident that it will lead to something interesting1 for there is one feature of importance in the case2 the present surface of ,long ,island is not older than the drift period2 all its inhabitants must1 therefore1 have been introduced since that time4 ,i shall see that ,i obtain similar collections from the upper course of the ,connecticut1 so as to ascertain whether there1 as in the ,mississippi1 the species differ at different heights of the river basin4 4 4 ,,to ,,professor ,s4,s4 ,,haldeman1 ,,columbia1 ,,pennsylvania4 ,,cambridge1 ,july #i1 #ahec4 4 4 4,while ascending the great ,mississippi last spring ,i was struck with the remarkable fact that the fishes differ essentially in the different parts of that long water-course1--a fact ,i had already noticed in the ,rhine1 ,rhone1 and ,danube1 though there the difference arises chiefly from the occurrence1 in the higher ,alpine regions1 of representatives of the trout family which are not found in the main river course4 ,in the ,mississippi1 however1 the case is otherwise and very striking1 inasmuch as we find here1 at separate latitudes1 distinct species of the same genera1 somewhat like the differences observed in distinct water-basins2 and yet the river is ever flowing on past these animals1 which remain1 as it were1 spell-bound to the regions most genial to them4 ,the question at once arises1 do our smaller rivers present similar differences8 ,i have already taken steps to obtain complete collections of fishes1 shells1 and crayfishes from various stations on the ,connecticut and the ,hudson1 and their tributaries2 and ,i should be very happy if ,i could include the ,susquehanna1 ,delaware1 and ,ohio in my comparisons4 ,my object in writing now is to inquire whether you could assist me in making separate collections1 as complete as possible1 of all these animals from the north and west branches of the ,susquehanna1 from the main river either at ,harrisburg or ,columbia1 and from the ,juniata1 also from the ,schuylkill1 ,lehigh1 and ,delaware1 and from the ,allegheny and ,monongahela4 ,i have ,swiss friends in the ,state of ,new ,york who have promised me to collect the fishes from the head-waters of the ,delaware and ,susquehanna within the limits of the ,state of ,new ,york4 ,i cannot1 of course1 expect you to survey your ,state for me1 but among your acquaintance in various parts of your ,state are there not those who1 with proper directions1 could do the work for me8 ,i would1 of course1 gladly repay all their expenses4 ,the subject seems to me so important as to justify any effort in that direction4 ,little may be added to the knowledge of the fishes themselves1 for ,i suppose most of the species have been described either by ,de ,kay1 ,kirtland1 or ,storer2 but a careful study of their special geographical distribution may furnish results as important to zoology as the knowledge of the species themselves4 ,if you cannot write yourself1 will you give me the names of such persons as might be persuaded to aid in the matter4 ,i know from your own observations in former times that you have already collected similar facts for the ,unios1 so that you will at once understand and appreciate my object4 4 4 ,he writes in the same strain and for the same object to ,professor ,yandell1 of ,kentucky1 adding3 ,in this respect the ,state of ,kentucky is one of the most important of the ,union1 not only on account of the many rivers which pass through its territory1 but also because it is one of the few ,states the fishes of which have been described by former observers1 especially by ,rafinesque in his ,ichthyologia ,ohioensis1 so that a special knowledge of all his original types is a matter of primary importance for any one who would compare the fishes of the different rivers of the ,west4 4 4,do you know whether there is anything left of ,rafinesque's collection of fishes in ,lexington1 and if so1 whether the specimens are labeled1 as it would be very important to identify his species from his own collection and his own labels8 ,i never regretted more than now that circumstances have not yet allowed me to visit your ,state and make a stay in ,louisville4 ,in #ahed ,agassiz moved to a larger house1 built for him by the college4 ,though very simple1 it was on a liberal scale with respect to space2 partly in order to accommodate his library1 consisting of several thousand volumes1 now for the first time collected and arranged in one room4 ,he became very fond of this ,cambridge home1 where1 with few absences1 he spent the remainder of his life4 ,the architect1 ,mr4 ,henry ,greenough1 was his personal friend1 and from the beginning the house adapted itself with a kindly readiness to whatever plans developed under its roof4 ,as will be seen1 these were not few1 and were sometimes of considerable moment4 ,for his work also the house was extremely convenient4 ,his habits in this respect were1 however1 singularly independent of place and circumstance4 ,unlike most studious men1 he had no fixed spot in the house for writing4 ,although the library1 with the usual outfit of well-filled shelves1 maps1 large tables1 etc41 held his materials1 he brought what he needed for the evening by preference to the drawing-room1 and there1 with his paper on his knee1 and his books for reference on a chair beside him1 he wrote and read as busily as if he were quite alone4 ,sometimes when dancing and music were going on among the young people of the family and their guests1 he drew a little table into the corner of the room1 and continued his occupations as undisturbed and engrossed as if he had been in complete solitude1--only looking up from time to time with a pleased smile or an apt remark1 which showed that he did not lose but rather enjoyed what was going on about him4 ,his children's friends were his friends4 ,as his daughters grew up1 he had the habit of inviting their more intimate companions to his library for an afternoon weekly4 ,on these occasions there was always some subject connected with the study of nature under discussion1 but the talk was so easy and so fully illustrated that it did not seem like a lesson4 ,it is pleasant to remember that in later years ,mr4 ,ralph ,waldo ,emerson revived this custom for his own daughters2 and their friends 7being1 indeed1 with few changes1 the same set of young people as had formerly met in ,agassiz's library7 used to meet in ,mr4 ,emerson's study at ,concord for a similar object4 ,he talked to them of poetry and literature and philosophy as ,agassiz had talked to them of nature4 ,those were golden days1 not to be forgotten by any who shared their happy privilege4 ,in the winter of #ahee ,agassiz endeavored to resume his public lectures as a means of increasing his resources4 ,he was again1 however1 much exhausted when spring came1 and it seemed necessary to seek some other means of support1 for without considering scientific expenses1 his salary of fifteen hundred dollars did not suffice for the maintenance of his family4 ,under these circumstances it occurred to his wife and his two older children1 now of an age to assist her in such a scheme1 that a school for young ladies might be established in the upper part of the new and larger house4 ,by the removal of one or two partitions1 ample room could be obtained for the accommodation of a sufficient number of pupils1 and if successful such a school would perhaps make good in a pecuniary sense the lecturing tours which were not only a great fatigue to ,agassiz1 but an interruption also to all consecutive scientific work4 ,in consultation with friends these plans were partly matured before they were confided to ,agassiz himself4 ,when the domestic conspirators revealed their plot1 his surprise and pleasure knew no bounds4 ,the first idea had been simply to establish a private school on the usual plan1 only referring to his greater experience for advice and direction in its general organization4 ,but he claimed at once an active share in the work4 ,under his inspiring influence the outline enlarged1 and when the circular announcing the school was issued1 it appeared under his name1 and contained these words in addition to the programme of studies3 ,i shall myself superintend the methods of instruction and tuition1 and while maintaining that regularity and precision in the studies so important to mental training shall endeavor to prevent the necessary discipline from falling into a lifeless routine1 alike deadening to the spirit of teacher and pupil4 ,it is farther my intention to take the immediate charge of the instruction in ,physical ,geography1 ,natural ,history1 and ,botany1 giving a lecture daily1 ,saturdays excepted1 on one or other of these subjects1 illustrated by specimens1 models1 maps1 and drawings4 ,in order not to interrupt the course of the narrative1 the history of this undertaking in its sequence and general bearing on his life and work may be completed here in a few words4 ,this school secured to him many happy and comparatively tranquil years4 ,it enabled him to meet both domestic and scientific expenses1 and to pay the heavy debt he had brought from ,europe as the penalty of his ,fossil ,fishes and his investigations on the glaciers4 ,when the school closed after eight years he was again a free man4 ,with an increased salary from the college1 and with such provision for the ,museum 7thanks to the generosity of the ,state and of individuals7 as rendered it in a great degree independent1 he was never again involved in the pecuniary anxieties of his earlier career4 ,the occupation of teaching was so congenial to him that his part in the instruction of the school did not at any time weigh heavily upon him4 ,he never had an audience more responsive and more eager to learn than the sixty or seventy girls who gathered every day at the close of the morning to hear his daily lecture2 nor did he ever give to any audience lectures more carefully prepared1 more comprehensive in their range of subjects1 more lofty in their tone of thought4 ,as a teacher he always discriminated between the special student1 and the one to whom he cared to impart only such a knowledge of the facts of nature1 as would make the world at least partially intelligible to him4 ,to a school of young girls he did not think of teaching technical science1 and yet the subjects of his lectures comprised very abstruse and comprehensive questions4 ,it was the simplicity and clearness of his method which made them so interesting to his young listeners4 ,what ,i wish for you1 he would say1 is a culture that is alive1 active1 susceptible of farther development4 ,do not think that ,i care to teach you this or the other special science4 ,my instruction is only intended to show you the thoughts in nature which science reveals1 and the facts ,i give you are useful only1 or chiefly1 for this object4 ,running over the titles of his courses during several consecutive years of this school instruction they read3 ,physical ,geography and ,paleontology2 ,zoology2 ,botany2 ,coral ,reefs2 ,glaciers2 ,structure and ,formation of ,mountains2 ,geographical ,distribution of ,animals2 ,geological ,succession of ,animals2 ,growth and ,development of ,animals2 ,philosophy of ,nature1 etc4 ,with the help of drawings1 maps1 bas-reliefs1 specimens1 and countless illustrations on the blackboard1 these subjects were made clear to the pupils1 and the lecture hour was anticipated as the brightest of the whole morning4 ,it soon became a habit with friends and neighbors1 and especially with the mothers of the scholars1 to drop in for the lectures1 and thus the school audience was increased by a small circle of older listeners4 ,the corps of teachers was also gradually enlarged4 ,the neighborhood of the university was a great advantage in this respect1 and ,agassiz had the cooperation not only of his brother-in-law1 ,professor ,felton1 but of others among his colleagues1 who took classes in special departments1 or gave lectures in history and literature4 ,this school opened in #ahee and closed in #ahfc4 ,the civil war then engrossed all thoughts1 and interfered somewhat also with the success of private undertakings4 ,partly on this account1 partly also because it had ceased to be a pecuniary necessity1 it seemed wise to give up the school at this time4 ,the friendly relations formed there did not1 however1 cease with it4 ,for years afterward on the last ,thursday of ,june 7the day of the annual closing of the school7 a meeting of the old pupils was held at the ,museum1 which did not exist when the school began1 but was fully established before its close4 ,there ,agassiz showed them the progress of his scientific work1 told them of his future plans for the institution1 and closed with a lecture such as he used to give them in their school-days4 ,the last of these meetings took place in #ahgc1 the last year of his own life4 ,the memory of it is connected with a gift to the ,museum of four thousand and fifty dollars from a number of the scholars1 now no longer girls1 but women with their own cares and responsibilities4 ,hearing that there was especial need of means for the care of the more recent collections1 they had subscribed this sum among themselves to express their affection for their old teacher1 as well as their interest in his work1 and in the institution he had founded4 ,his letter of acknowledgment to the one among them who had acted as their treasurer makes a fitting close to this chapter4 4 4 4,hardly anything in my life has touched me more deeply than the gift ,i received this week from my school-girls4 ,from no source in the world could sympathy be more genial to me4 ,the money ,i shall appropriate to a long-cherished scheme of mine1 a special work in the ,museum which must be exclusively my own1--the arrangement of a special collection illustrating in a nutshell1 as it were1 all the relations existing among animals1--which ,i have deferred because other things were more pressing1 and our means have been insufficient4 ,the feeling that you are all working with me will be even more cheering than the material help1 much needed as that is4 ,i wish ,i could write to each individually4 ,i shall try to find some means of expressing my thanks more widely4 ,meantime ,i write to you as treasurer1 and beg you1 as far as you can do so without too much trouble1 to express my gratitude to others4 ,will you also say to those whom you chance to meet that ,i shall be at the ,museum on the last ,thursday of ,june1 at half-past eleven o'clock4 ,i shall be delighted to see all to whom it is convenient to come4 ,the ,museum has grown not only in magnitude1 but in scientific significance1 and ,i like from time to time to give you an account of its progress1 and of my own work and aims4 ,how much thought and care and effort this kind plan of yours must have involved1 scattered as you all are6 ,it cannot have been easy to collect the names and addresses of all those whose signatures it was delightful to me to see again4 ,words seem to me very poor1 but you will accept for yourself and your school-mates the warm thanks and affectionate regards of your old friend and teacher4 ,l4,r4 ,,agassiz4 ,,chapter #ah4 #ahee-ahfj3 ,,age #dh-ec4 ,contributions to ,natural ,history of the ,united ,states4 ,remarkable ,subscription4 ,review of the ,work4 ,its ,reception in ,europe and ,america4 ,letters from ,humboldt and ,owen concerning it4 ,birthday4 ,longfellow's ,verses4 ,laboratory at ,nahant4 ,invitation to the ,museum of ,natural ,history in ,paris4 ,founding of ,museum of ,comparative ,zoology in ,cambridge4 ,summer ,vacation in ,europe4 ,a few months earlier than the school circular ,agassiz issued another prospectus1 which had an even more important bearing upon his future work4 ,this was the prospectus for his ,contributions to the ,natural ,history of the ,united ,states4 ,it was originally planned in ten volumes1 every volume to be1 however1 absolutely independent1 so that the completeness of each part should not be impaired by any possible interruption of the sequence4 ,the mass of original material accumulated upon his hands ever since his arrival in ,america made such a publication almost imperative1 but the costliness of a large illustrated work deterred him4 ,the ,poissons ,fossiles had shown him the peril of entering upon such an enterprise without capital4 ,perhaps he would never have dared to undertake it but for a friendly suggestion which opened a way out of his perplexities4 ,mr4 ,francis ,c4 ,gray1 of ,boston1 who felt not only the interest of a personal friend in the matter1 but also that of one who was himself a lover of letters and science1 proposed an appeal to the public spirit of the country in behalf of a work devoted entirely to the ,natural ,history of the ,united ,states4 ,mr4 ,gray assumed the direction of the business details1 set the subscription afloat1 stimulated its success by his own liberal contributions1 by letters1 by private and public appeals4 ,the result far exceeded the most sanguine expectations of those interested in its success4 ,indeed1 considering the purely scientific character of the work1 the number of subscribers for it was extraordinary1 and showed again the hold ,agassiz had taken upon the minds and affections of the people in general4 ,the contributors were by no means confined to ,boston and ,cambridge1 although the ,massachusetts list was naturally the largest1 nor were they found exclusively among literary and scientific circles4 ,on the contrary1 the subscription list1 to the astonishment of the publishers1 was increased daily by unsolicited names1 sent in from all sections of the country1 and from various grades of life and occupation4 ,in reference to the character of this subscription ,agassiz says in his ,preface3 ,i must beg my ,european readers to remember that this work is written in ,america1 and more especially for ,americans2 and that the community to which it is particularly addressed has very different wants from those of the reading public in ,europe4 ,there is not a class of learned men here distinct from the other cultivated members of the community4 ,on the contrary1 so general is the desire for knowledge1 that ,i expect to see my book read by operatives1 by fishermen1 by farmers1 quite as extensively as by the students in our colleges or by the learned professions1 and it is but proper that ,i should endeavor to make myself understood by all4 ,if ,agassiz1 perhaps1 overestimated in this statement the appreciation of the reading public in the ,united ,states for pure scientific research1 it was because the number and variety of his subscribers gave evidence of a cordiality toward his work which surprised as much as it gratified him4 ,on the list there were also some of his old ,european subscribers to the ,poissons ,fossiles1 among them the ,king of ,prussia1 who still continued1 under the influence of ,humboldt1 to feel an interest in his work4 ,,from ,,humboldt ,,to ,,agassiz4 ,september #a1 #ahef4 4 4 4,i hear that by some untoward circumstances1 no doubt accidental1 you have never received1 my dear ,agassiz1 the letter expressing the pleasure which ,i share with all true lovers of science respecting your important undertaking1 ,contributions to the ,natural ,history of the ,united ,states4 ,you must have been astonished at my silence1 remembering1 not only the affectionate relations we have held to each other ever since your first sojourn at ,paris1 but also the admiration ,i have never ceased to feel for the great and solid works which we owe to your sagacious mind and your incomparable intellectual energy4 4 4,i approve especially the general conceptions which lie at the base of the plan you have traced4 ,i admire the long series of physiological investigations1 beginning with the embryology of the so-called simple and lower organisms and ascending by degrees to the more complicated4 ,i admire that ever-renewed comparison of the types belonging to our planet1 in its present condition1 with those now found only in a fossil state1 so abundant in the immense space lying between the shores opposite to northern ,europe and northern ,asia4 ,the geographical distribution of organic forms in curves of equal density of occupation represents in great degree the inflexions of the isothermal lines4 4 4,i am charged by the king1 who knows the value of your older works1 and who still feels for you the affectionate regard which he formerly expressed in person1 to request that you will place his name at the head of your long list of subscribers4 ,he wishes that an excursion across the ,atlantic valley may one day bring you1 who have so courageously braved ,alpine summits1 to the historic hill of ,sans ,souci4 4 4 ,something of ,agassiz's astonishment and pleasure at the encouragement given to his projected work is told in his letters4 ,to his old friend ,professor ,valenciennes1 in ,paris1 he writes3 ,i have just had an evidence of what one may do here in the interest of science4 ,some six months ago ,i formed a plan for the publication of my researches in ,america1 and determined to carry it out with all possible care and beauty of finish4 ,i estimated my materials at ten volumes1 quarto1 and having fixed the price at #fj francs 7#ab dollars7 a volume1 thought ,i might1 perhaps1 dispose of five hundred4 ,i brought out my prospectus1 and ,i have to-day seventeen hundred subscribers4 ,what do you say to that for a work which is to cost six hundred francs a copy1 and of which nothing has as yet appeared8 ,nor is the list closed yet1 for every day ,i receive new subscriptions1--this very morning one from ,california6 ,where will not the love of science find its niche64 4 4 ,in the same strain he says1 at a little later date1 to ,sir ,charles ,lyell3 ,you will1 no doubt1 be pleased to learn that the first volume of my new work1 ',contributions to the ,natural ,history of the ,united ,states1' which is to consist of ten volumes1 quarto1 is now printing1 to come out this summer4 ,i hope it will show that ,i have not been idle during ten years' silence4 ,i am somewhat anxious about the reception of my first chapter1 headed1 ',classification1' which contains anything but what zoologists would generally expect under that head4 ,the subscription is marvelous4 ,conceive twenty-one hundred names before the appearance of the first pages of a work costing one hundred and twenty dollars6 ,it places in my hands the means of doing henceforth for ,natural ,history what ,i had never dreamed of before44 4 4 ,this work1 as originally planned1 was never completed4 ,it was cut short by ill-health and by the pressure of engagements arising from the rapid development of the great ,museum1 which finally became1 as will be seen1 the absorbing interest of his life4 ,as it stands1 the ,contributions to the ,natural ,history of the ,united ,states consists of four large quarto volumes4 ,the first two are divided into three parts1 namely3 #ast4 ,an ,essay on ,classification4 #bnd4 ,the ,north ,american ,testudinata4 #crd4 ,the ,embryology of the ,turtle1--the latter two being illustrated by thirty-four plates4 ,the third and fourth volumes are devoted to the ,radiata1 and consist of five parts1 namely3 #ast4 ,acalephs in general4 #bnd4 ,ctenophorae4 #crd4 ,discophorae4 #dth4 ,hydroida4 #eth4 ,homologies of the ,radiates1 --illustrated by forty-six plates499 799 ,the plates are of rare accuracy and beauty1 and were chiefly drawn by ,a4 ,sonrel1 though many of the microscopic drawings were made by ,professor ,h4,j4 ,clark1 who was at that time ,agassiz's private assistant4 ,for details respecting ,professor ,clark's share in this work1 and also concerning the aid of various kinds furnished to the author during its preparation1 the reader is referred to the ,preface of the volumes themselves47 ,for originality of material1 clearness of presentation1 and beauty of illustration1 these volumes have had their full recognition as models of scientific work4 ,their philosophy was1 perhaps1 too much out of harmony with the current theories of the day to be acceptable4 ,in the ,essay on ,classification especially1 ,agassiz brought out with renewed earnestness his conviction that the animal world rests upon certain abstract conceptions1 persistent and indestructible4 ,he insists that while physical influences maintain1 and within certain limits modify1 organisms1 they have never affected typical structure1--those characters1 namely1 upon which the great groups of the animal kingdom are united4 ,from his point of view1 therefore1 what environment can do serves to emphasize what it cannot do4 ,for the argument on which these conclusions are based we refer to the book itself4 ,the discussion of this question occupies1 however1 only the first portion of the volume1 two thirds of which are devoted to a general consideration of classification1 and the ideas which it embodies1 with a review of the modern systems of zoology4 ,the following letter was one of many in the same tone received from his ,european correspondents concerning this work4 ,,from ,,richard ,,owen4 ,december #i1 #aheg4 4 4 4,i cannot permit a day to elapse without thanking you for the two volumes of your great work on ,american zoology1 which1 from your masterly and exhaustive style of treatment1 becomes the most important contribution to the right progress of zoological science in all parts of the world where progress permits its cultivation4 ,it is worthy of the author of the classical work on fossil fishes2 and such works1 like the ,cyclopean structures of antiquity1 are built to endure4 ,i feel and ,i beg to express a fervent hope that you may be spared in health and vigor to see the completion of your great plan4 ,i have placed in ,mr4 ,trubner's hands a set of the numbers 7#f7 of my ,history of ,british ,fossil ,reptiles1 which have already appeared2 a seventh will soon be out1 and as they will be sent to you in succession ,i hope you will permit me to make a small and inadequate return for your liberality in the gift of your work by adding your name to the list of my subscribers4 4 4 ,believe me always truly yours1 ,,richard ,,owen4 ,agassiz had promised himself that the first volume of his new work should be finished in time for his fiftieth birthday1--a milestone along the road1 as it were1 to mark his half century4 ,upon this self-appointed task he spent himself with the passion dominated by patience1 which characterized him when his whole heart was bent toward an end4 ,for weeks he wrote many hours of the day and a great part of the night1 going out sometimes into the darkness and the open air to cool the fever of work1 and then returning to his desk again4 ,he felt himself that the excitement was too great1 and in proportion to the strain was the relief when he set the seal of finis on his last page within the appointed time4 ,his special students1 young men who fully shared his scientific life and rewarded his generosity by an affectionate devotion1 knowing1 perhaps1 that he himself associated the completion of his book with his birthday1 celebrated both events by a serenade on the eve of his anniversary4 ,they took into their confidence ,mr4 ,otto ,dresel1 warmly valued by ,agassiz both as friend and musician1 and he arranged their midnight programme for them4 ,always sure of finding their professor awake and at work at that hour1 they stationed the musicians before the house1 and as the last stroke of twelve sounded1 the succeeding stillness was broken by men's voices singing a ,bach choral4 ,when ,agassiz stepped out to see whence came this pleasant salutation1 he was met by his young friends bringing flowers and congratulations4 ,then followed one number after another of the well-ordered selection1 into which was admitted here and there a ,german student song in memory of ,agassiz's own university life at ,heidelberg and ,munich4 ,it was late1 or rather early1 since the new day was already begun1 before the little concert was over and the guests had dispersed4 ,it is difficult to reproduce with anything like its original glow and coloring a scene of this kind4 ,it will no more be called back than the hour or the moonlight night which had the warmth and softness of ,june4 ,it is recorded here only because it illustrates the intimate personal sympathy between ,agassiz and his students4 ,for this occasion also were written the well-known birthday verses by ,longfellow1 which were read the next day at a dinner given to ,agassiz by the ,saturday ,club4 ,in speaking of ,longfellow's relation to this club1 ,holmes says ,on one occasion he read a short poem at the table4 ,it was in honor of ,agassiz's birthday1 and ,i cannot forget the very modest1 delicate musical way in which he read his charming verses4 ,although included in many collections of ,longfellow's ,poems1 they are reproduced here1 because the story seems incomplete without them4 ,,the ,,fiftieth ,,birthday ,,of ,,agassiz4 ,it was fifty years ago1 ,in the pleasant month of ,may1 ,in the beautiful ,pays de ,vaud1 ,a child in its cradle lay4 ,and ,nature1 the old nurse1 took ,the child upon her knee1 ,saying3 ,here is a story-book ,thy ,father has written for thee4 ,come wander with me1 she said1 ,into regions yet untrod2 ,and read what is still unread ,in the manuscripts of ,god4 ,and he wandered away and away ,with ,nature1 the dear old nurse1 ,who sang to him night and day ,the rhymes of the universe4 ,and whenever the way seemed long1 ,or his heart began to fail1 ,she would sing a more wonderful song1 ,or tell a more marvelous tale4 ,so she keeps him still a child1 ,and will not let him go1 ,though at times his heart beats wild ,for the beautiful ,pays de ,vaud2 ,though at times he hears in his dreams ,the ,ranz des ,vaches of old1 ,and the rush of mountain streams ,from glaciers clear and cold2 ,and the mother at home says1 ,hark6 ,for his voice ,i listen and yearn2 ,it is growing late and dark1 ,and my boy does not return6 ,may #bh1 #aheg4 ,longfellow had an exquisite touch for occasions of this kind1 whether serious or mirthful4 ,once1 when some years after this ,agassiz was keeping ,christmas ,eve with his children and grandchildren1 there arrived a basket of wine containing six old bottles of rare vintage4 ,they introduced themselves in a charming ,french ,noel as pilgrims from beyond the sea who came to give ,christmas greeting to the master of the house4 ,gay pilgrims were these six gaillards1 and they were accompanied by the following note3-- ,a ,merry ,christmas and ,happy ,new ,year to all the house of ,agassiz6 ,i send also six good wishes in the shape of bottles4 ,or is it wine8 ,it is both2 good wine and good wishes1 and kind memories of you on this ,christmas ,eve4 ,h4,w4,l4 ,an additional word about the ,saturday ,club1 the fame of which has spread beyond the city of its origin1 may not be amiss here4 ,notwithstanding his close habits of work ,agassiz was eminently social1 and to this club he was especially attached4 ,dr4 ,holmes says of it in his volume on ,emerson1 who was one of its most constant members3 ,at one end of the table sat ,longfellow1 florid1 quiet1 benignant1 soft-voiced1 a most agreeable rather than a brilliant talker1 but a man upon whom it was always pleasant to look1--whose silence was better than many another man's conversation4 ,at the other end sat ,agassiz1 robust1 sanguine1 animated1 full of talk1 boy-like in his laughter4 ,the stranger who should have asked who were the men ranged along the sides of the table would have heard in answer the names of ,hawthorne1 ,motley1 ,dana1 ,lowell1 ,whipple1 ,peirce1 the distinguished mathematician1 ,judge ,hoar1 eminent at the bar and in the cabinet1 ,dwight1 the leading musical critic of ,boston for a whole generation1 ,sumner1 the academic champion of freedom1 ,andrew1 'the great ,war ,governor' of ,massachusetts1 ,dr4 ,howe1 the philanthropist1 ,william ,hunt1 the painter1 with others not unworthy of such company4 ,we may complete the list and add the name of ,holmes himself1 to whose presence the club owed so much of its wit and wisdom4 ,in such company the guests were tempted to linger long1 and if ,holmes has described the circle around the table1 ,lowell has celebrated the late walk at night across the bridge as he and ,agassiz returned to ,cambridge on foot together4 ,to break the verse by quotation would mar the quiet scene and interrupt the rambling pleasant talk it so graphically describes4 ,but we may keep the parting words3 ,at last1 arrived at where our paths divide1',good night6' and1 ere the distance grew too wide1 ',good night6' again2 and now with cheated ear ,i half hear his who mine shall never hear4 799 ,see ,memorial poem1 entitled ,agassiz1 by ,james ,russell ,lowell47 ,agassiz was now the possessor of a small laboratory by the immediate sea-coast4 ,it was situated on the northeastern shore of ,nahant1 within a stone's throw of broken and bold rocks1 where the deep pools furnished him with ever fresh specimens from natural aquariums which were re-stocked at every rise of the tide4 ,this laboratory1 with a small cottage adjoining1 which was shared during the summer between his own family and that of ,professor ,felton1 was the gift of his father-in-law1 ,mr4 ,cary4 ,so carefully were his wishes considered that the microscope table stood on a flat rock sunk in the earth and detached from the floor1 in order that no footstep or accidental jarring of door or window in other parts of the building might disturb him at his work4 ,there1 summer after summer1 he pursued his researches on the medusae2 from the smaller and more exquisite kinds1 such as the ,pleurobrachyias1 ,idyias1 and ,bolinas1 to the massive ,cyaneas1 with their large disks and heavy tentacles1 many yards in length4 ,nothing can be prettier than the smaller kinds of jellyfishes4 ,their structure is so delicate1 yet so clearly defined1 their color so soft1 yet often so brilliant1 their texture so transparent1 that you seek in vain among terrestrial forms for terms of comparison1 and are tempted to say that nature has done her finest work in the sea rather than on land4 ,sometimes hundreds of these smaller medusae might be seen floating together in the deep glass bowls1 or jars1 or larger vessels with which ,agassiz's laboratory at ,nahant was furnished4 ,when the supply was exhausted1 new specimens were easily to be obtained by a row in a dory a mile or two from shore1 either in the hot1 still noon1 when the jelly-fish rise toward the surface1 or at night1 over a brilliantly phosphorescent sea1 when they are sure to be abundant1 since they themselves furnish much of the phosphorescence4 ,in these little excursions1 many new and interesting things came to his nets beside those he was seeking4 ,the fishermen1 also1 were his friends and coadjutors4 ,they never failed to bring him whatever of rare or curious fell into their hands1 sometimes even turning aside from their professional calling to give the laboratory preference over the market4 ,neither was his summer work necessarily suspended during winter1 his ,cambridge and ,nahant homes being only about fifteen miles distant from each other4 ,he writes to his friends1 the ,holbrooks1 at this time1 ,you can hardly imagine what a delightful place ,nahant is for me now4 ,i can trace the growth of my little marine animals all the year round without interruption1 by going occasionally over there during the winter4 ,i have at this moment young medusae budding from their polyp nurses1 which ,i expect to see freeing themselves in a few weeks4 ,in later years1 when his investigations on the medusae were concluded1 so far as any teaching from the open book of ,nature can be said to be concluded1 he pursued here1 during a number of years1 investigations upon the sharks and skates4 ,for this work1 which should have made one of the series of ,contributions1 he left much material1 unhappily not ready for publication4 ,in ,august1 #aheg1 ,agassiz received the following letter from ,m4 ,rouland1 ,minister of ,public ,instruction in ,france4 ,,to ,,professor ,,agassiz4 ,,paris1 ,august #ai1 #aheg4 ,,sir1 ,by the decease of ,m4 d',orbigny the chair of paleontology in the ,museum of ,natural ,history in ,paris becomes vacant4 ,you are ,french2 you have enriched your native country by your eminent works and laborious researches4 ,you are a corresponding member of the ,institute4 ,the emperor would gladly recall to ,france a savant so distinguished4 ,in his name ,i offer you the vacant chair1 and should congratulate your country on the return of a son who has shown himself capable of such devotion to science4 ,accept the assurance of my highest esteem1 ,,rouland4 ,had it been told to ,agassiz when he left ,europe that in ten years he should be recalled to fill one of the coveted places at the ,jardin des ,plantes1 the great centre of scientific life and influence in ,france1 he would hardly have believed himself capable of refusing it4 ,nor does a man reject what would once have seemed to him a great boon without a certain regret4 ,such momentary regret he felt perhaps1 but not an instant of doubt4 ,his answer expressed his gratitude and his pleasure in finding himself so remembered in ,europe4 ,he pleaded his work in ,america as his excuse for declining a position which he nevertheless considered the most brilliant that could be offered to a naturalist4 ,in conclusion he adds3 ,permit me to correct an error concerning myself4 ,i am not ,french1 although of ,french origin4 ,my family has been ,swiss for centuries1 and spite of my ten years' exile ,i am ,swiss still4 ,the correspondence did not end here4 ,a few months later the offer was courteously renewed by ,m4 ,rouland1 with the express condition that the place should remain open for one or even two years to allow time for the completion of the work ,agassiz had now on hand4 ,to this second appeal he could only answer that his work here was the work not of years1 but of his life1 and once more decline the offer4 ,that his refusal was taken in good part is evident from the fact that the order of the ,legion of ,honor was sent to him soon after1 and that from time to time he received friendly letters from the ,minister of ,public ,instruction1 who occasionally consulted him upon general questions of scientific moment4 ,this invitation excited a good deal of interest among ,agassiz's old friends in ,europe4 ,some urged him to accept it1 others applauded his resolve to remain out of the great arena of competition and ambition4 ,among the latter was ,humboldt4 ,the following extract is from a letter of his 7,may #i1 #aheh7 to ,mr4 ,george ,ticknor1 of ,boston1 who had been one of ,agassiz's kindest and best friends in ,america from the moment of his arrival4 ,agassiz's large and beautiful work 7the first two volumes7 reached me a few days since4 ,it will produce a great effect both by the breadth of its general views and by the extreme sagacity of its special embryological observations4 ,i have never believed that this illustrious man1 who is also a man of warm heart1 a noble soul1 would accept the generous offers made to him from ,paris4 ,i knew that gratitude would keep him in the new country1 where he finds such an immense territory to explore1 and such liberal aid in his work4 ,in writing of this offer to a friend ,agassiz himself says3 ,on one side1 my cottage at ,nahant by the sea-shore1 the reef of ,florida1 the vessels of the ,coast ,survey at my command from ,nova ,scotia to ,mexico1 and1 if ,i choose1 all along the coast of the ,pacific1--and on the other1 the ,jardin des ,plantes1 with all its accumulated treasures4 ,rightly considered1 the chance of studying nature must prevail over the attractions of the 7,paris7 ,museum4 ,i hope ,i shall be wise enough not to be tempted even by the prospect of a new edition of the ',poissons ,fossiles4' ,to his old friend ,charles ,martins1 the naturalist1 he writes3 ,the work ,i have undertaken here1 and the confidence shown in me by those who have at heart the intellectual development of this country1 make my return to ,europe impossible for the present2 and1 as you have well understood1 ,i prefer to build anew here rather than to fight my way in the midst of the coteries of ,paris4 ,were ,i offered absolute power for the reorganization of the ,jardin des ,plantes1 with a revenue of fifty thousand francs1 ,i should not accept it4 ,i like my independence better4 ,the fact that ,agassiz had received and declined this offer from the ,french government seemed to arouse anew the public interest in his projects and prospects here4 ,it was felt that a man who was ready to make an alliance so uncompromising with the interests of science in the ,united ,states should not be left in a precarious and difficult position4 ,his collections were still heaped together in a slight wooden building4 ,the fact that a great part of them were preserved in alcohol made them especially in danger from fire4 ,a spark1 a match carelessly thrown down1 might destroy them all in half an hour1 for with material so combustible1 help would be unavailing4 ,this fear was never out of his mind4 ,it disturbed his peace by day and his rest by night4 ,that frail structure1 crowded from garret to cellar with seeming rubbish1 with boxes1 cases1 barrels1 casks still unpacked and piled one above the other1 held for him the treasure out of which he would give form and substance to the dream of his boyhood and the maturer purpose of his manhood4 ,the hope of creating a great museum intelligently related in all its parts1 reflecting nature1 and illustrating the history of the animal kingdom in the past and the present1 had always tempted his imagination4 ,nor was it merely as a comprehensive and orderly collection that he thought of it4 ,from an educational point of view it had an even greater value for him4 ,his love of teaching prompted him no less than his love of science4 ,indeed1 he hoped to make his ideal museum a powerful auxiliary in the interests of the schools and teachers throughout the ,state1 and less directly throughout the country4 ,he hoped it would become one of the centres for the radiation of knowledge1 and that the investigations carried on within its walls would find means of publication1 and be a fresh1 original contribution to the science of the day4 ,this hope was fully realized4 ,the first number of the ,museum ,bulletin was published in ,march1 #ahfc1 the first number of the ,illustrated ,catalogue in #ahfd1 and both publications have been continued with regularity ever since499 799 ,at the time of ,agassiz's death nearly three volumes of the ,bulletin had been published1 and the third volume of the ,memoirs 7,illustrated ,catalogue ,number #g7 had been begun47 ,in laying out the general plan1 which was rarely absent from his thought1 he distinguished between the demands which the specialist and the general observer might make upon an institution intended to instruct and benefit both4 ,here the special student should find in the laboratories and work rooms all the needed material for his investigations1 stored in large collections1 with duplicates enough to allow for that destruction of specimens which is necessarily involved in original research4 ,the casual visitor meanwhile should walk through exhibition rooms1 not simply crowded with objects to delight and interest him1 but so arranged that the selection of every specimen should have reference to its part and place in nature2 while the whole should be so combined as to explain1 so far as known1 the faunal and systematic relations of animals in the actual world1 and in the geological formations2 or1 in other words1 their succession in time1 and their distribution in space4 ,a favorite part of his plan was a room which he liked to call his synoptic room4 ,here was to be the most compact and yet the fullest statement in material form of the animal kingdom as a whole1 an epitome of the creation1 as it were4 ,of course the specimens must be few in so limited a space1 but each one was to be characteristic of one or other of the various groups included under every large division4 ,thus each object would contribute to the explanation of the general plan4 ,on the walls there were to be large1 legible inscriptions1 serving as a guide to the whole1 and making this room a simple but comprehensive lesson in natural history4 ,it was intended to be the entrance room for visitors1 and to serve as an introduction to the more detailed presentation of the same vast subject1 given by the faunal and systematic collections in the other exhibition rooms4 ,the standard of work involved in this scheme is shown in many of his letters to his students and assistants1 to whom he looked for aid in its execution4 ,to one he writes3 ,you will get your synoptic series only after you have worked up in detail the systematic collection as a whole1 the faunal collections in their totality1 the geological sequence of the entire group under consideration1 as well as its embryology and geographical distribution4 ,then alone will you be able to know the representatives in each series which will best throw light upon it and complete the other series4 ,he did not live to fill in this comprehensive outline with the completeness which he intended1 but all its details were fully explained by him before his death1 and since that time have been carried out by his son1 ,alexander ,agassiz4 ,the synoptic room1 and in great part the systematic and faunal collections1 are now arranged and under exhibition1 and the throngs of visitors during all the pleasant months of the year attest the interest they excite4 ,this conception1 of which the present ,museum is the expression1 was matured in the brain of the founder before a brick of the building was laid1 or a dollar provided for the support of such an institution4 ,it existed for him as his picture does for the artist before it lives upon the canvas4 ,one must have been the intimate companion of his thoughts to know how and to what degree it possessed his imagination1 to his delight always1 yet sometimes to his sorrow also1 for he had it and he had it not4 ,the thought alone was his2 the means of execution were far beyond his reach4 ,his plan was1 however1 known to many of his friends1 and especially he had explained it to ,mr4 ,francis ,c4 ,gray1 whose intellectual sympathy made him a delightful listener to the presentation of any enlightened purpose4 ,in #aheh ,mr4 ,gray died1 leaving in his will the sum of fifty thousand dollars for the establishment of a ,museum of ,comparative ,zoology1 with the condition that this sum should be used neither for the erection of buildings nor for salaries1 but for the purely scientific needs of such an institution4 ,though this bequest was not connected in set terms with the collections already existing in ,cambridge1 its purpose was well understood2 and ,mr4 ,gray's nephew1 ,mr4 ,william ,gray1 acting upon the intention of his uncle as residuary legatee1 gave it into the hands of the ,president and ,fellows of ,harvard ,university4 ,in passing over this trust1 the following condition1 among others1 was made1 namely3 ,that neither the collections nor any building which may contain the same shall ever be designated by any other name than the ,museum of ,comparative ,zoology at ,harvard4 ,this is worth noting1 because the title was chosen and insisted upon by ,agassiz himself in opposition to many who would have had it called after him4 ,to such honor as might be found in connecting his own name with a public undertaking of any kind he was absolutely indifferent4 ,it was characteristic of him to wish1 on the contrary1 that the name should be as impersonal and as comprehensive as the uses and aims of the institution itself4 ,yet he could not wholly escape the distinction he deprecated4 ,the popular imagination1 identifying him with his work1 has re-christened the institution2 and1 spite of its legal title1 its familiar designation is almost invariably the ,agassiz ,museum4 ,mr4 ,gray's legacy started a movement which became every day more active and successful4 ,the university followed up his bequest by a grant of land suitable for the site of the building1 and since the ,gray fund provided for no edifice1 an appeal was made to the ,legislature of ,massachusetts to make good that deficiency4 ,the ,legislature granted lands to the amount of one hundred thousand dollars1 on condition that a certain additional contribution should be made by private subscription4 ,the sum of seventy-one thousand one hundred and twenty-five dollars1 somewhat exceeding that stipulated1 was promptly subscribed1 chiefly by citizens of ,boston and ,cambridge1 and ,agassiz himself gave all the collections he had brought together during the last four or five years1 estimated1 merely by the outlay made upon them1 at ten thousand dollars4 ,the architects1 ,mr4 ,henry ,greenough and ,mr4 ,george ,snell1 offered the plan as their contribution4 ,the former had long been familiar with ,agassiz's views respecting the internal arrangements of the building4 ,the main features had been discussed between them1 and now1 that the opportunity offered1 the plan was practically ready for execution4 ,these events followed each other so rapidly that although ,mr4 ,gray's bequest was announced only in ,december1 #aheh1 the first sod was turned and the corner-stone of the future ,museum was laid on a sunny afternoon in the following ,june1 #ahei499 799 ,the plan1 made with reference to the future increase as well as the present needs of the ,museum1 included a main building #cfd feet in length by #fd in width1 with wings #bje feet in length by #fd in width1 the whole enclosing a hollow square4 ,the structure erected #ahei-fj was but a section of the north wing1 being two fifths of its whole length4 ,this gave ample space at the time for the immediate requirements of the ,museum4 ,additions have since been made1 and the north wing is completed1 while the ,peabody ,museum occupies a portion of the ground allotted to the south wing47 ,this event1 so full of significance for ,agassiz1 took place a few days before he sailed for ,europe1 having determined to devote the few weeks of the college and school vacation to a flying visit in ,switzerland4 ,the incidents of this visit were of a wholly domestic nature and hardly belong here4 ,he paused a few days in ,ireland and ,england to see his old friends1 the ,earl of ,enniskillen and ,sir ,philip ,egerton1 and review their collections4 ,a day or two in ,london gave him1 in like manner1 a few hours at the ,british ,museum1 a day with ,owen at ,richmond1 and an opportunity to greet old friends and colleagues called together to meet him at ,sir ,roderick ,murchison's4 ,he allowed himself also a week in ,paris1 made delightful by the cordiality and hospitality of the professors of the ,jardin des ,plantes1 and by the welcome he received at the ,academy1 when he made his appearance there4 ,the happiest hours of this brief sojourn in ,paris were perhaps spent with his old and dear friend ,valenciennes1 the associate of earlier days in ,paris1 when the presence of ,cuvier and ,humboldt gave a crowning interest to scientific work there4 ,from ,paris he hastened on to his mother in ,switzerland1 devoting to her and to his immediate family all the time which remained to him before returning to his duties in ,cambridge4 ,they were very happy weeks1 passed1 for the most part1 in absolute retirement1 at ,montagny1 near the foot of the ,jura1 where ,madame ,agassiz was then residing with her daughter4 ,the days were chiefly spent in an old-fashioned garden1 where a corner shut in by ivy and shaded by trees made a pleasant out-of-door sitting-room4 ,there he told his mother1 as he had never been able to tell her in letters1 of his life and home in the ,united ,states1 and of the ,museum to which he was returning1 and which was to give him the means of doing for the study of nature all he had ever hoped to accomplish4 ,his quiet stay here was interrupted only by a visit of a few days to his sister at ,lausanne1 and a trip to the ,diablerets1 where his brother1 then a great invalid1 was staying4 ,he also passed a day or two at ,geneva1 where he was called to a meeting of the ,helvetic ,society1 which gave him an opportunity of renewing old ties of friendship1 as well as scientific relations1 with the naturalists of his own country1 with ,pictet de la ,rive1 de ,candolle1 ,favre1 and others4 ,,chapter #ai4 #ahfj-ahfc3 ,,age #ec-ef4 ,return to ,cambridge4 ,removal of ,collection to ,new ,museum ,building4 ,distribution of ,work4 ,relations with his ,students4 ,breaking out of the ,war between ,north and ,south4 ,interest of ,agassiz in the ,preservation of the ,union4 ,commencement of ,museum ,publications4 ,reception of ,third and ,fourth ,volumes of ,contributions4 ,copley ,medal4 ,general ,correspondence4 ,lecturing ,tour in the ,west4 ,circular ,letter concerning ,anthropological ,collections4 ,letter to ,mr4 ,ticknor concerning ,geographical ,distribution of ,fishes in ,spain4 ,on his return to ,cambridge at the end of ,september1 ,agassiz found the ,museum building well advanced4 ,it was completed in the course of the next year1 and the dedication took place on the #acth ,november1 #ahfj4 ,the transfer of the collections to their new and safe abode was made as rapidly as possible1 and the work of developing the institution under these more favorable conditions moved steadily on4 ,the lecture rooms were at once opened1 not only to students but to other persons not connected with the university4 ,especially welcome were teachers of schools for whom admittance was free4 ,it was a great pleasure to ,agassiz thus to renew and strengthen his connection with the teachers of the ,state1 with whom1 from the time of his arrival in this country1 he had held most cordial relations1 attending the ,teachers' ,institutes1 visiting the normal schools1 and associating himself actively1 as far as he could1 with the interests of public education in ,massachusetts4 ,from this time forward his college lectures were open to women as well as to men4 ,he had great sympathy with the desire of women for larger and more various fields of study and work1 and a certain number of women have always been employed as assistants at the ,museum4 ,the story of the next three years was one of unceasing but seemingly uneventful work4 ,the daylight hours from nine or ten o'clock in the morning were spent1 with the exception of the hour devoted to the school1 at the ,museum1 not only in personal researches and in lecturing1 but in organizing1 distributing1 and superintending the work of the laboratories1 all of which was directed by him4 ,passing from bench to bench1 from table to table1 with a suggestion here1 a kindly but scrutinizing glance there1 he made his sympathetic presence felt by the whole establishment4 ,no man ever exercised a more genial personal influence over his students and assistants4 ,his initiatory steps in teaching special students of natural history were not a little discouraging4 ,observation and comparison being in his opinion the intellectual tools most indispensable to the naturalist1 his first lesson was one in ,,looking4 ,he gave no assistance2 he simply left his student with the specimen1 telling him to use his eyes diligently1 and report upon what he saw4 ,he returned from time to time to inquire after the beginner's progress1 but he never asked him a leading question1 never pointed out a single feature of the structure1 never prompted an inference or a conclusion4 ,this process lasted sometimes for days1 the professor requiring the pupil not only to distinguish the various parts of the animal1 but to detect also the relation of these details to more general typical features4 ,his students still retain amusing reminiscences of their despair when thus confronted with their single specimen2 no aid to be had from outside until they had wrung from it the secret of its structure4 ,but all of them have recognized the fact that this one lesson in looking1 which forced them to such careful scrutiny of the object before them1 influenced all their subsequent habits of observation1 whatever field they might choose for their special subject of study4 ,one of them who was intending to be an entomologist concludes a very clever and entertaining account of such a first lesson1 entirely devoted to a single fish1 with these words3 ,this was the best entomological lesson ,i ever had1--a lesson whose influence has extended to the details of every subsequent study2 a legacy the professor has left to me1 as he left it to many others1 of inestimable value1 which we could not buy1 with which we could not part499 799 ,in the ,laboratory with ,agassiz1 by ,s4,h4 ,scudder47 ,but if ,agassiz1 in order to develop independence and accuracy of observation1 threw his students on their own resources at first1 there was never a more generous teacher in the end than he4 ,all his intellectual capital was thrown open to his pupils4 ,his original material1 his unpublished investigations1 his most precious specimens1 his drawings and illustrations were at their command4 ,this liberality led in itself to a serviceable training1 for he taught them to use with respect the valuable1 often unique1 objects intrusted to their care4 ,out of the intellectual good-fellowship which he established and encouraged in the laboratory grew the warmest relations between his students and himself4 ,many of them were deeply attached to him1 and he was extremely dependent upon their sympathy and affection4 ,by some among them he will never be forgotten4 ,he is still their teacher and their friend1 scarcely more absent from their work now than when the glow of his enthusiasm made itself felt in his personal presence4 ,but to return to the distribution of his time in these busy days4 ,having passed1 as we have seen1 the greater part of the day in the ,museum and the school1 he had the hours of the night for writing1 and rarely left his desk before one or two o'clock in the morning1 or even later4 ,his last two volumes of the ,contributions1 upon the ,acalephs1 were completed during these years4 ,in the mean time1 the war between ,north and ,south had broken out1 and no ,american cared more than he for the preservation of the ,union and the institutions it represented4 ,he felt that the task of those who served letters and science was to hold together the intellectual aims and resources of the country during this struggle for national existence1 to fortify the strongholds of learning1 abating nothing of their efficiency1 but keeping their armories bright against the return of peace1 when the better weapons of civilization should again be in force4 ,toward this end he worked with renewed ardor1 and while his friends urged him to suspend operations at the ,museum and husband his resources until the storm should have passed over1 he1 on the contrary1 stimulated its progress by every means in his power4 ,occasionally he was assisted by the ,legislature1 and early in this period an additional grant of ten thousand dollars was made to the ,museum4 ,with this grant was begun the series of illustrated publications already mentioned1 known as the ,bulletin of the ,museum of ,comparative ,zoology in ,cambridge4 ,during this period he urged also the foundation of a ,national ,academy of ,sciences1 and was active in furthering its organization and incorporation 7#ahfc7 by ,congress4 ,with respect to this effort1 and to those he was at the same time making for the ,museum1 he was wont to recall the history of the ,university of ,berlin4 ,in an appeal to the people in behalf of the intellectual institutions of the ,united ,states during the early years of the war he says3 ,a well known fact in the history of ,germany has shown that the moment of political danger may be that in which the firmest foundations for the intellectual strength of a country may be laid4 ,when in #ahjf1 after the battle of ,jena1 the ,prussian monarchy had been crushed and the king was despairing even of the existence of his realm1 he planned the foundation of the ,university of ,berlin1 by the advice of ,fichte1 the philosopher4 ,it was inaugurated the very year that the despondent monarch returned to his capital4 ,since that time it has been the greatest glory of the ,prussian crown1 and has made ,berlin the intellectual centre of ,germany4 ,it may be added here as an evidence of ,agassiz's faith in the institutions of the ,united ,states and in her intellectual progress that he was himself naturalized in the darkest hour of the war1 when the final disruption of the country was confidently prophesied by her enemies4 ,by formally becoming a citizen of the ,united ,states he desired to attest his personal confidence in the stability of her ,constitution and the justice of her cause4 ,some light is thrown upon the work and incidents of these years by the following letters3-- ,,from ,,sir ,,philip ,,de ,,grey ,,egerton4 ,,london1 ,,albemarle ,,st41 ,april #af1 #ahfa4 ,,mon ,,cher ,,agass199 799 ,an affectionate abbreviation which ,sir ,philip often used for him47 ,i have this morning received your handsome and welcome present of the third volume of your great undertaking1 and this reminds me how remiss ,i have been in not writing to you sooner4 ,in fact1 ,i have had nothing worth writing about1 and ,i know your time is too valuable to be intrenched upon by letters of mere gossip4 ,i have not of course had time to peruse any portion of the monograph1 but ,i have turned over the pages and seen quite enough to sharpen my appetite for the glorious scientific feast you have so liberally provided4 ,and now that the weight is off your mind1 ,i hope shortly to hear that you are about to fulfill this year the promise you made of returning to ,england for a good long visit1 only postponed by circumstances you could not have foreseen4 ,now that you have your son as the sharer of your labors1 you will be able to leave him in charge during your absence1 and so divest your mind of all care and anxiety with reference to matters over the water4 ,here we are all fighting most furiously about ,celts and flint implements1 struggle for life1 natural selection1 the age of the world1 races of men1 biblical dates1 apes1 and gorillas1 etc41 and the last duel has been between ,owen and ,huxley on the anatomical distinction of the pithecoid brain compared with that of man4 ,theological controversy has also been rife1 stirred up by the ,essays and ,reviews1 of which you have no doubt heard much4 ,for myself1 ,i have been busy preparing1 in conjunction with ,huxley1 another decade of fossil fishes1 all from the old red of ,scotland4 4 4,enniskillen is quite well4 ,he is now at ,lyme ,regis4 4 4 ,at about this time the ,copley ,medal was awarded to ,agassiz1 a distinction which was the subject of cordial congratulation from his ,english friends4 ,,from ,,sir ,,roderick ,,murchison4 ,,belgrave ,,square1 ,march1 #ahfb4 ,,my ,,dear ,,agassiz1 ,your letter of the #adth ,february was a great surprise to me4 ,i blamed myself for not writing you sooner than ,i did on the event which ,i had long been anxious to see realized2 but ,i took it for granted that you had long before received the official announcement from the foreign secretary that you were1 at the last anniversary of the ,royal ,society1 the recipient of the highest honor which our body can bestow1 whether on a foreigner or a native4 4 4,on going to the ,royal ,society to-day ,i found that the ,president and ,secretaries were much surprised that you had never answered the official letter sent to you on the #ast or #bnd ,december by the ,foreign ,secretary1 ,professor ,muller1 of ,cambridge4 ,he wrote to announce the award1 and told you the ,copley ,medal was in his safe keeping till you wrote to say what you wished to have done with it4 ,i have now recommended him to transmit it officially to you through the ,united ,states ,minister1 ,mr4 ,adams4 ,in these times of irritation1 everything which soothes and calms down angry feelings ought to be resorted to2 and ,i hope it may be publicly known that when our newspapers were reciprocating all sorts of rudenesses1 the men of science of ,england thought of nothing but honoring a beloved and eminent savant of ,america4 ,i thank you for your clear and manly view of the ,north and ,south1 which ,i shall show to all our mutual friends4 ,egerton1 who is now here1 was delighted to hear of you1 as well as ,huxley1 ,lyell1 and many others4 4 4 ,in a paper just read to the ,geological ,society ,professor ,ramsay has made a stronger demand on the powers of ice than you ever did4 ,he imagines that every ,swiss lake north and south 7,geneva1 ,neuchatel1 ,como1 etc47 has been scooped out1 and the depressions excavated by the abrading action of the glaciers4 ,,from ,,sir ,,philip ,,de ,,grey ,,egerton4 ,,albemarle ,,st41 ,,london1 ,march #aa1 #ahfb4 ,,mon ,,cher ,,agass1 ,as ,i am now settled in ,london for some months1 ,i take the first opportunity of writing to congratulate you on the distinction which has been conferred upon you by the ,royal ,society1 and ,i will say that you have most fully earned it4 ,i rejoice exceedingly in the decision the ,council have arrived at4 ,i only regret ,i was not on the ,council myself to have advocated your high claims and taken a share in promoting your success4 ,it is now long since ,i have heard from you1 but this terrible disruption between the ,north and ,south has1 ,i suppose1 rendered the pursuit of science rather difficult1 and the necessary funds also difficult of attainment4 ,i should like very much to hear how you are getting on1 and whether there is any likelihood of your being able to come over in the course of the summer or autumn4 ,i fully expected you last year1 and was very much disappointed that you could not realize your intention4 ,i have this day sent to you through ,bailliere1 the last decade of the ,jermyn ,st4 publications499 799 ,publications of the ,geological ,survey of ,england47 ,you will see that ,huxley has taken up the subject of the ,devonian fishes in a truly scientific spirit4 4 4 ,,from ,,owen ,,to ,,agassiz4 ,,british ,,museum1 ,august #cj1 #ahfb4 ,,my ,,dear ,,agassiz1 ,i have received1 and since its reception have devoted most of my spare moments to the study of1 your fourth volume of the ,natural ,history of the ,united ,states1--a noble contribution to our science1 and worthy of your great name4 ,the demonstration of the unity of plan pervading the diversities of the ,polyps1 ,hydroids1 ,acalephal and ,echinodermal modifications of your truly natural group of ,radiates1 is to my mind perfect1 and ,i trust that the harsh and ugly and essentially error-breeding name of ,coelenterata may have received its final sentence of exile from lasting and rational zoological terminology4 ,i shall avail myself of opportunities for bringing myself to your recollection by such brochures as ,i have time for4 ,one of them will open to your view something of the nature of the contest here waging to obtain for ,england a suitable ,museum of ,natural ,history1 equivalent to her wealth and colonies and maritime business4 ,in this ,i find you a valuable ally1 and have cited from the ,reports of your ,museum of ,comparative ,zoology in support of my own claims for space4 ,i was glad to hear from ,mr4 ,bates that the ,megatherium had not gone to the bottom1 but had been rescued1 and that it was probably ere this in your ,museum at ,cambridge4 ,i trust it may be so4 ,a line from you or the sight of any friend of yours is always cheering to me4 ,our friends ,enniskillen and ,egerton are both well4 4 4 ,i remain ever truly yours1 ,,richard ,,owen4 ,as has been seen by a previous letter from ,sir ,roderick ,murchison1 ,agassiz tried from time to time to give his ,english friends more just views of our national struggle4 ,the letter to which the following is an answer is missing1 but one may easily infer its tenor1 and the pleasure it had given him4 ,,to ,,sir ,,philip ,,de ,,grey ,,egerton4 ,,nahant1 ,,massachusetts1 ,august #ae1 #ahfb4 4 4 4,i feel so thankful for your words of sympathy1 that ,i lose not an hour in expressing my feeling4 ,it has been agonizing week after week to receive the ,english papers1 and to see there the noble devotion of the men of the ,north to their country and its government1 branded as the service of mercenaries4 ,you know ,i am not much inclined to meddle with politics2 but ,i can tell you that ,i have never seen a more generous and prompt response to the call of country than was exhibited last year1 and is exhibiting now1 in the loyal ,united ,states4 ,in the last six weeks nearly #cjj1jjj men have volunteered1 and ,i am satisfied that the additional #cjj1jjj will be forthcoming without a draft in the course of the next month4 ,and believe me1 it is not for the sake of the bounty they come forward1 for our best young men are the first to enlist2 if anything can be objected to these large numbers of soldiers1 it is that it takes away the best material that the land possesses4 ,i thank you once more for your warm sympathy4 ,i needed it the more1 as it is almost the first friendly word of that kind ,i have received from ,england1 and ,i began to question the humanity of your civilization4 4 4,under present circumstances1 you can well imagine that ,i cannot think of leaving ,cambridge1 even for a few weeks1 much as ,i wish to take some rest1 and especially to meet your kind invitation4 ,but ,i feel that ,i have a debt to pay to my adopted country1 and all ,i can now do is to contribute my share toward maintaining the scientific activity which has been awakened during the last few years1 and which even at this moment is on the increase4 ,i am now at ,nahant1 on the sea-shore1 studying embryology chiefly with reference to paleontology1 and the results are most satisfactory4 ,i have had an opportunity already of tracing the development of the representatives of three different families1 upon the embryology of which we had not a single observation thus far1 and of making myself familiar with the growth of many others4 ,with these accessions ,i propose next winter seriously to return to my first scientific love4 4 4 ,i have taken with me to the sea-shore your and ,huxley's ,contributions to the ,devonian ,fishes1 and also your notice of ,carboniferous fish-fauna2 but ,i have not yet had a chance to study them critically1 from want of time1 having been too successful with the living specimens to have a moment for the fossils4 ,the season for sea-shore studies is1 however1 drawing rapidly to an end1 and then ,i shall have more leisure for my old favorites4 ,i am very sorry to hear such accounts of the sufferings of the manufacturing districts in ,england4 ,i wish ,i could foretell the end of our conflict2 but ,i do not believe it can now be ended before slavery is abolished1 though ,i thought differently six months ago4 ,the most conservative men at the ,north have gradually come to this conviction1 and nobody would listen for a moment to a compromise with the southern slave power4 ,whether we shall get rid of it by war measures or by an emancipation proclamation1 ,i suppose the ,president himself does not yet know4 ,i do not think that we shall want more money than the people are willing to give4 ,private contributions for the comfort of the army are really unbounded4 ,i know a gentleman1 not among the richest in ,boston1 who has already contributed over #cj1jjj dollars2 and ,i heard yesterday of a shop-boy who tendered all his earnings of many years to the relief committee1--#b1jjj dollars1 retaining ,,nothing for himself1--and so it goes all round4 ,of course we have croakers and despondent people1 but they no longer dare to raise their voices2 from which ,i infer that there is no stopping the storm until by the natural course of events the atmosphere is clear and pure again4 ,ever truly your friend1 ,,louis ,,agassiz4 ,agassiz had now his time more at his own disposal since he had given up his school and had completed also the fourth volume of his ,contributions4 ,leisure time he could never be said to have1 but he was free to give all his spare time and strength to the ,museum1 and to this undivided aim1 directly or indirectly1 the remainder of his life was devoted4 ,although at intervals he received generous aid from the ,legislature or from private individuals for the further development of the ,museum1 its growth outran such provision1 and especially during the years of the war the problem of meeting expenses was often difficult of solution4 ,to provide for such a contingency ,agassiz made in the winter of #ahfc the most extensive lecturing tour he had ever undertaken1 even in his busiest lecturing days4 ,he visited all the large cities and some of the smaller towns from ,buffalo to ,st4 ,louis4 ,while very remunerative1 and in many respects delightful1 since he was received with the greatest cordiality1 and lectured everywhere to enthusiastic crowds1 this enterprise was1 nevertheless1 of doubtful economy even for his scientific aims4 ,agassiz was but fifty-six1 yet his fine constitution began to show a fatigue hardly justified by his years1 and the state of his health was already a source of serious anxiety to his friends4 ,he returned much exhausted1 and passed the summer at ,nahant1 where the climate always benefited him1 while his laboratory afforded the best conditions for work4 ,if this summer home had a fault1 it was its want of remoteness4 ,he was almost as much beset there1 by the interruptions to which a man in his position is liable1 as in ,cambridge4 ,his letters show how constantly during this nominal vacation his ,museum and its interests occupied his thoughts4 ,one is to his brother-in-law1 ,thomas ,g4 ,cary1 whose residence was in ,san ,francisco1 and who had been for years his most efficient aid in obtaining collections from the ,pacific ,coast4 ,,to ,,mr4 ,,thomas ,g4 ,,cary4 ,,cambridge1 ,march #bc1 #ahfc4 ,,dear ,,tom1 ,for many years past your aid in fostering the plans of the ,museum in ,cambridge has greatly facilitated the progress of that establishment in everything relating to the ,natural ,history of ,california1 and now that it has become desirable to extend our scheme to objects which have thus far been neglected ,i make another appeal to you4 ,every day the history of mankind is brought into more and more intimate connection with the natural history of the animal creation1 and it is now indispensable that we should organize an extensive collection to illustrate the natural history of the uncivilized races4 ,your personal acquaintance with business friends in almost every part of the globe has suggested to me the propriety of addressing to you a circular letter1 setting forth the objects wanted1 and requesting of you the favor to communicate it as widely as possible among your friends4 ,to make the most instructive collections relative to the natural history of mankind1 two classes of specimens should be brought together1 one concerning the habits and pursuits of the races1 the other concerning the physical constitution of the races themselves4 ,with reference to the first it would be desirable to collect articles of clothing and ornaments of all the races of men1 their implements1 tools1 weapons1 and such models or drawings of their dwellings as may give an idea of their construction2 small canoes and oars as models of their vessels1 or indications of their progress in navigation2 in one word1 everything that relates to their avocations1 their pursuits1 their habits1 their mode of worship1 and whatever may indicate the dawn or progress of the arts among them4 ,as to articles of clothing1 it would be preferable to select such specimens as have actually been worn or even cast off1 rather than new things which may be more or less fanciful and not indicate the real natural condition and habits of a race4 ,with regard to the collections intended to illustrate the physical constitution of the races it is more difficult to obtain instructive specimens1 as the savage races are generally inclined to hold sacred all that relates to their dead2 yet whenever an opportunity is afforded to obtain skulls of the natives of different parts of the world1 it should be industriously improved1 and good care taken to mark the skulls in such a way that their origin cannot be mistaken4 ,beside this1 every possible effort should be made to obtain perfect heads1 preserved in alcohol1 so that all their features may be studied minutely and compared4 ,where this cannot be done portraits or photographs may be substituted4 ,trusting that you may help me in this way to bring together in ,cambridge a more complete collection1 illustrative of the natural history of mankind than exists thus far anywhere199 799 ,all the ethnographical collections of the ,museum of ,comparative ,zoology have now been transferred to the ,peabody ,museum1 where they more properly belong47 ,i remain1 ever truly your friend and brother1 ,,louis ,,agassiz4 ,the following letter to ,mr4 ,ticknor is in the same spirit as previous ones to ,mr4 ,haldeman and others1 concerning the distribution of fishes in ,america4 ,it is given at the risk of some repetition1 because it illustrates ,agassiz's favorite idea that a key to the original combination of faunae in any given system of fresh waters1 might be reached through a closer study than has yet been possible of the geographical or local circumscription of their inhabitants4 ,,to ,,mr4 ,,george ,,ticknor4 ,,nahant1 ,october #bd1 #ahfc4 ,,my ,,dear ,,sir1 ,among the schemes which ,i have devised for the improvement of the ,museum1 there is one for the realization of which ,i appeal to your aid and sympathy4 ,thus far the natural productions of the rivers and lakes of the world have not been compared with one another1 except what ,i have done in comparing the fishes of the ,danube with those of the ,rhine and of the ,rhone1 and those of the great ,canadian lakes with those of the ,swiss lakes4 ,i now propose to resume this subject on the most extensive scale1 since ,i see that it has the most direct bearing upon the transmutation theory4 4 4,first let me submit to you my plan4 ,rivers and lakes are isolated by the land and sea from one another4 ,the question is1 then1 how they came to be peopled with inhabitants differing both from those on land and those in the sea1 and how does it come that every hydrographic basin has its own inhabitants more or less different from those of any other basin8 ,take the ,ganges1 the ,nile1 and the ,amazons4 ,there is not a living being in the one alike to any one in the others1 etc4 ,now to advance the investigation to the point where it may tell with reference to the scientific doctrines at present under discussion1 it is essential to know the facts in detail1 with reference to every fresh-water basin on earth4 ,i have already taken means to obtain the tenants of all the rivers of ,brazil1 and partly of ,russia1 and ,i hope you may be able to put me in the way of getting those of ,spain1 if not of some other country beside4 ,the plan ,i propose for that country would be worthy of the ,doctors of ,salamanca in her brightest days4 ,if this alone were carried out1 it would be1 ,i believe1 sufficient to settle the whole question4 ,my idea is to obtain separate collections from all the principal rivers of ,spain and ,portugal1 and even to have several separate collections from the larger rivers1 one from their lower course1 one from their middle course1 and another from their head-waters4 ,take1 for instance1 the ,douro4 ,one collection ought to be made at ,oporto1 and several higher up1 among its various tributaries and in its upper course2 say1 one at ,zamora and ,valladolid1 one at ,salamanca from the ,tormes ,river1 one at ,leon from the ,esla ,river1 one at ,burgos and ,palencia from the northern tributaries1 one at ,soria and ,segovia from the southern tributaries4 ,if this could be done on such a scale as ,i propose1 it would in itself be a work worthy of the ,spanish government1 and most creditable to any man who should undertake it4 ,the fact is that nothing of the kind has ever been done yet anywhere4 ,a single collection from the ,minho would be sufficient1 say from ,orense or ,melgaco4 ,from the northern rivers along the gulf of ,biscay all that would be necessary would be one thoroughly complete collection from one of the little rivers that come down from the mountains of ,asturias1 say from ,oviedo4 ,the ,ebro would require a more elaborate survey4 ,from its upper course1 one collection would be needed from ,haro or ,frias or ,miranda2 another from ,saragossa1 and one from its mouth1 including the minnows common among the brackish waters near the mouth of large rivers4 ,in addition to this1 one or two of the tributaries of the ,ebro1 coming down from the ,pyrenees1 should be explored in the same manner2 say one collection from ,pampeluna1 and one from ,urgel1 or any other place on the southern slope of the ,pyrenees4 ,a collection made at ,barcelona from the river and the brackish marshes would be equally desirable2 another from the river at ,valencia1 and1 if possible1 also from its head-waters at ,ternel2 another from the river ,segura at ,murcia1 and somewhere in the mountains from its head-waters4 ,granada would afford particular interest as showing what its mountain streams feed4 ,a collection from the ,almeria ,river at ,almeria1 or from any of the small rivers of the southern coast of ,spain1 would do2 and it would be the more interesting if another from the river ,xenil could be obtained at or near ,granada1 to compare with the inhabitants of the waters upon the southern slope of the ,sierra ,nevada4 ,next would come the ,guadalquivir1 from which a collection should be made at ,san ,lucar1 with the brackish water species2 another at ,seville or ,cordova1 one among the head-waters from the ,sierra ,nevada1 and another from the mountains of the ,mancha4 ,from the ,guadiana a collection from ,villa ,real1 with the brackish species2 one from ,badajoz1 and one from the easternmost headwaters1 and about where the river is lost under ground4 ,the ,tagus would again require an extensive exploration4 ,in the first place a thorough collection of all the species found in the great estuary ought to be made with the view of ascertaining how far marine ,atlantic species penetrate into the river basin2 then one from ,santarem1 and another either from ,talavera or ,toledo or ,aranjuez1 and one from the head-waters in ,guadalaxara1 and another in ,molina4 ,the collections made at different stations ought carefully to be kept in distinct jars or kegs1 with labels so secure that no confusion or mistake can arise4 ,but the specimens collected at the same station may be put together in the same jar4 ,these collections require1 in fact1 very little care4 7,here some details about mode of putting up specimens1 transportation1 etc47 ,if the same person should collect upon different stations1 either in the same or in different hydrographic basins1 the similarity of the specimens should not be a reason for neglecting to preserve them4 ,what is aimed at is not to secure a variety of species1 but to learn in what localities the same species may occur again and again1 and what are the localities which nourish different species1 no matter whether these species are in themselves interesting or not1 new to science or known for ages1 whether valuable for the table or unfit to eat4 ,the mere fact of their distribution is the point to be ascertained1 and this1 as you see1 requires the most extensive collections1 affording in themselves comparatively little interest1 but likely to lead1 by a proper discussion of the facts1 to the most unexpected philosophical results4 4 4,do1 please1 what you can in this matter4 ,spain alone might give us the materials to solve the question of transmutation versus creation4 ,i am going to make a similar appeal to my friends in ,russia for materials from that country1 including ,siberia and ,kamschatka4 ,our own rivers are not easily accessible now4 ,ever truly your friend1 ,l4 ,,agassiz4 ,,chapter #bj4 #ahfc-ahfd3 ,,age #ef-eg4 ,correspondence with ,dr4 ,s4,g4 ,howe4 ,bearing of the ,war on the ,position of the ,negro ,race4 ,affection for ,harvard ,college4 ,interest in her ,general ,progress4 ,correspondence with ,emerson concerning ,harvard4 ,glacial ,phenomena in ,maine4 ,,agassiz',s letters give little idea of the deep interest he felt in the war between ,north and ,south1 and its probable issue with reference to the general policy of the nation1 and especially to the relation between the black and white races4 ,although any judgment upon the accuracy of its conclusions would now be premature1 the following correspondence between ,agassiz and ,dr4 ,s4 ,g4 ,howe is nevertheless worth considering1 as showing how the problem presented itself to the philanthropist and the naturalist from their different stand-points4 ,,from ,,dr4 ,s4,g4 ,,howe4 ,,portsmouth1 ,august #c1 #ahfc4 ,,my ,,dear ,,agassiz1 ,you will learn by a glance at the inclosed circular the object of the commission of which ,i am a member4 ,the more ,i consider the subject to be examined and reported upon1 the more ,i am impressed by its vastness2 the more ,i see that its proper treatment requires a consideration of political1 physiological1 and ethnological principles4 ,before deciding upon any political policy1 it is necessary to decide several important questions1 which require more knowledge for their solution than ,i possess4 ,among these questions1 this one occupies me most now4 ,is it probable that the ,african race1 represented by less than two million blacks and a little more than two million mulattoes1 unrecruited by immigration1 will be a persistent race in this country8 or will it be absorbed1 diluted1 and finally effaced by the white race1 numbering twenty-four millions1 and continually increased by immigration1 beside natural causes4 ,will not the general practical amalgamation fostered by slavery become more general after its abolition8 ,if so1 will not the proportion of mulattoes become greater and that of the pure blacks less8 ,with an increase and final numerical prevalence of mulattoes the question of the fertility of the latter becomes a very important element in the calculation4 ,can it be a persistent race here where pure blacks are represented by #b1 and the whites by #bj-bd8 ,is it not true that in the ,northern ,states at least the mulatto is unfertile1 leaving but few children1 and those mainly lymphatic and scrofulous8 ,in those sections where the blacks and mulattoes together make from seventy to eighty and even ninety per cent of the whole population will there be1 after the abolition of slavery1 a sufficiently large influx of whites to counteract the present numerical preponderance of blacks8 ,it looks now as if the whites would ,,exploiter the labors of the blacks1 and that social servitude will continue long in spite of political equality4 ,you will see the importance of considering carefully the natural laws of increase and their modification by existing causes before deciding upon any line of policy4 ,if there be irresistible natural tendencies to the growth of a persistent black race in the ,gulf and river ,states1 we must not make bad worse by futile attempts to resist it4 ,if1 on the other hand1 the natural tendencies are to the diffusion and final disappearance of the black 7and colored7 race1 then our policy should be modified accordingly4 ,i should be very glad1 my dear sir1 if you could give me your views upon this and cognate matters4 ,if1 however1 your occupations will not permit you to give time to this matter1 perhaps you will assist me by pointing to works calculated to throw light upon the subject of my inquiry1 or by putting me in correspondence with persons who have the ability and the leisure to write about it4 ,i remain1 dear sir1 faithfully1 ,,samuel ,g4 ,,howe4 ,,to ,,dr4 ,s4,g4 ,,howe4 ,,nahant1 ,august #i1 #ahfc4 ,,my ,,dear ,,doctor1 ,when ,i acknowledged a few days ago the receipt of your invitation to put in writing my views upon the management of the negro race as part of the free population of the ,united ,states1 ,i stated to you that there was a preliminary question of the utmost importance to be examined first1 since whatever convictions may be formed upon that point must necessarily influence everything else relating to the subject4 ,the question is simply this3 ,is there to be a permanent black population upon the continent after slavery is everywhere abolished and no inducement remains to foster its increase8 ,should this question be answered in the negative1 it is evident that a wise policy would look to the best mode of removing that race from these ,states1 by the encouragement and acceleration of emigration4 ,should the question be answered1 on the contrary1 in the affirmative1 then it is plain that we have before us one of the most difficult problems1 upon the solution of which the welfare of our own race may in a measure depend1 namely1 the combination in one social organization of two races more widely different from one another than all the other races4 ,in effecting this combination it becomes our duty to avoid the recurrence of great evils1 one of which is already foreshadowed in the advantage which unscrupulous managers are taking of the freedmen1 whenever the latter are brought into contact with new social relations4 ,i will1 for the present1 consider only the case of the unmixed negroes of the ,southern ,states1 the number of which ,i suppose to be about two millions4 ,it is certainly not less1--it may be a little more4 ,from whatever point of view you look upon these people you must come to the conclusion that1 left to themselves1 they will perpetuate their race ad infinitum where they are4 ,according to the prevalent theory of the unity of mankind it is assumed that the different races have become what they are in consequence of their settlement in different parts of the world1 and that the whole globe is everywhere a fit abode for human beings who adapt themselves to the conditions under which they live4 ,according to the theory of a multiple origin of mankind the different races have first appeared in various parts of the globe1 each with the peculiarities best suited to their primitive home4 ,aside from these theoretical views the fact is1 that some races inhabit very extensive tracts of the earth's surface1 and are now found upon separate continents1 while others are very limited in their range4 ,this distribution is such that there is no reason for supposing that the negro is less fitted permanently to occupy at least the warmer parts of ,north and ,south ,america1 than is the white race to retain possession of their more temperate portions4 ,assuming our pure black race to be only two millions1 it is yet larger than the whole number of several races that have held uninterrupted possession of different parts of the globe ever since they have been known to the white race4 ,thus the ,hottentots and the ,abyssinians have maintained themselves in their respective homes without change ever since their existence has been known to us1 even though their number is less than that of our pure black population4 ,the same1 also1 is the case with the population of ,australia and of the ,pacific islands4 ,the ,papuan race1 the ,negrillo race1 the ,australian race proper1 distinct from one another1 as well as from all other inhabitants of the earth1 number each fewer inhabitants than already exist of the negro race in the ,united ,states alone1 not to speak of ,central and ,south ,america4 ,this being the case there is1 it seems to me1 no more reason to expect a disappearance of the negro race from the continent of ,america without violent interference1 than to expect a disappearance of the races inhabiting respectively the ,south ,sea ,islands1 ,australia1 the ,cape of ,good ,hope1 or any other part of the globe tenanted by the less populous races4 ,the case of the ,american ,indians1 who gradually disappear before the white race1 should not mislead us1 as it is readily accounted for by the peculiar character of that race4 ,the negro exhibits by nature a pliability1 a readiness to accommodate himself to circumstances1 a proneness to imitate those among whom he lives1--characteristics which are entirely foreign to the ,indian1 while they facilitate in every way the increase of the negro4 ,i infer1 therefore1 from all these circumstances that the negro race must be considered as permanently settled upon this continent1 no less firmly than the white race1 and that it is our duty to look upon them as co-tenants in the possession of this part of the world4 ,remember that ,i have thus far presented the case only with reference to the ,southern ,states1 where the climate is particularly favorable to the maintenance and multiplication of the negro race4 ,before drawing any inference1 however1 from my first assertion that the negro will easily and without foreign assistance maintain himself and multiply in the warmer parts of this continent1 let us consider a few other features of this momentous question of race4 ,whites and blacks may multiply together1 but their offspring is never either white or black2 it is always mulatto4 ,it is a half-breed1 and shares all the peculiarities of half-breeds1 among whose most important characteristics is their sterility1 or at least their reduced fecundity4 ,this shows the connection to be contrary to the normal state of the races1 as it is contrary to the preservation of species in the animal kingdom4 4 4,far from presenting to me a natural solution of our difficulties1 the idea of amalgamation is most repugnant to my feelings4 ,it is now the foundation of some of the most ill-advised schemes4 ,but wherever it is practiced1 amalgamation among different races produces shades of population1 the social position of which can never be regular and settled4 ,from a physiological point of view1 it is sound policy to put every possible obstacle to the crossing of the races1 and the increase of half-breeds4 ,it is unnatural1 as shown by their very constitution1 their sickly physique1 and their impaired fecundity4 ,it is immoral and destructive of social equality as it creates unnatural relations and multiplies the differences among members of the same community in a wrong direction4 ,from all this it is plain that the policy to be adopted toward the miscellaneous colored population with reference to a more or less distant future should be totally different from that which applies to the pure black2 for while ,i believe that a wise social economy will foster the progress of every pure race1 according to its natural dispositions and abilities1 and aim at securing for it a proper field for the fullest development of all its capabilities1 ,i am convinced also that no efforts should be spared to check that which is inconsistent with the progress of a higher civilization and a purer morality4 ,i hope and trust that as soon as the condition of the negro in the warmer parts of our ,states has been regulated according to the laws of freedom1 the colored population in the more northern parts of the country will diminish4 ,by a natural consequence of unconquerable affinities1 the colored people in whom the negro nature prevails will tend toward the ,south1 while the weaker and lighter ones will remain and die out among us4 ,entertaining these views upon the fundamental questions concerning the races1 the next point for consideration is the policy to be adopted under present circumstances1 in order to increase the amount of good which is within our grasp and lessen the evil which we may avert4 ,this will be for another letter4 ,very truly yours1 ,,louis ,,agassiz4 ,,from ,,the ,,same ,,to ,,the ,,same4 ,august #aj1 #ahfc4 ,,my ,,dear ,,doctor1 ,i am so deeply impressed with the dangers awaiting the progress of civilization1 should the ideas now generally prevalent about amalgamation gain sufficient ascendancy to exert a practical influence upon the management of the affairs of the nation1 that ,i beg leave to urge a few more considerations upon that point4 ,in the first place let me insist upon the fact that the population arising from the amalgamation of two races is always degenerate1 that it loses the excellences of both primitive stocks to retain the vices or defects of both1 and never to enjoy the physical vigor of either4 ,in order clearly to appreciate the tendencies of amalgamation1 it is indispensable to discriminate correctly between the differences distinguishing one race from another and those existing between different nationalities of the same race4 ,for while the mixture of nationalities of the same race has always proved beneficial as far as we are taught by history1 the mixture of races has produced a very different result4 ,we need only look at the inhabitants of ,central ,america1 where the white1 the negro1 and the ,indian races are more or less blended1 to see the baneful effects of such an amalgamation4 ,the condition of the ,indians on the borders of civilization in the ,united ,states and in ,canada1 in their contact with the ,anglo-,saxons as well as with the ,french1 testifies equally to the pernicious influence of amalgamation of races4 ,the experience of the ,old ,world points in the same direction at the ,cape of ,good ,hope1 in ,australia2 everywhere1 in fact1 history speaks as loudly in favor of the mixture of clearly related nations as she does in condemnation of the amalgamation of remote races4 ,we need only think of the origin of the ,english nation1 of that of the ,united ,states1 etc4 ,the question of breeding in-and-in1 that of marriage among close relations1 is again quite distinct4 ,in fact1 there is hardly a more complicated subject in physiology1 or one requiring nicer discriminations1 than that of the multiplication of man1 and yet it is constantly acted upon as if it needed no special knowledge4 ,i beseech you1 therefore1 while you are in a position to exert a leading influence in the councils of the nation upon this most important subject to allow no preconceived view1 no favorite schemes1 no immediate object1 to bias your judgment and mislead you4 ,i do not pretend to be in possession of absolute truth4 ,i only urge upon you the consideration of unquestionable facts before you form a final opinion and decide upon a fixed policy4 ,conceive for a moment the difference it would make in future ages for the prospects of republican institutions1 and our civilization generally1 if instead of the manly population descended from cognate nations the ,united ,states should be inhabited by the effeminate progeny of mixed races1 half ,indian1 half negro1 sprinkled with white blood4 ,can you devise a scheme to rescue the ,spaniards of ,mexico from their degradation8 ,beware1 then1 of any policy which may bring our own race to their level4 ,these considerations lead me naturally to the inquiry into the peculiarities of the two races1 in order to find out what may be most beneficial for each4 ,i rejoice in the prospect of universal emancipation1 not only from a philanthropic point of view1 but also because hereafter the physiologist and ethnographer may discuss the question of the races and advocate a discriminating policy regarding them1 without seeming to support legal inequality4 ,there is no more one-sided doctrine concerning human nature than the idea that all men are equal1 in the sense of being equally capable of fostering human progress and advancing civilization1 especially in the various spheres of intellectual and moral activity4 ,if this be so1 then it is one of our primary obligations to remove every obstacle that may retard the highest development1 while it is equally our duty to promote the humblest aspirations that may contribute to raise the lowest individual to a better condition in life4 ,the question is1 then1 what kind of common treatment is likely to be the best for all men1 and what do the different races1 taken singly1 require for themselves8 ,that legal equality should be the common boon of humanity can hardly be matter for doubt nowadays1 but it does not follow that social equality is a necessary complement of legal equality4 ,i say purposely legal equality1 and not political equality1 because political equality involves an equal right to every public station in life1 and ,i trust we shall be wise enough not to complicate at once our whole system with new conflicting interests1 before we have ascertained what may be the practical working of universal freedom and legal equality for two races1 so different as the whites and negroes1 living under one government4 ,we ought to remember that what we know of the negro1 from the experience we have had of the colored population of the ,north1 affords but a very inadequate standard by which to judge of the capabilities of the pure blacks as they exist in the ,south4 ,we ought1 further1 to remember that the black population is likely at all times to outnumber the white in the ,southern ,states4 ,we should therefore beware how we give to the blacks rights1 by virtue of which they may endanger the progress of the whites before their temper has been tested by a prolonged experience4 ,social equality ,i deem at all times impracticable1--a natural impossibility1 from the very character of the negro race4 ,let us consider for a moment the natural endowments of the negro race as they are manifested in history on their native continent1 as far as we can trace them back1 and compare the result with what we know of our own destinies1 in order to ascertain1 within the limits of probability1 whether social equality with the negro is really an impossibility4 ,we know of the existence of the negro race1 with all its physical peculiarities1 from the ,egyptian monuments1 several thousand years before the ,christian era4 ,upon these monuments the negroes are so represented as to show that in natural propensities and mental abilities they were pretty much what we find them at the present day1--indolent1 playful1 sensual1 imitative1 subservient1 good-natured1 versatile1 unsteady in their purpose1 devoted and affectionate4 ,from this picture ,i exclude the character of the half-breeds1 who have1 more or less1 the character of their white parents4 ,originally found in ,africa1 the negroes seem at all times to have presented the same characteristics wherever they have been brought into contact with the white race2 as in ,upper ,egypt1 along the borders of the ,carthaginian and ,roman settlements in ,africa1 in ,senegal in juxtaposition with the ,french1 in ,congo in juxtaposition with the ,portuguese1 about the ,cape and on the eastern coast of ,africa in juxtaposition with the ,dutch and the ,english4 ,while ,egypt and ,carthage grew into powerful empires and attained a high degree of civilization2 while in ,babylon1 ,syria1 and ,greece were developed the highest culture of antiquity1 the negro race groped in barbarism and ,,never ,,originated ,a ,,regular ,,organization ,,among ,,themselves4 ,this is important to keep in mind1 and to urge upon the attention of those who ascribe the condition of the modern negro wholly to the influence of slavery4 ,i do not mean to say that slavery is a necessary condition for the organization of the negro race4 ,far from it4 ,they are entitled to their freedom1 to the regulation of their own destiny1 to the enjoyment of their life1 of their earnings1 of their family circle4 ,but with all this nowhere do they appear to have been capable of rising1 by themselves1 to the level of the civilized communities of the whites1 and therefore ,i hold that they are incapable of living on a footing of social equality with the whites in one and the same community without becoming an element of social disorder499 799 ,i fear the expression social equality may be misunderstood in this connection4 ,it means here only the relations which would arise from the mixture of the two races1 and thus affect the organization of society as a whole4 ,it does not refer to any superficial or local social rules1 such as sharing on common ground public conveyances1 public accommodations1 and the like4--,,ed47 ,i am not prepared to state what political privileges they are fit to enjoy now2 though ,i have no hesitation in saying that they should be equal to other men before the law4 ,the right of owning property1 of bearing witness1 of entering into contracts1 of buying and selling1 of choosing their own domicile1 would give them ample opportunity of showing in a comparatively short time what political rights might properly and safely be granted to them in successive installments4 ,no man has a right to what he is unfit to use4 ,our own best rights have been acquired successively4 ,i cannot1 therefore1 think it just or safe to grant at once to the negro all the privileges which we ourselves have acquired by long struggles4 ,history teaches us what terrible reactions have followed too extensive and too rapid changes4 ,let us beware of granting too much to the negro race in the beginning1 lest it become necessary hereafter to deprive them of some of the privileges which they may use to their own and our detriment4 ,all this ,i urge with reference to the pure blacks of the ,south4 ,as to the half-breeds1 especially in the ,northern ,states1 ,i have already stated it to be my opinion that their very existence is likely to be only transient1 and that all legislation with reference to them should be regulated with this view1 and so ordained as to accelerate their disappearance from the ,northern ,states4 ,let me now sum up my answer to some of your direct questions4 #ast4 ,is it probable that the ,african race will be a persistent race in this country1 or will it be absorbed1 diluted1 and finally effaced by the white race8 ,i believe it will continue in the ,southern ,states1 and ,i hope it may gradually die out at the ,north1 where it has only an artificial foothold1 being chiefly represented by half-breeds1 who do not constitute a race by themselves4 #bnd4 ,will not the practical amalgamation fostered by slavery become more general after its abolition8 ,being the result of the vices engendered by slavery1 it is to be hoped that the emancipation of the blacks1 by securing to them a legal recognition of their natural ties1 will tend to diminish this unnatural amalgamation and lessen everywhere the number of these unfortunate half-breeds4 ,my reason for believing that the colored population of the ,north will gradually vanish is founded in great degree upon the fact that that population does not increase where it exists now1 but is constantly recruited by an influx from the ,south4 ,the southern half-breeds feel their false position at the ,south more keenly than the blacks1 and are more inclined to escape to the ,north than the individuals of purer black blood4 ,remove the oppression under which the colored population now suffers1 and the current will at once be reversed2 blacks and mulattoes of the ,north will seek the sunny ,south4 ,but ,i see no cause which should check the increase of the black population in the ,southern ,states4 ,the climate is genial to them2 the soil rewards the slightest labor with a rich harvest4 ,the country cannot well be cultivated without real or fancied danger to the white man1 who1 therefore1 will not probably compete with the black in the labors of the field1 thus leaving to him an opportunity for easy and desirable support4 #crd4 ,in those sections where the blacks and mulattoes together make from seventy to eighty and even ninety per cent of the population will there be1 after the abolition of slavery1 a sufficiently large influx of whites to counteract the present numerical preponderance of blacks8 ,to answer this question correctly we must take into consideration the mode of distribution of the white and of the colored population in the more ,southern ,states4 ,the whites inhabit invariably the sea-shores and the more elevated grounds1 while the blacks are scattered over the lowlands4 ,this peculiar localization is rendered necessary by the physical constitution of the country4 ,the lowlands are not habitable in summer by the whites between sunset and sunrise4 ,all the wealthy whites1 and in the less healthy regions even the overseers1 repair in the evening to the sea-shore or to the woodlands1 and return only in the morning to the plantation1 except during the winter months1 after the first hard frost1 when the country is everywhere habitable by all4 ,this necessarily limits the area which can be tenanted by the whites1 and in some ,states that area is very small as compared with that habitable by the blacks4 ,it is therefore clear that with a free black population1 enjoying identical rights with the whites1 these ,states will sooner or later become negro ,states1 with a comparatively small white population4 ,this is inevitable2 we might as soon expect to change the laws of nature as to avert this result4 ,i believe it may in a certain sense work well in the end4 ,but any policy based upon different expectations is doomed to disappointment4 #dth4 ,how to prevent the whites from securing the lion's share of the labor of the blacks8 ,this is a question which my want of familiarity with the operations of the laboring classes prevents me from answering in a manner satisfactory to myself4 ,is it not possible to apply to the superintendence of the working negroes something like the system which regulates the duties of the foreman in all our manufacturing establishments8 ,i should like to go on and attempt to devise some scheme in conformity with the convictions ,i have expressed in these letters4 ,but ,i have little ability in the way of organizing1 and then the subject is so novel that ,i am not prepared to propose anything very definite4 ,ever truly yours1 ,,louis ,,agassiz4 ,,from ,,dr4 ,s4,g4 ,,howe4 ,,new ,,york1 ,august #ah1 #ahfc4 ,,my ,,dear ,,agassiz1 ,i cannot refrain from expressing my thanks for your prompt compliance with my request1 and for your two valuable letters4 ,be assured ,i shall try to keep my mind open to conviction and to forbear forming any theory before observing a wide circle of facts4 ,i do not know how you got the idea that ,i had decided in favor of anything about the future of the colored population4 ,i have corresponded with the founders of ,la ,societe ,cosmopolite pour la fusion des races humaines in ,france1--an amalgamation society1 founded upon the theory that the perfect man is to be the result of the fusion of all the races upon earth4 ,i have not1 however1 the honor of being a member thereof4 ,indeed1 ,i think it hardly exists4 ,i hear1 too1 that several of our prominent anti-slavery gentlemen1 worthy of respect for their zeal and ability1 have publicly advocated the doctrines of amalgamation2 but ,i do not know upon what grounds4 ,i do1 indeed1 hold that in this1 as in other matters1 we are to do the manifest right1 regardless of consequences4 ,if you ask me who is to decide what is the manifest right1 ,i answer1 that in morals1 as well as in mathematics1 there are certain truths so simple as to be admitted at sight as axioms by every one of common intelligence and honesty4 ,the right to life is as clear as that two and two make four1 and none dispute it4 ,the right to liberty and to ownership of property fairly earned is just as clear to the enlightened mind as that #e x #f #cj2 but the less enlightened may require to reflect about it1 just as they may want concrete signs to show that five times six do really make thirty4 ,as we ascend in numbers and in morals1 the intuitive perceptions become less and less2 and though the truths are there1 and ought to be admitted as axiomatic1 they are not at once seen and felt by ordinary minds4 ,now so far as the rights of blacks and the duties of whites are manifest to common and honest minds1 so far would ,i admit the first and perform the second1 though the heavens fall4 ,i would not only advocate entire freedom1 equal rights and privileges1 and open competition for social distinction1 but what now seems to me the shocking and downward policy of amalgamation4 ,but the heavens are not going to fall1 and we are not going to be called upon to favor any policy discordant with natural instincts and cultivated tastes4 ,a case may be supposed in which the higher race ought to submit to the sad fate of dilution and debasement of its blood1--as on an island1 and where long continued wrong and suffering had to be atoned for4 ,but this is hardly conceivable1 because1 even in what seems punishment and atonement1 the law of harmonious development still rules4 ,god does not punish wrong and violence done to one part of our nature1 by requiring us to do wrong and violence to another part4 ,even ,nemesis wields rather a guiding-rod than a scourge4 ,we need take no step backward1 but only aside1 to get sooner into the right path4 ,slavery has acted as a disturbing force in the development of our national character and produced monstrous deformities of a bodily as well as moral nature1 for it has impaired the purity and lowered the quality of the national blood4 ,it imported ,africans1 and1 to prevent their extinction by competition with a more vigorous race1 it set a high premium on colored blood4 ,it has fostered and multiplied a vigorous black race1 and engendered a feeble mulatto breed4 ,many of each of these classes have drifted northward1 right in the teeth of thermal laws1 to find homes where they would never live by natural election4 ,now1 by utterly rooting out slavery1 and by that means alone1 shall we remove these disturbing forces and allow fair play to natural laws1 by the operation of which1 it seems to me1 the colored population will disappear from the ,northern and ,middle ,states1 if not from the continent1 before the more vigorous and prolific white race4 ,it will be the duty of the statesman to favor1 by wise measures1 the operation of these laws and the purification and elevation of the national blood4 ,in the way of this is the existence of the colored population of the ,northern and ,middle ,states4 ,now1 while we should grant to every human being all the rights we claim for ourselves1 and bear in mind the cases of individual excellence of colored people1 we must1 ,i think1 admit that mulattoism is hybridism1 and that it is unnatural and undesirable4 ,it has been brought to its present formidable proportions by several causes1--mainly by slavery4 ,its evils are to be met and lessened as far as may be1 by wise statesmanship and by enlightenment of public opinion4 ,these may do much4 ,some proclaim amalgamation as the remedy1 upon the theory that by diluting black blood with white blood in larger and larger proportions1 it will finally be so far diluted as to be imperceptible and will disappear4 ,they forget that we may not do the wrong that right may come of it4 ,they forget that no amount of diffusion will exterminate whatever exists2 that a pint of ink diffused in a lake is still there1 and the water is only the less pure4 ,others persist that mulattoism is not and cannot be persistent beyond four generations4 ,in other words1 that like some other abnormal and diseased conditions it is self-limiting1 and that the body social will be purged of it4 ,in the face of these and other theories1 it is our duty to gather as many facts and as much knowledge as is possible1 in order to throw light upon every part of the subject2 nobody can furnish more than you can4 ,faithfully yours1 ,,samuel ,g4 ,,howe499 799 ,in this correspondence with ,dr4 ,howe1 one or two phrases in ,agassiz's letters are interpolated from a third unfinished letter1 which was never forwarded to ,dr4 ,howe4 ,these sentences connect themselves so directly with the sense of the previous letters that it seemed worth while to add them4--,,ed47 ,the ,museum and his own more immediate scientific work must naturally take precedence in any biography of ,agassiz1 and perhaps1 for this reason1 too little prominence has been given in these pages to his interest in general education1 and especially in the general welfare and progress of ,harvard ,college4 ,he was deeply attached to the ,university with which he had identified himself in ,america4 ,while he strained every nerve to develop his own scientific department1 which had no existence at ,harvard until his advent there1 no one of her professors was more concerned than himself for the organization of the college as a whole4 ,a lover of letters as well as a devotee of nature1 he valued every provision for a well proportioned intellectual training4 ,he welcomed the creation of an ,academic ,council for the promotion of free and frequent interchange of opinion between the different heads of departments1 and1 when in ,cambridge1 he was never absent from the meetings4 ,he urged1 also1 the introduction of university lectures1 to the establishment of which he largely contributed1 and which he would fain have opened to all the students4 ,he advocated the extension of the elective system1 believing that while it might perhaps give a pretext for easy evasion of duty to the more inefficient and lazy students1 it gave larger opportunities to the better class1 and that the ,university should adapt itself to the latter rather than the former4 ,the bright students1 he writes to a friend1 are now deprived of the best advantages to be had here1 because the dull or the indifferent must still be treated as children4 ,the two following letters1 from their bearing on general university questions1 are not out of place here4 ,though occasioned by a slight misconception1 they are so characteristic of the writers1 and of their relation to each other1 that it would be a pity to omit them4 ,,to ,,ralph ,,waldo ,,emerson4 ,december #ab1 #ahfd4 ,,my ,,dear ,,emerson1 ,if your lecture on universities1 the first of your course1 has been correctly reported to me1 ,i am almost inclined to quarrel with you for having missed an excellent chance to help me1 and advance the true interests of the college4 ,you say that ,natural ,history is getting too great an ascendancy among us1 that it is out of proportion to other departments1 and hint that a check-rein would not be amiss on the enthusiastic professor who is responsible for this4 ,do you not see that the way to bring about a well-proportioned development of all the resources of the ,university is not to check the natural history department1 but to stimulate all the others8 not that the zoological school grows too fast1 but that the others do not grow fast enough8 ,this sounds invidious and perhaps somewhat boastful2 but it is you and not ,i who have instituted the comparison4 ,it strikes me you have not hit upon the best remedy for this want of balance4 ,if symmetry is to be obtained by cutting down the most vigorous growth1 it seems to me it would be better to have a little irregularity here and there4 ,in stimulating1 by every means in my power1 the growth of the ,museum and the means of education connected with it1 ,i am far from having a selfish wish to see my own department tower above the others4 ,i wish that every one of my colleagues would make it hard for me to keep up with him1 and there are some among them1 ,i am happy to say1 who are ready to run a race with me4 ,perhaps1 after all1 ,i am taking up the cudgels against you rather prematurely4 ,if ,i had not been called to ,new ,haven1 ,sunday before last1 by ,professor ,silliman's funeral1 ,i should have been present at your lecture myself4 ,having missed it1 ,i may have heard this passage inaccurately repeated4 ,if so1 you must forgive me1 and believe me always1 whatever you did or did not say1 ,ever truly your friend1 ,,louis ,,agassiz4 ,,from ,,ralph ,,waldo ,,emerson4 ,,concord1 ,december #ac1 #ahfd4 ,,dear ,,agassiz1 ,i pray you have no fear that ,i did1 or can1 say any word unfriendly to you or to the ,museum1 for both of which blessings--the cause and the effect--,i daily thank ,heaven6 ,may you both increase and multiply for ages6 ,i cannot defend my lectures1--they are prone to be clumsy and hurried botches1--still less answer for any report1--which ,i never dare read2 but ,i can tell you the amount of my chiding4 ,i vented some of the old grudge ,i owe the college now for forty-five years1 for the cruel waste of two years of college time on mathematics without any attempt to adapt1 by skillful tutors1 or by private instruction1 these tasks to the capacity of slow learners4 ,i still remember the useless pains ,i took1 and my serious recourse to my tutor for aid which he did not know how to give me4 ,and now ,i see to-day the same indiscriminate imposing of mathematics on all students during two years1--ear or no ear1 you shall all learn music1--to the waste of time and health of a large part of every class4 ,it is both natural and laudable in each professor to magnify his department1 and to seek to make it the first in the world if he can4 ,but of course this tendency must be corrected by securing in the constitution of the college a power in the head 7whether singular or plural7 of coordinating all the parts4 ,else1 important departments will be overlaid1 as in ,oxford and in ,harvard1 natural history was until now4 ,now1 it looks as if natural history would obtain in time to come the like predominance as mathematics have here1 or ,greek at ,oxford4 ,it will not grieve me if it should1 for we are all curious of nature1 but not of algebra4 ,but the necessity of check on the instructors in the head of the college1 ,i am sure you will agree with me1 is indispensable4 ,you will see that my allusion to naturalists is only incidental to my statement of my grievance4 ,but ,i have made my letter ridiculously long1 and pray you to remember that you have brought it on your own head4 ,i do not know that ,i ever attempted before an explanation of any speech4 ,always with entire regard yours1 ,r4,w4 ,,emerson4 ,at about this time1 in ,september1 #ahfd1 ,agassiz made an excursion into ,maine1 partly to examine the drift phenomena on the islands and coast of that ,state1 and partly to study the so-called horse-backs4 ,the journey proved to be one of the most interesting he had made in this country with reference to local glacial phenomena4 ,compass in hand1 he followed the extraordinary ridges of morainic material lying between ,bangor and ,katahdin1 to the ,ebeene ,mountains1 at the foot of which are the ,katahdin ,iron ,works4 ,returning to ,bangor1 he pursued1 with the same minute investigation1 the glacial tracks and erratic material from that place to the seacoast and to ,mount ,desert4 ,the details of this journey and its results are given in one of the papers contained in the second volume of his ,geological ,sketches4 ,in conclusion1 he says2 ,i suppose these facts must be far less expressive to the general observer than to one who has seen this whole set of phenomena in active operation4 ,to me they have been for many years so familiar in the ,alpine valleys1 and their aspect in those regions is so identical with the facts above described1 that paradoxical as the statement may seem1 the presence of the ice is now an unimportant element to me in the study of glacial phenomena2 no more essential than is the flesh to the anatomist who studies the skeleton of a fossil animal4 ,this journey in ,maine1 undertaken in the most beautiful season of the ,american year1 when the autumn glow lined the forest roads with red and gold1 was a great refreshment to ,agassiz4 ,he had been far from well1 but he returned to his winter's work invigorated and with a new sense of hope and courage4 ,,chapter #ba4 #ahfe-ahfh3 ,,age #eh-fa4 ,letter to his ,mother announcing ,journey to ,brazil4 ,sketch of ,journey4 ,kindness of the ,emperor4 ,liberality of the ,brazilian ,government4 ,correspondence with ,charles ,sumner4 ,letter to his ,mother at ,close of ,brazil ,journey4 ,letter from ,martius concerning ,journey in ,brazil4 ,return to ,cambridge4 ,lectures in ,boston and ,new ,york4 ,summer at ,nahant4 ,letter to ,professor ,peirce on the ,survey of ,boston ,harbor4 ,death of his ,mother4 ,illness4 ,correspondence with ,oswald ,heer4 ,summer ,journey in the ,west4 ,cornell ,university4 ,letter from ,longfellow4 ,,the next important event in the life of ,agassiz1 due in the first instance to his failing health1 which made some change of scene and climate necessary1 is best announced by himself in the following letter4 ,,to ,,his ,,mother4 ,,cambridge1 ,march #bb1 #ahfe4 ,,dear ,,mother1 ,you will shed tears of joy when you read this1 but such tears are harmless4 ,listen1 then1 to what has happened4 ,a few weeks ago ,i was thinking how ,i should employ my summer4 ,i foresaw that in going to ,nahant ,i should not find the rest ,i need after all the fatigue of the two last years1 or1 at least1 not enough of change and relaxation4 ,i felt that ,i must have new scenes to give me new life4 ,but where to go and what to do8 ,perhaps ,i wrote you last year of the many marks of kindness ,i have received from the ,emperor of ,brazil1 and you remember that at the time of my debut as an author1 my attention was turned to the natural history of that country4 ,lately1 also1 in a course of lectures at the ,lowell ,institute1 ,i have been led to compare the ,alps1 where ,i have passed so many happy years1 with the ,andes1 which ,i have never seen4 ,in short1 the idea came to me gradually1 that ,i might spend the summer at ,rio de ,janeiro1 and that1 with the present facilities for travel1 the journey would not be too fatiguing for my wife4 4 4,upon this1 then1 ,i had decided1 when most unexpectedly1 and as the consummation of all my wishes1 my pleasure trip was transformed into an important scientific expedition for the benefit of the ,museum1 by the intervention of one of my friends1 ,mr4 ,nathaniel ,thayer4 ,by chance ,i met him a week ago in ,boston4 ,he laughed at me a little about my roving disposition1 and then asked me what plans ,i had formed for the ,museum1 in connection with my journey4 ,i answered that1 thinking especially of my health1 ,i had provided only for the needs of myself and my wife during an absence of six or eight months4 ,then ensued the following conversation4 ,but1 ,agassiz1 that is hardly like you2 you have never been away from ,cambridge without thinking of your ,museum4 ,true enough2 but ,i am tired1--,i need rest4 ,i am going to loaf a little in ,brazil4 ,when you have had a fortnight of that kind of thing you will be as ready for work as ever1 and you will be sorry that you have not made some preparation to utilize the occasion and the localities in the interest of the ,museum4 ,yes1 ,i have some such misgiving2 but ,i have no means for anything beyond my personal expenses1 and it is no time to ask sacrifices from any one in behalf of science4 ,the country claims all our resources4 ,but suppose some one offered you a scientific assistant1 all expenses paid1 what would you say8 ,of that ,i had never thought4 ,how many assistants could you employ8 ,half a dozen4 ,and what would be the expense of each one8 ,i suppose about twenty-five hundred dollars2 at least1 that is what ,i have counted upon for myself4 ,after a moment's reflection he resumed3-- ,if it suits you then1 ,agassiz1 and interferes in no way with the plans for your health1 choose your assistants among the employees of your ,museum or elsewhere1 and ,i will be responsible for all the scientific expenses of the expedition44 4 4 ,my preparations are made4 ,i leave probably next week1 from ,new ,york1 with a staff of assistants more numerous1 and1 ,i think1 as well chosen1 as those of any previous undertaking of the kind499 799 ,beside the six assistants provided for by ,mr4 ,thayer1 there were a number of young volunteer aids who did excellent work on the expedition47 4 4 4,all those who know me seem to have combined to heighten the attraction of the journey1 and facilitate it in every respect4 ,the ,pacific ,mail ,steamship ,company has invited me to take passage with my whole party on their fine steamer1 the ,colorado4 ,they will take us1 free of all expense1 as far as ,rio de ,janeiro1--an economy of fifteen thousand francs at the start4 ,yesterday evening ,i received a letter from the ,secretary of the ,navy1 at ,washington1 desiring the officers of all vessels of war stationed along the coasts ,i am to visit1 to give me aid and support in everything concerning my expedition4 ,the letter was written in the kindest terms1 and gratified me the more because it was quite unsolicited4 ,i am really touched by the marks of sympathy ,i receive1 not only from near friends1 but even from strangers4 4 4,i seem like the spoiled child of the country1 and ,i hope ,god will give me strength to repay in devotion to her institutions and to her scientific and intellectual development1 all that her citizens have done for me4 ,i am forgetting that you will be anxious to know what special work ,i propose to do in the interest of science in ,brazil4 ,first1 ,i hope to make large collections of all such objects as properly belong in a ,museum of ,natural ,history1 and to this end ,i have chosen from among the employees of our ,museum one representative from each department4 ,my only regret is that ,i must leave ,alex in ,cambridge to take care of the ,museum itself4 ,he will have an immense amount of work to do1 for ,i leave him only six out of our usual staff of assistants4 ,in the second place1 ,i intend to make a special study of the habits1 metamorphoses1 anatomy1 etc41 of the ,amazonian fishes4 ,finally1 ,i dream sometimes of an ascension of the ,andes1 if ,i do not find myself too old and too heavy for climbing4 ,i should like to see if there were not also large glaciers in this chain of mountains1 at the period when the glaciers of the ,alps extended to the ,jura4 4 4,but this latter part of my plan is quite uncertain1 and must depend in great degree upon our success on the ,amazons4 ,accompanied as ,i am with a number of aides naturalistes1 we ought to be able among us to bring together large collections1 and even to add duplicates1 which ,i can then1 on my return1 distribute to the ,european ,museums1 in exchange for valuable specimens4 ,we leave next week1 and ,i hope to write you from ,rio a letter which will reach you about the date of my birthday4 ,a steamer leaves ,brazil once a month for ,england4 ,if my arrival coincides with her departure you shall not be disappointed in this4 ,with all my heart1 ,,your ,,louis4 ,the story of this expedition has been told in the partly scientific1 partly personal diary published after ,agassiz's return1 under the title of ,a ,journey in ,brazil1 and therefore a full account of it here would be mere repetition4 ,he was absent sixteen months4 ,the first three were spent in ,rio de ,janeiro1 and in excursions about the neighborhood of her beautiful bay and the surrounding mountains4 ,for greater efficiency and promptness he divided his party into companies1 each working separately1 some in collecting1 others in geological surveys1 but all under one combined plan of action4 ,the next ten months were passed in the ,amazonian region4 ,this part of the journey had the charm of purely tropical scenery1 and ,agassiz1 who was no less a lover of nature than a naturalist1 enjoyed to the utmost its beauty and picturesqueness4 ,much of the time he and his companions were living on the great river itself1 and the deck of the steamer was by turns laboratory1 dining-room1 and dormitory4 ,often1 as they passed close under the banks of the river1 or between the many islands which break its broad expanse into narrow channels1 their improvised working room was overshadowed by the lofty wall of vegetation1 which lifted its dense mass of trees and soft drapery of vines on either side4 ,still more beautiful was it when they left the track of the main river for the water-paths hidden in the forest4 ,here they were rowed by ,indians in montarias1 a peculiar kind of boat used by the natives4 ,it has a thatched hood at one end for shelter from rain or sun4 ,little sun penetrates1 however1 to the shaded igarape 7boat-path71 along which the montaria winds its way under a vault of green4 ,when traveling in this manner1 they stopped for the night1 and indeed sometimes lingered for days1 in ,indian settlements1 or in the more secluded single ,indian lodges1 which are to be found on the shores of almost every lake or channel4 ,in this net-work of fresh waters1 threading the otherwise impenetrable woods1 the humblest habitation has its boat and landing-place4 ,with his montaria and his hammock1 his little plantation of bananas and mandioca1 and the dwelling1 for which the forest about him supplies the material1 the ,amazonian ,indian is supplied with all the necessities of life4 ,sometimes the party were settled1 for weeks at a time1 in more civilized fashion1 in the towns or villages on the banks of the main river1 or its immediate neighborhood1 at ,manaos1 ,ega1 ,obydos1 and elsewhere4 ,wherever they sojourned1 whether for a longer or a shorter time1 the scientific work went on uninterruptedly4 ,there was not an idle member in the company4 ,from the time he left ,rio de ,janeiro1 ,agassiz had the companionship of a young ,brazilian officer of the engineer corps1 ,major ,coutinho4 ,thoroughly familiar with the ,amazons and its affluents1 at home with the ,indians1 among whom he had often lived1 he was the pearl of traveling companions as well as a valuable addition to the scientific force4 ,agassiz left the ,amazonian valley in ,april1 and the two remaining months of his stay in ,brazil were devoted to excursions along the coast1 especially in the mountains back of ,ceara1 and in the ,organ mountains near ,rio de ,janeiro4 ,from beginning to end this journey fulfilled ,agassiz's brightest anticipations4 ,mr4 ,thayer1 whose generosity first placed the expedition on so broad a scientific basis1 continued to give it his cordial support till the last specimen was stored in the ,museum4 ,the interest taken in it by the ,emperor of ,brazil1 and the liberality of the government toward it1 also facilitated all ,agassiz's aims and smoothed every difficulty in the path4 ,on starting he had set before himself two subjects of inquiry4 ,these were1 first1 the fresh-water fauna of ,brazil1 of the greater interest to him1 because of the work on the ,brazilian ,fishes1 with which his scientific career had opened2 and second1 her glacial history1 for he believed that even these latitudes must have been1 to a greater or less degree1 included in the ice-period4 ,the first three months spent in ,rio de ,janeiro and its environs gave him the key to phenomena connected with both these subjects1 and he followed them from there to the head-waters of the ,amazons1 as an ,indian follows a trail4 ,the distribution of life in the rivers and lakes of ,brazil1 the immense number of species and their local circumscription1 as distinct faunae in definite areas of the same water-basin1 amazed him2 while the character of the soil and other geological features confirmed him in his preconceived belief that the glacial period could not have been less than cosmic in its influence4 ,he was satisfied that the tropical1 as well as the temperate and arctic regions1 had been1 although in a less degree1 fashioned by ice4 ,just before leaving the ,united ,states he received a letter of friendly farewell from ,charles ,sumner1 and his answer1 written on the ,rio ,negro1 gives some idea of the conditions under which he traveled1 and of the results he had obtained4 ,as the letters explain each other1 both are given here4 ,,from ,,charles ,,sumner4 ,,washington1 ,march #bj1 #ahfe4 ,,my ,,dear ,,agassiz1 ,it is a beautiful expedition that you are about to commence1--in contrast with the deeds of war4 ,and yet you are going forth to conquer new realms1 and bring them under a sway they have not yet known4 ,but science is peaceful and bloodless in her conquests4 ,may you return victorious6 ,i am sure you will4 ,of course you will see the ,emperor of ,brazil1 whose enlightened character is one of the happy accidents of government4 4 4,you are a naturalist2 but you are a patriot also4 ,if you can take advantage of the opportunities which you will surely enjoy1 and plead for our country1 to the end that its rights may be understood1 and the hardships it has been obliged to endure may be appreciated1 you will render a service to the cause of international peace and good-will4 ,you are to have great enjoyment4 ,i imagine you already very happy in the scenes before you4 ,i1 too1 should like to see ,nature in her most splendid robes2 but ,i must stay at home and help keep the peace4 ,good-by--,bon voyage6 ,ever sincerely yours1 ,,charles ,,sumner4 ,,to ,,charles ,,sumner4 ,,rio ,,negro2 ,,on ,,board ,,the ,,brazilian ,,war ,,steamer ,,ibicuhy1 ,december #bf1 #ahfe4 ,,my ,,dear ,,sumner1 ,the heading of these lines tells a long and interesting story4 ,here ,i am1 sailing on the ,rio ,negro1 with my wife and a young ,brazilian friend1 provided with all the facilities which modern improvements1 the extraordinary liberality of the ,brazilian government1 and the kindness of our commander can bestow1 and pursuing my scientific investigations with as much ease as if ,i were in my study1 or in the ,museum at ,cambridge1--with this enormous difference1 that ,i am writing on deck1 protected by an awning from the hot sun1 and surrounded by all the luxuriance of the richest tropical vegetation4 ,the kind reception ,i met at the hands of the emperor on my arrival at ,rio has been followed by every possible attention and mark of good-will toward me personally1 but usually tendered in such a way as to show that an expression of cordiality toward the ,united ,states was intended also in the friendly feeling with which everything was done to facilitate my researches4 ,in the first place1 the emperor gave me as a traveling companion an extremely intelligent and well-educated ,brazilian1 the man of all others whom ,i should have chosen had ,i been consulted beforehand2 and for the six months during which we have been on our journey here1 ,i have not been able to spend a dollar except for my personal comfort1 and for my collections4 ,all charges for transportation of persons and baggage in public conveyances1 as well as for specimens1 have everywhere been remitted by order of the government4 ,this is not all2 when we reached ,para the ,brazilian ,steamship ,company placed a steamer at my disposal1 that ,i might stop where ,i pleased on the way1 and tarry as long as ,i liked instead of following the ordinary line of travel4 ,in this way ,i ascended the ,amazons to ,manaos1 and from there1 by the ordinary steamer1 reached the borders of ,peru1 making prolonged stays at ,manaos and at ,ega1 and sending out exploring parties up the ,javary1 the ,jutay1 the ,ica1 etc4 ,on my return to ,manaos1 at the junction of the ,rio ,negro and the ,amazons1 ,i found the ,ibicuhy awaiting me with an order from the ,minister of ,public ,works1 placing her at my disposal for the remainder of my stay in the waters of the ,amazons4 ,the ,ibicuhy is a pretty little war steamer of #abj horse power1 carrying six thirty-two pound guns4 ,on board of her1 and in company with the ,president of the ,province1 ,i have already visited that extraordinary network of river anastomoses and lakes1 stretching between the river ,madeira and the ,amazons to the river ,tapajos1 and now ,i am ascending the ,rio ,negro1 with the intention of going up as far as the junction of the ,rio ,branco with the ,rio ,negro4 ,that the ,brazilian government should be able and willing to offer such facilities for the benefit of science1 during a time of war1 when all the resources of the nation are called upon in order to put an end to the barbarism of ,paraguay1 is a most significant sign of the tendencies prevailing in the administration4 ,there can be no doubt that the emperor is the soul of the whole4 ,this liberality has enabled me to devote all my resources to the making of collections1 and the result of my researches has1 of course1 been proportionate to the facilities ,i have enjoyed4 ,thus far1 the whole number of fishes known from the ,amazons has amounted to a little over one hundred1 counting everything that may exist from these waters1 in the ,jardin des ,plantes1 the ,british ,museum1 the museums of ,munich1 ,berlin1 ,vienna1 etc42 while ,i have collected and now hold1 in good state of preservation1 fourteen hundred and forty-two species1 and may get a few hundred more before returning to ,para4 ,i have so many duplicates that ,i may make every other museum tributary to ours1 so far as the fresh-water animals of ,brazil are concerned4 ,this may seem very unimportant to a statesman4 ,but ,i am satisfied that it affords a standard by which to estimate the resources of ,brazil1 as they may be hereafter developed4 ,the basin of the ,amazons is another ,mississippi1 having a tropical climate1 tempered by moisture4 ,here is room for a hundred million happy human beings4 ,ever truly your friend1 ,l4 ,,agassiz4 ,the repose of the return voyage1 after sixteen months of such uninterrupted work1 and of fresh impressions daily crowding upon each other1 was most grateful to ,agassiz4 ,the summary of this delightful journey may close as it began with a letter to his mother4 ,,at ,,sea1 ,july #g1 #ahff4 ,,dear ,,mother1 ,when you receive this letter we shall be1 ,i hope1 at ,nahant1 where our children and grandchildren are waiting for us4 ,to-morrow we shall stop at ,pernambuco1 where ,i shall mail my letter to you by a ,french steamer4 ,i leave ,brazil with great regret4 ,i have passed nearly sixteen months in the uninterrupted enjoyment of this incomparable tropical nature1 and ,i have learned many things which have enlarged my range of thought1 both concerning organized beings and concerning the structure of the earth4 ,i have found traces of glaciers under this burning sky2 a proof that our earth has undergone changes of temperature more considerable than even our most advanced glacialists have dared to suggest4 ,imagine1 if you can1 floating ice under the equator1 such as now exists on the coasts of ,greenland1 and you will probably have an approximate idea of the aspect of the ,atlantic ,ocean at that epoch4 ,it is1 however1 in the basin of the ,amazons especially1 that my researches have been crowned with an unexpected success4 ,spix and ,martius1 for whose journey ,i wrote1 as you doubtless remember1 my first work on fishes1 brought back from there some fifty species1 and the sum total known now1 taking the results of all the travelers who have followed up the inquiry1 does not amount to two hundred4 ,i had hoped1 in making fishes the special object of my researches1 to add perhaps a hundred more4 ,you will understand my surprise when ,i rapidly obtained five or six hundred1 and finally1 on leaving ,para1 brought away nearly two thousand1--that is to say1 ten times more than were known when ,i began my journey499 799 ,this estimate was made in the field when close comparison of specimens from distant localities was out of the question4 ,the whole collection has never been worked up1 and it is possible that the number of new species it contains1 though undoubtedly greatly in excess of those previously known from the ,amazons1 may prove to be less than was at first supposed4--,,ed47 ,a great part of this success is due to the unusual facilities granted me by the ,brazilian government4 4 4,to the ,emperor of ,brazil ,i owe the warmest gratitude4 ,his kindness to me has been beyond all bounds4 4 4,he even made for me1 while he was with the army last summer1 a collection of fishes from the province of ,rio ,grande du ,sud4 ,this collection would do honor to a professional naturalist4 4 4 ,good-by1 dear mother4 ,with all my heart1 ,,your ,,louis4 ,the following letter from old ,professor ,martius in ,munich1 of uncertain date1 but probably in answer to one of ,march1 #ahff1 is interesting1 as connecting this journey with his own ,brazilian expedition almost half a century before4 ,,from ,,professor ,,martius4 ,february #bf1 #ahfg4 ,,my ,,dear ,,friend1 ,your letter of ,march #bjth last year was most gratifying to me as a token of your affectionate remembrance4 ,you will easily believe that ,i followed your journey on the ,amazons with the greatest interest1 and without any alloy of envy1 though your expedition was undertaken forty years later than mine1 and under circumstances so much more favorable4 ,bates1 who lived for years in that country1 has borne me witness that ,i was not wanting in courage and industry during an exploration which lasted eleven months2 and ,i therefore believe that you also1 in reviewing on the spot my description of the journey1 will not have passed an unfavorable judgment4 ,our greatest difficulty was the small size of our boat which was so weak as to make the crossing of the river always dangerous4 ,i shall look forward with great pleasure to the more detailed account of your journey1 and also the plan of your route1 which ,i hope you will send me4 ,can you tell me anything about the human skeletons at the ,rio ,st4 ,antonio in ,st4 ,paul8 ,i am very glad to know that you have paid especial attention to the palms1 and ,i entreat you to send me the essential parts of every species which you hold to be new1 because ,i wish to work out the palms for the ,flora ,brasiliensis this year4 ,i wish ,i might find among them some new genus or species1 which then should bear your name4 ,do you intend to publish an account of your journey1 or shall you confine yourself entirely to a report on your observations on ,natural ,history8 ,with a desire to explain the numerous names of animals1 plants1 and places1 which are derived from the ,tupee language1 ,i have studied it for years that ,i might be able to use it fluently4 ,perhaps you have seen my ,glossaria lignareus brasiliensium4 ,it contains also #aaej names of animals4 ,to this work belong1 likewise1 my ethnographical contributions1 of which forty-five sheets are already printed1 to be published ,i hope next year4 ,i am curious to hear your geological conclusions4 ,i am myself inclined to the belief that men existed in ,south ,america previous to the latest geological catastrophes4 ,as you have seen so many ,north ,american ,indians1 you will be able to give interesting explanations of their somatic relations to the ,south ,american ,indians4 ,why could you not send me1 as secretary of the mathematical and physical section1 a short report of your principal results8 ,it would then be printed in the report of our meetings1 which1 as the forerunner of other publications1 could hardly fail to be agreeable to you4 ,you no doubt see our friend ,asa ,gray occasionally4 ,remember me cordially to him1 and tell him ,i look eagerly for an answer to my last letter4 ,the year 'sixty-six has taken from us many eminent botanists1 ,gusone1 ,mettenius1 ,von ,schlechtendal1 and ,fresenius4 ,i hear but rarely from our excellent friend ,alexander ,braun4 ,he does not resist the approach of old age so well as you1 my dear friend4 ,you are still the active naturalist1 fresh and well preserved1 to judge by your photograph4 ,thank you for it2 ,i send mine in return4 ,my wife still holds in warm remembrance the days when you1 a bright1 pleasant young fellow1 used to come and see us1--what a long stretch of time lies between4 ,much is changed about me4 ,of former friends only ,kobell and ,vogel remain2 ,zuccarini1 ,wagner1 ,oken1 ,schelling1 ,sieber1 ,fuchs1 ,walther1--all these have gone home4 ,all the pleasanter is it that you1 on the other side of the ocean1 think sometimes of your old friend1 to whom a letter from you will be always welcome4 ,remember me to your family1 though ,i am not known to them4 ,may the present year bring you health1 cheerfulness1 and the full enjoyment of your great and glorious success4 ,with warm esteem and friendship1 always yours1 ,,martius4 ,agassiz arrived in ,cambridge toward the end of ,august1 #ahff4 ,after the first excitement of meeting family and friends was over1 he took up his college and museum work again4 ,he had left for ,brazil at the close of a course before the ,lowell ,institute1 and his first public appearance after his return was on the same platform4 ,the rush for tickets was far in excess of the supply1 and he was welcomed with the most ardent enthusiasm4 ,it continued unabated to the close1 although the lectures borrowed no interest from personal adventure or incidents of travel1 but dealt almost wholly with the intellectual results and larger scientific generalizations growing out of the expedition4 ,later in the winter he gave a course also at the ,cooper ,institute1 in ,new ,york1 which awakened the same interest and drew crowds of listeners4 ,the resolution offered by ,bancroft1 the historian1 at the close of the course1 gives an idea of its character1 and coming from such a source1 may not unfitly be transcribed here4 ,,resolved1 ,that the thanks of this great assembly of delighted hearers be given to the illustrious ,professor ,agassiz1 for the fullness of his instruction1 for the clearness of his method of illustration1 for his exposition of the idea as antecedent to form2 of the superiority of the undying1 original1 and eternal force over its transient manifestations2 for happy hours which passed too rapidly away2 for genial influences of which the memory will last through our lives4 ,all his leisure hours during the winter of #ahfg were given to the review and arrangement of the great collections he had brought home4 ,,to ,,sir ,,philip ,,de ,,grey ,,egerton4 ,,museum ,,of ,,comparative ,,zoology1 ,,cambridge1 ,,massachusetts41 ,march #bf1 #ahfg4 ,i know you will be pleased to hear that ,i have returned to the study of fishes1 and that ,i am not likely to give it up again for years to come4 ,my success in collecting in the ,amazons has been so unexpected that it will take me years to give an account of what ,i have found1 and ,i am bound to show that the strange statements that have gone abroad are strictly correct4 ,yes1 ,i have about eighteen hundred new species of fishes from the basin of the ,amazons6 ,the collection is now in ,cambridge1 for the most part in good preservation4 ,it suggests at once the idea that either the other rivers of the world have been very indifferently explored1 or that tropical ,america nourishes a variety of animals unknown to other regions4 ,in this dilemma it would be worth while to send some naturalist to investigate the ,ganges or the ,bramaputra1 or some of the great ,chinese rivers4 ,can it not be done by order of the ,british government8 ,please send me whatever you may publish upon the fossil fishes in your possession4 ,i frequently sigh for another session in your museum1 and it is not improbable that ,i shall solicit an invitation from you in a few years1 in order to revise my views of the whole subject in connection with what ,i am now learning of the living fishes4 ,by the way1 ,i have eleven hundred colored drawings of the species of ,brazil made from life by my old friend ,burkhardt1 who accompanied me on this journey4 ,my recent studies have made me more adverse than ever to the new scientific doctrines which are flourishing now in ,england4 ,this sensational zeal reminds me of what ,i experienced as a young man in ,germany1 when the physio-philosophy of ,oken had invaded every centre of scientific activity2 and yet1 what is there left of it8 ,i trust to outlive this mania also4 ,as usual1 ,i do not ask beforehand what you think of it1 and ,i may have put my hand into a hornet's nest2 but you know your old friend ,agass1 and will forgive him if he hits a tender spot4 4 4 ,the summer of #ahfg was passed very tranquilly at his ,nahant laboratory1 in that quiet work with his specimens and his microscope which pleased him best4 ,the following letter to ,professor ,benjamin ,peirce1 who was then ,superintendent of the ,coast ,survey1 shows1 however1 his unfailing interest in the bearing of scientific researches on questions of public utility4 ,,to ,,professor ,,peirce1 ,,superintendent ,,of ,,the ,,coast ,,survey4 ,,nahant1 ,september #aa1 #ahfg4 ,,dear ,,sir1 ,far from considering your request a tax upon my time1 it gives me the greatest pleasure to have an opportunity of laying before you some statements and reflections1 which ,i trust may satisfy you that geology and natural history can be made subservient to the great interests of a civilized community1 to a far greater extent than is generally admitted4 ,the question of the harbor of ,boston1 for instance1 has a geological and zoological side1 thus far only indirectly considered4 ,in order to ascertain whence the materials are derived which accumulate in the harbor1 the shores ought to be studied geologically with a kind of accuracy and minuteness1 never required by geological surveys made for economical purposes4 ,the banks of the harbor1 wherever it is not rock-bound1 consist of drift1 which itself rests upon the various rock formations of the district4 ,now this drift1 as ,i have ascertained1 formerly extended many miles beyond our present shores1 and is still slowly washed away by the action of tides1 winds1 and currents4 ,until you know with precision the mineralogical composition of the drift of the immediate vicinity1 so accurately indeed as to be able to recognize it in any new combination into which it may be brought when carried off by the sea1 all your examination of soundings may be of little use4 ,should it1 however1 be ascertained that the larger amount of loose material spreading over the harbor is derived from some one or other of the drift islands in the bay1 the building of sea-walls to stop the denudation may be of greater and more immediate use than any other operation4 ,again1 it is geologically certain that all the drift islands of the harbor have been formed by the encroachment of the sea upon a sheet of drift1 which once extended in unbroken continuity from ,cape ,ann to ,cape ,cod and farther south4 ,this sheet of drift is constantly diminishing1 and in centuries to come1 which1 notwithstanding the immeasurable duration of geological periods1 may be reached1 ,i trust1 while the ,united ,states still remains a flourishing empire1 it will be removed still further2 so far indeed1 that ,i foresee the time when the whole peninsula of ,cape ,cod shall disappear4 ,under these circumstances1 it is the duty of a wise administration to establish with precision the rate and the extent of this destruction1 that the coming generations may be forewarned4 ,in connection with this ,i would advise the making of a thorough survey of the harbor1 to ascertain the extent of rock surface and of drift1 and the relative position of the two1 with maps to show their relations to the different levels of the sea1 whereby the unequal action of the tides upon the various beaches may be estimated4 ,the zoological side of the question relates to the amount of loose materials accumulating in consequence of the increase of animal and vegetable life1 especially of those microscopic beings which1 notwithstanding their extraordinary minuteness1 form in course of time vast deposits of solid materials4 ,ehrenberg has shown that the harbor of ,wismar1 on the ,prussian coast of the ,baltic1 is filling1 not in consequence of the accumulation of inorganic sediments1 but by the rapid increase and decay of innumerable animalcules4 ,to what extent such deposits may accumulate has also been shown by ,ehrenberg1 who ascertained1 many years ago1 that the city of ,berlin rests upon a deposit of about eighteen feet in thickness1 consisting almost exclusively of the solid parts of such microscopic beings4 ,these two cases may suffice to show how important may be a zoological investigation of the harbor deposits4 ,i need hardly add that the deposits floated into the harbor1 by the numerous rivers and creeks which empty into it1 ought to be investigated with the same care and minuteness as the drift materials4 ,this investigation should also include the drainage of the city4 ,but this is only a small part of the application ,i would recommend to be made of geological and zoological knowledge1 to the purposes of the ,coast ,survey4 ,the reefs of ,florida are of the deepest interest1 and the mere geodetic and hydrographic surveys of their whole range would be far from exhausting the subject4 ,it is my deliberate opinion that the great reefs of ,florida should be explored with as much minuteness and fullness as the ,gulf ,stream1 and that the investigation will require as much labor as has thus far been bestowed on the ,gulf ,stream4 ,here again geological and zoological knowledge is indispensable to the completion of the work4 ,the reef is formed mainly by the accumulation of solid materials from a variety of animals and a few plants4 ,the relations of these animals and plants to one another while alive1 in and upon the reef1 ought to be studied more fully than has been the case heretofore1 in order to determine with certainty the share they have in the formation of these immense submarine walls so dangerous to navigation4 ,the surveys1 as they have been made thus far1 furnish only the necessary information concerning the present form and extent of the reef4 ,but we know that it is constantly changing1 increasing1 enlarging1 spreading1 rising in such a way and at such a rate1 that the surveys of one century become insufficient for the next4 ,a knowledge of these changes can only be obtained by a naturalist1 familiar with the structure and mode of growth of the animals4 ,the survey ,i made about fifteen years ago1 at the request of your lamented predecessor1 could only be considered as a reconnaissance1 in view of the extent and importance of the work4 ,i would1 therefore1 recommend you to organize a party specially detailed to carry on these investigations in connection with1 and by the side of1 the regular geodetic and hydrographic survey4 ,here1 also1 would geological knowledge be of great advantage to the explorer4 ,in confirmation of my recommendation ,i need only remind you of a striking fact in the history of our science4 ,more than thirty years ago1 before ,dana and ,darwin had published their beautiful investigations upon the coral reefs1 a pupil of mine1 the late ,armand ,gressly1 had traced the structure and mode of growth of coral reefs and atolls in the ,jura mountains1 thus anticipating1 by a geological investigation1 results afterward obtained by dredging in the ocean4 ,the structure of the reefs of our shores is1 therefore1 more likely to be fully understood by one who is entirely familiar with zoology and geology than by a surveyor who has no familiarity with either of these sciences4 ,there is another reason why ,i would urge upon you the application of natural sciences to the work of the survey4 ,the depth of the ocean is a great obstacle to a satisfactory exploration of its bottom4 ,but we know now that nearly all dry land has been sea bottom before it was raised above the level of the water4 ,this is at least the case with all the stratified rocks and aqueous deposits forming part of the earth's crust4 ,now it would greatly facilitate the study of the bottom of the sea if1 after ascertaining by soundings the general character of the bottom in any particular region1 corresponding bottoms on dry land were examined1 so that by a comparison of the one with the other1 both might be better understood4 ,the shoals of the southern coast of ,massachusetts have been surveyed1 and their position is now known with great accuracy2 but their internal structure1 their mode of formation1 is only imperfectly ascertained1 owing to the difficulty of cutting into them and examining in situ the materials of which they are composed4 ,nothing1 on the contrary1 is easier than to explore the structure or composition of drift hills which are cut through by all our railroad tracks4 ,now the shoals and rips of ,nantucket have their counterparts on the main-land2 and even along the shores of ,boston ,harbor1 in the direction of ,dorchester and ,milton1 such shoals may be examined1 far away from the waters to which they owe their deposits4 ,here1 then1 is the place to complete the exploration1 for which soundings and dredgings give only imperfect information4 ,i need not extend these remarks further in order to satisfy you of the importance of geological and zoological researches in connection with the regular operations of the ,coast ,survey4 ,permit me1 however1 to add a few words upon some points which1 as it seems to me1 belong legitimately to the ,coast ,survey1 and to which sufficient attention has not yet been paid4 ,i allude1 first1 to the salt marshes of our shores1 their formation and uses1 as well as their gradual disappearance under the advance of the sea2 second1 to the extended low islands in the form of reefs along the coast of the ,southern ,states1 the bases of which may be old coral reefs2 third1 the form of all our estuaries1 which has resulted from the conflict of the sea with the drift formation1 and is therefore1 in a measure1 a geological problem2 fourth1 the extensive deposits of foraminifera along the coast1 which ought to be compared with the deposits of tripoli found in many tertiary formations2 fifth1 the general form and outline of our continent1 with all its indentations1 which are due to their geological structure4 ,indeed1 the shore everywhere is the result of the conflict of the ocean with the rock formation of the land1 and therefore as much a question for geology as geodesy to answer4 ,should the preceding remarks induce you to carry my suggestions into practical operation1 be assured that it will at all times give me the greatest pleasure to contribute to the success of your administration1 not only by advice1 but by actual participation in your work whenever that is wanted4 ,the scientific men of ,america look to you for the publication of the great results already secured by the ,coast ,survey1 well knowing that this national enterprise can only be benefited by the high-minded course which has at all times marked your intellectual career4 ,ever truly your friend1 ,l4 ,,agassiz4 ,this year closed for ,agassiz with a heavy sorrow4 ,his mother's health had been failing of late1 and ,november brought the news of her death4 ,separated though they were1 there had never been any break in their intercourse4 ,as far as he could1 he kept her advised of all his projects and undertakings1 and his work was no less interesting to her when the ocean lay between them than when he could daily share it with her4 ,she had an unbounded sympathy with him in the new ties he had formed in this country1 and seemed indeed as intimately allied with his later life here as with its earlier ,european portion4 ,his own health1 which had seemed for a time to have regained the vigor of youth1 broke down again in the following spring1 and an attack about the region of the heart disabled him for a number of weeks4 ,to this date belongs a short correspondence between ,agassiz and ,oswald ,heer4 ,heer's work on the ,fossil ,flora of the ,arctics had recently appeared1 and a presentation copy from him reached ,agassiz as he was slowly regaining strength after his illness1 although still confined to the house4 ,it could not have come at a happier moment1 for it engrossed him completely1 and turned his thoughts away from the occupations which he was not yet allowed to resume4 ,the book had a twofold interest for him3 although in another branch of science1 it was akin to his own earlier investigations1 inasmuch as it reconstructed the once rich flora of the polar regions as he himself had reconstructed the fauna of past geological times2 it clothed their frozen fields with forests as he had sheeted now fertile lands with ice4 ,in short1 it appealed powerfully to the imagination1 and no child in the tedious hours of convalescence was ever more beguiled by a story-book than he by the pictures which this erudite work called up4 ,,agassiz ,,to ,,oswald ,,heer4 ,,cambridge1 ,may #ab1 #ahfh4 ,,my ,,honored ,,colleague1 ,your beautiful book on the ,fossil ,arctic ,flora reached me1 just as ,i was recovering from a tedious and painful illness4 ,i could1 therefore1 take it in hand at once1 and have been delighted with it4 ,you give a captivating picture of the successive changes which the ,arctic regions have undergone4 ,no work could be more valuable1 either as a means of opening recent investigations in ,paleontology to the larger public1 or of advancing science itself4 ,if ,i can find the time ,i mean to prepare an abridgment in popular form for one of our reviews4 ,meantime ,i have written to ,professor ,henry1 ,superintendent of the ,smithsonian ,institution at ,washington1 that he should subscribe for a number of copies to be distributed among less wealthy establishments4 ,i hope he will do this1 and ,i shall continue to urge it1 since my friendly relations with him give me a right so to do4 ,i have1 moreover1 written to the directors of various prominent institutions1 in order that your work1 so far as is possible for works of that kind1 may become known in the ,united ,states1 and reach such persons as would naturally be interested in it4 4 4 ,with friendly remembrance1 yours always1 ,,louis ,,agassiz4 ,the answer is some months later in date1 but is given here for its connection4 ,,from ,,oswald ,,heer4 ,,zurich1 ,december #h1 #ahfh4 ,,my ,,honored ,,friend1 ,your letter of last ,may gave me the greatest pleasure1 and ,i should have answered it earlier had ,i not heard that you had gone to the ,rocky ,mountains1 and supposed1 therefore1 that my letter would hardly find you at home again before the late autumn4 ,i will delay writing no longer1--the more so because ,i have received1 through the ,smithsonian ,institution1 your great work on the ,natural ,history of the ,united ,states4 ,valuable as it is in itself1 it has a double attraction for me as the gift of the author4 ,accept my warm thanks4 ,it will always be to me a token of your friendly regard4 ,it gave me great satisfaction to know that my ,fossil ,arctic ,flora had met with your approval4 ,since then many new facts have come to light tending to confirm my results4 ,the ,whymper ,expedition brought to ,england a number of fossil plants1 which have been sent to me for examination4 ,i found eighty species1 of which thirty-two from ,north ,greenland are new1 so that we now know #acg species of ,miocene plants from ,north ,greenland 7#gj degrees north latitude74 ,it was a real delight to me to find the fruit cup of the ,castanea chestnut inclosing three seeds 7three ,kastanica7 and covered with prickles like the ,castanea vesca2 and1 furthermore1 ,i was able to prove by the flowers1 which were preserved with the fruit1 that the supposition given in the ,arctic ,flora 7page #ajf7 was correct2 namely1 that the leaves of the ,fagus castaneafolia ,ung4 truly belong to a ,castanea4 ,as several fruits are contained in one fruit cup1 this ,miocene ,castanea must have been nearer to the ,european species 7,c4 vesca7 than to the ,american ,castanea 7the ,c4 pumila ,micha74 ,the leaves have been drawn in the ,flora ,arctica1 and are also preserved in the ,whymper collection4 ,i have received very beautiful and large leaves of the ,castanea which ,i have called ,c4 ,ungeri1 from ,alaska4 ,i am now occupied in working up this fossil ,alaskan flora2 the plants are in great part drawn1 and contain magnificent leaves4 ,the treatise will be published by the ,swedish ,academy in ,stockholm2 ,i hope to send you a copy a few months hence4 ,this flora is remarkable for its resemblance to the ,european ,miocene flora4 ,the liquidambar1 as well as several poplars and willows1 cannot be distinguished from those of ,oeningen2 the same is true of an ,elm1 a ,carpinus1 and others4 ,as ,alaska now belongs to the ,united ,states1 it is to be hoped that these collecting stations1 which have already furnished such magnificent plants1 will be farther ransacked4 4 4,hoping that you have returned safely from your journey1 and that these lines may find you well1 ,i remain1 with cordial greeting1 ,sincerely yours1 ,,oswald ,,heer4 ,shortly after ,agassiz's recovery1 in ,july1 #ahfh1 he was invited by ,mr4 ,samuel ,hooper to join a party of friends1 tired members of ,congress and business men1 on an excursion to the ,west1 under conditions which promised not only rest and change1 but an opportunity for studying glacial phenomena over a broad region of prairie and mountain which ,agassiz had never visited4 ,they were to meet at ,chicago1 keep on from there to ,st4 ,paul1 and down the ,mississippi1 turning off through ,kansas to the eastern branch of the ,pacific ,railroad1 at the terminus of which they were to meet ,general ,sherman with ambulances and an escort for conveyance across the country to the ,union ,pacific ,railroad1 returning then by ,denver1 ,utah1 and ,omaha1 and across the ,state of ,iowa to the ,mississippi once more4 ,this journey was of great interest to ,agassiz1 and its scientific value was heightened by a subsequent stay of nearly two months at ,ithaca1 ,n4,y41 on his return4 ,cornell ,university was then just opened at ,ithaca1 and he had accepted an appointment as non-resident professor1 with the responsibility of delivering annually a course of lectures on various subjects of natural history4 ,new efforts in behalf of education always attracted him1 and this drew him with an even stronger magnet than usual1 involving as it did an untried experiment--the attempt1 namely1 to combine the artisan with the student1 manual labor with intellectual work4 ,the plan was a generous one1 and stimulated both pupils and teachers4 ,among the latter none had greater sympathy with the high ideal and broad humanity of the undertaking than ,agassiz499 799 ,very recently a memorial tablet has been placed in the ,chapel at ,cornell ,university by the trustees1 recording their gratitude for the share he took in the initiation of the institution47 ,beside the enthusiasm which he brought to his special work1 he found an added pleasure at ,cornell in the fact that the region in which the new university was situated contained another chapter in the book of glacial records he had so long been reading1 and made also1 as the following letter tells us1 a natural sequence to his recent observations in the ,west4 ,,to ,m4 ,,de ,,la ,,rive4 ,,ithaca1 ,october #bf1 #ahfh4 4 4 4,i am passing some weeks here1 and am studying the erratic phenomena1 and especially the formation of the many small lakes which literally swarm in this region1 and are connected in various ways with the glacial epoch4 ,the journey which ,i have just completed has furnished me with a multitude of new facts concerning the glacial period1 the long continuance of which1 and its importance with reference to the physical history of the globe1 become daily more clear to me4 ,the origin and mode of formation of the vast system of our ,american rivers have especially occupied me1 and ,i think ,i have found the solution of the problem which they present4 ,this system reproduces the lines followed by the water over the surface of the ground moraines1 which covered the whole continent1 when the great sheet of ice which modeled the drift broke up and melted away4 ,this conclusion will1 no doubt1 be as slow of acceptance as was the theory of the ancient extension of glaciers4 ,but that does not trouble me4 ,for my own part ,i am confident of its truth1 and after having seen the idea of a glacial epoch finally adopted by all except those who are interested in opposing it on account of certain old and artificial theories1 ,i can wait a little till the changes which succeeded that epoch are also understood4 ,i have obtained direct proof that the prairies of the ,west rest upon polished rock4 ,it has happened in the course of recent building on the prairie1 that the native rock has been laid bare here and there1 and this rock is as distinctly furrowed by the action of the glacier and by its engraving process1 as the ,handeck1 or the slopes of the ,jura4 ,i have seen magnificent slabs in ,nebraska in the basin of the river ,platte4 ,do not the physicists begin to think of explaining to us the probable cause of changes so remarkable and so well established8 ,we can no longer evade the question by supposing these phenomena to be due to the action of great currents4 ,we have to do first with sheets of ice1 five or six thousand feet in thickness 7an estimate which can be tested by indirect measurements in the ,northern ,states71 covering the whole continent1 and then with the great currents which ensued upon the breaking up of that mass of ice4 ,he who does not distinguish between these two series of facts1 and perceive their connection1 does not understand the geology of the ,quaternary epoch4 4 4 ,of about this date is the following pleasant letter from ,longfellow to ,agassiz4 ,although it has no special bearing upon what precedes1 it is inserted here1 because their near neighborhood and constant personal intercourse1 both at ,cambridge and ,nahant1 made letters rare between them4 ,friends who see each other so often are infrequent correspondents4 ,,rome1 ,december #ca1 #ahfh4 ,,my ,,dear ,,agassiz1 ,i fully intended to write you from ,switzerland1 that my letter might come to you like a waft of cool air from a glacier in the heat of summer4 ,but alas6 ,i did not find cool air enough for myself1 much less to send across the sea4 ,switzerland was as hot as ,cambridge1 and all life was taken out of me2 and the letter remained in the inkstand4 ,i draw it forth as follows4 ,one of the things ,i most wished to say1 and which ,i say first1 is the delight with which ,i found your memory so beloved in ,england4 ,at ,cambridge1 ,professor ,sedgwick said1 ,give my love to ,agassiz4 ,give him the blessing of an old man4 ,in ,london1 ,sir ,roderick ,murchison said1 ,i have known a great many men that ,i liked2 but ,i ,,love ,agassiz4 ,in the ,isle of ,wight1 ,darwin said1 ,what a set of men you have in ,cambridge6 ,both our universities put together cannot furnish the like4 ,why1 there is ,agassiz1--he counts for three4 ,one of my pleasantest days in ,switzerland was that passed at ,yverdon4 ,in the morning ,i drove out to see the ,gasparins4 ,in their abundant hospitality they insisted upon my staying to dinner1 and proposed a drive up the valley of the ,orbe4 ,i could not resist2 so up the lovely valley we drove1 and passed the old chateau of the ,reine ,berthe1 one of my favorite heroines1 but1 what was far more to me1 passed the little town of ,orbe4 ,there it stands1 with its old church tower and the trees on the terrace1 just as when you played under them as a boy4 ,it was very1 very pleasant to behold 4 4 4,thanks for your letter from the far ,west4 ,i see by the papers that you have been lecturing at the ,cornell ,university4 ,with kindest greetings and remembrances1 always affectionately yours1 ,h4,w4,l4 ,,chapter #bb4 #ahfh-ahga3 ,,age #fa-fd4 ,new ,subscription to ,museum4 ,additional ,buildings4 ,arrangement of ,new ,collections4 ,dredging ,expedition on ,board the ,bibb4 ,address at the ,humboldt ,centennial4 ,attack on the ,brain4 ,suspension of ,work4 ,working ,force at the ,museum4 ,new ,accessions4 ,letter from ,professor ,sedgwick4 ,letter from ,professor ,deshayes4 ,restored ,health4 ,hassler ,voyage proposed4 ,acceptance4 ,scientific ,preparation for the ,voyage4 ,agassiz returned to ,cambridge to find the ,museum on an improved footing financially4 ,the ,legislature had given seventy-five thousand dollars for an addition to the building1 and private subscriptions had doubled this sum1 in order to provide for the preservation and arrangement of the new collections4 ,in acknowledging this gift of the ,legislature in his ,museum ,report for #ahfh ,agassiz says3-- ,while ,i rejoice in the prospect of this new building1 as affording the means for a complete exhibition of the specimens now stored in our cellars and attics and encumbering every room of the present edifice1 ,i yet can hardly look forward to the time when we shall be in possession of it without shrinking from the grandeur of our undertaking4 ,the past history of our science rises before me with its lessons4 ,thinking men in every part of the world have been stimulated to grapple with the infinite variety of problems1 connected with the countless animals scattered without apparent order throughout sea and land4 ,they have been led to discover the affinities of various living beings4 ,the past has yielded up its secrets1 and has shown them that the animals now peopling the earth are but the successors of countless populations which have preceded them1 and whose remains are buried in the crust of our globe4 ,further study has revealed relations between the animals of past time and those now living1 and between the law of succession in the former and the laws of growth and distribution in the latter1 so intimate and comprehensive that this labyrinth of organic life assumes the character of a connected history1 which opens before us with greater clearness in proportion as our knowledge increases4 ,but when the museums of the ,old ,world were founded1 these relations were not even suspected4 ,the collections of natural history1 gathered at immense expense in the great centres of human civilization1 were accumulated mainly as an evidence of man's knowledge and skill in exhibiting to the best advantage1 not only the animals1 but the products and curiosities of all sorts from various parts of the world4 ,while we admire and emulate the industry and perseverance of the men who collected these materials1 and did in the best way the work it was possible to do in their time for science1 we have no longer the right to build museums after this fashion4 ,the originality and vigor of one generation become the subservience and indolence of the next1 if we only repeat the work of our predecessors4 ,they prepared the ground for us by accumulating the materials for extensive comparison and research4 ,they presented the problem2 we ought to be ready with the solution4 ,if ,i mistake not1 the great object of our museums should be to exhibit the whole animal kingdom as a manifestation of the ,supreme ,intellect4 ,scientific investigation in our day should be inspired by a purpose as animating to the general sympathy1 as was the religious zeal which built the ,cathedral of ,cologne or the ,basilica of ,st4 ,peter's4 ,the time is passed when men expressed their deepest convictions by these wonderful and beautiful religious edifices2 but it is my hope to see1 with the progress of intellectual culture1 a structure arise among us which may be a temple of the revelations written in the material universe4 ,if this be so1 our buildings for such an object can never be too comprehensive1 for they are to embrace the infinite work of ,infinite ,wisdom4 ,they can never be too costly1 so far as cost secures permanence and solidity1 for they are to contain the most instructive documents of ,omnipotence4 ,agassiz gave the winter of #ahfi to identifying1 classifying1 and distributing the new collections4 ,a few weeks in the spring were1 however1 passed with his friend ,count de ,pourtales in a dredging expedition on board the ,coast ,survey ,steamer ,bibb1 off the coast of ,cuba1 on the ,bahama ,banks1 and among the reefs of ,florida4 ,this dredging excursion1 though it covered a wider ground than any previous one1 was the third deep-sea exploration undertaken by ,m4 de ,pourtales under the auspices of the ,coast ,survey4 ,his investigations may truly be said to have exercised a powerful influence upon this line of research1 and to have led the way to the more extended work of the same kind carried on by the ,coast ,survey in later years4 ,he had long wished to show his old friend and teacher some of the rich dredging grounds he had discovered between ,florida and the ,west ,indies1 and they thoroughly enjoyed this short period of work together4 ,every day and hour brought some new interest1 and excess of material seemed the only difficulty4 ,this was ,agassiz's last cruise in the ,bibb1 on whose hospitable deck he had been a welcome guest from the first year of his arrival in this country4 ,the results of this expedition1 as connected with the present conformation of the continent and its probable geological history in the past1 were given as follows in the ,museum ,bulletin of the same year4 ,,report ,,upon ,,deep ,,sea ,,dredgings499 799 ,bulletin of the ,museum of ,comparative ,zoology #a ,number #ac #ahfi pages #cfh1 #cfi47 ,,by ,,louis ,,agassiz4 ,from what ,i have seen of the deep-sea bottom1 ,i am already led to infer that among the rocks forming the bulk of the stratified crust of our globe1 from the oldest to the youngest formation1 there are probably none which have been formed in very deep waters4 ,if this be so1 we shall have to admit that the areas now respectively occupied by our continents1 as circumscribed by the two hundred fathom curve or thereabout1 and the oceans at greater depth1 have from the beginning retained their relative outline and position2 the continents having at all times been areas of gradual upheaval with comparatively slight oscillations of rise and subsidence1 and the oceans at all times areas of gradual depression with equally slight oscillations4 ,now that the geological constitution of our continent is satisfactorily known over the greatest part of its extent1 it seems to me to afford the strongest evidence that this has been the case2 while there is no support whatever for the assumption that any part of it has sunk again to any very great depth after its rise above the surface of the ocean4 ,the fact that upon the ,american continent1 east of the ,rocky ,mountains1 the geological formations crop out in their regular succession1 from the oldest azoic and primordial deposits to the cretaceous formation1 without the slightest indication of a great subsequent subsidence1 seems to me the most complete and direct demonstration of my proposition4 ,of the western part of the continent ,i am not prepared to speak with the same confidence4 ,moreover1 the position of the cretaceous and tertiary formations along the low grounds east of the ,allegheny range is another indication of the permanence of the ocean trough1 on the margin of which these more recent beds have been formed4 ,i am well aware that in a comparatively recent period1 portions of ,canada and the ,united ,states1 which now stand six or seven hundred feet above the level of the sea1 have been under water2 but this has not changed the configuration of the continent1 if we admit that the latter is in reality circumscribed by the two hundred fathom curve of depth4 ,the summer was passed in his beloved laboratory at ,nahant 7as it proved1 the last he ever spent there71 where he was still continuing the preparation of his work on sharks and skates4 ,at the close of the summer1 he interrupted this occupation for one to which he brought not only the reverence of a disciple1 but a life-long debt of personal gratitude and affection4 ,he had been entreated to deliver the address at the ,humboldt ,centennial ,celebration 7,september #ae1 #ahfi71 organized under the auspices of the ,boston ,society of ,natural ,history4 ,he had accepted the invitation with many misgivings1 for to literary work as such he was unaccustomed1 and in the field of the biographer he felt himself a novice4 ,his preparation for the task was conscientious and laborious4 ,for weeks he shut himself up in a room of the ,public ,library in ,boston and reviewed all the works of the great master1 living1 as it were1 in his presence4 ,the result was a very concise and yet full memoir1 a strong and vigorous sketch of ,humboldt's researches1 and of their influence not only upon higher education at the present day1 but on our most elementary instruction1 until the very school-boy is familiar with his methods1 yet does not know that ,humboldt is his teacher4 ,agassiz's picture of this generous intellect1 fertilizing whatever it touched1 was made the more life-like by the side lights which his affection for ,humboldt and his personal intercourse with him in the past enabled him to throw upon it4 ,emerson1 who was present1 said of this address1 that ,agassiz had never delivered a discourse more wise1 more happy1 or of more varied power4 ,george ,william ,curtis writes of it3 ,your discourse seems to me the very ideal of such an address1 --so broad1 so simple1 so comprehensive1 so glowing1 so profoundly appreciative1 telling the story of ,humboldt's life and work as ,i am sure no other living man can tell it4 ,in memory of this occasion the ,humboldt ,scholarship was founded at the ,museum of ,comparative ,zoology4 ,it is hardly worth while to consider now whether this effort1 added to the pressing work of the year1 hastened the attack which occurred soon after1 with its warning to ,agassiz that his overtasked brain could bear no farther strain4 ,the first seizure1 of short duration1 but affecting speech and motion while it lasted1 was followed by others which became less and less acute until they finally disappeared4 ,for months1 however1 he was shut up in his room1 absolutely withdrawn from every intellectual effort1 and forbidden by his physicians even to think4 ,the fight with his own brain was his greatest difficulty1 and perhaps he showed as much power in compelling his active intellect to stultify itself in absolute inactivity for the time1 as he had ever shown in giving it free rein4 ,yet he could not always banish the ,museum1 the passionate dream of his ,american life4 ,one day1 after dictating some necessary directions concerning it1 he exclaimed1 with a sort of despairing cry1 ,oh1 my ,museum6 my ,museum6 always uppermost1 by day and by night1 in health and in sickness1 always--,,always6 ,he was destined1 however1 to a few more years of activity1 the reward1 perhaps1 of his patient and persistent struggle for recovery4 ,after a winter of absolute seclusion1 passed in his sick chamber1 he was allowed by his physician1 in the spring of #ahgj1 to seek change at the quiet village of ,deerfield on the ,connecticut ,river4 ,nature proved the best physician4 ,unable when he arrived to take more than a few steps without vertigo1 he could1 before many weeks were over1 walk several miles a day4 ,keen as an ,egyptologist for the hieroglyphics of his science1 he was soon deciphering the local inscriptions of the glacial period1 tracking the course of the ice on slab and dike and river-bed1--on every natural surface4 ,the old music sang again in his ear and wooed him back to life4 ,in the mean time1 his assistants and students were doing all in their power to keep the work of the ,museum at high-water mark4 ,the publications1 the classification and arrangement of the more recent collections1 the distribution of such portions as were intended for the public1 the system of exchanges1 went on uninterruptedly4 ,the working force at the ,museum was1 indeed1 now very strong4 ,in great degree it was1 so to speak1 home-bred4 ,agassiz had gradually gathered about him1 chiefly from among his more special students1 a staff of assistants who were familiar with his plans and shared his enthusiasm4 ,to these young friends he was warmly attached4 ,it would be impossible to name them all1 but the knot of younger men who were for years his daily associates in scientific work1 whose sympathy and cooperation he so much valued1 and who are now in their turn growing old in the service of science1 will read the roll-call between the lines1 and know that none are forgotten here4 ,years before his own death1 he had the pleasure of seeing several of them called to important scientific positions1 and it was a cogent evidence to him of the educational efficiency of the ,museum1 that it had supplied to the country so many trained investigators and teachers4 ,through them he himself teaches still4 ,there was a prophecy in ,lowell's memorial lines3-- ,he was a ,teacher3 why be grieved for him ,whose living word still stimulates the air8 ,in endless file shall loving scholars come1 ,the glow of his transmitted touch to share4 ,beside these1 there were several older1 experienced naturalists1 who were permanently or transiently engaged at the ,museum4 ,some were heads of departments1 while others lent assistance occasionally in special work4 ,again the list is too long for enumeration1 but as the veteran among the older men ,mr4 ,j4,g4 ,anthony should be remembered4 ,already a conchologist of forty years' standing when he came to the ,museum in #ahfc1 he devoted himself to the institution until the day of his death1 twenty years later4 ,among those who came to give occasional help were ,mr4 ,lesquereux1 the head of paleontological botany in this country2 ,m4 ,jules ,marcou1 the geologist2 and ,m4 de ,pourtales1 under whose care the collection of corals was constantly improved and enlarged4 ,the last named became at last wholly attached to the ,museum1 sharing its administration with ,alexander ,agassiz after his father's death4 ,to this band of workers some accessions had recently been made4 ,more than two years before1 ,agassiz had been so fortunate as to secure the assistance of the entomologist1 ,dr4 ,hermann ,hagen1 from ,konigsberg1 ,prussia4 ,he came at first only for a limited time1 but he remained1 and still remains1 at the ,museum1 becoming more and more identified with the institution1 beside filling a place as professor in ,harvard ,university4 ,his scientific sympathy and support were of the greatest value to ,agassiz during the rest of his life4 ,a later new-corner1 and a very important one at the ,museum1 was ,dr4 ,franz ,steindachner1 of ,vienna1 who arrived in the spring of #ahgj to put in final order the collection of ,brazilian fishes1 and passed two years in this country4 ,thus ,agassiz's hands were doubly strengthened4 ,beside having the service of the salaried assistants and professors1 the ,museum received much gratuitous aid4 ,among the scientific volunteers were numbered for years ,francois de ,pourtales1 ,theodore ,lyman1 ,james ,m4 ,barnard1 and ,alexander ,agassiz1 while the business affairs of the institution were undertaken by ,thomas ,g4 ,cary1 ,agassiz's brother-in-law4 ,the latter had long been of great service to the ,museum as collector on the ,pacific coast1 where he had made this work his recreation in the leisure hours of a merchant's life499 799 ,for the history of the ,museum in later times reference is made to the regular reports and publications of the institution47 ,broken as he was in health1 it is amazing to see the amount of work done or directed by ,agassiz during this convalescent summer of #ahgj4 ,the letters written by him in this time concerning the ,museum alone would fill a good-sized volume4 ,such a correspondence is unfit for reproduction here1 but its minuteness shows that almost the position of every specimen1 and the daily1 hourly work of every individual in the ,museum1 were known to him4 ,the details of administration form1 however1 but a small part of the material of this correspondence4 ,the consideration and discussion of the future of the ,museum with those most nearly concerned1 fill many of the letters4 ,they give evidence of a fostering and far-reaching care1 which provided for the growth and progress of the ,museum1 long after his own share in it should have ceased4 ,in reviewing ,agassiz's scientific life in the ,united ,states1 its brilliant successes1 and the genial generous support which it received in this country1 it is natural to give prominence to the brighter side4 ,and yet it must not be forgotten that like all men whose ideals outrun the means of execution1 he had moments of intense depression and discouragement4 ,some of his letters1 written at this time to friends who controlled the financial policy of the ,museum1 are almost like a plea for life4 ,while the trustees urge safe investments and the expenditure of income alone1 he believes that in proportion to the growth and expansion of the ,museum will be its power of self-maintenance and its claim on the community at large4 ,in short1 expenditure seemed to him the best investment1 insuring a fair return1 on the principle that the efficiency and usefulness of an institution will always be the measure of the support extended to it4 ,the two or three following letters1 in answer to letters from ,agassiz which cannot be found1 show how earnestly1 in spite of physical depression1 he strove to keep the ,museum in relation with foreign institutions1 to strengthen the former1 and cooperate as far as possible with the latter4 ,,from ,,professor ,,von ,,siebold4 ,,munich1 #ahfi4 4 4 4,most gladly shall ,i meet your wishes both with regard to the fresh-water fishes of ,central ,europe and to your desire for the means of direct comparison between the fishes brought by ,spix from ,brazil and described by you1 and those you have recently yourself collected in the ,amazons4 ,the former1 with one exception1 are still in existence and remain undisturbed1 for since your day no one has cared to work at the fishes or reptiles4 ,schubert took no interest in the zoological cabinet intrusted to him2 and ,wagner1 who later relieved him of its management1 cared chiefly for the mammals4 ,i have now1 however1 given particular attention to the preservation of everything determined by you1 so far as it could be found1 and am truly glad that this material is again to be called into the service of science4 ,of course ,i had to ask permission of the ,general ,conservatorium of ,scientific ,collections before sending this property of the state on so long a journey4 ,at my urgent request this permission was very cordially granted by ,herr von ,liebig1 especially as our collection is likely to be increased by the new forms you offer us4 ,as to the fresh-water fishes ,i must beg for a little time4 ,at the fish market1 in ,april or ,may1 ,i can find those ,cyprinoids1 the males of which bear at the spawning season that characteristic eruption of the skin1 which has so often and so incorrectly led to the making of new species4 4 4 ,from your son ,alexander ,i receive one beautiful work after another4 ,give him my best thanks for these admirable gifts1 which ,i enter with sincere pleasure in my catalogue of books4 ,you are indeed happy to have such a co-worker at your side4 ,at the next opportunity ,i shall write my thanks to him personally4 ,how is ,dr4 ,hermann ,hagen pleased with his new position8 ,i think the presence of this superior entomologist will exert a powerful and important influence upon the development of entomology in ,north ,america4 4 4 ,,from ,,professor ,g4,p4 ,,deshayes4 ,,museum ,,of ,,natural ,,history1 ,,paris1 ,february #d1 #ahgj4 ,your letter was truly an event1 my dear friend1 not only for me but for our ,museum4 4 4,how happy you are1 and how enviable has been your scientific career1 since you have had your home in free ,america6 ,the founder of a magnificent institution1 to which your glorious name will forever remain attached1 you have the means of carrying out whatever undertaking commends itself to you as useful4 ,men and things1 following the current that sets toward you1 are drawn to your side4 ,you desire1 and you see your desires carried out4 ,you are the sovereign leader of the scientific movement around you1 of which you yourself have been the first promoter4 ,what would our old ,museum not have gained in having at its head a man like you6 ,we should not now be lying stagnant in a space so insufficient that our buildings1 by the mere force of circumstances1 are transformed into store-houses1 where objects of study are heaped together1 and can be of no use to any one4 4 4,you can fancy how much ,i envy your organization4 ,it depressed me to read your letter1 with its brilliant proposals of exchange1 remembering how powerless we are to meet even a small number of them4 ,your project is certainly an admirable one2 to find the scientific nomenclature where it is best established1 and by the help of good specimens transport it to your own doors4 ,nothing could be better1 and ,i would gladly assist in it4 ,but to succeed in this excellent enterprise one must have good duplicate specimens2 not having them1 one must have money4 ,as a conclusion to your letter1 the question of money was brought before my assembled colleagues1 but the answer was vague and uncertain4 ,i must1 then1 find resources in some other way1 and this is what ,i propose to do 4 4 4,here follow some plans for exchange4 ,beside this1 ,i will busy myself in getting together authentic collections from our ,french seas1 both ,oceanic and ,mediterranean1 and even from other points in the ,european seas4 ,meantime1 you shall have your share henceforth in whatever comes to me4 4 4,i learn from your son that your health is seriously attacked4 ,i was grieved to hear it4 ,take care of yourself1 my dear friend4 ,you are still needed in this world2 you have a great work to accomplish1 the end and aim of which you alone are able to reach4 ,you must1 therefore1 still stand in the breach for some years to come4 ,your letter1 which shows me the countless riches you have to offer at the ,museum1 puts me in the frame of mind of the child who was offered his choice in a toy-shop4 ,i choose everything1 he said4 ,i could reply in the same way4 ,i choose all you offer me4 ,still1 one must be reasonable1 and ,i will therefore name1 as the thing ,i chiefly desire1 the remarkable fauna dredged from the ,gulf ,stream4 ,let me add1 however1 in order to give you entire freedom1 that whatever you may send to the ,museum will be received with sincere and ardent gratitude4 ,and so1 farewell1 my dear friend1 with a warm shake of the hand and the most cordial regard4 ,,deshayes4 ,the next is in answer to a letter from ,agassiz to the veteran naturalist1 ,professor ,sedgwick1 concerning casts of well-known fossil specimens in ,cambridge1 ,england4 ,though the casts were unattainable1 the affectionate reply gave ,agassiz keen pleasure4 ,,from ,,professor ,,adam ,,sedgwick4 ,,the ,,close1 ,,norwich1 ,august #i1 #ahga4 ,,my ,,very ,,dear ,,and ,,honored ,,friend1 4 4 4,i of course showed your letter to my friend ,seeley1 and after some consultation with men of practical knowledge1 it was considered almost impossible to obtain such casts of the reptilian bones as you mention4 ,the specimens of the bones are generally so rugged and broken1 that the artists would find it extremely difficult to make casts from them without the risk of damaging them1 and the authorities of the university1 who are the proprietors of the whole collection in my ,museum1 would be unwilling to encounter that risk4 ,mr4 ,seeley1 however1 fully intends to send you a gutta-percha cast of the cerebral cavity of one of our important specimens described in ,seeley's ,catalogue1 but he is full of engagements and may not hitherto have realized his intentions4 ,as for myself1 at present ,i can do nothing except hobble daily on my stick from my house to the ,cathedral1 for ,i am afflicted by a painful lameness in my left knee4 ,the load of years begins to press upon me 7,i am now toiling through my #hgth year71 and my sight is both dim and irritable1 so that1 as a matter of necessity1 ,i am generally compelled to employ an amanuensis4 ,that part is now filled by a niece who is to me in the place of a dear daughter4 ,i need not tell you that the meetings of the ,british ,association are still continued1 and the last session 7this year at ,edinburgh7 only ended yesterday4 ,let me correct a mistake4 ,i met you first at ,edinburgh in #ahcd1 the year ,i became ,canon1 and again at ,dublin in #ahce4 4 4,it is a great pleasure to me1 my dear friend1 to see again by the vision of memory that fine youthful person1 that benevolent face1 and to hear again1 as it were1 the cheerful ring of the sweet and powerful voice by which you made the old ,scotchmen start and stare1 while you were bringing to life again the fishes of their old red sandstone4 ,i must be content with the visions of memory and the feelings they again kindle in my heart1 for it will never be my happiness to see your face again in this world4 ,but let me1 as a ,christian man1 hope that we may meet hereafter in heaven1 and see such visions of ,god's glory in the moral and material universe1 as shall reduce to a mere germ everything which has been elaborated by the skill of man1 or revealed to ,god's creatures4 ,i send you an old man's blessing1 and remain1 ,your affectionate friend1 ,,adam ,,sedgwick4 ,in ,november1 #ahgj1 ,agassiz was able to return to ,cambridge and the ,museum1 and even to resume his lectures1 which were as vigorous and fresh as ever4 ,so entirely did he seem to have recovered1 that in the course of the winter the following proposition was made to him by his friend1 ,professor ,benjamin ,peirce1 then ,superintendent of the ,coast ,survey4 ,,from ,,professor ,,peirce4 ,,coast ,,survey ,,office1 ,,washington1 ,february #ah1 #ahga4 4 4 4,i met ,sumner in the ,senate the day before yesterday1 and he expressed immense delight at a letter he had received from ,brown-,sequard1 telling him that you were altogether free from disease4 4 4,now1 my dear friend1 ,i have a very serious proposition for you4 ,i am going to send a new iron surveying steamer round to ,california in the course of the summer4 ,she will probably start at the end of ,june4 ,would you go in her1 and do deep-sea dredging all the way round8 ,if so1 what companions will you take8 ,if not1 who shall go84 4 4 ,,from ,,agassiz ,,to ,,professor ,,peirce4 ,,cambridge1 ,february #bj1 #ahga4 4 4 4,i am overjoyed at the prospect your letter opens before me4 ,of course ,i will go1 unless ,brown-,sequard orders me positively to stay on terra firma4 ,but even then1 ,i should like to have a hand in arranging the party1 as ,i feel there never was1 and is not likely soon again to be1 such an opportunity for promoting the cause of science generally1 and that of natural history in particular4 ,i would like ,pourtales and ,alex to be of the party1 and both would gladly join if they can4 ,both are as much interested about it as ,i am1 and ,i have no doubt between us we may organize a working team1 strong enough to do something creditable4 ,it seems to me that the best plan to pursue in the survey would be to select carefully a few points 7as many as time would allow7 on shore1 from which to work at right angles with the coast1 to as great a distance as the results would justify1 and then move on to some other head-land4 ,if this plan be adopted1 it would be desirable to have one additional observer to make collections on shore1 to connect with the result of the dredgings4 ,this would be the more important as1 with the exception of ,brazil1 hardly anything is known of the shore faunae upon the greater part of the ,south ,american coast4 ,for shore observations ,i should like a man of the calibre of ,dr4 ,steindachner1 who has spent a year on the coast of ,senegal1 and would thus bring a knowledge of the opposite side of the ,atlantic as a starting basis of comparison4 4 4 ,after consultation with his physicians1 it was decided that ,agassiz might safely undertake the voyage in the ,hassler1 that it might indeed be of benefit to his health4 ,his party of naturalists1 as finally made up1 consisted of ,agassiz himself1 ,count de ,pourtales1 ,dr4 ,franz ,steindachner1 and ,mr4 ,blake1 a young student from the ,museum1 who accompanied ,agassiz as assistant and draughtsman4 ,dr4 ,thomas ,hill1 ex-president of ,harvard ,university1 was also on the expedition1 and though engaged in special investigations of his own1 he joined in all the work with genial interest4 ,the vessel was commanded by ,captain 7now ,commodore7 ,philip ,c4 ,johnson1 whose courtesy and kindness made the ,hassler a floating home to the guests on board4 ,so earnest and active was the sympathy felt by him and his officers in the scientific interests of the expedition1 that they might be counted as a valuable additional volunteer corps4 ,among them should be counted ,dr4 ,william ,white1 of ,philadelphia1 who accompanied the expedition in a partly professional1 partly scientific capacity4 ,the hopes ,agassiz had formed of this expedition1 as high as those of any young explorer1 were only partially fulfilled4 ,his enthusiasm1 though it had the ardor of youth1 had none of its vagueness4 ,in a letter to ,mr4 ,peirce1 published in the ,museum ,bulletin at this time1 there is this passage3 ,if this world of ours is the work of intelligence and not merely the product of force and matter1 the human mind1 as a part of the whole1 should so chime with it1 that from what is known it may reach the unknown4 ,if this be so1 the knowledge gathered should1 within the limits of error which its imperfection renders unavoidable1 enable us to foretell what we are likely to find in the deepest abysses of the sea4 ,he looked1 in short1 for the solution of special problems directly connected with all his previous work4 ,he believed the deeper sea would show forms of life akin to animals of earlier geological times1 throwing new light on the relation between the fossil and the living world4 ,in the letter above quoted1 he even named the species he expected to find most prevalent in those greater depths3 as1 for instance1 representatives of the older forms of ,ganoids and ,selachians2 ,cephalopods1 resembling the more ancient chambered shells2 ,gasteropods1 recalling the tertiary and cretaceous types2 and ,acephala1 resembling those of the jurassic and cretaceous formations4 ,he expected to find ,crustaceans also1 more nearly approaching the ancient ,trilobites than those now living on the surface of the globe2 and among ,radiates he looked for the older forms of sea-urchins1 star-fishes1 and corals4 ,although the collections brought together on this cruise were rich and interesting1 they gave but imperfect answers to these comprehensive questions4 ,owing to defects in the dredging apparatus1 the hauls from the greatest depths were lost4 ,with reference to the glacial period he anticipated still more positive results4 ,in the same letter the following passage occurs3 ,there is1 however1 still one kind of evidence wanting1 to remove all doubt that the greater extension of glaciers in former ages was connected with cosmic changes in the physical condition of our globe4 ,namely1 all the phenomena relating to the glacial period must be found in the southern hemisphere1 accompanied by the same characteristic features as in the north1 but with this essential difference1--that everything must be reversed4 ,the trend of the glacial abrasions must be from the south northward1 the lee-side of abraded rocks must be on the north side of the hills and mountain ranges1 and the boulders must have traveled from the south to their present position4 ,whether this be so or not1 has not yet been ascertained by direct observation4 ,i expect to find it so throughout the temperate and cold zones of the southern hemisphere1 with the exception of the present glaciers of ,terra del ,fuego and ,patagonia1 which may have transported boulders in every direction4 ,even in ,europe1 geologists have not yet sufficiently discriminated between local glaciers and the phenomena connected with their different degrees of successive retreat on the one hand2 and1 on the other1 the facts indicating the action of an extensive sheet of ice moving over the whole continent from north to south4 ,among the facts already known from the southern hemisphere are the so-called rivers of stone in the ,falkland ,islands1 which attracted the attention of ,darwin during his cruise with ,captain ,fitzroy1 and which have remained an enigma to this day4 ,i believe it will not be difficult to explain their origin in the light of the glacial theory1 and ,i fancy they may turn out to be ground moraines similar to the 'horsebacks' in ,maine4 ,you may ask what this question of drift has to do with deep-sea dredging8 ,the connection is closer than may at first appear4 ,if drift is not of glacial origin1 but is the product of marine currents1 its formation at once becomes a matter for the ,coast ,survey to investigate4 ,but ,i believe it will be found in the end1 that so far from being accumulated by the sea1 the drift of the ,patagonian lowlands has been worn away by the sea to its present outline1 like the northern shores of ,south ,america and ,brazil44 4 4 ,this is not the place for a detailed account of the voyage of the ,hassler1 but enough may be told to show something of ,agassiz's own share in it4 ,a journal of scientific and personal experience1 kept by ,mrs4 ,agassiz under his direction1 was nearly ready for publication at the time of his death4 ,the two next chapters1 devoted to the cruise of the ,hassler1 are taken from that manuscript4 ,a portion of it appeared many years ago in the pages of the ,atlantic ,monthly4 ,,chapter #bc4 #ahga-ahgb3 ,,age #fd-fe4 ,sailing of the ,hassler4 ,sargassum ,fields4 ,dredging at ,barbados4 ,from the ,west ,indies to ,rio de ,janeiro4 ,monte ,video4 ,quarantine4 ,glacial ,traces in the ,bay of ,monte ,video4 ,the ,gulf of ,mathias4 ,dredging off ,gulf of ,st4 ,george4 ,dredging off ,cape ,virgens4 ,possession ,bay4 ,salt ,pool4 ,moraine4 ,sandy ,point4 ,cruise through the ,straits4 ,scenery4 ,wind ,storm4 ,borja ,bay4 ,glacier ,bay4 ,visit to the ,glacier4 ,chorocua ,bay4 ,the vessel was to have started in ,august1 but1 owing to various delays in her completion1 she was not ready for sea until the late autumn4 ,she finally sailed on ,december #d1 #ahga1 on a gray afternoon1 which ushered in the first snow-storm of the ,new ,england winter4 ,bound for warmer skies1 she was1 however1 soon in the waters of the ,gulf ,stream1 where the work of collecting began in the fields of ,sargassum1 those drifting1 wide-spread expanses of loose sea-weed carrying a countless population1 lilliputian in size1 to be sure1 but very various in character4 ,agassiz was no less interested than other naturalists have been in the old question so long asked and still unanswered1 about the ,sargassum4 ,where is its home1 and what its origin8 ,does it float1 a rootless wanderer on the deep1 or has it broken away from some submarine attachment8 ,he had passed through the same region before1 in going to ,brazil1 but then he was on a large ocean steamer1 while from the little ,hassler1 of #cfj tons1 one could almost fish by hand from the ,sargassum fields4 ,some of the chief results are given in the following letter4 ,,to ,,professor ,,peirce4 ,,st4 ,,thomas1 ,december #ae1 #ahga4 4 4 4,as soon as we reached the ,gulf ,stream we began work4 ,indeed1 ,pourtales had organized a party to study the temperatures as soon as we passed ,gay ,head1 and will himself report to you his results4 ,my own attention was entirely turned to the ,gulf weed and its inhabitants1 of which we made extensive collections4 ,our observations on the floating weed itself favor the view of those who believe it to be torn from rocks1 on which ,sargassum naturally grows4 ,i made a simple experiment which seems to me conclusive4 ,any branch of the sea-weed which is deprived of its ,,floats sinks at once to the bottom of the water1 and these floats are not likely to be the first parts developed from the spores4 ,moreover1 after examining large quantities of the weed1 ,i have not seen a single branch1 however small1 which did not show marks of having been torn from a solid attachment4 ,you may hardly feel an interest in my zoological observations1 but ,i am sure you will be glad to learn that we had the best opportunity of carefully examining most of the animals known to inhabit the ,gulf weed1 and some also which ,i did not know to occur among them4 ,the most interesting discovery of our voyage thus far1 however1 is that of a nest built by a fish1 and floating on the broad ocean with its living freight4 ,on the #acth1 ,mr4 ,mansfield1 one of our officers1 brought me a ball of ,gulf weed which he had just picked up1 and which excited my curiosity to the utmost4 ,it was a round mass of ,sargassum about the size of two fists4 ,the bulk of the ball was made up of closely packed branches and leaves1 held together by fine threads1 running through them in every direction1 while other branches hung more loosely from the margin4 ,placed in a large bowl of water it became apparent that the loose branches served to keep the central mass floating1 cradle-like1 between them4 ,the elastic threads1 which held the ball of ,gulf weed together1 were beaded at intervals1 sometimes two or three beads close together1 or a bunch of them hanging from the same cluster of threads1 or occasionally scattered at a greater distance from each other4 ,nowhere was there much regularity in the distribution of the beads4 ,they were scattered pretty uniformly throughout the whole ball of seaweed1 and were themselves about the size of an ordinary pin's head4 ,evidently we had before us a nest of the most curious kind1 full of eggs4 ,what animal could have built this singular nest8 ,it did not take long to ascertain the class to which it belonged4 ,a common pocket lens revealed at once two large eyes on the side of the head1 and a tail bent over the back of the body1 as in the embryo of ordinary fishes shortly before the period of hatching4 ,the many empty egg cases in the nest gave promise of an early opportunity of seeing some embryos1 freeing themselves from their envelope4 ,meanwhile a number of these eggs containing live embryos were cut out of the nest and placed in separate glass jars1 in order to multiply the chances of preserving them2 while the nest as a whole was secured in alcohol1 as a memorial of our discovery4 ,the next day ,i found two embryos in my glass jars2 they moved occasionally in jerks1 and then rested a long time motionless on the bottom of the jar4 ,on the third day ,i had over a dozen of these young fishes1 the oldest beginning to be more active4 ,i need not relate in detail the evidence ,i soon obtained that these embryos were actually fishes4 4 4,but what kind of fish was it8 ,at about the time of hatching1 the fins differ too much from those of the adult1 and the general form has too few peculiarities1 to give any clew to this problem4 ,i could only suppose it would prove to be one of the pelagic species of the ,atlantic4 ,in former years ,i had made a careful study of the pigment cells of the skin in a variety of young fishes1 and ,i now resorted to this method to identify my embryos4 ,happily we had on board several pelagic fishes alive4 ,the very first comparison ,i made gave the desired result4 ,the pigment cell of a young ,chironectes pictus proved identical with those of our little embryos4 ,it thus stands1 as a well authenticated fact1 that the common pelagic ,chironectes of the ,atlantic1 named ,ch4 pictus by ,cuvier1 builds a nest for its eggs in which the progeny is wrapped up with the materials of which the nest itself is composed2 and as these materials consist of the living ,gulf weed1 the fish cradle1 rocking upon the deep ocean1 is carried along as in an arbor1 which affords protection and afterwards food also1 to its living freight4 ,this marvelous story acquires additional interest1 when we consider the characteristic peculiarities of the genus ,chironectes4 ,as its name indicates1 it has fin-like hands2 that is to say1 the pectoral fins are supported by a kind of long wrist-like appendage1 and the rays of the ventrals are not unlike rude fingers4 ,with these limbs these fishes have long been known to attach themselves to sea-weeds1 and rather to walk than to swim in their natural element4 ,but now that we know their mode of reproduction1 it may fairly be asked if the most important use of their peculiarly constructed fins is not the building of their nest84 4 4,there thus remains one closing chapter to the story4 ,may some naturalist1 becalmed among the ,gulf weed1 have the good fortune to witness the process by which the nest is built4 4 4 ,this whole investigation was of the greatest interest to ,agassiz1 and1 coming so early in the voyage1 seemed a pleasant promise of its farther opportunities4 ,the whole ship's company soon shared his enthusiasm1 and the very sailors gathered about him in the intervals of their work1 or hung on the outskirts of the scientific circle4 ,a pause of a few days was made at one or two of the ,west ,indian islands1 at ,st4 ,thomas and ,barbados4 ,at the latter1 the first cast of the large dredge was made on a ledge of shoals in a depth of eighty fathoms1 and1 among countless other things1 a number of stemmed crinoids and comatulae were brought up4 ,an ardent student of the early fossil echinoderms1 it was a great pleasure to ,agassiz to gather their fresh and living representatives4 ,it was like turning a leaf of the past and finding the subtle thread which connects it with the present4 ,,to ,,professor ,,peirce4 ,,pernambuco1 ,january #af1 #ahgb4 ,,my ,,dear ,,peirce1 ,i should have written to you from ,barbados1 but the day before we left the island was favorable for dredging1 and our success in that line was so unexpectedly great1 that ,i could not get away from the specimens1 and made the most of them for study while ,i had the chance4 ,we made only four hauls1 in between seventy-five and one hundred and twenty fathoms4 ,but what hauls6 ,enough to occupy half a dozen competent zoologists for a whole year1 if the specimens could be kept fresh for that length of time4 ,the first haul brought up a ,chemidium-like sponge2 the next gave us a crinoid1 very much like the ,rhizocrinus lofotensis1 but probably different2 the third1 a living ,pleurotomaria2 the fourth1 a new genus of ,spatangoids1 etc41 etc41 not to speak of the small fry4 ,we had the crinoid alive for ten or twelve hours4 ,when contracted1 the pinnules are pressed against the arms1 and the arms themselves shut against one another1 so that the whole looks like a swash made up of a few long1 coarse twines4 ,when the animal opens1 the arms at first separate without bending outside1 so that the whole looks like an inverted pentapod2 but gradually the tips of the arms bend outward as the arms diverge more and more1 and when fully expanded the crown has the appearance of a lily of the ,l4 martagon type1 in which each petal is curved upon itself1 the pinnules of the arms spreading laterally more and more1 as the crown is more fully open4 ,i have not been able to detect any motion in the stem traceable to contraction1 though there is no stiffness in its bearing4 ,when disturbed1 the pinnules of the arms first contract1 the arms straighten themselves out1 and the whole gradually and slowly closes up4 ,it was a very impressive sight for me to watch the movements of the creature1 for it not only told of its own ways1 but at the same time afforded a glimpse into the countless ages of the past1 when these crinoids1 so rare and so rarely seen nowadays1 formed a prominent feature of the animal kingdom4 ,i could see1 without great effort of the imagination1 the shoal of ,lockport teeming with the many genera of crinoids which the geologists of ,new ,york have rescued from that prolific ,silurian deposit1 or recall the formations of my native country1 in the hill-sides of which also1 among fossils indicating shoal water deposits1 other crinoids abound1 resembling still more closely those we find in these waters4 ,the close affinities of ,rhizocrinus with ,apiocrinoids are further exemplified by the fact that when the animal dies1 it casts off its arms1 like ,apiocrinus1 the head of which is generally found without arms4 ,and now the question may be asked1 what is the meaning of the occurrence of these animals in deep waters at the present day1 when1 in former ages1 similar types inhabited shallow seas8 ,of the fact there can be no doubt1 for it is not difficult to adduce satisfactory evidence of the shoal-like character of the ,silurian deposits of the ,state of ,new ,york2 their horizontal position1 combined with the gradual recession of the higher beds in a southerly direction1 leaves no doubt upon this point2 and in the case of the jurassic formation alluded to above1 the combination of the crinoids with fossils common upon coral reefs1 and their presence in atolls of that period1 are satisfactory proofs of my assertion4 ,what does it mean1 then1 when we find the ,pentacrinus and ,rhizocrinus of the ,west ,indies in deep water only8 ,it seems to me that there is but one explanation of the fact1 namely1 that in the progress of the earth's growth1 we must look for such a displacement of the conditions favorable to the maintenance of certain lower types1 as may recall most fully the adaptations of former ages4 ,it was in this sense ,i alluded1 in my first letter to you1 to the probability of our finding in deeper water representatives of earlier geological types2 and if my explanation is correct1 my anticipation is also fully sustained4 ,but do the deeper waters of the present constitution of our globe really approximate the conditions for the development of animal life1 which existed in the shallower seas of past geological ages8 ,i think they do1 or at least ,i believe they approach it as nearly as anything can in the present order of things upon earth2 for the depths of the ocean alone can place animals under a pressure corresponding to that caused by the heavy atmosphere of earlier periods4 ,but1 of course1 such high pressure as animals meet in great depths cannot be a favorable condition for the development of life2 hence the predominance of lower forms in the deep sea4 ,the rapid diminution of light with the increasing depth1 and the small amount of free oxygen in these waters under greater and greater pressure1 not to speak of other limitations arising from the greater uniformity of the conditions of existence1 the reduced amount and less variety of nutritive substances1 etc41 etc41 are so many causes acting in the same direction and with similar results4 ,for all these reasons1 ,i have always expected to find that the animals living in great depths would prove to be of a standing1 in the scale of structural complications1 inferior to those found in shoal waters or near shore2 and the correlation elsewhere pointed out between the standing of animals and their order of succession in geological times 7see ,essay on ,classification 7 justifies another form of expression of these facts1 namely1 that in deeper waters we should expect to find representatives of earlier geological periods4 ,there is in all this nothing which warrants the conclusion that any of the animals now living are lineal descendants of those of earlier ages2 nor does their similarity to those of earlier periods justify the statement that the cretaceous formation is still extant4 ,it would be just as true to nature to say that the tertiaries are continued in the tropics1 on account of the similarity of the miocene mammalia to those of the torrid zone4 ,we have another case in the ,pleurotomaria4 ,it is not long since it has been made known that the genus ,pleurotomaria is not altogether extinct1 a single specimen having been discovered about ten years ago in the ,west ,indies4 ,even ,pictet1 in the second edition of his ,paleontology1 still considers ,pleurotomaria as extinct1 and as belonging to the fossiliferous formations which extend from the ,silurian period to the ,tertiary4 ,of the living species found at ,marie ,galante1 nothing is known except the specific characteristics of the shell4 ,we dredged it in one hundred and twenty fathoms1 on the west side of ,barbados1 alive1 and kept it alive for twenty-four hours1 during which time the animal expanded and showed its remarkable peculiarities4 ,it is unquestionably the type of a distinct family1 entirely different from the other ,mollusks with which it has been hitherto associated4 ,mr4 ,blake has made fine colored drawings of it1 which may be published at some future time4 4 4,the family of the ,pleurotomariae numbers between four and five hundred fossil species1 beginning in the ,silurian deposits1 but especially numerous in the carboniferous and jurassic formations4 ,the sponges afford another interesting case4 ,when the first number of the great work of ,goldfuss1 on the fossils of ,germany1 made its appearance1 about half a century ago1 the most novel types it made known were several genera of sponges from the jurassic and cretaceous beds1 described under the names of ,siphonia1 ,chemidium1 and ,scyphia4 ,nothing of the kind has been known among the living to this day2 and yet1 the first haul of the dredge near ,barbados gave us a ,chemidium1 or1 at least1 a sponge so much like the fossil ,chemidium1 that it must remain for future comparisons to determine whether there are any generic differences between our living sponge and the fossil4 ,the next day brought us a genuine ,siphonia1 another genus thus far only known from the jurassic beds2 and it is worth recording1 that ,i noticed in the collection of ,governor ,rawson another sponge1--brought to him by a fisherman who had caught it on his line1 on the coast of ,barbados1--which belongs to the genus ,scyphia4 ,thus the three characteristic genera of sponges from the secondary formation1 till now supposed to be extinct1 are all three represented in the deep waters of the ,west ,indies4 4 4 ,another family of organized beings offers a similar testimony to that already alluded to4 ,if there is a type of ,echinoderms characteristic of a geological period1 it is the genus ,micraster of the cretaceous formation1 in its original circumscription4 ,no species of this genus is known to have existed during the ,tertiary era1 and no living species has as yet been made known4 ,you may therefore imagine my surprise when the dredge first yielded three specimens of a small species of that particular group of the genus1 which is most extensively represented in the upper cretaceous beds4 ,other examples of less importance might be enumerated2 suffice it now to add that my expectation of finding in deep waters animals already known1 but thus far exceedingly rare in museums1 is already in a measure realised4 4 4 ,little can be said of the voyage from the ,west ,indies to ,rio de ,janeiro4 ,it had the usual vicissitudes of weather1 with here and there a flight 7so it might justly be called7 of flying-fish1 a school of porpoises or dog-fish1 or a sail in the distance1 to break the monotony4 ,at ,rio de ,janeiro it became evident that the plan of the voyage must be somewhat curtailed4 ,this was made necessary partly by the delays in starting1--in consequence of which the season would be less favorable than had been anticipated along certain portions of the proposed route1--and partly by the defective machinery1 which had already given some trouble to the ,captain4 ,the ,falkland ,islands1 the ,rio ,negro1 and the ,santa ,cruz rivers were therefore renounced2 with what regret will be understood by those who know how hard it is to be forced to break up a scheme of work1 which was originally connected in all its parts4 ,the next pause was at ,monte ,video2 but as there was a strict quarantine1 ,agassiz was only allowed to land at the ,mount1 a hill on the western side of the bay1 the geology of which he was anxious to examine4 ,he found true erratics--loose pebbles1 granite1 gneiss1 and granitic sandstone1 having no resemblance to any native rock in the vicinity--scattered over the whole surface of the hill to its very summit4 ,the hill itself had also the character of the roches moutonnees modeled by ice in the northern hemisphere4 ,as these were the most northern erratics and glaciated surfaces reported in the southern hemisphere1 the facts there were very interesting to him4 ,with dredgings off the ,rio de la ,plata1 and along the coast between that and the ,rio ,negro1 the vessel held on her way to the ,gulf of ,mathias1 a deep1 broad bay running some hundred miles inland1 and situated a little south of the ,rio ,negro4 ,here some necessary repairs enforced a pause1 of which ,agassiz took advantage for dredging and for studying the geology of the cliffs along the north side of the bay4 ,as seen from the vessel1 they seemed to be stratified with extraordinary evenness and regularity to within a few feet of the top1 the summit being crowned with loose sand4 ,farther on1 they sank to sand dunes piled into rounded banks and softly moulded ledges1 like snow-drifts4 ,landing the next day at a bold bluff marked ,cliff ,end on the charts1 he found the lower stratum to consist of a solid mass of tertiary fossils1 chiefly immense oysters1 mingled1 however1 with sea-urchins4 ,superb specimens were secured1--large boulders crowded with colossal shells and perfectly preserved echini4 ,from the top of the cliff1 looking inland1 only a level plain was seen1 stretching as far as the eye could reach1 broken by no undulations1 and covered with low1 scrubby growth4 ,the seine was drawn on the beach1 and yielded a good harvest for the fish collection4 ,at evening the vessel anchored at the head of the bay1 off the ,port of ,san ,antonio4 ,the name would seem to imply some settlement2 but a more lonely spot cannot be imagined4 ,more than thirty years ago1 ,fitzroy had sailed up this bay1 partially surveyed it1 and marked this harbor on his chart4 ,if any vessel has broken the loneliness of its waters since1 no record of any such event has been kept4 ,of the presence of man1 there was no sign4 ,yet the few days passed there were among the pleasantest of the voyage to ,agassiz4 ,the work of the dredge and seine was extremely successful1 and the rambles inland were geological excursions of great interest4 ,here he had the first sight of the guanaco of the ,patagonian plains4 ,the weather was fine1 and at night-fall1 to the golden light of sunset succeeded the fitful glow1 over land and water1 of the bonfires built by the sailors on the beach4 ,returning to the ship after dark1 the various parties assembled in the wardroom1 to talk over the events of the day and lay out plans for the morrow4 ,these are the brightest hours in such a voyage1 when the novelty of the locality gives a zest to every walk or row1 and all are full of interest in a new and exciting life4 ,one is more tolerant even of monotonous natural features in a country so isolated1 so withdrawn from human life and occupation4 ,the very barrenness seems in harmony with the intense solitude4 ,the ,hassler left her anchorage on this desolate shore on an evening of singular beauty4 ,it was difficult to tell when she was on her way1 so quietly did she move through the glassy waters1 over which the sun went down in burnished gold1 leaving the sky without a cloud4 ,the light of the beach fires followed her till they too faded1 and only the phosphorescence of the sea attended her into the night4 ,rough and stormy weather followed this fair start1 and only two more dredgings were possible before reaching the ,strait of ,magellan4 ,one was off the ,gulf of ,st4 ,george1 where gigantic star-fishes seemed to have their home4 ,one of them1 a superb basket-fish1 was not less than a foot and a half in diameter2 and another1 like a huge sunflower of reddish purple tint1 with straight arms1 thirty-seven in number1 radiating from the disk1 was of about the same size4 ,many beautiful little sea-urchins came up in the same dredging4 ,about fifty miles north of ,cape ,virgens1 in tolerably calm weather1 another haul was tried1 and this time the dredge returned literally solid with ,ophiurans4 ,on ,wednesday1 ,march #acth1 on a beautifully clear morning1 like the best ,october weather in ,new ,england1 the ,hassler rounded ,cape ,virgens and entered the ,strait of ,magellan4 ,the tide was just on the flood1 and all the conditions favorable for her run to her first anchorage in the ,strait at ,possession ,bay4 ,here the working force divided1 to form two shore parties1 one of which1 under ,agassiz's direction1 the reader may follow4 ,the land above the first shore bluff at ,possession ,bay rises to a height of some four hundred feet above the sea-level1 in a succession of regular horizontal terraces1 of which ,agassiz counted eight4 ,on these terraces1 all of which are built1 like the shore-bluffs1 of tertiary deposits1 were two curious remnants of a past state of things4 ,the first was a salt-pool lying in a depression on the second terrace1 some one hundred and fifty feet above the sea4 ,this pool contained living marine shells1 identical with those now found along the shore4 ,among them were ,fusus1 ,mytilus1 ,buccinum1 ,fissurella1 ,patella1 and ,voluta1 all found in the same numeric relations as those in which they now exist upon the beach below4 ,this pool is altogether too high to be reached by any tidal influence1 and undoubtedly indicates an old sea-level1 and a comparatively recent upheaval of the shore4 ,the second was a genuine moraine1 corresponding in every respect to those which occur all over the northern hemisphere4 ,agassiz came upon it in ascending to the third terrace above the salt-pool and a little farther inland4 ,it had all the character of a terminal moraine in contact with an actual glacier4 ,it was composed of heterogeneous materials1--large and small pebbles and boulders impacted together in a paste of clayey gravel and sand4 ,the ice had evidently advanced from the south1 for the mass had been pushed steeply up on the southern side1 and retained so sharp an inclination on that face that but little vegetation had accumulated upon it4 ,the northern side1 on the contrary1 was covered with soil and overgrown2 it sloped gently off1--pebbles and larger stones being scattered beyond it4 ,the pebbles and boulders of this moraine were polished1 scratched1 and grooved1 and bore1 in short1 all the usual marks of glacial action4 ,agassiz was naturally delighted with this discovery4 ,it was a new link in the chain of evidence1 showing that the drift phenomena are connected at the south as well as at the north with the action of ice1 and that the frozen ,arctic and ,antarctic fields are but remnants of a sheet of ice1 which has retreated from the temperate zones of both hemispheres to the polar regions4 ,the party pushed on beyond the moraine to a hill of considerable height1 which gave a fine view of the country toward ,mount ,aymon and the so-called ,asses' ,ears4 ,they brought back a variety of game1 but their most interesting scientific acquisitions were boulders from the moraine scored with glacial characters1 and shells from the salt pool4 ,still accompanied by beautiful weather1 the ,hassler anchored at the ,elizabeth ,islands and at ,san ,magdalena4 ,here ,agassiz had an opportunity of examining the haunts and rookeries of the penguins and cormorants1 and obtaining fine specimens of both4 ,as the breeding places and the modes of life of these animals have been described by other travelers1 there is nothing new to add from his impressions1 until the vessel anchored1 on the #afth ,march1 before ,sandy ,point1 the only permanent settlement in the ,strait4 ,here there was a pause of several days1 which gave ,agassiz an opportunity to draw the seine with large results for his marine collections4 ,by the courtesy of the ,governor1 he had also an opportunity of making an excursion along the road leading to the coal-mines4 ,the wooded cliffs1 as one ascends the hills toward the mines1 are often bold and picturesque1 and ,agassiz found that portions of them were completely built of fossil shells4 ,there is an oyster-bank1 some one hundred feet high1 overhanging the road in massive ledges that consist wholly of oyster-valves1 with only earth enough to bind them together4 ,he was inclined1 from the character of the shells1 to believe that the coal must be cretaceous rather than tertiary4 ,on ,tuesday1 the #aith ,march1 the ,hassler left ,sandy ,point4 ,the weather was beautiful1--a mellow autumn day with a reminiscence of summer in its genial warmth4 ,the cleft summit of ,sarmiento was clear against the sky1 and the snow-fields1 swept over by alternate light and shadow1 seemed full of soft undulations4 ,the evening anchorage was in the ,bay of ,port ,famine1 a name which marks the site of ,sarmiento's ill-fated colony1 and recalls the story of the men who watched and waited there for the help that never came4 ,the stay here was short1 and ,agassiz spent the time almost wholly in studying the singularly regular1 but completely upturned strata which line the beach1 with edges so worn down as to be almost completely even with each other4 ,for many days after this1 the ,hassler pursued her course1 past a seemingly endless panorama of mountains and forests rising into the pale regions of snow and ice1 where lay glaciers in which every rift and crevasse1 as well as the many cascades flowing down to join the waters beneath1 could be counted as she steamed by them4 ,every night she anchored in the sheltered harbors formed by the inlets and fords which break the base of the rocky walls1 and often lead into narrower ocean defiles penetrating1 one knows not whither1 into the deeper heart of these great mountain masses4 ,these were weeks of exquisite delight to ,agassiz4 ,the vessel often skirted the shore so closely that its geology could be studied from the deck4 ,the rounded shoulders of the mountains1 in marked contrast to their peaked and jagged crests1 the general character of the snow-fields and glaciers1 not crowded into narrow valleys as in ,switzerland1 but spread out on the open slopes of the loftier ranges1 or1 dome like1 capping their summits1--all this afforded data for comparison with his past experience1 and with the knowledge he had accumulated upon like phenomena in other regions4 ,here1 as in the ,alps1 the abrupt line1 where the rounded and worn surfaces of the mountains 7moutonnees1 as the ,swiss say7 yield to their sharply cut1 jagged crests1 showed him the ancient and highest line reached by the glacial action4 ,the long1 serrated edge of ,mount ,tarn1 for instance1 is like a gigantic saw1 while the lower shoulders of the mass are hummocked into a succession of rounded hills4 ,in like manner the two beautiful valleys1 separated by a bold bluff called ,bachelor's ,peak1 are symmetrically rounded on their slopes1 while their summits are jagged and rough4 ,on one occasion the ,hassler encountered one of those sudden and startling flaws of wind common to the ,strait4 ,the breeze1 which had been strong all day1 increased with sudden fury just as the vessel was passing through a rather narrow channel1 which gave the wind the additional force of compression4 ,in an inconceivably short time1 the channel was lashed into a white foam2 the roar of wind and water was so great you could not hear yourself speak1 though the hoarse shout of command and the answering cry of the sailors rose above the storm4 ,to add to the confusion1 a loose sail slatted as if it would tear itself in pieces1 with that sharp1 angry1 rending sound which only a broad spread of loose canvas can make4 ,it became impossible to hold the vessel against the amazing power of the blast1 and the ,captain turned her round with the intention of putting her into ,borja ,bay1 not far from which1 by good fortune1 she chanced to be4 ,as she came broadside to the wind in turning1 it seemed as if she must be blown over1 so violently did she careen4 ,once safely round1 she flew before the wind1 which now became her ally instead of her enemy1 and by its aid she was soon abreast of ,borja ,bay4 ,never was there a more sudden transition from chaos to peace than that which ensued as she turned in from the tumult in the main channel to the quiet waters of the bay4 ,the ,hassler almost filled the tiny harbor shut in between mountains4 ,she lay there safe and sheltered in breathless calm1 while the storm raged and howled outside4 ,these frequent1 almost land-locked coves1 are the safety of navigators in these straits2 but after this day's experience1 it was easy to understand how sailing vessels may be kept waiting for months between two such harbors1 struggling vainly to make a few miles and constantly driven back by sudden squalls4 ,in this exquisite mountain-locked harbor1 the vessel was weather-bound for a couple of days4 ,count ,pourtales availed himself of this opportunity to ascend one of the summits4 ,up to a height of fifteen hundred feet1 the rock was characterized by the smoothed1 rounded surfaces which ,agassiz had observed along his whole route in the ,strait4 ,above that height all was broken and rugged1 the line of separation being as defined as on any valley wall in ,switzerland4 ,it was again impossible to decide1 on such short observation1 whether these effects were due to local glacial action1 or whether they belonged to an earlier general ice-period4 ,but ,agassiz became satisfied1 as he advanced1 that the two sets of phenomena existed together1 as in the northern hemisphere4 ,the general aspect of the opposite walls of the ,strait confirmed him in the idea that the sheet of ice in its former extension had advanced from south to north1 grinding its way against and over the southern wall to the plains beyond4 ,in short1 he was convinced that1 as a sheet of ice has covered the northern portion of the globe1 so a sheet of ice has covered also the southern portion1 advancing1 in both instances1 far toward the equatorial regions4 ,his observations in ,europe1 in ,north ,america1 and in ,brazil seemed here to have their closing chapter4 ,with these facts in his mind1 he did not fail to pause before ,glacier ,bay1 noted for its immense glacier1 which seems1 as seen from the main channel1 to plunge sheer down into the waters of the bay4 ,a boat party was soon formed to accompany him to the glacier4 ,it proved less easy of access than it looked at a distance4 ,a broad belt of wood1 growing1 as ,agassiz afterward found1 on an accumulation of old terminal moraines1 spanned the lower valley from side to side4 ,through this wood there poured a glacial river1 emptying itself into the bay4 ,strange to say1 this glacier-washed forest1 touching the ice on one side and the sea on the other1 was full of flowers4 ,the red bells of the glossy-leaved ,desfontainia1 the lovely pink blossoms of the ,phylesia1 the crimson berries of the ,pennetia1 stood out in bright relief from a background of mossy tree-trunks and rocks4 ,after an hour's walking1 made laborious by the spongy character of the ground1--a mixture of loose soil and decaying vegetation1 in which one sank knee-deep1--the gleam of the ice began to shimmer through the trees2 and issuing from the wood1 the party found themselves in front of a glacier wall1 stretching across the whole valley and broken into deep rifts1 caves1 and crevasses of dark blue ice4 ,the glacier was actually about a mile wide2 but as the central portion was pressed forward in advance of the sides1 the whole front was not presented at once4 ,it formed a sharp crescent1 with the curve turned outward4 ,one of the caves in this front wall was some thirty or forty feet high1 about a hundred feet deep1 and two or three yards wide at the entrance4 ,at the further end it narrowed to a mere gallery1 where the roof was pierced by a circular window1 quite symmetrical in shape1 through which one looked up to the blue sky and drifting clouds4 ,there must be strange effects in this ice-cavern1 when the sun is high and sends a shaft of light through its one window to illuminate the interior4 ,this first excursion was a mere reconnaissance4 ,an approximate idea of the dimensions of the glacier1 and some details of its structure1 were obtained on a second visit the following day4 ,the anchorage for the night was in ,playa ,parda ,cove1 one of the most beautiful of the many beautiful harbors of the ,magellan ,strait4 ,it is entered by a deep1 narrow slit1 cut into the mountains on the northern side of the ,strait1 and widening at its farther end into a kind of pocket or basin1 hemmed in between rocky walls bordered by forests1 and overhung by snow and ice-fields4 ,the next morning at half-past three o'clock1 just as moonlight was fading before the dawn1 and the mountains were touched with the coming day1 the reveille was sounded for those who were to return to ,glacier ,bay4 ,this time ,agassiz divided his force so that they could act independently of each other1 though under a general plan laid out by him4 ,m4 de ,pourtales and ,dr4 ,steindachner ascended the mountain to the left of the valley1 following its ridge1 in the hope of reaching a position from which they could discover the source and the full length of the glacier4 ,in this they did not succeed1 though ,m4 de ,pourtales estimated its length1 as far as he could see from any one point1 to be about three miles1 beyond which it was lost in the higher range4 ,it made part of a net-work of glaciers running back into a large massif of mountains1 and fed by many a neve on their upper slopes4 ,the depth as well as the length of this glacier remains somewhat problematical1 and indeed all the estimates in so cursory a survey must be considered as approximations rather than positive results4 ,the glazed surface of the ice is an impediment to any examination from the upper side4 ,it would be impossible to spring from brink to brink of a crevasse1 as is so constantly done by explorers of ,alpine glaciers where the edges of the cracks are often snowy or granular4 ,here the edges of the crevasses are sharp and hard1 and to spring across one of any size would be almost certain death4 ,there is no hold for an ,alpine stock1 no grappling point for hands or feet4 ,any investigation from the upper surface would1 therefore1 require special apparatus1 and much more time than ,agassiz and his party could give4 ,neither was an approach from the side very easy4 ,the glacier arches so much in the centre1 and slopes away so steeply1 that when one is in the lateral depression between it and the mountain1 one faces an almost perpendicular wall of ice1 which blocks the vision completely4 ,m4 de ,pourtales measured one of the crevasses in this wall1 and found that it had a depth of some seventy feet4 ,judging from the remarkable convexity of the glacier1 it can hardly be less in the centre than two or three times its thickness on the edges1 --something over two hundred feet1 therefore4 ,probably none of these glaciers of the ,strait of ,magellan are as thick as those of ,switzerland1 though they are often much broader4 ,the mountains are not so high1 the valleys not so deep1 as in the ,alps2 the ice is consequently not packed into such confined troughs4 ,by some of the party an attempt was made to ascertain the rate of movement1 signals having been adjusted the day before for its measurement4 ,during the middle of the day1 it advanced at the rate of ten inches and a fraction in five hours4 ,one such isolated observation is of course of little comparative value4 ,for himself1 ,agassiz reserved the study of the bay1 the ancient bed of the glacier in its former extension4 ,he spent the day in cruising about the bay in the steam-launch1 landing at every point he wished to investigate4 ,his first care was to examine minutely the valley walls over which the glacier must once have moved4 ,every characteristic feature1 known in the ,alps as the work of the glaciers1 was not only easily recognizable here1 but as perfectly preserved as anywhere in ,switzerland4 ,the rounded knolls to which ,de ,saussure first gave the name of roches moutonnees were smoothed1 polished1 scratched1 and grooved in the direction of the ice movement1 the marks running mostly from south to north1 or nearly so4 ,the general trend of the scratches and furrows showed them to have been continuous from one knoll to another4 ,the furrows were of various dimensions1 sometimes shallow and several inches broad1 sometimes narrow with more defined limits1 gradually passing into mere lines on a very smoothly polished surface4 ,even the curious notches scooped out of the even surfaces1 and technically called coups de gouge1 were not wanting4 ,in some places the seams of harder rock stood out for a quarter of an inch or so above adjoining decomposed surfaces2 in such instances the dike alone retained the glacial marks1 which had been worn away from the softer rock4 ,the old moraines were numerous and admirably well preserved4 ,agassiz examined with especial care one colossal lateral moraine1 standing about two miles below the present terminus of the ice and five hundred feet above the sea-level4 ,it consisted of the same rocks as those found on the present terminal moraine1 part of them being rounded and worn1 while large1 angular boulders rested above the smaller materials4 ,this moraine forms a dam across a trough in the valley wall1 and holds back the waters of a beautiful lake1 about a thousand feet in length and five hundred in width1 shutting it in just as the ,lake of ,meril in ,switzerland is held in its basin by the glacier of ,aletsch4 ,there are erratics some two or three hundred feet above this great moraine1 showing that the glacier must have been more than five hundred feet thick when it left this accumulation of loose materials at such a height4 ,it then united1 however1 with a large glacier more to the west4 ,its greatest thickness1 as an independent glacier1 is no doubt marked1 not by the boulders lying higher up1 but by the large moraine which shuts in the lake4 ,the direct connection of this moraine with the glacier in its former extension is still further shown by two other moraines1 on lower levels and less perfect1 but having the same relation to the present terminus of the ice4 ,the lower of these is only one hundred and fifty feet above the actual level of the glacier4 ,these three moraines occur on the western slope of the bay4 ,the eastern slope is more broken1 and while the rounded knolls are quite as distinct and characteristic1 the erratics are more loosely scattered over the surface4 ,in mineralogical character they agree with those on the western wall of the bay4 ,upon the summits of some small islands at the entrance of the bay1 there are also some remnants of terminal moraines1 formed by the glacier when it reached the main channel2 that is1 when it was some three miles longer than now4 ,the more recent oscillations1 marking the advance and retreat of the glacier within certain limits1 are shown by the successive moraines heaped up in advance of the present terminal wall4 ,the central motion here1 as in all the ,swiss glaciers1 is greater than the lateral1 the ice being pushed forward in the middle faster than on the sides4 ,but there would seem to be more than one axis of progression in this broad mass of ice2 for though the centre is pushed out beyond the rest1 the terminal wall does not present one uniform curve1 but forms a number of more or less projecting angles or folds4 ,a few feet in front of this wall is a ridge of loose materials1 stones1 pebbles1 and boulders1 repeating exactly the outline of the ice where it now stands2 a few feet in advance of this1 again1 is another ridge precisely like it2 still a few feet beyond1 another2 and so on1 for four or five concentric zigzag crescent-shaped moraines1 followed by two others more or less marked1 till they fade into the larger morainic mass1 upon which stands the belt of wood dividing the present glacier from the bay4 ,agassiz counted eight distinct moraines between the glacier and the belt of wood1 and four concentric moraines in the wood itself4 ,it is plain that the glacier has ploughed into the forest within some not very remote period1 for the trees along its margin are loosened and half uprooted1 though not yet altogether decayed4 ,in the presence of the glacier one ceases to wonder at the effects produced by so powerful an agent4 ,this sheet of ice1 even in its present reduced extent1 is about a mile in width1 several miles in length1 and at least two hundred feet in depth4 ,moving forward as it does ceaselessly1 and armed below with a gigantic file1 consisting of stones1 pebbles1 and gravel1 firmly set in the ice1 who can wonder that it should grind1 furrow1 round1 and polish the surfaces over which it slowly drags its huge weight4 ,at once destroyer and fertilizer1 it uproots and blights hundreds of trees in its progress1 yet feeds a forest at its feet with countless streams2 it grinds the rocks to powder in its merciless mill1 and then sends them down1 a fructifying soil1 to the wooded shore below4 ,agassiz would gladly have stayed longer in the neighborhood of ,glacier ,bay1 and have made it the central point of a more detailed examination of the glacial phenomena in the ,strait4 ,but the southern winter was opening1 and already gave signs of its approach4 ,at dawn on the #bfth of ,march1 therefore1 the ,hassler left her beautiful anchorage in ,playa ,parda ,cove1 six large glaciers being in sight from her deck as she came out4 ,the scenery during the morning had a new scientific interest for ,agassiz1 because the vessel kept along the northern side of the ,strait1 while the course hitherto had been nearer the southern shore4 ,he could thus better compare the differences between the two walls of the ,strait4 ,the fact that the northern wall is more evenly worn1 more rounded than the southern1 had a special significance for him1 as corresponding with like facts in ,switzerland1 and showing that the ice-sheet had advanced across the ,strait with greater force in its ascending than in its descending path4 ,the north side being the strike side1 the ice would have pushed against it with greater force4 ,such a difference between the two sides of any hollow or depression in the direct path of the ice is well known in ,switzerland4 ,later in the day1 a pause was made in ,chorocua ,bay1 where ,captain ,mayne's chart makes mention of a glacier descending into the water4 ,there is1 indeed1 a large glacier on its western side1 but so inaccessible1 that any examination of it would have required days rather than hours4 ,no one1 however1 regretted the afternoon spent here1 for the bay was singularly beautiful4 ,on either side1 deep gorges1 bordered by richly-wooded cliffs and overhung by ice and snow-fields1 were cut into the mountains4 ,where these channels might lead1 into what dim recesses of ocean and mountain1 could only be conjectured4 ,the bay1 with all its inlets and fiords1 was still as a church4 ,voices and laughter seemed an intrusion1 and a louder shout came back in echoes from far-off hidden retreats4 ,only the swift steamer-ducks1 as they shot across1 broke the glassy surface of the water with their arrow-like wake4 ,from this point the ,hassler crossed to ,sholl ,bay1 and anchored at the entrance of ,smythe's ,channel4 ,as sunset faded over the snow mountains opposite her anchorage1 their white reflection lay like marble in the water4 ,,chapter #bd4 #ahgb3 ,,age #fe4 ,picnic in ,sholl ,bay4 ,fuegians4 ,smythe's ,channel4 ,comparison of ,glacial ,features with those of the ,strait of ,magellan4 ,ancud4 ,port of ,san ,pedro4 ,bay of ,concepcion4 ,three ,weeks in ,talcahuana4 ,collections4 ,geology4 ,land ,journey to ,santiago4 ,scenes along the ,road4 ,report on ,glacial ,features to ,mr4 ,peirce4 ,arrival at ,santiago4 ,election as ,foreign ,associate of the ,institute of ,france4 ,valparaiso4 ,the ,galapagos4 ,geological and ,zoological ,features4 ,arrival at ,san ,francisco4 ,the next day forces were divided4 ,the vessel put out into the ,strait again for sounding and dredging1 while ,agassiz1 with a smaller party1 landed in ,sholl ,bay4 ,here1 after having made a fire and pitched a tent in which to deposit wraps1 provisions etc41 the company dispersed in various directions along the shore1 geologizing1 botanizing1 and collecting4 ,agassiz was especially engaged in studying the structure of the beach itself4 ,he found that the ridge of the beach was formed by a glacial moraine1 while accumulations of boulders1 banked up in morainic ridges1 concentric with one another and with the beach moraine1 extended far out from the shore like partly sunken reefs4 ,the pebbles and boulders of these ridges were not local1 or1 at least1 only partially so2 they had the same geological character as those of the drift material throughout the ,strait4 ,the day was favorable for work1 and there was little to remind one of approaching winter4 ,a creek of fresh water1 that ran out upon one part of the beach1 led up to a romantic brook1 rushing down through a gorge bordered by moss-grown trees and carpeted by ferns and lichens in all its nooks and corners4 ,this brook took its rise in a small lake lying some half a mile behind the beach4 ,the collections made along the shore in this excursion were large and various3 star-fish1 volutas1 sea-urchins1 sea-anemones1 medusae1 doris2 many small fishes1 also1 from the tide-pools1 beside a number drawn in the seine4 ,later in the day1 when the party had assembled around the beach fire for rest and refreshment1 before returning to the vessel1 their lunch was interrupted by strange and unexpected guests4 ,a boat rounded the point of the beach1 and1 as it came nearer1 proved to be full of ,fuegian natives1 men1 women1 children1 and dogs1 their invariable companions4 ,the men alone landed1 some six or seven in number1 and came toward the tent4 ,nothing could be more coarse and repulsive than their appearance1 in which the brutality of the savage was in no way redeemed by physical strength or manliness4 ,they were almost naked1 for the short1 loose skins tied around the neck1 and hanging from the shoulders1 over the back1 partly to the waist1 could hardly be called clothing4 ,with swollen bodies1 thin limbs1 and stooping forms2 with a childish1 yet cunning1 leer on their faces1 they crouched over the fire1 spreading their hands toward its genial warmth1 and all shrieking at once1 ,tabac6 tabac6 and ,galleta6--biscuit4 ,tobacco there was none2 but the remains of the lunch1 such as it was1--hard bread and pork1--was distributed among them1 and they greedily devoured it4 ,then the one who1 judging from a certain deference paid him by the others1 might be the chief1 or leader1 seated himself on a stone and sang in a singular kind of monotonous1 chanting tone4 ,the words1 as interpreted by the gestures and expressions1 seemed to be an improvisation concerning the strangers they had found upon the beach1 and were evidently addressed to them4 ,there was something curious in the character of this ,fuegian song4 ,rather recitative than singing1 the measure had1 nevertheless1 certain divisions or pauses1 as if to mark a kind of rhythm4 ,it was brought to a close at regularly recurring intervals1 and ended always in the same way1 and on the same note1 with a rising inflection of the voice4 ,when the song was finished1 a certain surprise and expectancy in the listeners kept them silent4 ,this seemed to trouble the singer1 who looked round with a comical air of inquiring disappointment4 ,thus reminded1 the audience were quick to applaud1 and then he laughed with pleasure1 imitated the clapping of the hands in an awkward way1 and nothing loth1 began to sing again4 ,the recall gun from the ,hassler brought this strange scene to a close1 and the party hastened down to the beach1 closely followed by their guests1 who still clamorously demanded tobacco4 ,meanwhile the women had brought the boat close to that of the ,hassler at the landing4 ,they all began to laugh1 talk1 and gesticulate1 and seemed a noisy grew1 chattering unceasingly1 with amazing rapidity1 and all together4 ,their boat1 with the babies and dogs to add to the tumult1 was a perfect babel of voices4 ,they put off at once1 keeping as close as they could to the ,hassler boat1 and reaching the vessel almost at the same time4 ,they were not allowed to come on board1 but tobacco and biscuit1 as well as bright calico and beads for the women1 were thrown down to them4 ,they scrambled and snatched fiercely1 like wild animals1 for whatever they could catch4 ,they had some idea of barter1 for when they found they had received all that they were likely to get gratuitously1 they held up bows and arrows1 wicker baskets1 birds1 and the large sea-urchins1 which are an article of food with them4 ,even after the steamer had started1 they still clung to the side1 praying1 shrieking1 screaming1 for more tabac4 ,when they found it a hopeless chase1 they dropped off1 and began again the same chanting recitative1 waving their hands in farewell4 ,always interested in the comparative study of the races1 ,agassiz regretted that he had no other opportunity of observing the natives of this region and comparing them with the ,indians he had seen elsewhere1 in ,brazil and in the ,united ,states4 ,it is true that he and his companions1 when on shore1 frequently came upon their deserted camps1 or single empty huts2 and their canoes followed the ,hassler several times1 but never when it was convenient to stop and let them come up with the vessel4 ,this particular set were not in a canoe1 but in a large boat of ,english build4 ,probably they had stolen it1 or had found it1 perhaps1 stranded on the shore4 ,they are usually1 however1 in canoes of their own making4 ,one can only wonder that people ingenious enough to construct canoes so well modeled and so neatly and strongly put together1 should have invented nothing better in the way of a house than a hut built of flexible branches1 compared with which a wigwam is an elaborate dwelling4 ,these huts are hood-like in shape1 and too low for any posture but that of squatting or lying down4 ,in front is always a scorched spot on the ground1 where their handful of fire has smouldered2 and at one side1 a large heap of empty shells1 showing that they had occupied this place until they had exhausted the supply of mussels1 on which they chiefly live4 ,when this is the case1 they move to some other spot1 gather a few branches1 reconstruct their frail shelter1 and continue the same life4 ,untaught by their necessities1 they wander thus1 naked and homeless1 in snow1 mist1 and rain1 as they have done for ages1 asking of the land only a strip of beach and a handful of fire2 and of the ocean1 shell-fish enough to save them from starvation4 ,the ,hassler had now fairly entered upon ,smythe's ,channel1 and was anchored at evening 7,march #bgth7 in ,otway ,bay1 a lake-like harbor1 broken by islands4 ,mount ,burney1 a noble1 snow-covered mountain1 corresponding to ,mount ,sarmiento in grandeur of outline1 was in full view1 but was partially veiled in mist4 ,on the following day1 however1 the weather was perfect for the sail past ,sarmiento ,range and ,snowy ,glacier1 which were in sight all day4 ,blue could not be more deep and pure1 nor white more spotless1 than their ice and snow-fields4 ,toward the latter part of the day1 an immense expanse of snow opened out a little beyond ,snowy ,range4 ,it was covered with the most curious snow hummocks1 forming high cones over the whole surface1 their shadows slanting over the glittering snow in the afternoon sunshine4 ,they were most fantastic in shape1 and some fifty or sixty in number4 ,at first sight1 they resembled heaped-up mounds or pyramids of snow2 but as the vessel approached1 one group of them1 so combined as to simulate a fortification1 showed a face of rock where the snow had been blown away1 and it seemed therefore probable that all were alike1--snow-covered pinnacles of rock4 ,the evening anchorage on the #bhth was in ,mayne's ,harbor1 a pretty inlet of ,owen's ,island4 ,here the vessel was detained for twenty-four hours by the breaking of the reversing rod4 ,the engineers repaired it to the best of their ability1 with such apparatus as they had1 but it was a source of anxiety till a port was reached where a new one could be supplied4 ,the detention1 had it not been for such a cause1 was welcome to the scientific party4 ,agassiz found the rounded and moutonnees surfaces and the general modeling of the outlines of ice no less marked here than in the ,strait2 and in a ramble over the hills above the anchorage1 ,m4 de ,pourtales came upon very distinct glacial scorings and furrows on dikes and ledges of greenstone and syenite4 ,they were perfectly regular1 and could be connected by their trend from ledge to ledge1 across intervening spaces of softer decomposed rock1 from which all such surface markings had disappeared4 ,the country above ,mayne's ,harbor was pretty1 though somewhat barren4 ,beyond the narrow belt of woods bordering the shore1 the walking was over soggy hummocks1 with little growth upon them except moss1 lichens1 and coarse marsh grass4 ,these were succeeded by ridges of crumbling rock1 between which were numerous small lakes4 ,the land seemed very barren of life4 ,even the shores of the ponds were hardly inhabited4 ,no song of bird or buzz of insect broke the stillness4 ,rock after rock was turned over in the vain expectation of finding living things on the damp under side at least2 and the cushions of moss were broken up in the same fruitless chase4 ,all was barren and lifeless4 ,not so on the shore1 where the collecting went on rapidly4 ,dredge and nets were at work all the morning1 and abundant collections were made also from the little nooks and inlets of the beach4 ,agassiz found two new jelly-fishes1 and christened them at once as the locality suggested1 one for ,captain ,mayne1 the other for ,professor ,owen4 ,near the shore1 birds also seemed more abundant4 ,a pair of kelp-geese and a steamer duck were brought in1 and one of the officers reported humming-birds flitting across the brook from which the ,hassler's tanks were filled4 ,early on the morning of the #cjth1 while mountains and snow-fields1 woodland and water1 still lay between moonlight and sunrise1 the ,hassler started for ,tarn ,bay4 ,it was a beautiful ,easter ,sunday1 with very little wind1 and a soft sky1 broken by few clouds4 ,but such beginnings are too apt to be delusive in this region of wet and fog1 and a heavy rain1 with thick mist1 came up in the afternoon4 ,that night1 for the first time1 the ,hassler missed her anchorage1 and lay off the shore near an island1 which afforded some protection from the wind4 ,a forlorn hope was detailed to the shore1 where a large fire was kept burning all night1 that the vessel might not lose her bearings and drift away4 ,in the morning all was right again1 and she kept on her course to ,rowlet ,narrows4 ,this passage is formed by a deep gorge1 cleft between lofty walls over which many a waterfall foams from reservoirs of snow above4 ,agassiz observed two old glacier beds on the western side of the pass--two shallow depressions1 lying arid and scored between swelling wooded ridges4 ,he had not met in all the journey a better locality for the study of glacial effects than here4 ,the sides of the channel show these traces throughout their whole length4 ,in this same neighborhood1 as a conspicuous foreground on the shore of ,indian ,reach1 to the south of ,lackawanna ,cove1 is a large moraine resembling the horse-backs1 in the ,state of ,maine1 ,new ,england4 ,the top was as level as a railroad embankment4 ,the anchorage for the night was in ,eden ,harbor1 and for that evening1 at least1 it was lovely enough to deserve its name4 ,the whole expanse of its land-locked waters1 held between mountains and broken by islands1 was rosy and purple in the setting sun4 ,the gates of the garden were closed1 however1 not by a flaming sword1 but by an impenetrable forest1 along the edge of which a scanty rim of beach hardly afforded landing or foothold4 ,the collections here1 therefore1 were small2 but a good haul was made with the trawl net1 which gathered half-a-dozen species of echinoderms1 some small fishes1 and a number of shells4 ,fog detained the vessel in ,eden ,harbor till a late hour in the morning1 but the afternoon was favorable for the passage through the ,english ,narrows1 the most contracted part of ,smythe's ,channel4 ,it is1 indeed1 a mere mountain defile1 through which the water rushes with such force that1 in navigating it1 great care was required to keep the vessel off the rocks4 ,her anchorage at the close of the day was in ,connor's ,cove1 a miniature harbor not unlike ,borja ,bay in the ,strait4 ,it was a tranquil retreat4 ,the water-birds seemed to find it so1 for the steamer ducks were trailing their long wakes through the water1 and a large kind of stormy petrel sailed up to the vessel1 and almost put himself into the hands of the sailors1 with whom he remained an unresisting prisoner4 ,geologically1 ,agassiz found ,connor's ,cove of especial interest4 ,it runs east and west1 opening on the eastern side of the channel2 but the knolls1 that is to say1 the rounded surfaces at its entrance1 are furrowed across the cove1 at right angles with it4 ,in other words1 the movement of the ice1 always from south to north1 has been with ,smythe's ,channel1 and across the ,strait of ,magellan4 ,indeed it seemed to ,agassiz that all the glacial agency in ,smythe's ,channel1 the trend of the furrows1 the worn surfaces whereon they were to be found1 and the steepness of southern exposures as compared with the more rounded opposite slopes1 pointed to the same conclusion4 ,on the third of ,april ,agassiz left with regret this region of ocean and mountain1 glacier1 snow-field1 and forest4 ,the weeks he had spent there were all too short for the work he had hoped to do4 ,yet1 trained as he was in glacial phenomena1 even so cursory an observation satisfied him that in the southern1 as in the northern hemisphere1 the present glaciers are but a remnant of the ancient ice-period4 ,after two days of open sea and head winds1 the next anchorage was in ,port ,san ,pedro1 a very beautiful bay opening on the north side of ,corcovado ,gulf1 with snow mountains in full sight2 the ,peak of ,corcovado and a wonderfully symmetrical volcanic mountain1 ,melimoya1 white as purest marble to the summit1 were clearly defined against the sky4 ,forests clothed the shore on every side1 and the shelving beach met the wood in a bank of wild ,bromelia1 most brilliant in color4 ,not only were excellent collections made on this beach1 but the shore was strewn with large accumulations of erratics4 ,among them was a green epidotic rock which ,agassiz had traced to this spot from the ,bay of ,san ,antonio on the ,patagonian coast1 without ever finding it in place4 ,some of the larger boulders had glacial furrows and scratches upon them1 and all the hills bordering the shore were rounded and moutonnee4 ,one of the great charms for ,agassiz in the scenery of all this region1 and especially in the ,strait of ,magellan1 was a kind of home feeling that it gave him4 ,although the mountains rose from the ocean1 instead of from the plain as in ,switzerland1 yet the snow-fields and the glaciers carried him back to his youth4 ,to him1 the sunset of this evening in the ,port ,san ,pedro1 with the singular transparent rose color over the snow mountains1 and the soft succeeding pallor1 was the very reproduction of an ,alpine sunset4 ,the next morning brought a disappointment4 ,from this point ,agassiz had hoped to continue the voyage by the inside passage between the main-land and the island of ,chiloe4 ,this was of importance to him1 on account of its geological relation to ,smythe's ,channel and the ,strait of ,magellan4 ,in the absence of any good charts of the channel1 the ,captain1 after examining the shoals at the entrance1 was forced to decide1 almost as much to his own regret as to that of ,agassiz1 not to attempt the further passage4 ,keeping up the outer coast of ,chiloe1 therefore1 the vessel anchored before ,ancud on the #hth of ,april4 ,it was a heavenly day4 ,the volcanic peak of ,osorno and the whole snowy ,cordilleras were unveiled4 ,the little town above the harbor1 with its outlying farms on the green and fertile hills around1 seemed like the very centre of civilization to people who had been so long out of the world4 ,it is said to rain in ,ancud three hundred and sixty-five days in the year4 ,but on this particular afternoon it was a very sunny place1 and the inhabitants seemed to avail themselves of their rare privilege4 ,groups of ,indians1 who had come across the river in the morning to sell their milk in the town1 were resting in picturesque groups around their empty milk-cans1 the women wrapped in their long shawls1 the men in their ponchos and slouched hats2 the country people were driving out their double teams of strong1 powerful oxen harnessed to wooden troughs filled with manure for the fields2 the washerwomen were scrubbing and beating their linen along the roadside2 the gardens of the poorest houses were bright with large shrubs of wild fuchsia1 and1 altogether1 the aspect of the little place was cheerful and pretty4 ,agassiz had but two or three hours for a look at the geology4 ,even this cursory glance sufficed to show him that the drift materials1 even to their special mineralogical elements1 were the same as in the ,magellan ,strait4 ,here they rested1 however1 on volcanic soil4 ,stopping at ,lota for coal1 but not long enough for any scientific work1 the ,hassler entered ,concepcion ,bay on the #aeth ,april1 and anchored near ,talcahuana1 where she was to remain some three weeks for the repair of her engine4 ,this quaint1 primitive little town is built upon one of the finest harbors on the ,pacific coast4 ,agassiz was fortunate in finding1 through the kindness of ,captain ,johnson1 a partially furnished house1 where several large vacant rooms1 opening on the patio1 served admirably as scientific laboratories4 ,here1 then1 he established himself with his assistants4 ,it was soon understood that every living thing would find a market with him1 and all the idle urchins about the town flocked to the house with specimens4 ,an unceasing traffic of birds1 shells1 fish1 etc41 went on there from morning to night1 and to the various vendors were added groups of ,indians coming to have their photographs taken4 ,there were charming excursions and walks in the neighborhood1 and the geology of the region was so interesting that it determined ,agassiz to go by land from ,talcahuana to ,valparaiso1 on a search after any glacial tracks that might be found in the valley lying between the ,cordillera of the ,andes and the ,coast ,range4 ,meanwhile the ,hassler was to go on a dredging expedition to the island of ,juan ,fernandez1 and then proceed to ,valparaiso1 where ,agassiz was to join her a fortnight later4 ,although this expedition was under the patronage of the ,coast ,survey1 the generosity of ,mr4 ,thayer1 so constantly extended to scientific aims1 had followed ,agassiz on this second journey4 ,to his kindness he owed the possibility of organizing an excursion apart from the direct object of the voyage4 ,this change of plan and its cause is told in the following extract from his general report to ,professor ,peirce3-- ,,april #bgth4 ,while ,i was transcribing my ,report1 ,pourtales came in with the statement that he had noticed the first indication of an ,andean glacier in the vicinity4 ,i have visited the locality twice since4 ,it is a magnificent polished surface1 as well preserved as any ,i have ever seen upon old glaciated ground or under glaciers of the present day1 with well-marked furrows and scratches4 ,think of it6 a characteristic surface1 indicating glacier action1 in latitude #cg degrees south1 at the level of the sea6 ,the place is only a few feet above tide level1 upon the slope of a hill on which stand the ruins of a ,spanish fort1 near the fishermen's huts of ,san ,vicente1 which lies between ,concepcion ,bay and the ,bay of ,aranco4 ,whether the polished surface is the work of a glacier descending from the ,andes to the sea-shore or not1 ,i have not yet been able to determine4 ,i find no volcanic pebbles or boulders in this vicinity1 which1 after my experience in ,san ,carlos1 ,i should expect all along the shore1 if the glaciers of the ,andes had descended to the level of the ocean1 in this part of the country4 ,the erratics here have the character of those observed farther south4 ,it is true the furrows and scratches of this polished surface run mainly from east to west2 but there are some crossing the main trend1 at angles ranging from #bj to #cj degrees1 and running south-east-north-west4 ,moreover1 the magnetic variation is #ah degrees #c degrees at ,talcahuano ,april #bcrd1 the true meridian bearing to the right of the magnetic4 ,i shall soon know what to make of this1 as ,i start to-morrow for the interior1 to go to ,santiago and join the ship again at ,valparaiso4 ,i have hired a private carriage1 to be able to stop whenever ,i wish so to do4 ,i also take a small seine to fish for fresh water fishes in the many streams intervening between this place and ,valparaiso4 ,the trend of the glacial scratches in ,san ,vicente reminds me of a fact ,i have often observed in ,new ,england near the sea-shore1 where the glacial furrows dip to a considerable extent eastward toward the deep ocean1 while further inland their trend is more regular and due ,north and ,south4 4 4 ,i had almost forgotten to say that ,i have obtained unquestionable evidence of the cretaceous age of the coal deposits of ,lota and the adjoining localities1 north and south1 which are generally supposed to be tertiary lignites4 ,they are overlaid by sandstone containing ,baculites6 ,i need not adduce other evidence to satisfy geologists of the correctness of my assertion4 ,i have myself collected a great many of these fossils1 in beds resting upon coal-seams4 ,ever truly yours1 ,,louis ,,agassiz4 ,on the #bhth of ,april1 then1 ,agassiz left ,talcahuana1 accompanied by ,mrs4 ,agassiz1 and by ,dr4 ,steindachner1 who was to assist him in making collections along the way4 ,they were to travel post1 along the diligence road1 until they reached ,curicu1 within half a day of ,santiago1 where railroad travel began4 ,it was a beautiful journey1 and though the rainy season was impending1 the fair weather was uninterrupted4 ,the way lay for the most part through an agricultural district of corn1 wheat1 and vineyards4 ,in this strange land1 where seasons are reversed1 and autumn has changed places with spring1 the work of harvest and vintage was just going on4 ,the road was full of picturesque scenes3 troops of mules might be met1 a hundred at a time1 laden with corn-sacks2 the queer1 primitive carts of the country creaked along1 carrying huge wine-jars filled with the fresh new juice of the grape2 the road was gay with country people in their holiday dresses2 the women1 who wore their bright shawls like a kind of mantle1 were sometimes on foot and sometimes pillioned behind the men1 who were invariably on horseback1 and whose brilliant ponchos and fine riding added to the impression of life and color4 ,rivers and streams were frequent2 and as there were no bridges1 the scenes at the fords1 sometimes crossed on rafts1 sometimes on flat boats1 worked by ropes1 were exciting and picturesque4 ,for rustic interiors along the road side1 there were the huts of the working people1 rough trellises of tree-trunks interwoven with branches2 green as arbors while fresh1 a coarse thatch when dry4 ,there was always a large open space in front1 sheltered by the projecting thatch of the house1 and furnished sometimes with a rough table and benches4 ,here would be the women at their work1 or the children at play1 or sometimes the drovers taking their lunch of tortillas and wine1 while their animals munched their midday meal hard by4 ,the scenery was often fine4 ,on the third day the fertile soil1 watered by many rivers1 was exchanged for a sandy plain1 broken by a thorny mimosa scattered over the surface4 ,this plain lay between the ,cordillera of the ,andes and the ,coast ,range4 ,as the road advanced farther inland1 the panorama of the ,cordilleras became more and more striking4 ,in the glow of the sunset1 the peaks of the abrupt1 jagged walls and the volcano-like summits were defined against the sky in all their rugged beauty4 ,there was little here to remind one of the loveliness of the ,swiss ,alps4 ,with no lower green slopes1 no soft pasturage grounds leading gently up to rocky heights1 the ,andes1 at least in this part of their range1 rise arid1 stern1 and bold from base to crest1 a fortress wall unbroken by tree or shrub1 or verdure of any kind1 and relieved only by the rich and varied coloring of the rock4 ,the lodgings for the night were found in small towns along the road1 ,tome1 ,chilian1 ,linarez1 ,talca1 ,curicu1 and once1 when there was no inn within reach1 at a hospitable hacienda4 ,a brief sketch of the geological observations made on this excursion is found in a letter from ,agassiz to ,mr4 ,peirce4 ,he never wrote out1 as he had intended to do1 a more detailed report4 ,,off ,,guatemala1 ,july #bi1 #ahgb4 ,,my ,,dear ,,peirce1 4 4 4,i have another new chapter concerning glacial phenomena1 gathered during our land-journey from ,talcahuana to ,santiago4 ,it is so complicated a story that ,i do not feel equal now to recording the details in a connected statement1 but will try to give you the main facts in a few words4 ,there is a broad valley between the ,andes and the ,coast ,range1 the valley of ,chilian1 extending from the ,gulf of ,ancud1 or ,port de ,mott1 to ,santiago and farther north4 ,this valley is a continuation1 upon somewhat higher level1 of the channels which1 from the ,strait of ,magellan to ,chiloe1 separate the islands from the main-land1 with the sole interruption of ,tres ,montes4 ,now this great valley1 extending for more than twenty-five degrees of latitude1 is a ,,continuous ,,glacier ,,bottom1 showing plainly that for its whole length the great southern ice-sheet has been retreating southward in it4 ,i could find nowhere any indication that glaciers descending from the ,andes had crossed this valley and reached the shores of the ,pacific4 ,in a few brief localities only did ,i notice ,andean1 i4 e4 volcanic1 erratics upon the loose materials filling the old glacier bottom4 ,between ,curicu and ,santiago1 however1 facing the gorge of ,tenon1 ,i saw two distinct lateral moraines1 parallel to one another1 chiefly composed of volcanic boulders1 resting upon the old drift1 and indicating by their position the course of a large glacier that once poured down from the ,andes of ,tenon1 and crossed the main valley1 without1 however1 extending beyond the eastern slope of the ,coast ,range4 ,these moraines are so well marked that they are known throughout the country as the cerillos of ,tenon1 but nobody suspects their glacial origin2 even the geologists of ,santiago assign a volcanic origin to them4 ,what is difficult to describe in this history are the successive retrograde steps of the great southern ice-field that1 step by step1 left larger or smaller tracts of the valley to the north of it free of ice1 so that large glacial lakes could be formed1 and seem1 indeed1 always to have existed along the retreating edge of the great southern glacier4 ,the natural consequence is that there are everywhere stratified terraces without border barriers 7since these were formed only by the ice that has vanished71 resting at successively higher or lower levels1 as you move north or south1 upon unstratified drift of older date2 the northernmost of these terraces being the oldest1 while those further south belong to later steps in the waning of the ice-fields4 ,from these data ,i infer that my suggestion concerning the trend of the strike upon the polished and glaciated surface of the vicinity of ,talcahuana1 alluded to in the postscript of my last letter1 is probably correct4 4 4 ,at ,santiago ,agassiz rested a day or two4 ,here1 as everywhere throughout the country1 he met with the greatest kindness and cordiality4 ,a public reception and dinner were urged upon him by the city1 but his health obliged him to decline this and like honors elsewhere4 ,among the letters awaiting him here1 was one which brought him a pleasant surprise4 ,it announced his election as ,foreign ,associate of the ,institute of ,france1--one of the eight4 ,as the crowning honor of his scientific career1 this was1 of course1 very gratifying to him4 ,in writing soon after to the ,emperor of ,brazil1 who had expressed a warm interest in his election1 he says3 ,the distinction pleased me the more because so unexpected4 ,unhappily it is usually a brevet of infirmity1 or at least of old age1 and in my case it is to a house in ruins that the diploma is addressed4 ,i regret it the more because ,i have never felt more disposed for work1 and yet never so fatigued by it4 ,from ,santiago ,agassiz proceeded to ,valparaiso1 where he rejoined the ship's company4 ,the events of their cruise had been less satisfactory than those of his land-journey1 for1 owing to the rottenness of the ropes1 produced by dampness1 the hauls of the dredge from the greatest depths had been lost4 ,several pauses for dredging in shallower waters were made with good success1 nevertheless1 on the way up the coast to ,callao4 ,from there the ,hassler put out to sea once more1 for the ,galapagos1 arriving before ,charles ,island on the #ajth of ,june1 and visiting in succession ,albemarle1 ,james1 ,jarvis1 and ,indefatigable islands4 ,agassiz enjoyed extremely his cruise among these islands of such rare geological and zoological interest4 ,purely volcanic in character1 and of very recent formation1 they yet support a fauna and flora quite their own1 very peculiar and characteristic4 ,albemarle ,island was1 perhaps1 the most interesting of all4 ,it is a barren mountain rising from the sea1 its base and slope covered with small extinct craters4 ,no less than fifty--some perfectly symmetrical1 others irregular1 as if blasted out on one side--could be counted from the deck as the vessel neared the shore4 ,indeed1 the whole island seemed like some subterranean furnace1 of which these craters were the chimneys4 ,the anchorage was in ,tagus ,sound1 a deep1 quiet bay1 less peaceful once1 for its steep sides are formed by the walls of an old crater4 ,the next day1 ,june #ae1 was spent by the whole scientific party in a ramble on shore4 ,the landing was at the foot of a ravine4 ,climbing its left bank1 they were led by a short walk to the edge of a large crater1 which held a beautiful lake in its cup4 ,it was1 in fact1 a crater within a crater1 for a second one1 equally symmetrical1 rose outside and above it4 ,following the brink of this lake to its upper end1 they struck across to the head of the ravine4 ,it terminated in a ridge1 which looked down upon an immense field or sea of hardened lava1 spreading over an area of several miles till it reached the ocean4 ,this ancient bed of lava was full of the most singular and fantastic details of lava structure4 ,it was a field of charred ruins1 among which were more or less open caves or galleries1 some large enough to hold a number of persons standing upright1 others hardly allowing room to creep through on hands and knees4 ,rounded domes were common1 sometimes broken1 sometimes whole2 now and then some great lava bubble was pierced with a window blasted out of the side1 through which one could look down to the floor of a deep1 underground hollow4 ,the whole company1 some six or eight persons1 lunched in one of the caves1 resting on the seats formed by the ledges of lava along its sides4 ,it had an entrance at either end1 was some forty feet long1 at least ten feet high in the centre1 and perhaps six or eight feet wide4 ,probably never before had it served as a banqueting hall4 ,such a hollow tunnel or arch had been formed wherever the interior of a large mass of lava1 once cooled1 had become heated again1 and had flowed out1 leaving the outside crust standing4 ,the whole story of this lava bed is so clearly told in its blackened and extinct remains1 that it needs no stretch of the imagination to recreate the scene4 ,it is again1 a heaving1 palpitating sheet of fire2 the dead slags are aglow1 and the burned-out furnaces cast up their molten1 blazing contents1 as of old4 ,now it is the home of the large red and orange-colored iguanas1 of which a number were captured1 both alive and dead4 ,these islands proved1 indeed1 admirable collecting grounds1 the more interesting from the peculiarity of their local fauna4 ,,from ,,agassiz ,,to ,,professor ,,peirce4 ,,off ,,guatemala1 ,july #bi4 4 4 4,our visit to the ,galapagos has been full of geological and zoological interest4 ,it is most impressive to see an extensive archipelago1 of ,,most ,,recent ,,origin1 inhabited by creatures so different from any known in other parts of the world4 ,here we have a positive limit to the length of time that may have been granted for the transformation of these animals1 if indeed they are in any way derived from others dwelling in different parts of the world4 ,the ,galapagos are so recent that some of the islands are barely covered with the most scanty vegetation1 itself peculiar to these islands4 ,some parts of their surface are entirely bare1 and a great many of the craters and lava streams are so fresh1 that the atmospheric agents have not yet made an impression on them4 ,their age does not1 therefore1 go back to earlier geological periods2 they belong to our times1 geologically speaking4 ,whence1 then1 do their inhabitants 7animals as well as plants7 come8 ,if descended from some other type1 belonging to any neighboring land1 then it does not require such unspeakably long periods for the transformation of species as the modern advocates of transmutation claim2 and the mystery of change1 with such marked and characteristic differences between existing species1 is only increased1 and brought to a level with that of creation4 ,if they are autochthones1 from what germs did they start into existence8 ,i think that careful observers1 in view of these facts1 will have to acknowledge that our science is not yet ripe for a fair discussion of the origin of organized beings4 4 4 ,there is little to tell for the rest of the voyage that cannot be condensed into a few words4 ,there was a detention for despatches and for ,coast ,survey business at ,panama1--a delay which was turned to good account in collecting1 both in the ,bay and on the ,isthmus4 ,at ,san ,diego1 also1 admirable collections were made1 and pleasant days were spent4 ,this was the last station on the voyage of the ,hassler4 ,she reached her destination and entered the ,golden ,gate on the #bdth of ,august1 #ahgb4 ,agassiz was touched by his reception in ,san ,francisco4 ,attentions and kindnesses were showered upon him from all sides1 but his health allowed him to accept only such hospitalities as were of the most quiet and private nature4 ,he passed a month in ,san ,francisco1 but was unable to undertake any of the well-known excursions to the ,yosemite ,valley or the great trees4 ,rest and home became every day more imperative necessities4 ,,chapter #be4 #ahgb-ahgc3 ,,age #fe-ff4 ,return to ,cambridge4 ,summer ,school proposed4 ,interest of ,agassiz4 ,gift of ,mr4 ,anderson4 ,prospectus of ,penikese ,school4 ,difficulties4 ,opening of ,school4 ,summer ,work4 ,close of ,school4 ,last ,course of ,lectures at ,museum4 ,lecture before ,board of ,agriculture4 ,illness4 ,death4 ,place of ,burial4 ,in ,october1 #ahgb1 ,agassiz returned to ,cambridge4 ,to arrange the collections he had brought back1 to write a report of his journey and its results1 to pass the next summer quietly at his ,nahant laboratory1 continuing his work on the ,sharks and ,skates1 for which he had brought home new and valuable material1 seemed the natural sequence of his year of travel4 ,but he found a new scheme of education on foot2 one for which he had himself given the first impulse1 but which some of his younger friends had carefully considered and discussed in his absence1 being confident that with his help it might be accomplished4 ,the plan was to establish a summer school of natural history somewhere on the coast of ,massachusetts1 where teachers from our schools and colleges could make their vacations serviceable1 both for work and recreation1 by the direct study of nature4 ,no sooner was ,agassiz once more at home than he was confronted by this scheme1 and he took it up with characteristic ardor4 ,means there were none1 nor apparatus1 nor building1 nor even a site for one4 ,there was only the ideal1 and to that he brought the undying fervor of his intellectual faith4 ,the prospectus was soon sketched1 and1 once before the public1 it awakened a strong interest4 ,in ,march1 when the ,legislature of ,massachusetts made their annual visit to the ,museum of ,comparative zoology1 ,agassiz laid this new project before them as one of deep interest for science in general1 and especially for schools and colleges throughout the land4 ,he considered it also an educational branch of the ,museum1 having1 as such1 a claim on their sympathy1 since it was in the line of the direct growth and continuance of the same work4 ,never did he plead more eloquently for the cause of education4 ,his gift as a speaker cannot easily be described4 ,it was born of conviction1 and was as simple as it was impassioned4 ,it kept the freshness of youth1 because the things of which he spoke never grew old to him1 but moved him to the last hour of his life as forcibly as in his earlier years4 ,this appeal to the ,legislature1 spoken in the morning1 chanced to be read in the evening papers of the same day by ,mr4 ,john ,anderson1 a rich merchant of ,new ,york4 ,it at once enlisted his sympathy both for the work and for the man4 ,within the week he offered to ,agassiz1 as a site for the school1 the island of ,penikese1 in ,buzzard's ,bay1 with the buildings upon it1 consisting of a furnished dwelling-house and barn4 ,scarcely was this gift accepted than he added to it an endowment of #ej1jjj dollars for the equipment of the school4 ,adjectives belittle deeds like these4 ,the bare statement says more than the most laudatory epithets4 ,agassiz was no less surprised than touched at the aid thus unexpectedly offered4 ,in his letter of acknowledgment he says3 ,you do not know what it is suddenly and unexpectedly to find a friend at your side1 full of sympathy1 and offering support to a scheme which you have been trying to carry out under difficulties and with very scanty means4 ,i feel grateful to you for making the road so easy1 and ,i believe you will have the permanent gratitude of scientific men here and elsewhere1 for ,i have the utmost confidence that this summer school will give valuable opportunities for original research1 as well as for instruction4 ,at ,agassiz's suggestion the school was to bear the name of ,the ,anderson ,school of ,natural ,history4 ,mr4 ,anderson wished to substitute the name of ,agassiz for his own4 ,this ,agassiz absolutely refused to permit1 saying that he was but one of many scientific men who had already offered their services to the school for the coming summer1 some of whom would1 no doubt1 continue to work for it in the future1 and all of whom would be equally indebted to ,mr4 ,anderson4 ,it was1 therefore1 most suitable that it should bear his name1 and so it was agreed4 ,thus the material problem was solved4 ,name and habitation were found2 it remained only to organize the work for which so fitting a home had been provided4 ,mr4 ,anderson's gift was received toward the close of ,march1 and1 in the course of the following month1 the preliminaries were concluded1 and the property was transferred to the trustees of the ,anderson ,school4 ,few men would have thought it feasible to build dormitories and laboratories1 and provide working apparatus for fifty pupils as well as for a large corps of teachers1 between ,may and ,july4 ,but to ,agassiz no obstacles seemed insurmountable where great aims were involved1 and the opening of the school was announced for the #hth of ,july4 ,he left ,boston on ,friday1 the #dth of ,july1 for the island4 ,at ,new ,bedford he was met by a warning from the architect that it would be simply impossible to open the school at the appointed date4 ,with characteristic disregard of practical difficulties1 he answered that it must be possible1 for postponement was out of the question4 ,he reached the island on ,saturday1 the #eth1 in the afternoon4 ,the aspect was certainly discouraging4 ,the dormitory was up1 but only the frame was completed2 there were no floors1 nor was the roof shingled4 ,the next day was ,sunday4 ,agassiz called the carpenters together4 ,he told them that the scheme was neither for money1 nor for the making of money2 no personal gain was involved in it4 ,it was for the best interests of education1 and for that alone4 ,having explained the object1 and stated the emergency1 he asked whether1 under these circumstances1 the next day was properly for rest or for work4 ,they all answered for work4 ,they accordingly worked the following day from dawn till dark1 and by night-fall the floors were laid4 ,on ,monday1 the #gth1 the partitions were put up1 dividing the upper story into two large dormitories2 the lower1 into sufficiently convenient working-rooms4 ,on ,tuesday morning 7the #hth71 with the help of a few volunteers1 chiefly ladies connected with the school1 who had arrived a day or two in advance1 the dormitories1 which were still encumbered by shavings1 sawdust1 etc41 were swept1 and presently transformed into not unattractive sleeping-halls4 ,they were divided by neat sets of furniture into equal spaces1 above each of which was placed the name of the person to whom it was appropriated4 ,when all was done1 the large open rooms1 with their fresh pine walls1 floors1 and ceilings1 the rows of white beds down the sides1 and the many windows looking to the sea1 were pretty and inviting enough4 ,if they somewhat resembled hospital wards1 they were too airy and cheerful to suggest sickness either of body or mind4 ,next1 a large barn belonging to ,mr4 ,anderson's former establishment was cleared1 and a new floor laid there also4 ,this was hardly finished 7the last nails were just driven7 when the steamer1 with its large company1 touched the wharf4 ,there was barely time to arrange the seats and to place a table with flowers where the guests of honor were to sit1 and ,agassiz himself was to stand1 when all arrived4 ,the barn was1 on the whole1 not a bad lecture-room on a beautiful summer day4 ,the swallows1 who had their nests without number in the rafters1 flew in and out1 and twittered softly overhead2 and the wide doors1 standing broadly open to the blue sky and the fresh fields let in the sea-breeze1 and gave a view of the little domain4 ,agassiz had arranged no programme of exercises1 trusting to the interest of the occasion to suggest what might best be said or done4 ,but1 as he looked upon his pupils gathered there to study nature with him1 by an impulse as natural as it was unpremeditated1 he called upon them to join in silently asking ,god's blessing on their work together4 ,the pause was broken by the first words of an address no less fervent than its unspoken prelude499 799 ,this whole scene is fitly told in ,whittier's poem1 ,the ,prayer of ,agassiz47 ,thus the day1 which had been anticipated with so much anxiety1 passed off1 unclouded by any untoward accident1 and at evening the guests had departed4 ,students and teachers1 a company of some fifty or sixty persons1 were left to share the island with the sea-gulls whose haunt it was4 ,we will not enter into the daily details of the school4 ,it was a new phase of teaching1 even for ,agassiz1 old as he was in the work4 ,most of his pupils were mature men and women1 some of whom had been teachers themselves for many years4 ,he had1 therefore1 trained minds to deal with1 and the experience was at that time as novel as it was interesting4 ,the novelty has worn off now4 ,summer schools for advanced students1 and especially for teachers1 have taken their place in the general system of education2 and1 though the ,penikese school may be said to have died with its master1 it lives anew in many a sea-side laboratory organized on the same plan1 in summer schools of ,botany and field classes of ,geology4 ,the impetus it gave was not1 and cannot be1 lost1 since it refreshed and vitalized methods of teaching4 ,beside the young men who formed his corps of teachers1 among whom the resident professors were ,dr4 ,burt ,g4 ,wilder1 of ,cornell ,university1 and ,professor ,alpheus ,s4 ,packard1 now of ,brown ,university1 ,agassiz had with him some of his oldest friends and colleagues4 ,count de ,pourtales was there1 superintending the dredging1 for which there were special conveniences1 ,mr4 ,charles ,g4 ,galloupe having presented the school with a yacht for the express purpose4 ,this generous gift gave ,agassiz the greatest pleasure1 and completed the outfit of the school as nothing else could have done4 ,professor ,arnold ,guyot1 also1--,agassiz's comrade in younger years1 --his companion in many an ,alpine excursion1--came to the island to give a course of lectures1 and remained for some time4 ,it was their last meeting in this world1 and together they lived over their days of youthful adventure4 ,the lectures of the morning and afternoon would sometimes be followed by an informal meeting held on a little hill1 which was a favorite resort at sunset4 ,there the whole community gathered around the two old friends1 to hear them talk of their glacial explorations1 one recalling what the other had forgotten1 till the scenes lived again for themselves1 and became almost equally vivid for their listeners4 ,the subject came up naturally1 for1 strange to say1 this island in a ,new ,england bay was very suggestive of glacial phenomena4 ,erratic materials and boulders transported from the north were scattered over its surface1 and ,agassiz found the illustrations for his lectures on this topic ready to his hand4 ,indeed1 some of his finest lectures on the ice-period were given at ,penikese4 ,nothing could be less artificial1 more free from constraint or formality1 than the intercourse between him and his companions of this summer4 ,he was at home with every member of the settlement4 ,ill-health did not check the readiness of his sympathy2 languor did not chill the glow of his enthusiasm4 ,all turned to him for help and inspiration4 ,walking over their little sovereignty together1 hunting for specimens on its beaches1 dredging from the boats1 in the laboratory1 or the lecture-room1 the instruction had always the character of the freest discussion4 ,yet the work1 although combined with out-of-door pleasures1 and not without a certain holiday element1 was no play4 ,on the part of the students1 the application was close and unremitting2 on the part of the teachers1 the instruction1 though untrammeled by routine1 was sustained and systematic4 ,agassiz himself frequently gave two lectures a day4 ,in the morning session he would prepare his class for the work of the day2 in the afternoon he would draw out their own observations by questions1 and lead them1 by comparison and combination of the facts they had observed1 to understand the significance of their results4 ,every lecture from him at this time was a lesson in teaching as well as in natural history1 and to many of his hearers this gave his lectures a twofold value1 as bearing directly upon their own occupation4 ,in his opening address he had said to them3 ,you will find the same elements of instruction all about you wherever you may be teaching4 ,you can take your classes out1 and give them the same lessons1 and lead them up to the same subjects you are yourselves studying here4 ,and this mode of teaching children is so natural1 so suggestive1 so true4 ,that is the charm of teaching from ,nature herself4 ,no one can warp her to suit his own views4 ,she brings us back to absolute truth as often as we wander4 ,this was the bright side of the picture4 ,those who stood nearest to ,agassiz1 however1 felt that the strain not only of work1 but of the anxiety and responsibility attendant upon a new and important undertaking1 was perilous for him4 ,there were moments when this became apparent1 and he himself felt the danger4 ,he persevered1 nevertheless1 to the end of the summer1 and only left ,penikese when the school broke up4 ,in order to keep the story of this final effort unbroken1 some events of great interest to ,agassiz and of importance to the ,museum have been omitted4 ,in the spring the ,museum had received a grant of #be1jjj dollars from the ,legislature4 ,to this was added #ajj1jjj dollars1 a birthday gift to ,agassiz in behalf of the institution he so much loved4 ,this last sum was controlled by no official body and was to be expended at his own good will and pleasure1 either in collections1 publications1 or scientific assistance1 as seemed to him best4 ,he therefore looked forward to a year of greater ease and efficiency in scientific work than he had ever enjoyed before4 ,on returning from ,penikese1 full of the new possibilities thus opened to him1 he allowed himself a short rest1 partly at the sea-shore1 partly in the mountains1 and was again at his post in the ,museum in ,october4 ,his last course of lectures there was on one of his favorite topics1--the type of ,radiates as connected with the physical history of the earth1 from the dawn of organic life till now4 ,in his opening lecture he said to his class3 ,you must learn to look upon fossil forms as the antiquarian looks upon his coins4 ,the remains of animals and plants have the spirit of their time impressed upon them1 as strongly as the spirit of the age is impressed upon its architecture1 its literature1 its coinage4 ,i want you to become so familiar with these forms1 that you can read off at a glance their character and associations4 ,in this spirit his last course was conceived4 ,it was as far-reaching and as clear as usual1 nor did his delivery evince failure of strength or of mental power4 ,if he showed in any way the disease which was even then upon him1 it was by an over-tension of the nerves1 which gave increased fervor to his manner4 ,every mental effort was1 however1 succeeded by great physical fatigue4 ,at the same time he had undertaken a series of articles in the ,atlantic ,monthly1 entitled1 ,evolution and ,permanence of ,type4 ,they were to have contained his own convictions regarding the connection between all living beings1 upon which his studies had led him to conclusions so different from the philosophy of the day4 ,of these papers1 only one was completed4 ,it was his last word upon science2 the correction of the proofsheets was the last act of his working life1 and the article was published after his death4 ,in it he claimed that the law of evolution1 in a certain sense as true to him as to any so-called evolutionist1 was a law controlling development1 and keeping types within appointed cycles of growth4 ,he maintained that this law acts within definite limits1 and never infringes upon the great types1 each one of which is1 in his view1 a structural unit in itself4 ,even metamorphoses1 he adds1 have all the constancy and invariability of other modes of embryonic growth1 and have never been known to lead to any transition of one species into another4 ,of heredity he says3 ,the whole subject of inheritance is exceedingly intricate1 working often in a seemingly capricious and fitful way4 ,qualities1 both good and bad1 are dropped as well as acquired1 and the process ends sometimes in the degradation of the type1 and the survival of the unfit rather than the fittest4 ,the most trifling and fantastic tricks of inheritance are quoted in support of the transmutation theory2 but little is said of the sudden apparition of powerful original qualities1 which almost always rise like pure creations1 and are gone with their day and generation4 ,the noblest gifts are exceptional1 and are rarely inherited2 this very fact seems to me an evidence of something more and higher than mere evolution and transmission concerned in the problem of life4 ,in the same way the matter of natural and sexual selection is susceptible of very various interpretations4 ,no doubt1 on the whole1 ,nature protects her best4 ,but it would not be difficult to bring together an array of facts as striking as those produced by the evolutionists in favor of their theory1 to show that sexual selection is by no means always favorable to the elimination of the chaff1 and the preservation of the wheat4 ,a natural attraction1 independent of strength or beauty1 is an unquestionable element in this problem1 and its action is seen among animals as well as among men4 ,the fact that fine progeny are not infrequently the offspring of weak parents1 and vice versa1 points1 perhaps1 to some innate power of redress by which the caprices of choice are counterbalanced4 ,but there can be no doubt that types are as often endangered as protected by the so-called law of sexual selection4 ,as to the influence of climate and physical conditions1 he continues1 we all know their power for evil and for good upon living beings4 ,but there is1 nevertheless1 nothing more striking in the whole book of nature than the power shown by types and species to resist physical conditions4 ,endless evidence may be brought from the whole expanse of land and air and water1 showing that identical physical conditions will do nothing toward the merging of species into one another1 neither will variety of conditions do anything toward their multiplication4 ,one thing only we know absolutely1 and in this treacherous1 marshy ground of hypothesis and assumption1 it is pleasant to plant one's foot occasionally upon a solid fact here and there4 ,whatever be the means of preserving and transmitting properties1 the primitive types have remained permanent and unchanged1--in the long succession of ages1 amid all the appearance and disappearance of kinds1 the fading away of one species and the coming in of another1--from the earliest geological periods to the present day4 ,how these types were first introduced1 how the species which have successively represented them have replaced one another1 --these are the vital questions to which no answer has been given4 ,we are as far from any satisfactory solution of this problem as if development theories had never been discussed4 ,in conclusion1 he sketches the plan of these articles4 ,i hope in future articles to show1 first1 that1 however broken the geological record may be1 there is a complete sequence in many parts of it1 from which the character of the succession may be ascertained2 secondly1 that1 since the most exquisitely delicate structures1 as well as embryonic phases of growth of the most perishable nature1 have been preserved from very early deposits1 we have no right to infer the disappearance of types because their absence disproves some favorite theory2 and1 lastly1 that there is no evidence of a direct descent of later from earlier species in the geological succession of animals4 ,this paper contained the sentence so often quoted since1 ,a physical fact is as sacred as a moral principle4 ,our own nature demands from us this double allegiance4 ,this expressed the secret of his whole life4 ,every fact in nature was sacred to him1 as part of an intellectual conception expressed in the history of the earth and the beings living upon it4 ,on the #bnd of ,december1 he was called to a meeting of the ,massachusetts ,board of ,agriculture at ,fitchburg1 where he lectured in the evening on ,the structural growth of domesticated animals4 ,those who accompanied him1 and knew the mental and physical depression which had hung about him for weeks1 could not see him take his place on the platform1 without anxiety4 ,and yet1 when he turned to the blackboard1 and1 with a single sweep of the chalk1 drew the faultless outline of an egg1 it seemed impossible that anything could be amiss with the hand or the brain that were so steady and so clear4 ,the end1 nevertheless1 was very near4 ,although he dined with friends the next day1 and was present at a family festival that week1 he spoke of a dimness of sight1 and of feeling strangely asleep4 ,on the #fth he returned early from the ,museum1 complaining of great weariness1 and from that time he never left his room4 ,attended in his illness by his friends1 ,dr4 ,brown-,sequard and ,dr4 ,morrill ,wyman1 and surrounded by his family1 the closing week of his life was undisturbed by acute suffering and full of domestic happiness4 ,even the voices of his brother and sisters were not wholly silent1 for the wires that thrill with so many human interests brought their message of greeting and farewell across the ocean to his bedside4 ,the thoughts and aims for which he had lived were often on his lips1 but the affections were more vivid than the intellect in these last hours4 ,the end came very peacefully1 on the #adth of ,december1 #ahgc4 ,he lies buried at ,mount ,auburn4 ,the boulder that makes his monument came from the glacier of the ,aar1 not far from the spot where his hut once stood2 and the pine-trees which are fast growing up to shelter it were sent by loving hands from his old home in ,switzerland4 ,the land of his birth and the land of his adoption are united in his grave4 ,,index4 ,aar1 glacier4 last visit to4 boulder-monument from4 ,abert1 ,colonel4 ,academy1 ,the ,little4 ,ackermann4 ,actiniae4 ,adelstaetten4 ,agassiz1 ,alexander4 ,agassiz1 ,auguste4 ,agassiz1 ,cecile ,braun4 talent as an artist4 ,agassiz1 ,elizabeth ,cary4 ,agassiz1 ,louis4 as a teacher4 popular reading4 becomes pastor at ,concise4 death4 ,agassiz1 ,jean ,louis ,rodolphe4 birthplace4 first aquarium4 early education4 love of natural history4 boyish studies and amusements4 taste for handicraft2 its after use4 adventure with his brother on the ice4 goes to ,bienne4 college of ,bienne4 vacations4 own sketch of plans of study at fourteen4 school and college note-books4 distaste for commercial life4 goes to ,lausanne4 to the medical school at ,zurich4 copies books on natural history4 first excursion in the ,alps4 offer of adoption by a ,genevese gentleman4 goes to ,heidelberg4 student life4 described in ,braun's letters4 at ,carlsruhe4 illness4 at ,munich4 description of ,museum at ,stuttgart4 of mammoth4 at ,munich4 ,the ,little ,academy4 ,fresh-water fishes of ,europe4 desire to travel4 vacation trip4 work on ,brazilian fishes4 second vacation trip4 growing collections4 plans for travel with ,humboldt4 doctor of philosophy4 at ,orbe and ,cudrefin4 death of ,dr4 ,mayor4 doctor of medicine4 new interest in medicine4 first work on fossil fishes4 at ,vienna4 negotiations with ,cotta4 university life4 at home4 studies on cholera4 arrives in ,paris4 homesickness4 ,cuvier gives him his fossil fishes4 last interview with ,cuvier4 embarrassments4 offer from ,ferussac4 plans for disposing of collection4 curious dream4 ,humboldt's gift4 first sight of sea4 plans for going to ,neuchatel4 inducements to stay in ,paris4 birthday festival4 call to ,neuchatel4 first lecture at ,neuchatel4 success as a teacher4 impulse given to science4 children's lectures4 call to ,heidelberg4 declination4 sale of collection4 threatened blindness4 publishing ,fossil ,fishes4 marriage4 growing reputation4 invited to ,england4 receives ,wollaston prize4 views on classification and development4 difficulties in the work on ,fossil ,fishes4 first visit to ,england4 material for ,fossil ,fishes4 return to ,neuchatel4 first relations with ,new ,england4 second visit to ,england4 various works4 receives ,wollaston medal4 first glacial work4 sale of original drawings of ,fossil ,fishes4 on the ,jura4 glacial theory announced4 opposition4 invitation to ,geneva4 to ,lausanne4 death of his father4 lithographical press4 variety of work4 researches on mollusks4 chromolithographs4 elected into ,royal ,society4 new glacial work4 first ,english letter4 ,etudes sur les ,glaciers4 on the glacier of the ,aar4 ,hotel des ,neuchatelois4 work4 ascent of the ,strahleck4 of the ,siedelhorn4 second visit to ,england4 in the ,highlands4 in ,ireland4 researches in the interior of glacier4 ascent of the ,ewigschneehorn4 of the ,jungfrau4 on the ,viescher4 the chalet of ,meril4 the ,aletsch4 the ,col of ,rotthal4 the peak4 the descent4 zoological work4 various publications4 unity in work4 on glaciers4 ,fossil ,fishes4 gifts from the king of ,prussia4 plans for visiting the ,united ,states4 microscopic study of fossil fishes4 critical point4 publishes ,fossil ,fishes4 not an evolutionist4 belief in a ,creator4 fish skeletons4 plan of creation4 last visit to glacier4 receives ,monthyon prize4 publishes ,systeme ,glaciaire4 sails for ,america4 arrives in ,boston4 lectures4 their success4 visit to ,new ,haven4 impressions4 ,american hospitality4 ,mercantile ,library ,association4 ,new ,york4 ,princeton4 ,philadelphia4 ,american scientific men4 ,hudson ,river4 ,west ,point4 ,albany4 lectures on glaciers4 ,american forests4 erratic phenomena4 medusae and polyps4 plans for travel4 at ,east ,boston4 first birthday in ,america4 on the ,bibb4 first dredging4 leaves ,prussian service4 professor at ,harvard4 removes to ,cambridge4 death of his wife4 begins a collection4 excursion to ,lake ,superior4 ,principles of ,zoology published4 second marriage4 arrival of his children4 examination of ,florida reefs4 radiates4 professor at ,charleston1 ,s4,c4 laboratory on ,sullivan's ,island4 the ,hollow ,tree4 origin of human race4 receives the ,prix ,cuvier4 lectures at ,smithsonian ,institution4 made regent of4 growth of collections4 their sale4 illness at ,charleston4 relation of living to fossil animals4 return to the north4 invitation to ,zurich4 and refusal4 circular on collecting fishes4 and response4 new house in ,cambridge4 manner of study4 weekly meetings4 renewed lectures4 school for young ladies opened4 and success4 courses of lectures4 close4 ,contributions to the ,natural ,history of the ,united ,states projected4 concluded4 fiftieth birthday4 laboratory at ,nahant4 invitation to ,paris4 refusal1 and reasons4 receives cross of ,legion of ,honor4 dangerous state of collections4 an ideal museum4 ,museum of ,comparative ,zoology founded4 visit to ,europe4 teaching at museum4 attitude during civil war4 urges founding ,national ,academy4 naturalized4 receives ,copley medal4 lecturing tour4 ethnographical collections4 hydrographical distribution of animals4 future of negro race4 visit to ,maine4 to ,brazil4 return4 at ,lowell ,institute4 at ,cooper ,institute4 illness4 journey to the ,west4 professor at ,cornell ,university4 address at ,humboldt ,centennial4 illness4 anxiety for ,museum4 restored health4 ,hassler expedition4 at ,talcahuana4 journey from ,talcahuana to ,santiago4 elected ,foreign ,associate of the ,institute of ,france4 at the ,galapagos islands4 at ,san ,francisco4 return to ,cambridge4 summer school projected4 gift of ,penikese4 opening of school4 last lectures at ,museum4 last work4 last lecture4 last visit to ,museum4 death4 ,agassiz1 ,rose ,mayor4 sympathy with her son4 at ,concise4 visit to4 death4 ,albany4 ,albemarle ,island4 ,aletsch1 glacier of the4 ,alps1 first excursion in4 later excursions4 first permanent station4 ,amalgamation4 ,amazons1 the4 ,america1 native races of4 ,america1 ,south1 native races of4 ,american forests4 ,ancud4 ,anderson1 ,john4 ,anderson ,school of ,natural ,history4 opening4 ,anthony1 ,j4,g4 ,asterolepis4 ,australian race4 ,austrian custom-house officers4 ,bache1 ,a4,d4 ,bachelor's ,peak4 ,baer4 ,bailey1 ,professor4 ,baird1 ,s4,f4 ,balanus4 ,bancroft1 ,george4 ,barbados4 ,barnard1 ,j4,m4 ,beaumont1 ,elie de4 aids ,agassiz with a collection of fossil fishes4 at the ,helvetic ,association at ,neuchatel4 ,berlin1 ,university of1 quoted4 ,beroids4 ,bibb ,u4,s4 ,coast ,survey steamer4 ,bibliographica ,zoologica4 ,bienne1 college at4 ,bischoff4 ,blake1 ,j4,h4 ,bombinator obstetricans1 observations on4 ,bonaparte1 ,prince of ,canino4 ,booth4 ,borja ,bay4 ,boston4 ,boston1 ,east4 laboratory4 observations upon the geology of1 with reference to the glacial theory4 ,boston ,harbor4 ,botany1 questions in4 ,bowditch4 ,braun1 ,alexander4 ,brazil1 visit to4 fresh-water fauna of4 glacier phenomena4 ,brewster1 ,sir ,david4 ,brongniart4 ,bronn4 his collection now in ,cambridge4 ,brown-,sequard1 ,dr4 ,buch1 ,leopold von4 ,buckland1 ,dr4 invites ,agassiz to ,england4 acts as his guide to fossil fishes4 to glacier tracks4 a convert to glacial theory4 mentioned by ,murchison4 ,burkhardt4 ,cabot1 ,j4,e4 ,cambridge4 ,cambridge1 first mention of4 ,campanularia4 ,carlsruhe1 ,agassiz at4 ,cary1 ,t4,g4 ,castanea4 ,charleston1 ,s4,c4 ,charpentier4 ,chavannes1 ,professor4 ,chelius4 ,chemidium4 ,chemidium-like sponge4 ,chiem1 lake of4 ,chilian1 valley of4 ,chironectes pictus4 ,chorocua ,bay4 ,christinat1 ,mr4 ,civil war4 ,clark1 ,h4,j4 ,coal deposits at ,lota1 age of4 ,coal mines at ,sandy ,point4 ,coast range4 ,coelenterata1 ,owen on the term4 ,collections1 growth of4 embryological4 appropriation for4 place of storage4 sale4 ,concepcion ,bay4 ,concise1 ,parsonage of4 ,connecticut geology4 ,connecticut ,river4 ,conner's ,cove4 ,corcovado ,gulf4 ,corcovado ,peak4 ,contributions to ,natural ,history of the ,united ,states4 ,copley medal4 ,coral collection4 ,cordilleras4 ,cornell ,university4 ,cotting1 ,b4,e4 ,coulon1 ,h4 ,coulon1 ,l4 ,coutinho1 ,major4 ,crinoids1 deep-sea and fossil1 compared4 ,ctenophorae4 ,cudrefin4 ,curicu4 ,cuvier1 ,georges4 dedication to4 notes on ,spix fishes4 reception of ,agassiz4 gives material for fossil fishes4 last words4 ,cyclopoma spinosum1 curious dream about4 ,cyprinus uranoscopus4 ,dana ,j4,d4 ,darwin1 ,c4 accepts glacier theory4 on ,lake ,superior4 on ,massachusetts cirripedia4 estimation of ,darwinism4 of ,agassiz4 ,davis1 ,admiral4 ,deep-sea dredgings4 ,deep-sea fauna4 ,de ,kay4 ,de la ,rive1 ,a41 invites ,agassiz to ,geneva4 ,desor4 ,dinkel1 ,joseph4 ,dinkel1 his description of ,agassiz4 ,dollinger4 ,drayton4 ,drift-hills4 ,easter fete4 ,echinarachnius parma4 ,echinoderms1 relation to medusae4 ,eden ,harbor4 ,egerton1 ,lord ,francis1 buys original drawings4 ,egerton1 ,sir ,philip4 ,elizabeth islands4 ,embryonic and specific development4 ,emerson1 ,r4,w4 ,emperor of ,brazil4 ,england4 first visit to4 generosity of naturalists4 second visit to4 ,english ,narrows4 ,enniskillen1 ,lord4 ,equality of races4 ,escher von der ,linth4 ,esslingen4 ,estuaries4 ,ethnographical circular4 ,evolution and ,permanence of ,type4 ,ewigschneehorn4 ,fagus castaneafolia4 ,favre1 ,e41 quotation from4 ,favre1 ,l41 quotation from4 ,felton1 ,c4,c4 ,ferussac4 ,fishes4 classification4 collecting4 prophetic types4 ,fishes of ,america4 ,fishes of ,brazil4 ,fishes1 ,spix's ,brazilian4 ,fishes of ,europe4 of ,kentucky4 of ,new ,york4 of ,switzerland4 ,fishes1 fossil4 geological and genetic development4 study of bones4 in ,english collections4 of the ,old ,red4 of ,sheppy4 of ,connecticut4 ,fishes1 ,fossil4 ,recherches sur les poissons fossiles4 receives ,wollaston prize4 ,monthyon prize4 ,prix ,cuvier4 ,fish-nest4 ,fitchburg1 lecture at4 ,florida reefs4 ,forbes1 ,edward4 ,forbes1 ,james ,d4 ,fossil ,alaskan flora4 ,fossil ,arctic flora4 ,frazer4 ,fremont1 ,j4,c4 ,fuchs4 ,fuegian natives4 ,galapagos ,islands4 ,galloupe1 ,c4,g4 ,geneva1 invitation to4 ,geoffrey ,st4 ,hilaire's progressive theory1 remarks on4 ,gibbes4 ,glacial marks in ,scotland4 ,roads of ,glen ,roy4 in ,ireland4 in ,new ,england4 in ,new ,york4 at ,halifax4 at ,brooklyn4 at ,east ,boston4 on ,lake ,superior4 in ,maine4 in ,brazil4 in ,new ,york4 in ,penikese4 in western prairies4 in ,south ,america4 ,glacial submarine dykes4 ,glacial phenomena4 lectures on4 ,glacial work4 gift from king of ,prussia toward4 ,systeme glaciaire published4 ,glacial theory4 opposition from ,buch4 from ,humboldt4 ,studer's acceptance of4 ,etudes sur les glaciers published4 ,humboldt's later views4 ,glacier ,bay4 moraine4 ,glaciers4 first researches4 renewed4 blue bands4 advance4 ,hugi's cabin4 of the ,aar4 in the winter4 the ,rosenlaui4 boring4 glacier wells4 caves of the ,viescher4 capillary fissures4 formation of crevasses4 sundials4 topographical survey4 stratification of neve4 new work4 ,glaciers in ,strait of ,magellan4 ,glen ,roy1 roads of4 ,goeppingen4 ,gould1 ,a4,a4 ,gray1 ,asa4 ,gray1 ,francis ,c4 leaves a sum to found a ,museum of ,comparative ,zoology4 ,gray1 ,william4 ,greenough1 ,h4 ,gressly1 ,a4 ,griffith1 ,dr4 collection of4 ,grindelwald4 ,gruithuisen4 ,guyot1 ,arnold4 on ,agassiz's views4 ,hagen1 ,h4,a4 ,haldeman1 ,s4,s4 ,hall1 ,j4 ,harbor deposits4 ,hare4 ,harvard ,university4 ,hassler expedition4 ,heath4 ,heer1 ,oswald4 ,heidelberg4 arrival at4 rambles in vicinity of4 student life at4 invitation to4 ,henry1 ,joseph4 ,hill1 ,thomas4 ,hitchcock4 ,hochstetter1 the botanist4 ,holbrook1 ,j4,e4 ,holbrook1 ,j4,e41 ,mrs4 ,holmes1 ,o4,w4 description of ,saturday ,club4 ,hooper1 ,samuel4 ,horse-backs4 ,hospice of the ,grimsel4 ,hotel des ,neuchatelois4 last of4 ,howe1 ,dr4 ,s4,g4 on the future of the negro race4 ,hudson ,river4 ,hugi's cabin4 ,humboldt1 ,alexander von4 projects of travel with4 kindness4 writes to ,l4 ,coulon4 gives form for letter to the king4 on succession of life4 on ,ehrenberg's discoveries4 on his brother's death4 urges concentration and economy4 discourages glacial work4 opposes glacial theory4 on works on ,fossil and ,fresh-water fishes4 on his own works4 later views on glacial theory4 farewell words to ,agassiz4 ,humboldt1 centennial4 ,humboldt1 scholarship4 ,humboldt1 ,william von4 letter concerning his death1 from his brother4 ,iberians4 ,ibicuhy the4 ,indian ,reach4 ,invertebrates1 relations of4 ,ithaca1 ,n4,y4 ,jackson1 ,c4,t4 ,johnson1 ,p4,c4 ,kentucky1 fishes of4 ,kobell4 ,koch1 the botanist4 ,labyrinthodon4 ,lackawanna cove4 ,lake ,superior4 excursion to4 glacial phenomena4 local geology4 fauna4 ,lake ,superior1 ,narrative of4 ,lakes in ,new ,york1 origin of4 ,lausanne1 ,agassiz at the college of4 ,lausanne1 invitation to4 ,lava bed in ,albemarle island4 ,lawrence1 ,abbott4 ,lawrence1 ,scientific school established4 ,agassiz made professor4 ,lea1 ,isaac1 collection of shells4 ,leconte4 ,lepidosteus4 ,lesquereux4 ,letters3 ,agassiz to his brother ,auguste4 to his father4 to his father and mother4 to his mother4 to his sister ,cecile4 to his sister ,olympe4 to his old pupils4 to ,elie de ,beaumont4 to ,bonaparte1 ,prince of ,canino4 to ,a4 ,braun4 to ,dr4 ,buckland4 to ,t4,g4 ,cary4 to ,james ,d4 ,dana4 to ,l4 ,coulon4 to ,decaisne4 to ,a4 de la ,rive4 to ,sir ,p4 ,egerton4 to ,r4,w4 ,emerson4 to ,chancellor ,favargez4 to ,s4,s4 ,haldeman4 to ,oswald ,heer4 to ,mrs4 ,holbrook4 to ,s4,g4 ,howe4 to ,a4 von ,humboldt4 to ,j4,a4 ,lowell4 to ,sir ,charles ,lyell4 to ,charles ,martins4 to ,dr4 ,mayor4 to ,henri ,milne-,edwards4 to ,benjamin ,peirce4 to ,adam ,sedgwick4 to ,charles ,sumner4 to ,valenciennes4 ,auguste ,agassiz to ,louis ,agassiz4 ,m4 ,agassiz to ,louis ,agassiz4 ,madame ,agassiz to ,louis ,agassiz4 ,a4,d4 ,bache to ,louis ,agassiz4 ,alexander ,braun to ,louis ,agassiz4 ,leopold von ,buch to ,agassiz4 ,dr4 ,buckland to ,agassiz4 ,l4 ,coulon to ,agassiz4 ,cuvier to ,agassiz4 ,charles ,darwin to ,agassiz4 ,a4 de la ,rive to ,agassiz4 ,g4,p4 ,deshayes to ,agassiz4 ,egerton to ,agassiz4 ,r4,w4 ,emerson to ,agassiz4 ,edward ,forbes to ,agassiz4 ,oswald ,heer to ,agassiz4 ,dr4 ,howe to ,agassiz4 ,a4 von ,humboldt to ,agassiz ,a4 von ,humboldt to ,agassiz 7extract74 ,h4,w4 ,longfellow to ,agassiz4 ,sir ,charles ,lyell to ,agassiz4 ,lady ,lyell to ,agassiz4 ,l4 von ,martius to ,agassiz4 ,hugh ,miller to ,agassiz4 ,sir ,r4 ,murchison to ,agassiz4 ,richard ,owen to ,agassiz4 ,benjamin ,peirce to ,agassiz4 ,m4 ,rouland to ,agassiz4 ,adam ,sedgwick to ,agassiz4 ,c4,t4 von ,siebold to ,agassiz4 ,b4 ,silliman to ,agassiz4 ,charles ,sumner to ,agassiz4 ,tiedemann to ,agassiz4 ,alexander ,braun to his father4 to his mother4 ,charles ,darwin to ,dr4 ,tritten4 ,a4 von ,humboldt to ,madame ,agassiz4 to ,l4 ,coulon4 to ,g4 ,ticknor 7extract74 ,leuckart4 ,leuthold4 death4 ,longfellow1 ,h4,w4 verses on ,agassiz's fiftieth birthday4 ,christmas gift4 ,long ,island ,sound4 ,lota4 ,lota coal deposits4 ,lowell1 ,james ,russell4 ,lowell1 ,john ,amory4 ,lowell ,institute4 lectures at4 reception at4 audience4 ,lyell1 ,sir ,charles4 accepts glacial theory4 ,lyman1 ,t4 ,madrepores4 ,magellan1 ,strait of4 ,mahir4 ,maine1 visit to4 ,man1 origin of4 compared with monkeys4 distinction of races4 form of nose4 geographical distribution4 ,man prehistoric in ,s4 ,america4 ,marcou1 ,j4 ,martius1 ,l4 von4 ,mastodon of ,u4,s4 compared to old world4 ,mathias1 ,gulf of4 ,mayne's ,harbor4 ,mayor1 ,dr4 death of4 ,mayor1 ,auguste4 ,mayor1 ,francois4 ,mayor1 ,lisette4 ,mayor1 ,mathias4 ,meckel4 ,medusae4 relation to echinoderms4 beroids4 tiaropsis4 campanularia4 ,megatherium4 ,melimoya ,mountain4 ,mellet1 ,pastor4 ,mercantile ,library ,association1 meeting of4 ,meril1 the chalets of4 ,michahelles4 ,micraster4 ,miller1 ,hugh4 on ,footprints of the ,creator4 on ,scenes and ,legends4 on resemblance of ,scotch and ,swiss4 on ,first ,impressions4 on ,asterolepis4 on ,monticularia4 ,mississippi1 fishes in the4 ,mollusks1 inner moulds of shells of4 ,monkeys4 ,monte ,video4 ,monticularia4 ,more4 ,morton1 ,s4,g4 collection of skulls4 ,motier4 birthplace of ,agassiz4 inscription to ,agassiz4 ,motley1 ,j4,l4 ,mount ,burney4 ,mount ,sarmiento4 ,mount ,tarn4 ,munich4 ,murchison1 ,sir ,r4 on glacial theory4 accepts it4 sends his ,russian ,old ,red fishes4 on ,principles of ,zoology4 on tertiary geology4 ,murchison1 ,sir ,r4 ,museum of ,comparative ,zoology4 first beginning4 coral collection begun4 gift from pupils4 idea of museum4 publications4 ,mr4 ,gray's legacy4 name given4 popular name4 ,harvard ,university gives land4 ,legislative grant4 cornerstone laid4 plan4 dedication4 work at ,museum4 public lectures4 additional grants4 first ,bulletin4 growth4 new subscription4 new building4 object and scope4 new collections4 staff4 a birthday gift4 last lectures by ,agassiz4 ,nageli4 ,nahant1 laboratory at4 ,national ,academy of ,sciences founded4 ,negroes4 ,neuchatel4 plans for4 accepts professorship there4 first lecture4 founding of ,natural ,history ,society4 museum4 ,new ,haven4 ,new ,york1 city of4 ,new ,york1 ,natural ,history of4 ,nicolet1 ,c4 ,nomenclator ,zoologicus4 ,nuremberg4 the ,durer festival4 ,oesars4 ,oesterreicher4 ,oken4 ,orbe4 ,ord1 collection4 ,osorno4 ,otway ,bay4 ,owen's ,island4 ,packard1 ,a4,s4 ,panama4 ,paris1 ,agassiz in4 ,peale1 ,r4 ,museum4 ,peirce1 ,b4 ,penikese ,island4 glacial marks4 ,perty4 ,philadelphia4 ,academy of ,science4 ,american ,philosophical ,society4 ,phyllotaxis1 first hint at the law of4 ,physio-philosophy4 ,pickering1 ,charles4 ,playa ,parda ,cove4 ,pleurotomaria4 ,poissons d'eau douce4 ,poissons fossiles4 ,port ,famine4 ,port ,san ,pedro4 ,portugal1 plan for collections in4 ,possession ,bay4 moraine4 ,pourtales1 ,l4,f4 de4 ,pourtales1 extract from his journal4 ,prescott1 ,w4,h4 ,princeton4 ,principles of ,zoology4 ,radiates1 relations of4 ,ramsey1 ,prof4 ,ravenel1 ,st4 ,julian4 ,redfield4 ,rhizocrinus4 ,rickley 7,rickly71 ,mr41 director at college at ,bienne4 ,ringseis4 ,rivers1 ,american1 origin of4 ,rogers1 ,h4 ,rogers1 ,w4,b4 ,rosenlaui1 glacier of the4 ,roththal1 ,col of4 ,rowlet ,narrows4 ,st4 ,george1 ,gulf of4 ,salamander1 fossil1 at ,new ,haven4 ,salt marshes4 ,salzburg4 precautions concerning students4 ,san ,antonio1 ,port of4 ,san ,diego4 ,sandy ,point4 ,san ,francisco4 ,san ,magdalena4 ,santiago4 ,san ,vicente4 ,sargassum4 ,sarmiento ,range4 ,saturday ,club4 ,schelling4 ,schimper1 ,karl4 ,schimper1 ,william4 ,schinz1 ,prof4 library and collection4 ,school for young ladies opened4 success4 lectures at4 close4 yearly meeting of old pupils1--gift to the ,museum4 ,schubert4 ,scudder1 ,s4,h4 description by1 of a first lesson by ,agassiz4 ,scyphia4 ,sea bottom4 ,sedgwick1 ,adam4 on ,geoffrey ,st4 ,hilaire's theory4 question on descent4 ,sedgwick1 ,adam4 ,seeley1 ,h4,g4 ,seiber4 ,sharks and skates4 ,shepard4 ,sholl ,bay4 moraine at4 ,shore level1 change of4 ,siebold1 ,letter of1 about ,agassiz at ,munich4 ,siedelhorn1 ascent of the4 ,silliman1 ,benjamin4 announces subscribers to ,fossil ,fishes4 ,visit to4 ,siphonia4 ,smithsonian ,institution4 lectures at4 ,agassiz becomes regent of4 ,smythe's ,channel4 ,snell1 ,g4 ,snowy ,glacier4 ,snowy ,range4 ,sonrel4 ,spain1 plan for collecting in4 ,spatangus4 ,spix4 his ,brazilian ,fishes4 ,sponge1 chemidium-like4 ,sponges1 deep sea4 ,stahl4 ,starke4 ,steindachner1 ,f4 ,steudel1 the botanist4 ,stimpson1 ,w4 ,strahleck1 ascent of the4 ,studer4 ,stuttgart1 ,museum at4 ,sullivan's ,island4 ,summer ,school of ,natural ,history1 plan for4 ,sumner1 ,charles4 ,tagus ,sound4 ,talcahuana4 ,tarn ,bay4 ,tenon4 ,thayer1 ,nathaniel1 promotes ,brazil expedition4 ,tiaropsis4 ,ticknor4 ,tiedemann1 ,professor4 invites ,agassiz to ,heidelberg4 ,torrey1 ,professor ,j4 ,tortugas4 ,traunstein4 ,trettenbach4 ,united ,states4 first thought of visiting4 idea given up4 resumed4 departure for4 impressions of4 scientific men4 ,united ,states ,coast ,survey4 steamer ,bibb4 constant connection with4 examination of ,florida reefs4 dredging expedition4 ,united ,states ,museum of ,natural ,history4 ,valenciennes4 ,vallorbe4 ,valparaiso4 ,vanuxem4 ,vienna1 visit to4 ,viescher ,glacier1 cave of4 ,vintage in ,switzerland1 the4 ,vogt1 ,karl4 ,volcanic islands4 ,volcanic soil4 boulders4 ,wahren4 ,wagler4 ,wagner4 ,walther4 ,waltl4 ,washington4 ,weber1 ,j4,c4 ,west ,point4 ,white1 ,w4 ,whymper collection4 ,wild1 ,mr4 ,wilder1 ,b4,g4 ,wilkes ,exploring ,expedition4 collection4 ,wollaston prize4 ,wollaston medal4 ,wyman1 ,j4 ,wyman1 ,dr4 ,morrill4 ,yandell4 ,zuccarini4 ,zurich4 professorship offered4