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LEADERS IN SCIENCE SERIES.

I2MO, FULLY ILLUSTRATED. EACH, $1.50

I.—The Life and Work of Charles Darwin. By
CHARLES F, HOLDER,

‘“ Mr, Holder is one of the American savants who have made Darwin
and his system of philosophy a subject of profound study, and his book
relating to him is one of the best that has been produced for popular use.’”
—Philadelphia Bulletin.

‘The author has given us a capital account of Darwin’s voyages,
adventures, and discoveries indicating in broad outlines his theories and
scientific opinions, and not neglecting to throw into strong light the
lovable personal character and individual traits of the great naturalist.”’
—Christian Union.

‘©The work is particularly attractive in the elaborate picture it gives
of the man, the sweetness and purity of his life, the simplicity of his
nature, the loftiness of his aim, and the patient and unswerving de-
votion to the tasks he had set himself to accomplish. It is a book that
may be commended without reserve, and the style in which it is written
enhances the charm of what it has to tell.” —Boston Gazette.

‘*The sketch of this life is just, sympathetic, and brief—three good
points ina biography.” —String field Republican,

II.—The Life and Work of Louis Agassiz.—By
CHARLES F. HOLDER.

IlIl.—The Life and Work of Alexander Humboldt.
By F, GUILLEMARD. (In preparation.)

G. P. PUTNAM’S SONS, NEw York Aanp Lonpbon,

Leaders in Science

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LOUIS AGASSIZ.

Leaders in Science

LOUIS AGASSIZ

HIS LIFE AND WORK

CHARLES FREDERICK HOLDER, LL.D.

“ 7 46 yo

AUTHOR OF “ THE LIFE OF CHARLES DARWIN, LIVING LIGHTS,”’ ‘* ELEMENTS OF
ZOOLoGy,”’ ** MARVELS OF ANIMAL LIFE,”’ ‘‘ THE IVORY KING,”’
‘* ALONG THE FLORIDA REEF,” ETC., ETC,

G. P. PUTNAM’S SONS

NEW YORK LONDON
27 WEST TWENTY-THIRD STREET 24 BEDFORD STREET, STRAND

Che Anicherbocker Press
1893

Electrotyped, Printed, and Bound by
The Knickerbocker Press, Rew Work
G, P. Purwam’s Sons

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In his biographical memoir, read before the National Academy,
Arnold Guyot, the life-long friend of Agassiz, said: ‘‘ Permit me
here to allude to one of the providential circumstances of Agassiz’s
life, which enabled him to perform so large an amount of work, and
to do it cheerfully as well as efficiently. I mean his marriage, in
1849, with a distinguished daughter of his adopted country, whom
we all know without naming her, and all admire and respect. In
this constant and devoted companion of his American life he found
a wise and affectionate mother for his children. Her sound and firm
judgment, her well-balanced mind, gave him much needed help and
encouragement in the midst of sometimes complicated circumstances.
Her literary talents, to which we owe the interesting record of his
Brazilian journey, the picturesque account of the Florida reefs, and
perhaps the final appearance of more than one of his late works, are
acknowledged by all. Her deep and absolute devotion, her soothing
influence, secured for him the peace of mind and heart so necessary
for an undisturbed mental activity. To her also science owes a

tribute of gratitude.”

TO
ELIZABETH CARY AGASSIZ

THIS VOLUME IS, WITH PERMISSION, RESPECTFULLY

INSCRIBED

HE effect of the teachings and
work of Louis Agassiz upon the
world has been pronounced and
far-reaching, his appearance in

America marking the beginning
of a new epoch in natural science.

Previous to his advent Biology in -

particular had languished, but from

the time of his arrival in Bostona new in-
terest was created. His personality and
methods, his reputation as a teacher, investigator,
and scientist, took the New World by storm, and
without reflecting upon those eminent American
scientists who had laboured long in the field, it was
his example, his power of teaching, that gave a new
and fresh impetus to American science. His indom-
itable purpose, his industry, his devotion to the
dissemination of knowledge, his love for science—
which is but another term for truth,—were traits
which commended him to all men, and ensured him

a lasting place in their affection and appreciation.

Agassiz was the greatest teacher of his time, and

his place is still unfilled. With Darwin he was the

most conspicuous man of his day, rendered still

vil

Viti eae Preface.

more notable by his position regarding the origin of
man and life. He was the great theistic philosopher
of the scientific world in which he lived. He fought
with unflagging valour the suggestion that God was
not existent in nature; seeing in every animate or
inanimate object an evidence of design, in the tracing
of every leaf the hand of the Omnipotent. He con-
tested without bigotry the views of Darwin and his
school until the very last, and died believing that
the advance of time and new discoveries would de-
monstrate that the mind in nature, which he clearly
saw, would be accepted. Hewasa noble and heroic
figure, one of the stepping-stones in the advance of
civilization.

In the present volume I have not attempted an
elaborate analysis of his life and its effect upon the
scientific world, but rather a brief story of its salient
features, an impression of the good he accomplished,
hoping that younger readers, as well as those of
maturer years, may be tempted to emulate the les-
son his life presents. In the preparation of the
volume I am indebted to Mrs. Louis Agassiz for per-
mission to use certain material contained solely in
the Lzfe of her husband, which must always remain
the authority on this subject ; to David Starr Jordan,
LL.D., President of Leland Stanford, Jr., University,
and to Professor Samuel Garman, of the Museum
of Comparative Zodlogy, at Cambridge, for personal
incidents in the life of Agassiz, and for suggestions
and advice. My thanks are also due the California
Academy of Sciences for permission to quote from
their memoirs, and to the Boston Natural History

Preface... ix

Society for similar favours. I am also indebted to
Mr. Darwin, Librarian of the U. S. Geological Sur-
vey, for valuable data, and to Mr. Joy Lichtenstein,
Assistant Librarian of the Free Library of San
Francisco, for the appended bibliographical list.

C. FH.

PASADENA, CAL., September, 1892.

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CONTENTS.

CHAPTER I,

PAGE
THE BOY AGASSIZ : : A . 3 : I

Birthplace of Agassiz—Boyhood Pastimes—Early Love
for Nature—Collections—First Collection of Fishes—The
Aquarium—Manly Traits—Inventive and Imitative Faculties
—Descendant of a Line of Clergymen—An Ancient Fam-
ily—Influence of His Mother.

CHAPTER II.

SCHOOL DAYS . : “ . . 3 . . 7
Agassiz the Elder—Early College Life—College at Bienne
—Vacation Days—Auguste Agassiz—Making Collections—
Forming a Library—Village Festivals—Taste for Natural
Science—A Manifesto—Agassiz Outlines His Career—Study
of Fishes—Rambles in the Fields—First Lectures on

Zodlogy.
CHAPTER III.

CHARACTERISTICS AND HABITS ; , : 5 13

Appearance of Agassiz—Strong Personality—Captivates a
Stranger—Filial Affection—Meeting Well-Known Natural-
ists—Love of Books—Copies Made— Determination of
Character—Habits of Study and Observation—The Home

Collections,
xi

xil

Contents.

CHAPTER IV.

AGASSIZ AT HEIDELBERG

Early Associations—Reasons for Entering Heidelberg—
Studying the Collections of Tiedemann—Agassiz and His
Friends—An Accomplished Linguist—College Life—How
the Honours Were Divided — Physical Exercise — Strong
Religious Convictions—Collecting Fishes.

CHAPTER V.

THE LITTLE ACADEMY

In Munich— The Journey—Stuttgart Museum — The Little
Academy—First Lectures—An Audience of Learned Men
—A Room and a Museum—Daily Routine—Objections to a
Medical Career—Desire for Travel.

CHAPTER VI.

THE YOUNG AUTHOR

Influence of Von Martius—Offer of the Work Left os Spix
—Hesitation and Motive—An Intended Surprise—Discovery
—First Artists—Scholarly Men as Intimates—Consent of
Parents to a Scientific Career.

CHAPTER VII.

CLIMBING THE LADDER

Struggles of a Young Doctor—Work upon the Fossil Fishes
—Looking toward Paris—Arrival in that City—Cuvier—
Meets Humboldt—A Strange Dream—Death of Cuvier.

CHAPTER VIII.

AGASSIZ AND HUMBOLDT .

Friendship of Humboldt—His acces on the Life of
Agassiz — Discouragement — Aid from an Unexpected
Quarter—Humboldt to the Rescue— The New Book—A
Professorship Offered.

AGE

Contents. xiii

CHAPTER IX.

THE YOUNG TEACHER

First Lectures to Pupils—Departure for Neuchatel—Success
as a Teacher—Field Lectures—Call to Heidelberg—The
Chair Declined—Threatened Blindness—Preparing for it.

CHAPTER X.
WINNING FAME

Curiosity of English Scientists to See Agassiz—New Honours
—Visit to Bex—Sale of Original Drawings—Glacial Theories
—Proffers of Professorships.

CHAPTER XI.
A GLACIER HUNT

Interest in Glaciers—Opposition of Scientists—Visit to
Glaciers—The Hotel Neuchatelois—Curious Experiments
—Descent into the Glaciers— The Heart of a Glacier —
Ascent of the Jungfrau— Injecting Coloured Fluids—The
Work on Glaciers.

CHAPTER XII.

THE AMERICAN TRIP

Glacial Studies—New reece of Ree eee,
tion of Prince Canino—An Opening in America—Plans for
the American Trip—The Monthyon Prize—Visit to Paris—
Arrival in Boston—First Lectures—American Scientists—
Impressions of America—Marine Studies—The Home in
East Boston.

CHAPTER XIII.

AGASSIZ AT HARVARD

The Scientific School at Aces Professorship Ten-
dered—The Agassiz Household—Death of Mrs, Agassiz—
The Museum of Comparative Zodlogy—Agassiz and the Coast
Survey—Trip to Lake Superior—Second Marriage—Expedi-
tion to the Florida Reef—Acceptance of a Professorship in
the Charleston Medical College—I] Health—Return to
Cambridge.

PAGE

97.

XIV Contents.

LIFE IN CAMBRIDGE

AGASSIZ IN BRAZIL

AROUND PARA.

CHAPTER XIV.

Continued Honours—Invitation to Paris—Receives the
Order of the Legion of Honour— Bequest of Francis
C. Gray—The Museum—Visit to Europe—Dedication of
the Museum—Growth of Corals—The ‘‘ Contributions ”—
Fiftieth Birthday—Patriotism — Founder of the National
Academy.

CHAPTER XV,

Failing Health—Brazilian Trip—Naturalists of the party—
Arrival in Brazil—Courtesy of Dom Pedro—Lectures in
French before the Emperor—Visit to Coffee Plantation—
Strange Ant Nests—Hunting in Brazil—Attempt to Observe
the Tapir—Curious Animals—Ant-Eaters, Sloths, etc.

CHAPTER XVI,

Amazon Life—The Natives—The Four-Eyed Fish—New
Discoveries of Fishes—Forest Fishes—Tropical Scenery—A
Canoe Voyage—Visit to a Forest Home—Indian Houses in
the Submerged Forest—Opinions of the Natives Regarding
Agassiz.

CHAPTER XVII.

THE RIO NEGRO.

Interest of Dom Pedro—Wooding up a Rio Negro Steamer
—At Teffé—Fishes That Carry Young in Their Mouths—
Collecting Plantsat Fonte Béa—Laboratory at Teffé—
Remarkable Family of Fishes—The Studis—Distribution
of Fishes—Routine Work—Floating Islands—Numerous
New Species of Fishes,

PAGE

. 106

. 118

. 125

eee

THE CRUISE OF THE

Contents. XV

CHAPTER XVIII.

PAGE

“ BIBB” : : . Tay

Return from Brazil—Renewed Work at the Museum—Lec-
tures in New York—The Resolution of Bancroft—The
Coast Survey and Science—Appointment to Cornell Univer-
sity—Report to the Legislature—The Cruise of the Bidd—
Address on Humboldt.

CHAPTER XIX,

THE “ HASSLER” 5 : : : , t57

Invitation to Go around the Horn—The Party—In the Gulf
Weed—A Singular Discovery—Inhabitants of the Gulf
Weed—Nest of a Fish—Defining a Species by its Skin—
Off the Rio de la Plata—Discovery of Tertiary Fossils—
Living Crinoids—Glaciers of Patagonia—Among the Fue-
gians—Discoveries at Lota—Reception in San Francisco.

CHAPTER XxX.

PENIKESE . : 4 : ‘ ; : OF

Growth of a New Idea—John Anderson’s Gift—A Patron
of Science— Realisation of Agassiz’s Dream — Whittier’s
“Prayer of Agassiz”—A Distinguished Corps of Teachers
—Sayings of the Great Teacher at Penikese—Last Days.

CHAPTER XXI..

RELIGIOUS BELIEF . 2 . te . . - 179

Friendship for Darwin—Opposition to His Theories—Let-
ter to Dr. Wilder—Strong Religious Belief—Agassiz on
Evolution—Last Literary Work in Opposition to Darwin’s
Theory—A Definition of Classification—Evidences of Reli-
gious Thoughts— Denounced as an Atheist—The Lectures
at the Academy of Music.

xvi Contents.

CHAPTER XXII.

PAGE
THE AGASSIZ ASSOCIATION . . ° . - 194
Agassiz the Teacher—Effect on American Science—Impor-
tant Positions Held by Pupils—Methods of Study—The
Disciple of Outdoor Studies—Methods of Teaching—The
Agassiz Association— Work Accomplished.

CHAPTER XXIII.

AGASSIZ AND HIS WORKS : a : - - 202
Work on the Spix Collection of Fishes— Ox Fresh-
Water Fishes — Sur les Moules de Mollusques Vivans et
Fossiles—Etudes sur les Glaciers—The Nomenclator LZoblogi-
cus—Contributions to the Natural History of the United
States— The Structure of Animal Life, etc., etc.

CHAPTER XXIV.

THE AGASSIZ MEMORIALS. < . . . - 218

The Effect of His Death—The Memorial and Resolutions
of the California Academy of Sciences: Addresses of
Davidson, Gilman, Le Conte, Stearns, Stebbins, Scott,
Edwards—Action of the Smithsonian Institution: Addresses
of ex-President Garfield and Dr. Parker—Memorial of the
Boston Natural History Society; Address by Rey. RoC;
Waterson,

BIBLIOGRAPHY OF LOUIS AGASSIZ. . <> i 287

N : :
INDEX ; : : : : ~ $25

‘

ILLUSTRATIONS

PAGE
PORTRAIT OF LOUIS AGASSIZ—From Ballard’s The

Three Kingdoms” . 2 ms . Frontispiece
AGASSIZ HELPING HIS LITTLE BROTHER ACROSS A

CRACK IN THE ICE. 4 : : ; I
AGASSIZ’S FIRST AQUARIUM . : é , : 4
AGASSIZ AT NINETEEN . ; : , : » «18
THE FISHING JAGUAR. : ; ; ; P3523
THE HOUSE ON THE GLACIER : e- YO
DESCENT OF AGASSIZ INTO THE HEART OF A

GLACIER . : : : 3 : 5 76
AGASSIZ ON THE PINNACLE OF THE JUNGFRAU. 80
A GAPO, OR FLOODED FOREST (BRAZIL) eects
VEGETATION ON THE SHORES OF THE LOWER

AMAZON—MIRITI PALMS . 5 : : : 96
MOUTH OF THE RIVER JAVARI (A TRIBUTARY ON

THE RIGHT OF THE AMAZON) ; . 106
EGARITEA BOAT OF THE UPPER AMAZON. . “138

COMBAT OF THE JAGUAR AND GREAT ANT-EATER. 126
FUNERAL VASE OF THE MANAO INDIANS q » L130
VEGETATION OF THE CANAL DES BREVES ; . 130

BURIAL-PLACE OF MANAO INDIANS t f ‘ 136
XVii

XVvili Tllustrations.

A MESSAYA INDIAN AND HIS GOD BUEQUE . . 146
INDIAN SHOOTING WITH BLOW-GUN ; : «. £48
VILLAGE OF MOROMOROTE, ON THE RIGHT BANK

OF THE AMAZON. , ¢ ; : SSE
A NEST OF FISHES ; : ‘ : : LOS
VEGETATION ON THE SHORES OF THE JANDIATUBA

(VALLEY OF THE AMAZON) . ; ; . 178
MOUTH OF THE RIVER NAPO (A TRIBUTARY OF THE

AMAZON) . ; ; : : ; ; . 194
FISHES OF THE UCAYALI AMAZON AND OF THE

LAKES BORDERING ITS SHORES ; ; - 202
A MONSTER OF THE AMAZON - ~ e - 204
SOME CURIOUS AMAZON FISHES - : . s) 220
MATAMATA TURTLE : 7 - 4 : » 2kh2

STUDY OF THE MATAMATA TURTLE: SHELL;
HEAD, FRONT VIEW; FOOT, BACK VIEW. . 214
MOUTH OF THE RIVER NANAY (A TRIBUTARY OF
THE AMAZON) . : ; : 2 : at

AGASSIZ HELPING HIS LITTLE BROTHER ACROSS A CRACK IN THE ICE.

LOUIS AGASSIZ.

CHAPTER 1.

THE BOY AGASSIZ,

Birthplace of Agassiz—Boyhood Pastimes—Early Love for Nature—
Collections—First Collection of Fishes—The Aquarium—Manly
Traits—Inventive and Imitative Faculties—Descendant of a Line
of Clergymen—An Ancient Family—Influence of His Mother.

EAN Louis Rudolphe
Agassiz was born May
28, 1807, in the little vil-
lage of Motier. by the
borders of Lake Morat—
a placid sheet of water
nestled among the foot-
hills of the Bermese Alps.
The locality of his birth
was. one of sharp con-
trast: the lake clear and
unruffled, the rich green
slopes of the hills, the

vineyards with their grape-laden vines, gardens of
flowers, valleys deep in varied colours, while not far

2 Louis Agasstz.

distant the crests of mighty mountains pierced the
sky, gleaming with the snows of eternal winter, telling
of the avalanche, crevasse, and ancient rivers of ice.

From such a land of varied attractions sprang the
ancestry,of the greatest science teacher of modern
times. ‘I am Swiss,’he once said, ‘and have been
for generations,” and it is believed that for three
hundred years at least the Agassiz family lived in
Switzerland, being originally Burgundian Huguenots,
who left France during the acts of injustice and
persecution which characterised the reign of Louis
XIV.

Louis Rudolphe Agassiz, father of the naturalist,
was the sixth clergyman in direct line in his family ;
a man of strong personality and lovable character.
He married Rose Mayor, who lived in the little vil-
lage of Cudrefin, one of the most attractive places
on the borders of Lake Neuchatel. The Mayors
were a sturdy and intellectual race, many being
professional men of literary and scholastic tastes.
The father of Rose Mayor was a physician, while her
brother, Mathias Mayor, was a distinguished surgeon
and physician of Lausanne.

The true genius is born, and Louis Agassiz was
no exception to the rule. From his very earliest
years he evinced a taste for nature and natural ob-
jects,—a love that was fostered and encouraged by a
devoted mother who, perhaps by intuition, recognised
the germ that was to develope and produce such
notable results in later years. For the first ten years
of his life Agassiz received all his instruction from
his parents, His active mind was not overcrowded,

The Boy Agassiz. 3
eee eee Meet”
and we find him roaming the fields with his com-
panions, wooing the secrets of nature from the flowers
and insects; a merry lad, brave, courageous, earnest
and thoughtful. His first collection was a series of
fishes representing all the different varieties which he
and his companions could find in the vicinity of the
village. While other boys collected inanimate ob-
jects he showed a strong preference for animal life,
and one of his chief delights was the possession of
various birds, mice, rabbits, indeed every available
creature that he could keep and rear.

As a fisherman he was particularly successful, often
disregarding the appliances of his comrades, catching
the finny victims in the nooks and corners to which
he knew they resorted. Inthe yard of the Agassiz
home a stone basin had been built to receive the
water of a spring, and in this the young naturalist
placed his finny prizes and watched and studied their
habits, taking the first steps in the direction in
which in later years he became so justly celebrated.

If any one trait impresses the reader at this period
of his life it is his habit of observation, so essential
to the successful naturalist. The boy did not confine
his investigations to natural history alone, but made
incursions into various fields, often displaying re-
markable mechanical skill. It was the custom in
those days, as it isnow in some of the cantons of
Switzerland, for the various artisans—tailors, carpen-
ters, coopers and others, to travel about the country,
and in the course of the year many stopped at the
Agassiz parsonage. Young Agassiz carefully ob-
served their methods of work, and after a visit from

4 Louis Agasst2.

the cobbler astonished his sister by presenting her
dolls with carefully-made foot-gear. He made a
miniature water-tight barrel after watching the cooper
in his father’s vineyard, and could have made him-
self a suit of clothes had it been required, so well did
he profit by the stay of the tailor at the homestead.

Such habits did not detract from the manly quali-
‘ties that constituted a prominent feature in his charac-
ter. Hewas, asa boy, bold, fearless, and courageous,
as shown on many occasions. His mother cites
several instances illustrative of his daring. One day
there was to bea fair in the town of Morat, on the
opposite side of the lake from Motier, and Louis
with his brother Auguste determined to skate over,
the lake being about two miles wide at this point.
Their mother did not hear of this plan until they had
started ; then taking her glass to watch them, fearing
that the ice was too thin or unsafe, she saw them
stop as if puzzled at a wide crack. Louis evidently
could cross, but for the younger boy it was too wide.
It did not require many moments for the intrepid
Louis to solve the problem, and the anxious mother
saw him drop upon his knees and reach the other side
of the opening, with his hands, thus forming a living
bridge over which the younger brother crawled in
triumph, after which Louis leaped the fissure and
they sped away over the ice, followed, it should be
said, by a man-servant, sent by the uneasy parent.
Although Agassiz was not sent to school until he
was ten years of age, owing to the admirable in-
struction he had received from both parents, he was
well abreast of boys of his age in almost every

PMO MN NY: NN) Ny

Ao FD” VE

AGASSIZ’S FIRST AQUARIUM.

The Boy Agasstz. 5

branch of learning, while as for general information
few of his companions were his equals. - Even at
this early age his genius asserted itself in many
ways. His young companions recognised the fact
that he was different from them, and were in the
habit of appealing to him in their games as possibly
better able to decide the numerous questions of
childhood. In his habits of observation, whether
with the collection of fishes in the little aquarium,
the insects found down in the vineyard, or the wild
flowers on the hillside, he was laying up a store of
truths that served him well in later years, and he is
said to have referred to the fact that the thought-
fulness with which he made his observations and
the tireless labour which he expended upon his work
were due to the habits formed in the first decade of
his childhood.

These traits were not unnoticed by his elders, and
many were the early prophesies regarding the boy,
though probably few realised how completely he
would fulfil their prophetic sayings. Thechild’s un-
usual brightness was one reason for his not being
sent to school earlier. Having lost two of her boys,
his mother was very solicitous for those remaining,
and watched their growth with increasing care and
tenderness. Home teaching and abundant exercise
in the open air was the training the young naturalist
received to prepare him for his actual schooldays.
From this time until within a few years of the end-
ing of a great and expansive life, Agassiz was, to a
greater extent than is generally known, influenced by
his mother. She was always his close guide and ad-

6 Louis Agassiz.

viser, and that her wisdom was result-producing is
well shown as we follow up the well-rounded epochs
which mark his career. It is often said that great
men are the sons of noble mothers. In this case it
was particularly true: the mother of Agassiz being
a woman of great ability and good judgment; a
strong and lovable character that left its mark on
every step in the life of the naturalist.

CHAPTER II.
SCHOOL DAYS.

Agassiz the Elder—Early College Life—College at Bienne—Vacation
Days — Auguste Agassiz— Making Collections — Forming a
Library—Village Festivals—Taste for Natural Science—A Mani-
festo—Agassiz Outlines His Career—Study of Fishes—Rambles
in the Fields—First Lectures on Zodlogy.

‘7
bAssiz the elder, while
a clergyman, was promi-
nently interested in edu-
cational affairs and had
a voice in all matters
pertaining to schools;
not from any _ especial
desire on his part, but
because he had a recog-
nised fitness for the call-
ing. His influence, it is
said, was felt as much
in the schools of Orbe,
Motier, and Concise as in the pulpit, and one of the
valued possessions of his descendants to-day is a
piece of silver presented him by the municipality of
Orbe as a token of their appreciation of his services
in the cause of education. It is not surprising, then,

8 Louis Agassiz.

that the clergyman determined that his son should
have all the educational advantages attainable; and
at the age of ten we find young Agassiz entered as
a student at the college of Bienne, twenty miles from
Motier, enthusiastic to begin what he considered his
real education. The first year at this college, which
was conducted by Mr. Rickly, was one of hard
study; the daily work requiring nine hours, though
the teachers saw that there was an abundance of out-
door recreation, so that the pupils, despite the long
study hours, became vigorous and rugged.

After a year Agassiz was joined at college by his
younger brother Auguste, whose tastes in many
ways were similar to his own. A more delightful
companionship between brothers can hardly be
imagined. When the schooldays ended at the vint-
age, which was a festival as now in some portions of
Switzerland, they together started for home early in
the morning, thinking nothing of the twenty-mile
walk. The vacation was spent either at Motier or
with the kindly old grandfather Mayor at Cudrefin,
where some festival was always to be expected and
looked forward to. The boyhood of Agassiz was
passed in a time when the simple life of the peas-
antry had not been invaded by modern common.
place, and there was an air of romance about the
very ordinary things in life. Even the picking of
the grape was invested witha picturesqueness it does
not now possess, and was the season of joy and
gaiety. Easter was an especially festive occasion.
Easter eggs were in vogue then as now, anda singu-
lar game was played to determine who should be

School Days. 9

king of the feast, previous to which a dance would
take place on the green in front of the home of
Grandfather Mayor.

uring these schooldays Agassiz’s love of nature
grew more intense and expressed itself in various
ways. Late in life he said, “I am conscious that at
successive periods of my life I have employed very
different means and followed very different systems
of study.” When about twelve years of age, his
methods were very much like many boys of to-day.
He possessed a mania for collecting, and rapidly
accumulated natural objects of all kinds, while a
library grew under the united efforts of the two
brothers; Auguste contributing his spending money
for this purpose. Agassiz bought such books as he
could find, and began a serious attempt to memo-
rise the names of all the animals he collected, be-
lieving that the Latin equivalent was essential to
complete knowledge. This, he says, seemed to him
the highest attainment and legitimate aim of a natu-
ralist, and he accumulated great volumes of manu-
script containing the names of all the animals and
plants he found, and modestly expressed the hope
that in time he might be able to give the name of
every known animal.

The young naturalist made remarkable progress
during his schooldays at Bienne, so much so as to
attract the attention of all his instructors; and dur-
ing the last year we find his first announcement of
a preference for the natural sciences. He already re-
belled at the prospect before him of having to enter
mercantile life, and outlined his wishes in a paper

10 Louis Agassiz.

remarkable in a boy of his age and showing that
his aims and aspirations were lofty from the very
first. His manifesto was addressed to the audi-
ence of his imagination and doubtless was never
intended to meet other eyes than his own. In it he
expresses a wish to “advance in the sciences’’; also
a desire to serve his apprenticeship at Neuchatel for
a year or more, then to enter some university in Ger-
many for afour years’ course; and finally to finish
his education in Paris. ‘‘ Then,” said this lad of
fourteen, “I could begin to write.” From this time
on all his determination and energies evidently
tended in this direction. ‘Iam resolved, so far as I
am allowed to do so, to become a man of letters,”
he wrote; then regrets that he can go no further
from a lack of books. He needed “d’Anville,
Ritter, an Italian dictionary, a Strabo in Greek,
Mannert and Thiersch; and also the works of
Malte-Brun and Seyfert,’”— books which would
be considered advanced for boys of much maturer
years.

. The future of young Agassiz had been planned by
(nis parents, who had decided that when he attained
the age of fifteen, he should enter upon a commer-
cial life in the firm of his uncle at Neuchatel. That
they also saw the dawning capacity for a totally
different field of work is not improbable, as when
the time came they readily granted a delay of two
years, during which Agassiz was to study at the
college of Lausanne,—a movement fatal to their
hopes of making him a business man, as during this
period he developed rapidly, and despite difficul-

School Days. 11

ties which would have daunted many an older man,
entered upon the life of his choice.

Agassiz was about fifteen years of age when he
entered the college of Lausanne. Here he devoted
himself more and more to the sciences, in which he
was aided and encouraged by scientific men, among
whom was Professor Chavannes, Director of the
Cantonal Museum, who was the possessor of a collec-
tion that delighted the young student and who gave
him privileges he had never dreamed of. All the
time he could spare from his studies was spent in the
woods and fields searching for favourite specimens, or
studying their habits. Insects were obtained from
the bark of trees and old refuse; every stream and
pond was made to deliver up its finny treasures,
which were bred and studied, while the transforma-
tions of his cocoons into butterflies, was a constant
delight. At home, during his vacations, the house
was turned into a veritable museum, while his rooms
at college were laden with the results of forages in
field andstream. ‘ What I know of the habits of the
fresh-water fishes of Central Europe,’’ he says, “I
mostly learned at that time.”

It was while at Lausanne, in 1823, that Agassiz
listened to his first course of lectures on zodlogy,
which he describes, with just a suspicion of sarcasm,
as consisting chiefly of extracts from Lamarck and
Cuvier. Brief and unsatisfactory as may have been
these lectures, they resulted in imparting a new
zest to his studies and in pointing out the false stand-
ard he had raised. He now found that to name an
animal correctly was a very unimportant matter, and

12 Louts Agasstz.

appreciated for the first that the various authori-
ties upon whom he was relying for information,
differed in their views regarding the classification
of animal life. He at once saw the opportunity for
himself: he, too, could express an opinion as to
classification. The only essential was knowledge of
anatomy, and to obtain this he began the study of
medicine that, as he has written, “I might see for
myself where the truth was.” The young student
was aided in this by his uncle, Dr. Mathias Mayor,
who had long been attracted by his great promise and
who consulted with his parents and advised them to
allow him to study medicine and becomea physician,
this profession evidently being more to his tastes.
They did not require much urging, and, as a result,
Agassiz’s prospects for a business career had an
abrupt ending, and he entered the medical school at
Zurich with enthusiasm, determined to move rapidly
on to a high position in the field of his choice.

CHAPTER III.

CHARACTERISTICS AND HABITS.

Appearance of Agassiz—Strong Personality—Captivates a Stranger—
Filial Affection — Meeting Well-Known Naturalists — Love of
Books—Copies Made—Determination of Character—Habits of
Study and Observation—The Home Collections.

Gassiz was now a youth)
of commanding appear-
ance, tall, strong of limb,
robust, his fine head, broad
forehead with expressive
eyes set well apart —
characteristics that at-
tracted attention and
must have created the
same impression upon his
comrades that they did
upon the writer when he
first saw him in the early

sixties. One insensibly felt himself in the presence

of a man of true greatness.
The strong personality of the youth is well illus-

trated in an incident which occurred while he was a

medical student at Zurich. It wasthe custom of the

14 Louts Agassiz

two brothers, as we have seen, to travel over the
country afoot, returning from their vacations in this
way. During such a journey a gentleman passing in
his carriage noticed the boys and requested them
to join him at lunch, which he carried. They ac-
cepted the invitation and were soon unfolding their
confidences to the courteous stranger, who was
especially attracted to the older boy; so much so,
that some days later, when the lads had returned to
Zurich and the incident had almost passed out of
their memory, a letter arrived at the parsonage em-
bodying a request from the stranger that he might
adopt Louis, further stating that he was a man of
wealth, a resident of Geneva, and that he would
undertake the entire expense of the young man’s
education. Such an offer, which meant not a
little, to a family of moderate means, was most
tempting; but filial love and affection won the
day, and the young man declined even by inference
to sunder any of the ties that bound him to home
and family.

This faculty which Agassiz seemed to possess, of
attracting and impressing all with his mental vigour
and charm of manner as well as his tastes for the
sciences, now brought him into contact with men
older than himself, all of whom aided in maturing
his mind and giving him a stimulus in new channels.
Among those who took an immediate interest in his
work and future, was Professor Schinz, a distin-
guished scientist of the time, who was his professor
in natural history and physiology. Professor Schinz
invited him to his home, introduced him to other

Characteristics and Habits, 15

naturalists, and gave him his first impetus in the
actual field of original investigation. He was the
possessor of one of the best libraries in the city and
was an ardent ornithologist. Agassiz was given the
privilege of his books and collections and at once
began to reap the harvest. ee
OIn the present day of cheap books and public)
libraries, when every village has its collection, it is
difficult to realise the conditions that prevailed dur-
ing the boyhood of our heroand the struggles which
he had to surmount in the attainment of knowledge,
and in this we see the strong features of his charac-
ter—determination and thoroughness. His parents
were by no means rich, and were straining every
point in keeping the two boys at school, and had
little or no money for any incidentals or luxuries.
Books, then, no matter how cheap, were im-
possibilities; yet this did not deter the young
naturalist. If he could not own the books he could
at least copy them, and this is what he did, his
brother aiding him, and hours were spent in this
arduous work by both boys, Auguste’s devotion to
his brother making it alabour of love. Inafter years,
Agassiz, in commenting upon this lack of books, ex-
pressed the belief that it was really an advantage as
it prevented him from relying too much on them;
their absence forcing him to investigate for himself.
The work accomplished in this way by this youth
of seventeen or eighteen is a monument to his
patience, and deserves the especial attention of my
younger readers. What young man of to-day would
be willing to copy a bulky volume for the sake of

16 Louis Agassiz.

owning a copy? yet Agassiz did this on many occa-
sions. Asan example of his indefatigable industry,
he copied two volumes of Lamarck’s Animauz
sans Vertebres, Auguste copying almost as much
more for him.

While ostensibly devoting himself to the study of
medicine, Agassiz undoubtedly paid most attention
to the sciences of anatomy and zodlogy. He passed
much time in the company of Professors Schinz and
Hirzel, accompanying them in their trips and spend-
ing happy days in the intercourse of nature, rendered
so much more delightful by the association of con-
genial spirits.

The room of the two boys, who lived in a private
family, was a perfect museum: the corners and shelves
heaped with shells, stuffed fishes, plants and speci-
mens of all kinds, while from window and door-top
came the notes of various feathered songsters that
here made theirhome. Agassiz had over fifty birds
alive in his room at one time, living examples for
study, and from which he turned to the collection of
mounted birds owned by Professor Schinz. Each
species he carefully described, this being in his esti-
mation a necessity, as he did not have the means
to purchase even the most inexpensive treatise
on birds.

When not engaged in study the brothers took to
the field and forest. Every stream and lake was
familiar to them, while every secret nook and corner
famous for its fish was known.

They knew almost to a day when the birds re-

Characteristics and Habits, 17

turned or left and where the various kinds built their
nests. The life histories of the various animals were
their novels, and the accidental death of their pets
the tragedies of their lives.

CHAPTER IV.

AGASSIZ AT HEIDELBERG.

Early Associations—Reasons for Entering Heidelberg—Studying the
Collections of Tiedemann—Agassiz and His Friends—An Accom-
plished Linguist—College Life—How the Honors Were Divided
—Physical Exercise—Strong Religious Convictions — Collecting

HE lives of men are to a
greater or less extent
moulded by early asso-
ciations. Agassiz was
particularly fortunate in
his friendships, and in
his youth had imme-
diate contact with men
distinguished in various
branches of learning that
undoubtedly had no little
influence in shaping his
later career.

Agassiz not only appreciated this, but he entered
Heidelberg University in 1826 that he might profit
by the direct association with men who figured in
the professions in which it was his purpose to excel.
His work was laid out, his plans formulated, and

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Agassiz at Heidelberg. 19
with remarkable prescience he took advantage of
every point that would aid in his laudable ambition.
The men who influenced his career were Leuckart,
Tiedemann, and Braun.

Tiedemann placed his collections of books and
specimens at his disposal, while the famous zodlogist
Leuckart encouraged him in every way, imparting
the enthusiasm that was so prominent a feature in his
own character. Leuckart was a daring spirit, and
his lectures encouraged the advanced students to
move on for themselves into the unknown, to theo-
rise and draw inferences from their own investigations.
He was one of the rare men of that or any day who
could make what are generally considered prosaic
studies interesting and even delightfulto the masses,
—a faculty which Agassiz possessed later in life to
an eminent degree.

With Leuckart Agassiz continued his studies in
animal life; with Bischoff he rambled over the fields,
learning botanical wisdom from this eminent au-
thority. Sometimes they spent the day among the
flowers; again it was with the microscope, studying
the pollen or smaller forms. From Braun he re-
ceived the first inspiration which made him the
paleontologist he became; and in this scientist’s
collection of fossils he delved, storing up facts
which became of use later on.

Agassiz was now not merely a scientist; he did
not neglect other studies for rambles in the field.
Even as a boy he was an accomplished linguist,
speaking French and German so fluently that he
would think in one language and express himself in

20 Louis Agassiz.

the other, while Latin, Greek, English and Italian
were all familiar to him.

The school life of the young student at Heidelberg
was aseason of constant endeavour to perfect himself
in the various branches of study. He had selected
a boarding-place that had many of the attractions of
the home at Motier, it being in the faubourg of the
city which his window faced, while at the rear was
a fine garden with trees and shrubs which Agassiz
soon found abounded in birds with which he was
familiar. His habits were severe and methodical,
and his strict manner of living shows that he had
himself under complete control. An early riser, he
breakfasted at half-past six, and less than an hour
later was listening to the lectures given in the Mu-
seum. There was no recess in the modern accepta-
tion of the word, as if half an hour was gained from
lecture or lesson it was devoted to a study of the
anatomical preparations or to some special investiga-
tion suggested by Professor Schinz. After thisand
often before the hour previous to dinner, Agassiz
practised fencing with a friend, believing that it
cultivated the eyes as well as all the faculties; and
that he accomplished so much in later years was un-
doubtedly due to the fact that he took an abundance
of physical exercise with the mental.

After dinner at one, Agassiz with some friend
would stroll through the country for an hour, then
returning to study until five, when a lecture by the
Chancellor of the University occupied an hour.
This was followed by a walk, or by a bath in the
Neckar. The evenings were devoted to study until

Agassiz at Heidelberg. 21

nine o'clock, when with some companion he perhaps
visited the Swiss Club. Such was the life of the
young naturalist day after day.

In later life Agassiz was distinguished among
(naturalists by his strong religious convictions, and it
may be said that from his earliest days he showed
these predilections and possessed a mind of singular
purity. This is well illustrated in his letters to his
parents during his college life, which reflect the high
moral tone which pervaded his nature. Alone he
held his evening service after retiring, and in silence
communed with the distant loved ones, talking to
or with them, as he expressed it, in the conviction
that those at home also held him in their thoughts.

Warm-hearted, with a magnetic manner, lovable
in the best sense, it is not surprising that Agassiz
made at this time many sincere friends, and that
the association often benefited both is well shown
by the zoological knowledge of Braun, who in later
years became the famous director of the Botanical
Gardens, Berlin, and the fund of information pos-
sessed by Agassiz on botanical subjects.

Young Braun was captivated with his new comrade
and particularly impressed by his charm of manner.
He describes him to his family as ‘a rare comet on
the Heidelberg horizon,” and was never weary of
extollinghis praises. He was attracted by the breadth
of Agassiz’s reflections and by the intimacy he seemed
to have with all natural objects. He remarked with
surprise that the young man from Orbe was familiar
with the name of every animal they met, could tell
a bird as far as he could hear its song.

22 Louis Agassiz.

The friendship of the young men grew apace and
was ofan ideal character. Agassiz had parted with his
brother, who had entered commercial life, and all his
affection was poured out at the new shrine. Braun
was as studious and earnest in the pursuit of knowl-
edge as Agassiz, and the companionship benefited
both. To show how they utilized time, they agreed
that when one was engaged in mounting a bird,
pinning an insect, or pressing a plant the other
should read aloud; in this way they jointly read a
number of important books in various departments
of science. Young Braun had a friend, one Karl
Schimper, also a botanist, who was equally captivated
by the frank and ingenuous manner of Agassiz, and
a strong friendship was soon formed between them.

The university life of Agassiz at Heidelberg was
interrupted by his illness in 1827, and after many
days of great danger Braun took him to his own
home at Carlsruhe, and later saw him safely to Orbe,
where in his invigorating native air he soon recovered.

To stimulate interest and communicate to each
other the facts they drew from their several fields of
study, the young men during Agassiz’s convalescence
were in the habit of asking each other questions by
mail. Thus Braun propounded puzzling questions
to Agassiz in botany, while Agassiz in return gave
him problems in zodélogy to solve.

All during the year 1827 Agassiz was pushing his
investigations in every possible direction. He made
some elaborate studies with frogs and toads, his
sister making the drawings. His interest in insects
was accelerated by an acquaintance with the pastor

Agassiz at Heidelberg. 23

of Vallorbe, who had a collection of three thousand
specimens. While at Neuchatel he made a careful
study of the fishes of the Swiss lakes, making dis-
coveries that attracted the attention of the scientific
men of Europe. He made an extensive collection of
fishes, preserving some in alcohol, while others he
mounted, his work being distinguished for its excel-
lence. He also made many corrections in the classi-
fication of fishes. Fishes that had been named
twice he carefully noted, and one of his papers writ-
ten at this time containsa list of all the fishes he had
found and the lakes from which they came, while
other papers of equal interest showed the most
unflagging enthusiasm.

CHAPTER V.
THE LITTLE ACADEMY.

In Munich—The Journey—Stuttgart Museum—The Little Academy
—First Lectures—An Audience of Learned Men—A Room and
a Museum—Daily Routine—Objections to a Medical Career—
Desire for Travel.

N August, 1827, Agassiz
received a letter from
his friend Braun an-
nouncing that he had
decided to go to Munich
and inviting him to join
him. The inducements
held out were free lec-
tures, lodgings as cheap
as at Heidelberg, theatre
open to students at a
very moderate sum, and
the. association of such

men as Oken, Schubert, Fuchs and others, not to

speak of rich museums for study and observation.
Agassiz had already cast longing eyes at Munich.

He believed that up to the present time he had neg-

lected his philosophical education, and now saw in

the suggestion of Braun an opportunity to recover

The Little Academy. 25

the lost ground. The offer was accepted with pleas-
ure, and the latter part of October, 1827, found
the two friends together again, journeying from
Carlsruhe to the University of Munich. The trip
was a most enjoyable one for the young men, and
for Agassiz the longest and most important of his
life. The way led through Stuttgart, where for the
first time he visited a large and well-appointed
museum, the fine collections of which greatly im-
pressed him, many specimens being entirely new.
The mammoth attracted his attention, and in a let-
ter to his brother he referred to it asa “‘ carnivorous
animal,’ a belief entertained by naturalists at the
time. From Stuttgart they journeyed to Esslinger,
visiting Hochstetter and Strudel, two distinguished
botanists of the day, with whom they exchanged
specimens to their mutual advantage. At Goep-
pingen they tarried to visit the owner of a fine col-
lection of fossils, also one of shells not known to
him, from the Adriatic, which the young men ar-
ranged and labelled for their host, receiving some of
the shells in return. In every place, from Ulm to
Augsburg, the travellers saw something to interest
them, and doubtless the trip terminated with regret.

We find Agassiz soon domiciled in Munich at
the Sendlinger Thor No. 37, a locality now famous
for its association with the great naturalist. The
house was beyond the strict limits of the town, con-
venient to the Anatomical School and Hospitalwhere
Agassiz studied, and, better than all in his estima-
tion, commanding a view of the Tyrolean Alps which
he loved so well.

26 Louis Agassiz.

This movement of Agassiz may be considered
one of the epochs in his eventful career. He was
like a swelling seed ready to develop and produce
the perfect plant upon the application of the right
stimulus, and this came in the association at Munich
with some of the most brilliant specialists of the
day. Agassiz thus referred to this in later years:

“JT cannot review my Munich life without deep
gratitude. The city teemed with resources for the
student in arts, letters, philosophy, and science. It
was distinguished at that time for activity in public
as wellasin academic life. The King seemed liberal ;
he was the friend of poets and artists, and aimed at
concentrating all the glories of Germany in his new
university. I thus enjoyed for afew years the ex-
ample of the most brilliant intellects, and that
stimulus which is given by competition between men
equally eminent in different spheres of human
knowledge. Under such circumstancesa man either
subsides into the position of a follower in the ranks
that gather around a master, or he aspires to bea
master himself.” He daily met kindred spirits, men
who were not slow in recognising the slumbering
genius. Here were Gruithuisen the brilliant astrono-
mer, Fuchs the mineralogist, Oken, Martius the
botanist, Schubert, whose name asa zodlogist still
lives, Starke, Seiber, Déllinger, and others. From
each he drew some inspiration, and often referred in
after years to these old instructors, giving this or
that one the credit of instilling into his mind the
germs that produced such rich results. Déllinger
was the professor of anatomy and physiology, re-

The Little Academy. ay

markable for the accuracy of his work; everything
that he did was well done. From his deductions
there was, as a rule, no appeal, and from him Agassiz
learred habits of accuracy and care in all his ob-
servations and to weigh cause and effect. Déllinger
also had a marked effect upon his career. His
methods were peculiar and original. He cared
nothing for posthumous fame; rarely if ever com-
municated the results of his observations to paper,
preferring to distribute his fund of information by
word of mouth, satisfied if it was taken advantage
of by his pupils, who often elaborated his ideas and
produced important results. In referring to this
much beloved tutor Agassiz says: “I could enume-
rate many works of masters in our science that had
no other foundation at the onset than inspiring
conversations with Déllinger.”

From Oken Agassiz received much valued mind
training. It was from him that his first tangible
ideas of classification were obtained, while the
finished lectures of Schilling gave him ideas not only
of facts in nature but of style in delivery.

The student life of Agassiz was an ideal one;
associated with men of the highest mental status as
his teachers, and surrounded by many admiring and
enthusiastic friends, the days passed only too quickly.
It was the custom of the students to make excur-
sions into the country together and to tarry at vari-
ous places to discuss their observations and discov-
eries. Déllinger was often their companion and
took an active interest in their studies, while one
evening of each week they were invited to the

28 Louts Agasstz.

homes of Oken and Von Martius. As might be ex-
pected, Agassiz’s room was the headquarters for all
these congenial souls, and gradually their meetings
took a definite form, and the young man began in
turn to assume the réle of lecturer to the others,
thus obtaining practice which became of value in
after years.

This association of kindred spirits in Agassiz’s
room became known as “ The Little Academy,” and
from it graduated some of the most distinguished
scientists of the day. These meetings were red-let-
ter days in these young lives. The room in which
“The Little Academy ”’ held its sessions would con-
tain about twenty. Here we may imagine young
Agassiz reading a paper upon the fresh-water fishes
of his native lakes, or dwelling upon the wonderful
transformation of the tadpole into the adult form,
while Braun, Schimper, Michahelles, Mahir, and
other friends listened with rapt attention. In the
background, with appreciative ear, perhaps sat Dél-
linger, Oken, or Von Martius, who gravely smoked
their pipes while words of wisdom fell from the lips
of the young naturalist. No picture in the youth of
Agassiz has a more dramatic interest than this, when
the very Solons of science sought the friendship of
the young man and listened with pleasure to his
utterances.

The university days were well apportioned.
Agassiz was up literally with the birds he loved so
well, and after a sunrise breakfast was away to the
hospital for work in surgery, the lesson lasting from
eight to nine. From then until eleven o’clock he

The Little Academy. 29
usually spent in the library poring over the works
which related to the studies of his choice. From
eleven until one the university lectures were at-
tended, after which with Braun or Schimper he
dined at some restaurant. From two until five came
other lectures, varying with the day; then the
friends went for a long walk, renewing their studies
upon their return and dining at nine o'clock at some
café as was the custom of the students. This was
the daily life of Agassiz, varied only by the meetings
of “The Little Academy” and occasional excursions
into the country.

It was at one of the meetings of “The Little
Academy,” that Agassiz determined if possible to go
to Brazil some day,—a dream eventually fulfilled.

The desire was created by Martius, who gave an
interesting discourse upon his famous journey to
that country and the large collection he made.

Agassiz was ever on the alert for new discoveries
and while at college added not a little to general
zoological knowledge. Friday was then as now “ fish
day,” and the markets were well supplied with rep-
resentatives of the finny tribe that offered a special
inducement to the members of “The Little
Academy,” and the specimens were well and carefully
examined on those days, often to the amazement of
the dealers, who wondered what these young men
saw in a common fish to talk so much about, to draw,
and count its fins and even scales. Agassiz fre-
quently found rare specimens among the fish, and
once an entirely new species to repay his ardor.

The room of “ The Little Academy ” almost daily

30 Louis Agassiz.

received additions in the way of natural-history
specimens and wasa veritable museum: bottles of
strange insects, stuffed birds, skins of animals, boxes
of botanical specimens, fossils, rocks, woods,—every-
thing to delight the eye of the collector.

Agassiz had formed the acquaintance of Dr. Born,
and in addition to his regular work he engaged with
him upon a natural history and anatomy of the
fresh-water fishes of Europe. With all this he found
time to interest himself in various other matters,
one being the “ Vaudois Society of Public Utility,”
in which his father took an active interest.

He soon became restive in the college work.
Progress was too slow for him, and even now, while
hardly twenty-one, he longed to branch out and find
wider fields) He had determined if possible to
make the natural sciences his life work, the profes-
sion of medicine being regarded by him with but
little enthusiasm. Any digression from this object,
however, was discouraged by his parents, and he
promised them that he would exert himself to the
fullest to take the degree of M.D., which to them
was assurance of a future with possible tangible
results.

CHAPTER VI.
THE YOUNG AUTHOR.

Influence of Von Martius—Offer of the Work Left by Spix—Hesita-
tion and Motive—An Intended Surprise—Discovery—First Art-
ists—Scholarly Men as Intimates—Consent of Parents to a Sci-
entific Career.

F all the professors un-
der whom Agassiz
studied at Munich none
influenced him and his
future life more than
the genial Von Martius,
whose stories of ad-
venture and incident in
foreign climes had the
greatest charm for the
young students. Von
Martius had enjoyed su-
perior facilities and the

friendship of the King of Bavaria, who in 1817 sent
him and Spix to Brazil to explore the country in the
interest of science. Von Martius made a specialty of
plants, and after his return published a finely illus-
trated volume upon his discoveries, while Spix issued
works on the mammals, birds, and reptiles.

32 Louis Agassiz.

The intention of these naturalists was to complete
the natural history of Brazil—a magnificent project,
‘but before it could be accomplished Spix died.
Upon Von Martius devolved the responsibility of
finishing this great work, and he was in the midst of
some perplexity as to who should describe the fishes
when Agassiz appeared upon the scene. Von Mar-
tius soon recognised his ability, especially in the
department of ichthyology, and finally astonished
the young man by suggesting that he undertake the
work.

At this time Agassiz was but twenty-one years of
age, and the tender of so important a commission by
so distinguished a naturalist was an honour well cal-
culated to turn the head of an older man. Here
was the goal of authorship well within his grasp,
and to say that he received the offer with delight
but faintly describes his actual sensations. Yet
Agassiz did not accept immediately, and in his hesi-
tation we have a glimpse of the real nobility of his
nature. He knew that his parents earnestly desired
to see him a physician and surgeon, yet every day
he felt himself by taste, sentiment, and his sur-
roundings drawn in an opposite direction where a
possible future as a scientist seemed to beckon him.
The proposition of Von Martius was the opportunity
of a lifetime, the successful accomplishment of which
would give him an immediate name and fame. Yet
he took days to consider the offer, thinking that the
work would possibly take him away from the studies
in which he knew his parents wished him to excel.
He finally decided that he could undertake the pub-

The Young Author. 33

lication in justice to himself and his parents, and
concluded to say nothing about it to them until it
was completed, then giving his family the surprise
that their son while yet a student was a distinguished
author.

It was this work that prompted him to make the

Eo icwine proposition to his father: ‘If during the
course of my studies I succeed in making myself
known by a work of distinction, will you not then
consent that I shall study, at least during one year,
the natural sciences alone, and then accept a pro-
fessorship of natural history, with the understanding
that in the first place, and in the time agreed upon,
I shall take my doctor’s degree?”

To this his father replied: “ Let the sciences be
the balloon in which you prepare to travel through
higher regions, but let medicine and surgery be
your parachutes.” All the young author’s evenings
were devoted to the work on Brazilian fishes, which
he wrote in Latin, but the pleasant surprise he had
planned came toasuddenending. Dr. Schintz, who
knew what Agassiz was doing, was visiting Lausanne,
when meeting the father and uncle of the latter he
delighted them with his praises of the young man,
who he said was sure to attain fame. Not know-
ing that the work was a secret he referred to it in
glowing terms, much to the surprise of the father
and uncle and to the regret of Agassiz, who soon
heard of the disclosure from his brother, who offered
congratulations and said: “In all frankness I can
assure you that the stoutest antagonists of your

natural-history schemes begin to come over to your
3

34 Louis Agassiz.

side. Among them is my uncle here, who never
speaks of you now but with enthusiasm.”

The spectacle of a young student of twenty-one
writing a book on Brazilian fishes in Latin, while
pursuing a course of surgery and medicine was a
remarkable one then and would be equally so to-day.
Agassiz was soon recognised as a leader by his
fellows, and so lovable and kind was his disposition
that he had their friendship as well.

The work of Spix required the services of an
artist; and J. C. Weber was engaged and later
Joseph Dinkel, both of whom were associated with
Agassiz for many years. The latter is described by
one of the artists as being at this time a most exem-
plary and lovable person; always bright, never ill-
tempered, and with a cheery word for every one.
He enjoyed the club life and merry times with other
of the students but never was an active participant,
rather holding himself aloof, being reserved and
dignified in his demeanour. His intimate associates
were the scholarly men who were known to each
other in “The Little Academy” by such nicknames
as Cyprinus, Molluscus, Rhubarb, and others. Let
it not be understood that Agassiz was a prude, or
over dignified from a false sense of superiority;
nothing could be further from the truth. He was
manly, brave, open hearted and handed; a nature’s
gentleman in every sense of the term; a youth in
tastes and desires but a man in ambition. All his
mental faculties seemed to have developed early,
and while not yet of age the desire to become
eminent was firmly implanted and grew day by day.

The Young Author. 35

To his artist companion he said when commenting
upon young men who wasted their time, “I will be
a leader of others”; and to his father: “‘ Here is my
aim and the means by which I propose to carry it
out. I wish it may be said of Louis Agassiz that he
was the first naturalist of his time, a good citizen,
and a good son beloved of those who knew him.”
Agassiz now longed to graduate and embark upon
some exploring expedition which would give hima
wide field. The work on fishes had attracted the at-
tention of naturalists, and, fortified with the commen-
dation of his instructors, he appealed to his father to
allow him to turn all his energies to natural science
and to make his profession that of a scientist. His
letter to his father, presenting the various arguments,
shows the energy and ambition which animated
him. He referred to various expeditions which were
about starting, notably that under Humboldt, and
expressed a wish to join one. So completely had
the idea seized him that for months he had been
literally in training for the proposed trip to foreign
lands. He even went so far as to train a friend and
comrade, William Schimper, as an assistant and
hunter, and the two youths passed many happy
hours in their imaginary adventures in the cause of
science. A skilled taxidermist, he practised in all
the other arts that would be required. He frequent-
ed a blacksmith’s shop to familiarise himself with
tools; practised with the sabre and other weapons,
being already a fine fencer. Long walks were taken
until he could travel for thirteen leagues a day for
a week in summer, carrying a heavy load, all to

36 Louis Agassiz.

prepare himself for the forced marches which he
supposed would be a part of the explorer’s life.
Such was the intense ambition of Agassiz at this
time, and we need not be surprised that his parents
finally relinquished the idea of seeing him a physi-
cian and consented that he should follow the line in
which he was drifting. He was now free to look
forward to a future in accordance with his wishes.
He felt sure that the work on fishes, upon which he
was engaged, would give hima reputation that would
place a professorship within reach, and he bent all
his energies to obtain the degree of Doctor of Phil-
osophy; principally because it would aid in the
professorship, and because Martius desired him to
have a prefix to his name on the title-page of the
great work on fishes. Agassiz, Schimper, and Micha-
helles all made application for examination at the
same time, addressing the Faculty in long letters in
Latin to that effect (as Agassiz naively said, “ Because,
you know, among savants it is the thing to speak
and write the language you know least’). Per-
mission was granted the young men and they were
put on honour not to obtain aid in any way from out-
side sources. The examination was by no means
easy, yet Agassiz passed it with honour, and so be-
came a Doctor of Philosophy at the early age of
twenty-one years.
ry The first part of the Brazilian Fishes was now pub-
lished,—a proud event indeed for the young authot.
The first copies were sent to Cuvier, to whom it was
dedicated, and the second to his parents, who were
more than delighted at the first great effort of their

The Young Author. a7

son. We can well imagine the satisfaction and
pleasure of the young author upon seeing the com-
mendatory notices in the press of the day, upon
receiving a long letter of thanks from the great
Cuvier, and upon hearing that his parents were
offered congratulations from all sides at the great
work accomplished by their son. The feeling at
home is happily expressed by the last line of a letter
from his father, who, after referring to his pride and
joy, wrote: “‘ The old father who waits for you with
open heart and arms sends the most tender greet-
ing.”

The author of an elaborate work, with the title of
Ph.D., Agassiz now turned his attention to secur-
ing the degree of M.D., which he had promised his
parents; yet he did not neglect his science studies.
The fascinations of Rondolet now absorbed his atten-
tion, and he was greatly impressed with the knowl-
edge displayed by this naturalist. Linnaeus was not
to his taste, while Aristotle delighted him, his books
always possessing a charm for him. In after years
he gave Linnaeus the appreciation this great natural-
ist deserved.

Certain occurrences gave Agassiz a special interest
in the profession of medicine at this time, and he
took up the study with all his accustomed energy
and enthusiasm. He began a special course of study
with Euler, the two spending many evenings to-
gether reading medical books in French and Ger-
man. Yet the natural-history studies were not
neglected, the work on fishes still occupying his atten-
tion, and a collection of fossil fishes sent him by the

38 Louis Agassiz.

Director of the Munich Museum gave an additional
zest to the study. It is most interesting to note in
his letters to his family the honest determination to
obtain his degree of M.D., though it was always
secondary, in point of fact, to his zodlogical studies.
Agassiz’s means were extremely slender, yet he
found a way to employ two artists, paying them out
of his modest allowance. Frequently after paying
them he dined himself at the cheapest caf¢ he could
find, expending but a few cents for his repast.

During all these struggles Agassiz was always the
same manly, good-natured, studious youth, with an
ambition that never flagged or diverged from the
one object to which it was directed. That a young
man of his years could produce so much work is
almost incomprehensible, yet nothing was neglected,
and we find him moving along in two general lines—
one leading to the profession of medicine, the other
to that of the scientist. His scientific work, as we
have seen, attracted the attention of scientists every-
where and is best known, as he ultimately made
that his choice; yet had Agassiz chosen the field of
medicine he undoubtedly would have become dis-
tinguished, as his work in that direction as a student
was phenomenal, over seventy-five theses on ana-
tomical, surgical, obstetrical, pathological, and other
subjects having been written by him, showing a
remarkable amount of research, thought, and investi-
gation.

A short time previous to graduation Agassiz
submitted his books on fresh-water and fossil fishes
to a publisher, Mr. Cotta of Stuttgart, making a

| The Young Author. 39

demand for 20,000 Swiss francs. In the latter part
of March, 1830, his examination began, occupying
nine days. At the termination Agassiz was re-
quested to leave the room; when recalled he was
informed by the Dean of the Faculty that they were
much pleased with his answers and congratulated
themselves that they could give a diploma to one
who had already become so distinguished. In a
letter to his mother, Agassiz said: “Dear mother,
dismiss all anxiety about me. You see I am as good
as my word.” And so he was, as on April 3d, he
received the coveted degree and became a Doctor of
Medicine.

CHAPTER VII.

CLIMBING THE LADDER.

Struggles of a Young Doctor—Work upon the Fossil Fishes—Look-
ing toward Paris—Arrival in that City—Cuvier—Meets Hum-
boldt—A Strange Dream—Death of Cuvier.

GASSIZ was now twenty-
three years of age, a
Doctor of Medicine and
of Philosophy, a man of
science, with a name al-
ready known throughout
Europe, the author of a
volume on fishes, and an-
other book in press, for
which he received a liberal
fee, and with this prestige
we find him passing out of
the university and return-

ing to his home to enter upon the actual-struggle of

life. He established himself with his artist, Mr. Din-
kel, in Concise where his parents had removed, and
laboured hard for nearly a year, endeavouring to
establish a practice while continuing the work on
fossil fishes, the desire for untrammelled work in pure
science growing stronger and stronger. His ambition

Climbing the Ladder. 4I

was to go to Paris, which was then the centre of scien-
tific thought, and finally he determined to make the
effort. His uncle came to his rescue financially, ena-
bling him to undertake the journey, though under cir-
cumstances that were not particularly encouraging.

Agassiz arrived in Paris with his artist on the)
16th of December, 1831, and was more than de-
lighted at receiving immediate recognition from
some of the eminent savants of the day. Cuvier
invited him to his home and introduced him to
scientific Paris, which extended to him a warm
welcome. He established himself near the Jardin
des Plantes and plunged into scientific work with
his accustomed ardour. His daily life in Paris
is described in a letter written at this time, which
shows how indefatigable was his energy. In the
morning the clinical lectures occupied his atten-
tion, and in the afternoon he visited the Museum
of Natural History, remaining there the rest of
the day. After dinner he devoted himself to his
medical studies, as he had decided to pursue them
together with the scientific course.

From this time on we find Agassiz’s life influenced
by association with the great minds of Humboldt
and Cuvier. The latter recognised at once the
genius of the young naturalist and made every effort
to aid him, and it was not long before he offered
Agassiz and his artist a nook in his own laboratory
where he could watch and encourage him. Agassiz
was diplomatic, and it may be said had determined
upon the conquest of Cuvier before going to Paris.
He knew that the eminent scientist was contemplat-

42 Louis Agassiz.

ing the publication of a work on fossil fishes which
would materially interfere with his own plans. He
had a faint hope that Cuvier would turn his work
over to him or possibly invite him to join in the
authorship ; and to equip himself as well as possible
he had obtained all necessary data and material
before going to Paris. Agassiz, who could not brook
the slightest delay, upon the very first day of his
arrival in Paris took his manuscript to the scientist
and explained what he had done. He was gratified
to find that Cuvier was surprised and pleased, and
far from having any feeling that the young naturalist
was encroaching upon his domain, he gave Agassiz
access to his treasures, and when assured of his
capability renounced his own work and handed
over his notes on British and other fossil fishes,
requesting Agassiz to make full use of them.

That Agassiz was delighted need not be said, as
for a young man to be given the confidence of the
greatest scientist of the day was indeed an honour.
It did not turn the head of the young Swiss, however;
its effect was to spur him on to still greater effort
and to impress upon his mind the fact that there was
more than ever need for him to work and render
himself a credit to those who placed this implicit
confidence in him. His duty to himself, to the
world, to become a great teacher of science was
never lost sight of, and shortly after this he wrote
to the loved ones at home: “I work regularly
fifteen hours a day, sometimes even an hour or two
more, but I hope to reach my goal in good time.”

His daily life now and his association with Cuvier

Climbing the Ladder. 43

was a delight ; a period often looked back upon in
later years as one of the bright spots in his career.
In all probability, Agassiz’s friends did not appre-
ciate the poverty of the young student at this time,
and his struggles to pay his artist and actual ex-
penses and make a presentable appearance were truly
heroic. Some idea of his condition is obtained from
a letter to his brother in March, 1832, in which he
apologises for not sending him a book which though
costing but little would have left him penniless.
Agassiz had an income of forty dollars a month.
Out of this he paid his artist about twenty-five dollars,
leaving him fifteen dollars for maintenance. This
lack of sufficient means was a serious drawback in
every way, and he found himself so reduced that he
was ashamed to present certain letters of introduction
having no suitable coat. There is no doubt that
at this time he often without a murmur denied him-
self proper food that he might store his brain with
toothsome facts. A new species of fossil fish, doubt-
less, sometimes constituted his mental dinner, his
eyes feasting upon it while the inner man vainly
protested.

Nothing could tempt him from the path laid out,
and at this very time he refused a position as editor
of the zodlogical section of the Bulletin, which
would have given him an income of two hundred
dollars, because it would take two hours a day from
his studies. His parents, who knew of his financial
condition, entreated him to leave Paris; but he
would not consent, and put off the loved ones with
many excuses often ingenious if not pathetic.

44 Louts Agassiz.

He was now working upon a fossil fish which is
known to-day as Cyclopoma spinosum, and to be
seen in Recherches sur les Poissons Fosstles, vol. iv.,
tab. 1, pp. 20, 21. For a long time it puzzled him,
and he put amore than ordinary amount of work ~
upon it; but one night, after having laboured over the
problem, he awoke feeling that he had seen the
characteristics of the fish which he had been so long
vainly endeavouring to determine. He sat up in
bed, wonderingly trying to recall the dream; but it
passed away, leaving merely a strong impression.
The following night the dream was repeated, but
eluded him again. On the third night he prepared
for the recurrence of this singular psychological
phenomenon, by placing paper and pencil by the
bedside. Again the nocturnal mental picture was
presented, and, half awake, the young naturalist
traced in the darkness, as well as he could, what he
considered an improbable outline of the fish. The
day following he took his sketch to the Jardin des
Plantes, and by using the midnight and mysterious
sketch as a guide he cut away the stone and found
identical characteristics hitherto unknown hidden
away, making his work of classification an easy one.

Agassiz now lost his good friend Cuvier, whose
last words to the young student was the warning,
“Be careful, and remember that work kills.” The
day following the warning, Cuvier fell, on his way
to the Chamber of Deputies, stricken with paralysis,
and France lost its greatest naturalist.

GHAPTER VILE

AGASSIZ AND HUMBOLDT.

Friendship of Humboldt—His Influence on the Life of Agassiz—
Discouragement—Aid from an Unexpected Quarter—Humboldt
to the Rescue—The New Book—A Professorship Offered.

SUP, ] FE death of Cuvier fell)
with no little weight
| upon the young natural-

a ist. It meant the loss of

a friend, whom he had

learned to love as well as

respect, and again threw
him, to a greater or less
extent, upon his own re-
sources. His parents were
importuning him to re-
turn to his home and fol-
low his profession, and
money was as rare as some of his zodlogical
treasures. In the fulness of his enthusiasm Agassiz
never utterly desponded, though there were seasons
when the clouds looked dark and unpromising,
and possibly at no time in his career was he so
dejected; yet the result showed that at least in this
instance his cloud had a silver lining. Soon after his

46 Louis Agassiz.

arrival in Paris he had called upon Baron von Hum-
boldt regarding a publisher, and he had offered to
write to Cotta in his behalf. The latter did not re-
ply, and days lengthened into weeks of suspense, and
the young scientist was as near despair as his buoyant
nature would permit. He determined to face the
inevitable—to renounce his hopes of becoming a sci-
entist, almost convinced that he had made the good
fight as far as he could go without compromising
himself. He decided to discharge Dinkel the artist,
who had done so much for him, and to return to his
native town and become a teacher, and in this way
endeavour to earn a living. What it must have cost
Agassiz to come to this determination we can readily
imagine, after having followed him through so many
difficulties and noted the intense enthusiasm and
ambition which characterised his every movement.
But the young naturalist was not destined to be
diverted from the path of science. One day he
received a letter from Humboldt, couched in the most
delicate and friendly language, with an accompany-
ing letter of credit for one thousand francs. The aid
was'so timely that it seemed to Agassiz almost a mirac-
ulous intervention; it was one of the small events in
the life of the man that was destined to produce great
results. Agassiz opened his heart to his benefactor,
and from this time on they became close friends.
The attention of the young Swiss was now turned
to the attainment of a professorship in some college
in his own country, and in this endeavour Humboldt
aided him in every way. Finally, one day in June,
1832, he received a letter from M. Coulon, of

Agassiz and Humboldt. 47

Neuchatel, stating that a professorship of natural
history was open and that the very small sum of
eighty louis had been guaranteed for three years by
certain persons, in the hope of securing the services
of Agassiz who was now looked upon by them as an
eminent man of science.

Agassiz’s desire to obtain a professorship is men-
tioned in the following letter* to M. Louis Coulon:

‘*ParRis, March 27, 1832.

erin: is {When I had the pleasure of seeing you
last summer, I several times expressed my strong de-
sire to establish myself near you, and my intention
of taking some steps toward obtaining the professor-
ship of natural history to be founded in your Ly-
ceum. The matter must be more advanced now
than it was last year, and you would oblige me
greatly by giving me some information concerning
it. I have spoken of my project to M. de Humboldt,
whom I often see, and who kindly interests himself
about my prospects and helps me with his advice.
He thinks that under the circumstances, and espec-
ially in my position, measures should be taken in
advance. There is another point of great import-
ance for me about which I wished also to speak to
you. Though you have seen but a small part of it,
you nevertheless know that in my different journeys,
partly through my relations with other naturalists,
partly by exchange, I have made a very fair collec-
tion of natural history, especially rich in just those

* Letters of Agassiz to Louis Coulon, Mem. Soc, Phys., Genéve,
1874, xxiii., 472.

48 Louts Agasstz.

classes which are less fully represented in your
museum. My collection might, therefore, fill the
gaps in that of the city of Neuchatel, and make the
latter more than adequate for the illustration of a
full course of natural history. Should an increase of
your zodlogical collection make part of your plans
for the Lyceum, I venture to believe that mine would
fully answer your purpose. In that case I would
offer it to you, since the expense of arranging it, the
rent of a room in which to keep it, and, in short, its
support in general, is beyond my means. I must
find some way of relieving myself from this burden,
although it will be hard to part with these com-
panions of my study, upon which I have based
almost all my investigations. I have spoken of this
also to M. de Humboldt, who is good enough to
show an interest in the matter, and will even take all
necessary steps with the government to facilitate
this purchase. You would render me the greatest
service by giving me your directions about all this,
and especially by telling me: 1. On whom the
nonination to the professorship depends? 2. With
whom the purchase of the collection would rest?
3. What you think I should do with reference to
both? Of course you will easily understand that I
cannot give up my collections except under the con-
dition that I should be allowed the free use of them.”

Humboldt was almost as pleased at the proffer of
a professorship, as Agassiz himself, and he addressed
a letter* to M. Louis Coulon, in which he said :—

* Letters to Louis Coulon, Memoirs Soc. Phys., Genéve, 1874,
xxiii., 472.

Agassiz and Humboldt. 49

cc“
.

I do not write to ask a favour, but only to
express my warm gratitude for your noble and gen-
erous dealings with the young savant, M. Agassiz,
who is well worthy your encouragement and the pro-
tection of your government. He is distinguished by
his talents, by the variety and substantial character
of his attainments, and by that which has a special
value in these troubled times, his natural sweetness
of disposition. . . . It gratifies me to see your
kindness toward a young man to whom I am so
warmly attached ; whom the illustrious Cuvier, also,
whose loss we must ever deplore, would have recom-
mended with the same heartiness; for his faith, like
mine, was based on those admirable works of Agassiz
which are now nearly completed.”

Humboldt wrote also to the governor and gained
the influence of Von Buch for Agassiz, and as a
result he accepted the professorship.

From now on, Humboldt showed an active inter-
est in the expanding life of the young naturalist.
He had complete faith in his future, and did not
hesitate to announce to his scientific friends and the
world at large that young Agassiz, who was but
twenty-five years of age, was one of the shining
scientific lights of the day. In the letters which
passed between these great naturalists at this time,
their tender and affectionate friendship is well shown.
Humboldt was always paying Agassiz some delicate
attention, while Agassiz constantly sought some
opportunity to express his gratitude to his friend
and patron, and accord him the credit he deserved.

The full nature of this friendship, the modesty of
4

50 Louis Agasstz.

Humboldt, the whole-souled nature of Agassiz is well
illustrated in a little incident regarding the prospec-
tus of one of the latter’s books on fossil fishes.
Agassiz had said in the prospectus: “ Finally, I owe
to M. de Humboldt not only important notes on
fossil fishes, but so many kindnesses in connection
with my work that in enumerating them I should
fear to wound the delicacy of the giver.”

To this Humboldt had responded: “Your pro-
spectus is full of interest, and does ample justice to
those who provided you with materials. To name
me among them was an affectionate deceit, the ruse
of anoble soul like yours; I am a little vexed with
you about it.” ;

Of Agassiz at this time Ernest Favre writes: “A
warmth which nothing could repress was with him
united with facility and charm of expression. Always
ready to frame theories, to discuss them, and to ad-
vance new ideas, he captivated his auditors by the
vigor and clearness of his exposition. His public and
class lectures, too, were always extraordinarily suc-
cessful. Even when he discussed the most abstruse
subject his auditors hung upon his lips. The talent
for speaking, which he possessed to a high degree,
was one of his most valuable means of influence, and
contributed greatly to his celebrity.”

Humboldt, being the greatest scientist of the day,
as may be imagined, was a powerin theland. Above
all, he was a friend of the king, and as Neuchatel was
at this time under Prussian sovereignty his influence
was invaluable. Humboldt not only took a deep
interest in the forth-coming book and the sale of

| Agassiz and Humbdidt. 51

Agassiz’s collection of specimens, but he obtained a
number of subscribers for the former and made the
author important suggestions, procured press notes
in influential publications, and in many ways showed
that his friendship was practical.

CHAPTER IX.
THE YOUNG TEACHER.

First Lectures to Pupils—Departure for Neuchatel—Success as a
Teacher—Field Lectures—Call to Heidelberg—The Chair De-
clined—Threatened Blindness—Preparing for it.

greatest attainment of
Agassiz, or express his
most marked success, in
a word, it would be the
term teacher. He was
the greatest teacher in
science in modern times,
a genius who opened up
a new world in this direc-
tion, his appearance in
the field being essentially
epoch making.
(We have seen that Agassiz lectured to his com-
rades in “The Little Academy,” there obtaining
valuable training; but his first actual labours as an
instructor began when he was twenty-five years of age,
and consisted of a series of lectures on natural his-
tory at the gymnasium at Neuchatel. In this work

qu
ay

THE FISHING JAGUAR.

The Young Teacher. 53

we at last see him at the goal of all his desires and
ambition, and from this on until the end, in all the
positions he held it was always Agassiz, the teacher,
that was pre-eminent. He was the father of modern
natural history, anddid more to popularise the study
and interest the masses in the secrets of nature than
any other man or men of his time. Agassiz’s fame
was now international and well established, and his
return to Neuchatel created no little excitement.
His first lecture in his new position was “‘ Upon the
Relations between the Different Branches of Natural
History and the then Prevailing Tendencies of all the
Sciences.” It was delivered in the hallof the Hotel
de Ville, November 12, 1832, and was listened to by
a large and attentive audience. It is interesting to
note that this lecture had an immediate effect upon
the people. As he rose and stood before his audi-
ence this first night we may well imagine that he felt
some little trepidation ; if so, he soon mastered this,
words and sentences falling from his lips, which
kept his listeners spell-bound ; they had never heard
the subject so clearly and forcibly presented. The
young teacher was tall and handsome, and his fine
face all animation, his cheery reassuring smile, his
beaming eyes and enthusiasm created at once a
response in his audience.

Neuchatel soon came to be considered a scienti-
fic centre, and a decided interest in science was
awakened among the people. To this M. Coulon
contributed not a little, aiding Agassiz in the forma-
tion of a scientific museum and in the accumulation
of specimens of various kinds.

54 Louis Agassiz.

Agassiz was the pioneer of science in this locality,
and his unwonted enthusiasm soon made itself felt,
and, as later on in America, he drew around him a
choice following of bright minds, embryo scientists
who in later years became well known in the world.
Among them were C. Vogt, Desor, Gressly, Guyot,
who followed him to America, Nicolet, of Montmol-
lin, as well as several fellow-students from Munich,
Dinkel, Weber and Buckhardt.

To open a large and elaborate lithographic estab-
lishment at Neuchatel would seem hazardous, yet,
H. Nicolet, one of the citizens, was so imbued with
the value of the work that he undertook this, and a
vast establishment took form from which all the
famous plates of Agassiz were turned out. M.
Vogt gives an idea of the work at Neuchatel at this
time. “It might be supposed,” he said, “that in
such complicated machinery the wheels would some-
times have interfered with each other. The printing
office constantly demanded copy, the lithographic
establishment designs, and the work of his original
researches never ceased; hardly had he the time
necessary to complete one set of labours before
Agassiz had new plans and assumed new tasks.
Every thought that passed through his head was
converted into a great work, with hundreds of folio
plates, hundreds of pages of text; in all this he was
the acknowledged master, as well as in the collection
of new material for his work. He knew how to
draw all Europe into contribution. Often boxes
which had been sent for and awaited with feverish
impatience remained weeks and even months un-

The Young Teacher. 55

opened, because in the meanwhile, another subject
occupied attention, and the objects they contained
had lost their interest.”

Among the visitors to Neuchatel was Leopold von
Buch, the well-known geologist of Berlin, an admirer
of Agassiz. On one occasion he said: “ When I am
at Neuchatel, and I knock at the door of Agassiz, I
am always afraid.” ‘ Why?” asked his companion,
“T dread,” said Von Buch, “lest he will take me for
a new species.”

This was a witty suggestion of one of the criti-
cisms made of Agassiz’s methods at the time. It
was said that he was too liberal in making species,
—a charge that has been brought against every
naturalist of note.

Agassiz did not confine his teaching to the gym-
nasium, but gave private lectures to his friends
throughout the winter on a variety of topics.
Some were at social gatherings; others during
walks abroad under the blue sky with examples all
about. Agassiz drew his inspiration from the hills
and fields, and his enthusiasm was imparted to his
hearers, so that in a very short time he acquired a
reputation as a singularly successful teacher. He
had the faculty of imparting knowledge to a rare
degree. His greatest delight was to teach the
children, and his class of little folks, whom he
taught for the love of imparting knowledge, was a
source of much pleasure. Sometimes he took them
over the fields and far away; teaching them geogra-
phy by climbing ahillside to look down upon the
lake or study the shape of some mountain ; again

56 Louis Agassiz.

they gathered flowers, and while standing among
them he explained their secrets to his young pupils,
who caught the infection from his beaming eyes and
expressive face. Sometimes they had an object
lesson on the fruits of the tropics, each child holding
a banana, an orange, a lime or some product of
foreign soil, after which the objects were eaten,—a
convincing and telling ending to the lesson and one,
doubtless, eminently satisfactory to the pupils.

No one thought of Agassiz as an instructor; he
was always the delightful companion, and the end of
his talks always came too soon. In speaking of this,
Professor Louis Favre once said: ‘‘ They were /¢e
days for the young people, who found in their pro-
fessor an active companion, full of spirits, vigour,
and gayety, whose enthusiasm kindled in them the
sacred fire of science.”

The reputation of so successful a teacher could
not be confined to Neuchatel, and it was not long
before the young instructor began to receive calls
from other institutions. Professor Leuckart, who
had held the chair of zodlogy at Heidelberg, was
called: to Freiburg, and the position was tendered
Agassiz, who sent the letter to his friend Humboldt,
whose advice he always sought, telling him that his
inclination was for various reasons to remain in Neu-
chatel. He hoped to sell his collections to the local
society and thus realise money enough to enable him
to remain a while in the town where he had received
so warm a welcome. Humboldt agreed with him
in this decision; and we find the young teacher de-
clining one of the greatest honours that could have

The Young Teacher. 57

been bestowed upon him at this time, as the offer of
a university of the standing of Heidelberg meant
that the person to whom the tender was made was
considered second to none.

Agassiz continued his work in Neuchatel until
the close application resulted in practical blindness.
His eyes gave out, and for weeks he feared that he
would become blind. While sitting in the darkened
room, he prepared himself for this possible fate by
practising daily touching fossils until he developed
such a delicate sense of feeling that he was confident
that if he lost his eyesight he could carry on his
scientific work by the sense of touch alone.

It was during his recovery from this affliction that
Agassiz married Cecile Braun, the sister of his friend
and college-mate. They had long been intimate, and
she was thoroughly in sympathy with his work,
many of the illustrations of his books being from her
pencil. The bride was brought home to Neuchatel,
much to the delight of Agassiz’s parents, who, espec-
ially his mother, approved his marriage as complet-
ing the full rounding out of his life.

Honours began to pour in upon the young teacher,
now twenty-six years of age. His book on fossil
fishes attracted attention among scientists all over
the world, and he received many invitations from the
English scientists, as Murchison, Buckland, Lyell and
others to visit England and examine their treasures
in the way of fossil fishes. Especially gratifying was
a letter from Sir Charles Lyell, containing the in-
formation that he was deemed worthy the Wollaston
prize of about seven hundred francs, The famous

58 Louis Agassiz.

geologist fully appreciated the struggles of the young
Swiss, as in his letter he added: “In the mean time
I am desired to tell you that the Society declines
to receive your magnificent work as a gift, but
wishes to subscribe for it, and has already ordered a
copy from the publishers. fh

The prize overjoyed Agassiz who was still ex-
tremely poor, and in a letter to Lyell he said that
the news was received with tears of joy and grati-
tude. He was not ashamed of his poverty and said
so, having spent his last franc on his scientific work.
The publication was received everywhere with great
enthusiasm, and to-day, nearly sixty years later, has
never been equalled for its thoroughness and the
care displayed in the preparation. The title was
Researches on the Fossil Fishes.

For ten years, from 1833 to 1843, Agassiz laboured
upon it, and when it is remembered how young a
man he was, the work is a marvel, suggestive of the
brilliant genius from which it emanated.

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CHAPTER X.
WINNING FAME.

Curiosity of English Scientists to see Agassiz—New Honours.—
Visit to Bex—Sale of Original Drawings—Glacial Theories—
Proffers of Professorships.

N the year 1833 there was )

intense curiosity among
English naturalists to see
the young Swiss teacher,
who had carried off the
Wollaston prize, and in
1834 this was gratified,
Agassiz having decided to
make the trip to England.
He was assured a warm
welcome and received it
from every quarter espec-
ially from the great Eng-
lish savants. He now met Sir Charles Lyell and
Murchison, the geologists, the genial Buckland, Sir
Philip Egerton, Lord Cole, and many more who
received him cordially and opened to him the
paleontological treasures of Great Britain. Still
in the developmental stage, Agassiz needed the

60 Louis Agassiz.

new surroundings and associations which he enjoyed
at this time, and undoubtedly the friends he made
during this visit had no little effect upon his career
and methods of work. The two men who perhaps
aided him the most, and whose warm friendship he
enjoyed through life were Lord Cole and Sir Philip
Egerton, both owners of fine collections of fossil
fishes which were placed at his disposal.

During this trip to England Agassiz was put toa
severe test which demonstrated how perfect was his
knowledge of the structure of fishes and how accur-
ate were his deductions. His fame had spread over
all England, and naturally there were many who
doubted his powers. A few weeks before, a fossil fish
had been discovered in alower strata than previously
known; so low, in fact, that up to that time no or-
ganic remains had been found there, the rocks
having been considered azoic. During a discussion
at a scientific meeting which Agassiz attended, a natur-
alist propounded a question to Agassiz, who was
ignorant of the discovery, which required a description
of a possible fish from such rocks. The situation was
dramatic. Agassiz in complete ignorance that he
was the victim of so crucial atest; the eager listeners
—some doubting, others hoping, perhaps, that they
could trip the distinguished foreigner—all expectant.
There was a moment’s silence, then Agassiz pro-
ceeded modestly to the blackboard, and after a short
prelude in which he referred to his views of creation
and its order, he drew with the crayon the outlines
of the possible fish. As it took form under his skil-
ful hand, a murmur of amazement broke from the

Winning Fame — 61

naturalists, merging into applause and congratula-
tion, much to the astonishment of Agassiz, who
stepped back to see one of his colleagues raise a
screen and display upon the wall the original of the
fish his master-hand had conceived from the depths
of his well-stored mind. “To such an extent,” says
Dr. Stebbins, “had this great scientist advanced in a
knowledge of the plan of God in nature.”

Hardly a day passed that Agassiz did not receive
letters asking him to visit various localities. One
which attracted especial attention was from Char-
pentier, who had made a reputation by his studies
of the glacial systems of Europe. He urged Agassiz
to make him a visit, offering as an inducement some
fossils which he had discovered, and in 1836 Agas-
siz decided to spend the summer with him, little
dreaming that his experiments would give him even
more renown than the Brazilian fishes and other
publications which he brought out. There was
hardly a field in natural science that Agassiz had not
investigated, and on the question of glaciers he had
well-defined views which differed materially from
those of Charpentier, who now urged him to visit
him.

Agassiz did not accept the theory of his corres-
pondent, that the bowlders found all over Switzerland
were distributed by the agency of ice; indeed, he
considered it so very improbable that he felt confi-
dent that he could soon disabuse Charpentier of the
belief, and with this in view he began the journey to
Bex in the valley of the Rhone. The result of his
summer expeditions was a complete victory for

62 Louis Agassiz.

Charpentier; indeed, Agassiz concluded that if any-
thing his friend had taken a too conservative view of
the action of ice.

Agassiz was at this time greatly hampered by a

(lack of funds; indeed the work on fossil fishes came
to a standstill for a while. He had parted with his
collection and every available franc that he earned
went to further what was the work of his life. He
now had nothing to dispose of but his original draw-
ings, the sale of which was finally effected through
the efforts of his friend Sir Philip Egerton, who
used his influence with the British Museum where
they ultimately found a home through the munif-
cence of his cousin, Lord Francis Egerton.

The proceeds from this sale were not sufficient to
enable Agassiz to still employ the artist, so Sir Philip
Egerton and Lord Cole defrayed the expenses of the
latter, with the understanding that the original draw-
ings should ultimately become their own.

The summer at Bex was a revelation to the young
teacher. He wandered over the valley of the Rhone,
studied the great moraines, observed the huge
bowlders lying about here and there, and gradually
the part that had been played by the ice age of the
past was fully appreciated, and his mind was filled
with new thoughts and ideas which found expression
later on.

During the winter following his visit to Bex he
investigated the evidences of glacial action near
Neuchatel and in the Jura, and in the spring when
the Helvetic Society of Natural Science met at
Neuchatel under his presidency, he unfolded his

Winning Fame. 63

accumulated knowledge and outlined to his inter-
ested hearers a theory which in later years was ac-
cepted by the scientific world at large. His views
astonished his auditors, and as they became spread
abroad he drew the entire school of glacial students
about him,—Von Buch, Elie de Beaumont, Charpen-
tier, and even Humboldt.

This conversion was not immediate, as at first he
was attacked from all sides. Von Buch, whom a con-
temporary said, “ was not famous for sweetness of
temper,” became incensed at Agassiz and would not
even listen to the theories which he so boldly an-
nounced and so completely supported. Yet Agassiz
was prepared for antagonism and was especially ready
for his friend Von Buch as is shown in the following
closing remark in his speech which was evidently
intended to mollify the irate scientist: “When M.
Von Buch affirmed for the first time, in the face of
‘the formidable school of Werner, that granite is of
plutonic origin, and that the mountains were raised,
what said the Neptunists? He was at first alone
in his support of the theory, and it was only by
defending it with the conviction of genius that he
made it prevail. Happily, in scientific matters,
numerical majorities have never at first decided any
question.”

Agassiz seemed to grasp the situation at once. He
saw from the evidences before him a glacial sheet of
ice covering all Europe, appearing and disappearing
according to the changes of temperature in vast eras
of time. He pictured the earth, covered with vege-
tation, gradually encompassed by a sheet of ice that

64 Louis Agassiz.

became as firm as rock, and in moving carried all
before it, depositing the erratic bowlders all over
Europe. The theories advocated at this time by
scientists were that these deposits were caused by
freshets, floods, and other local phenomena, and, as
might be expected, the young president of the Hel-
vetic Society was attacked from all sides with good-
natured but active antagonism. Humboldt at first
took exception to his views, and wrote him that
“Von Buch rages, as you may already know, consid-
ering the subject (of glaciers), as he does, his exclu-
sive property.”

Von Buch with difficulty controlled his temper
when he listened to what he firmly believed to be
heresies of the grossest kind. He laughed when
shown the glacial markings at Neuchatel, and said
that the lines were caused by the boys of Neuchatel
in sliding down the hills of that picturesque region,
exclaiming as he left the spot, “ O Sancte de Saussure,
ora pro nobis.”

Humboldt feared that his young friend would be
drawn away from his studies of fishes by the fresh
charms of the glaciers and protested vigorously.
“For mercy’s sake,” he wrote, “take care of your
health which is so dear to us. I am afraid you work
too much, and (shall I say it frankly ?) that you
spread your intellect over too many subjects at once.
I think that you should concentrate your moral and
also your pecuniary strength upon this beautiful
work on fossil fishes. In so doing you will render a
greater service to positive geology, than by these
general considerations (a little icy withal) on the

Winning Fame. 65

revolutions of the primitive world; considerations
which, as you well know, convince only those who
give them birth. . . . Yourice frightens me, and
gladly as I would welcome you here, my dear friend,
I think, perhaps, for the sake of your health, and also
that you may not see this country, always so hideous,
under a sheet of snow and ice (in Febuary), you
would do better to come two months later, with the
first verdure.”

Life was too short for the active mind of Agassiz.
The days passed too quickly ; every moment had its
value, every second its meaning in its accumulation
of time. -- He’seemed to: appreciate that the mo-
ments are but the ticks of the human clock, every
one of which brings the running-down time nearer
and nearer. An hour, a moment wasted was an ir-
retrievable loss and his policy was to make the most
of each. This explains the enormous amount of
work he accomplished in a comparatively short life-
time. New ideas, opportunities for fresh discoveries
were ever appearing, and his inclination was always
to enter every new field ready to conquer. Not
alone a zodlogist, but a geologist, botanist, physician,
a student of nature, a teacher of nature’s secrets in
the broadest sense, such was Agassiz, and it is not
strange that Humboldt closed one of his letters with
the warning that he was attempting too much. “No
more ice,” said the savant, “not much of echino-
derms, plenty of fish, recall of ambassadors 7
partibus, and great severity toward the book-sellers,
an infernal race, two or three of whom have been

killed under me.”
5

66 Louts Agassiz.

We shall see that Agassiz did not accept this ad-
(vice any more than he did that of his friend Cuvier
who adjured him to beware of too constant work,
the work that kills. It was impossible for a man
like Agassiz to restrain his mental out-grasping. It
was his life, his nature, and was to be to the end.
Every day new plans were born. His reputation was
growing apace, and tenders of professorships and
requests for lectures came from all sides.. M. de la
Rive, of Geneva, now begged his acceptance of a
professorship in the academy at Geneva, with a
salary of three thousand francs, while another invita-
tion greeted him from Lausanne, offering a similar
position with a liberal salary. But to all these he
turned a deaf ear, and. in 1838 we find him with
work rolling up ahead like a billow of the sea. He
had_ established a lithographic printing-house in
Neuchatel, so that his plates could be made here.
He was now the manager of this business, a pro-
fessor of natural history in the college, and the
president and central figure in a number of socie-
ties; at the same time he was engaged upon his
great work The Fossil Fishes, investigating the
fossil echinoderms and mollusks, and delivering lec-
tures to students and friends on a variety of sub- —
jects. In brief, he was the embodiment of mental
and physical activity, and in all the annals of scien-
tific men we find but few parallels to his energy. His
watchful and discerning eye seemed to penetrate the
sciences, many of which were at a standstill, giving
them fresh impetus. In every direction he saw
something new, some undeveloped feature. The

Winning Fame. 67

fact that shells were studied without regard to the
living portion attracted his attention, and, as a re-
sult, he began moulding the interior of shells, thus
producing casts of the animals. One of his books,
Etudes Critiques sur les Mollusques Fossiles, with
many fine plates, was a partial result of this
discovery.

In this year, 1838, Agassiz was honoured with
membership by the Royal Society of London, his
name having been presented by Sir Philip Edgerton.
He was now thirty years of age, yet few scientists in
all Europe had greater results to show than this
young teacher, who in his own estimation had but
begun his career as a man of letters and science.

CHAPTER AI.

A GLACIER HUNT.

Interest in Glaciers—Opposition of Scientists—Visit to Glaciers—
The Hotel Neuchatelois—Curious Experiments—Descent into
the Glaciers—The Heart of a Glacier—Ascent of the Jungfrau—
Injecting Coloured Fluids—The Work on Glaciers.

ESPITE the protests of
Humboldt and _ other
friends Agassiz grew
more and more _inter-
ested in the glacial prob-
lem that his discerning
eye saw was yet un-
solved. He determined
to investigate it thor-
oughly, and to this end
began a series of glacier
hunts, a search for these
marvels of ice forma-

tion, ancient and modern. The vicinity of Mont

Blanc was naturally the point of greatest interest,

and one of his first trips was to the valley of the

Hassli where moves a vast river of ice, a later trip

being made to the glaciers of Mont Blanc. These

A Glacier Hunt. 69

pleasure trips, for he was often accompanied by his
friends and pupils, were fruitful in results, and
demonstrated to Agassiz that he was correct in his
original surmises. He was at this time in the full
flush of vigorous manhood; few of his companions
could compete with him in physical endurance, and
many a wild race he led his friends Dinkel and M.
Desor, who became equally interested in the history
of glaciers.

The new study brought him another friend,
Arnold Guyot, who was from this time on his col-
league. By a special agreement these friends took
up this great subject of glaciers together. In 1838
we find Guyot in the Central Alps, watching the
movement of glaciers and observing the structure of
the great mass, while Agassiz was walking over the
rough country in the Bernese Oberland, Chamounix
and Haut Valais, studying the glaciers of ancient
days when they covered the land. At the end of
these delightful expeditions the two friends met at
the meeting of the Geological Society of France, in
the town of Porrentruy, and discussed before other
savants the results of their season’s work, encounter-
ing no little opposition, as we may imagine, as the
new theories were by no means received with favour.
Buckland, who was also a student of glaciers at this
time, wrote:

“Tam sorry that I cannot entirely adopt the new
theory you advocate to explain transported blocks
by moraines; for supposing it adequate to explain
the phenomena of Switzerland, it would not apply
to the granite blocks and transported gravel of Eng-

70 Louis Agassiz.

land, which I can only explain by referring to cur-
rents of water.”

It should be remembered that later Buckland
became an enthusiastic convert to the young Swiss
teacher and his theories.

The stroller through Princeton College will be told
that this institution of learning contains in its
museum five thousand specimens of rocks presented
by Professor Guyot. These were collected by him
when studying the glacier system with Agassiz and
Desor; the work was carried on after a regularly or-
ganised plan, the idea being to publish the results of
each in a volume, which, however, was never carried
to completion. As with everything Agassiz at-
tempted, the unsolving of the secrets of the glaciers
was begun in a thorough and systematic manner.
The first important expedition was made in the
summer of 1839, Agassiz ascending the range of
Monte Rosa and Matterhorn, having as companions
M. Desor, M. Bettanier, and Studer, the geologist,
who went up the glacier asceptic and came down a
thorough convert. The party encamped on the
edge of the river of ice and made daily excursions
to the different points of interest, so that by the end
of the season Agassiz had examined every glacier in
the vicinity, not to speak of those from the Ménch,
the Jungfrau, the glacier of the Rhone and the Aar.
It was during this summer that he made the re-
markable discovery of the rate of speed attained by
these rivers of ice. In 1827 an investigator named
Hugi built a cabin upon the ice of the glacier at the
foot of the Abschwung. Agassiz visited the cabin

4
\ SPSS

THE HOUSE ON THE GLACIER.

A Glacier Hunt. 71

twelve years later and made the discovery that dur-
ing that time it had travelled a mile anda fifth, or
was about four thousand feet below the original site.

In his ardour and enthusiasm for science Agassiz
was enabled to throw off the ordinary troubles of
life, but there were times when his inadequate means
cut like a knife and poverty seemed a band of steel
holding him back. We see glimpses of this ina
letter published by Ernest Favrein the Smithsonian
Report:

“Tam frightened at the approach of a new year,
the time for the settlement of accounts in Neu-
- chatel, and I work like a madman to be able to meet
my indebtedness. If God preserves my health I
hope, after one or two years of continued labour, if I
moderate my expenses, and particularly if I abstain
from publishing anything more on my account, to
settle my affairs completely, but for the time I am
horribly cramped, I must say almost paralysed; but
it is my own fault, and I must bear patiently the
consequences until I can succeed in getting myself
afloat again.” ‘My great regret in the present con-
dition of my affairs is that I am obliged to employ
a portion of my time with matters I ought not to
have neglected, and which occupy me now much
more than if I had always attended to them, and I
am obliged to retard some of the publications I
greatly desired to make next, but which it would be
imprudent for me to undertake at present, for I
should reproduce the embarrassment from which I
only just commence to be relieved if I did not conduct
all my enterprises with the utmost circumspection.”

a2 Louis Agassiz.

“My life,” he wrote at another time, “is now a
vortex, in which the best part of my nature is hardiy
conscious of its existence, so numerous and pressing
are the exterior exigencies from which I suffer.”

The season in this ice-land of romance passed only

(too quickly and the summer of 1840 was looked
forward to by the enthusiasts with unbounded pleas-
ure. As soon as the season permitted, Agassiz and
his party were again established on the glacier of
the Aar. They were provided with two excellent
guides, and on the moraine they formed a shelter
partly under a huge bowlder, which with blankets
and poles they transformed into a rude house, which
was facetiously called the Hétel des Neuchatelois.
Agassiz was the landlord, or proprietor of this
glacial hotel, and the register might have shown the
names of Edouard Desor, Charles Vogt, Count
Pourtalés, afterward so well known in America,
Henri Coulon, Célestin Nicolet, Jacob Leuthold, and
Johann Wahren, the two latter having been guides
to Hugi, the builder of the cabin on the glacier
in 1828.

The following extract from a letter of M. Desor,
dated on the Aar, will convey an impression of
life on a glacier, showing that it required no little
scientific ardour to continue it:

“You are much mistaken if you suppose that all is
pleasure, satisfaction, and intellectual enjoyment at
the Hétel Neuchatelois. We have been shut up three
days in our tent, unable to venture out, the gus*

* A whirlwind of snow, called so in the Oberland.

A Glacier Hunt. 73

is so furious. Do you know what a gux is? I
think not ; and you are happy in your ignorance. I
can only say in regard to it that if the founders of
the various religions had known of the gux they
would not have imagined a hell for lost souls, but
would simply have sent them to the Fixsteraarhorn,
and secured for them a perpetual gux. . . . It
takes hold of the limbs, dries the skin, renders the
imagination heavy and obtuse, prevents the exercise
of the culinary art. In the night of the 21st to
22d it overturned our cabin, and we were obliged to
work until morning to restore it again. Imagine
how delightful it must have been to work in the
open air at a temperature two degrees below zero,
while a tempest was constantly blowing clouds of
pulverised ice in our faces.” The open nature of
this “ hotel” can be imagined when it is known that
it afforded but poor protection against wind or rain ;
yet the party was a jolly one under all circumstances.
Burkhardt tells how the first man to awake in the
morning aroused the others by directing one of the
many streams that coursed down the wall, on the
faces of the sleepers.

One of the first trips was to this cabin, which
they had found in 1839. It had gone to pieces in its
voyage of four hundred feet during the winter.

The great work of Agassiz,—Systeme Glaciaire,
was one of the results of this series of exploits and
investigations. Count Pourtalés was the meteorolo-
gist, Vogt the microscopist, Nicolet studied the flora
and rocks, Desor the moraines, and in this way a
vast number of facts were obtained. Guyot says in

74 Louts Agassiz.

his biographical sketch of Agassiz, “all the physical
laws of the glaciers were brought to light.”

In the daily expeditions Agassiz displayed his in-
Grepid nature, always being to the fore, adventurous,
bold and hardy, leading expeditions over the glacier
that astonished the guides themselves. Altogether
the summer was a most successful one, and the
autumn saw Agassiz in Great Britain studying the
glaciers there and combating the English scientists
who refused even then to entertain his ideas. Re-
ferring to this, Agassiz once said in a public lecture,
at Penikese: “Among the older naturalists, only
one stood by me. Dr. Buckland, Dean of West-
minster, who had come to Switzerland at my urgent
request for the express purpose of seeing my evidence
and who had been fully convinced of the ancient
extension of ice there, consented to accompany me
on my glacier hunt in Great Britain. We went first
to the Highlands of Scotland, and it is one of the
delightful recollections of my life that as we ap-
proached the castle of the Duke of Argyll, standing
in a valley not unlike some of the Swiss valleys, I
said to Buckland: ‘ Here we shall find our first traces
of glaciers’; and, as the stage entered the valley,
we actually drove over an ancient terminal moraine,
which spanned the opening of the valley.”

Agassiz did not confine his trips to the glacier to
the summer alone. In the winter of 1841 he visited
the glacier of the Aar, and hunted for the stakes he
had planted the previous summer, one object being
to learn if the water flowed beneath the glacier as it
did in the summer, The results of this trip are

A Glacier Hunt. 75

given in Agassiz’s work, already referred to, while
many interesting incidents are culled from a sojourn
on the glacier by his fellow-student, Desor.

In the summer of 1841 Agassiz visited the glacier
again, now with new additions to his staff—Forbes
of Edinburgh, Heath, of Cambridge, De la Linth,
and Burkhardt, the artist. This season the plan was
to penetrate to the very heart of the glacier, and to
this end a boring apparatus was brought up with
which the glacier was punctured at various places.

Agassiz finally determined to descend into the
heart of the glacier itself, and against the advice
of his companions he was lowered by ropes into a
glacial well, nearly ending his career by his temerity.
The so-called wells were deep well-shaped crevices,
descending into the very heart of the glacier, and
the fact that the mass was moving at a rate of forty
feet per day suggested that the well-hole might
disappear at any time. This did not deter the ad-
venturous scientist. A stream of water was flowing
into the well, and having diverted this into another
channel a tripod was erected over the opening, and
from this Agassiz was lowered, seated upon a board
in turn attached to the rope. His object was to
determine how deeply the laminated structure which
he had observed penetrated.

Having arranged with his friends that they were
to lower until he shouted to them to stop, word was
given and the explorer sank out of sight on one of
the most adventurous expeditions on record. No
one before had entered the heart of a glacier; no
one had gazed at the so-called blue bands in the

76 Louis Agassiz.

centre of the great ice mass, and we can but imagine
the sensations of the enthusiast as he slowly de-
scended; the gloom growing deeper and deeper, the
rich blue of the ice more intense. He had descended
to a depth of eighty feet when an obstacle was met
with in the shape of a parti-wall separating the well.
He first essayed the larger opening, but finding that
this radiated into a number of small tunnels he gave
it up and tried a smaller and slowly descended, now
being almost one hundred and twenty feet from the
surface of the ice. Every foot of the wall was care-
fully scanned, and he was completely absorbed in
the wonders of his surroundings when suddenly he
found himself in ice-cold water. He had reached
the bottom without observing it, and had plunged
into an icy bath of unknown depth. His shout of
distress was at first misunderstood, and he was being
steadily lowered into what would have been his
death when his signal was interpreted and those
above began to draw him up. If the descent was
dangerous the ascent was much more so. The well
was filled with large icicles, which pointing downward
presented no obstacle in his descent, but now as
Agassiz looked up the one hundred and twenty-five
feet of the blue ice the sharp and dangerous points
of hundreds of these javelins threatened to cut the
rope or fall upon him; and possibly not till then
did he realise that he had taken his life in his hands
for science and that the trip was a foolhardy one.
His friends at the entrance did their work well.
Some watched ; others took care that the rope did
not chafe, while the rest hauled up the explorer

DESCENT OF AGASSIZ INTO THE HEART OF A GLACIER.

A Glacier Hunt. fo

who guided his way through the great ice needles
successfully and was lifted out amid the applause
and cheers of his companions, whose hearty con-
gratulations he had well earned.

The scientific results of this expedition demon-
strated that the laminated structure of the glaciers
penétrated to a depth of at least eighty feet.

The remainder of the summer was passed in the
regular work as outlined, and at the end the scientists
proposed ascending the Jungfrau, which has become
historical, and which has been described in vivid
language by M. Desor in his Séjours dans les Gla-
ciers. The start was made from the hospice of the
Grimsel on the last of August, the party being com-
posed of six guides and two travellers besides the
naturalists. The first night after a long walk over
the glacier was spent at Méril, and by five the
next morning they were speeding along, led by
Jacob Leuthold, the famous guide. The trip to the
glacier of Aletsch was fairly easy, but beyond this
the journey became not merely difficult but danger-
ous. Here they halted fora rest prior to the final
start. The locality was one to impress the mind
with the grandeur of nature. They were in a vast
amphitheatre of ice, inclosed by giant mountains,
the Jungfrau, the Ménch and others, capped with
eternal snow. Provided with the merest necessities,
they started up the pass, which lies between the
Jungfrau and Kranzberg, and soon were struggling
upward over the various terraces, sinking into the
snow, passing vast crevasses on thin layers of ice,
facing a thousand dangers which often menaced

78 Louis Agassiz.

them on every hand. Now fastened by ropes; again
climbing over crevasses, apparently bottomless, on
the ladder they carried, or scaling cliffs, carefully
cutting their way, they slowly ascended the mountain
of iceandsnow. They were finally stopped by a gulf
of great depth; a fall into which would have meant
instant death. Across this, the intrepid Leuthold
threw his famous ladder, the same that had served
him with Hugi nine years previous, and over this
they crept, to find upon the opposite side an abrupt
wall of ice. This was ascended by cutting steps in
the ice, and once upon the summit they found them-
selves upon a broad terrace, leading to the Col of
Rothnal, with magnificent views of the Aletsch and
Rothnal valleys. From here on the axes of the
guides cut their way, and a portion of the time they
walked over a platform of snow and ice so thin that
by driving their stocks through they could see the
vast amphitheatre below—a stupendous ‘and awe-
inspiring spectacle. The precipice was so near that
it dazed them to look at it, and one of the guides was
so appalled by the sight and danger that he was
unable to continue.

On they pressed, each man realising that a slip, a
false movement, might be the last; yet none faltered,
least of all Agassiz, who was always to the fore,
cheering and admonishing, filled with enthusiasm
and awe at the sublime evidences of the Creator’s
power that were everywhere visible. Finally, after
an heroic effort, the summit of the Jungfrau ap-
peared, the mist gradually dissipating, leaving the
grand peak in full view. A few feet more and it was

A Glacier Hunt. 79

theirs; but suddenly a sharp and apparently insur-
mountable ridge appeared, disorganising their forces
and bringing them to a complete standstill. The
guide was equal to the occasion; throwing his alpen-
stock over the ice-ridge and using it as a grapple he
soon reached the top, then assisted Agassiz, who
stood on the pinnacle of the famous Jungfrau and
looked off upon one of the grandest scenes in the
world. The actual peak was so narrow that but one
person at a time could stand upon it, so the adven-
turers took their turn in clasping arms about the
apex, drinking in the wonders of the scenery.

The descent was easily made, and in less than a
third of the time taken in the ascent they were in
the lowlands again, safe and highly elated at the
satisfactory termination of the adventure.

The experiments of Agassiz did not satisfy his op-
ponents, and the glacial war was fought between
Switzerland, England, and France, with renewed
vigour. Murchison wrote him, referring to his last
discovery: “ You will see that I have grappled hon-
estly and according to my own faith with your ice,
but have never lost sight of your great merit. My
concluding paragraph [in an accompanying discourse]
will convince you and all your friends that if Iam
wrong it is not from any preconceived notions, but only
because I judge from what you will call incomplete
evidence. Your Venez voir / still sounds in my ears.”

In his address at the Anniversary Meeting of the
Geographical Society of London, 1842,* he said:

* Extract from Report in vol. xxxiii of the Zdindburgh New Philo-
sophical Fournal,

80 Louis Agassiz.

“Once grant to Agassiz that his deepest valleys of
Switzerland, such as the enormous Lake of Geneva,
were formerly filled with snow and ice, and I see no
stopping-place. From that hypothesis you may
proceed to fill the Baltic and the Northern seas,
cover southern England and half of Germany and
Russia with similar icy sheets, on the surfaces of
which all the northern bowlders might have been
shot off. So long as the greater number of the
practical geologists of Europe are opposed to the
wide extension of a terrestrial glacial theory, there
can be little risk that such a doctrine should take
too deep a hold of the mind. . . . The existence
of glaciers in Scotland and England (I mean in the
Alpine sense) is not, at all events, established to the
satisfaction of what I believe to be by far the greater
number of British geologists.”

Yet in later years Murchison became an ardent
convert to the theories advanced by Agassiz, and
Darwin, who was the antipodes of Agassiz in many
things, agreed with him on the glacial question.

If Agassiz neglected for a time his zodlogical
studies by his incursions into glacial lore, his fame in-
creased and grew in other ways. The King of Prussia
was his staunch supporter, and being especially inter-
ested in glaciers gave the naturalist one thousand
dollars to continue the work; so in 1842 he again
visited the glacier with a new party, when to their
regret they found that the Hétel des Neuchatelois, as
Agassiz had named their cabin, was sadly in need of
repairs. Its day of usefulness as a hotel was rapidly
passing, and as there was absolute danger in it, a

AGASSIZ ON THE PINNACLE OF THE JUNGFRAU.

A Glacier Hunt. 81

tent or cabin of canvas was used instead. Mrs.
Agassiz in her life of her husband follows the history
of the bowlder. She states that it had begun to
split in 1841, and in 1844 broke apart, the elements
completing its ruin in the following years. She adds
that as late as 1884, forty years later, a piece of the
stone was found bearing the names of some of the
party and the number 2. The piece had been car-
ried a long distance by the river of ice.

Some of the experiments made this year were ex-
tremely interesting. One was to introduce coloured
fluid into the glacier and thus trace the network of
fissures which it was supposed carried water into
the heart of the glacier. To watch the fluid, a gallery
was cut through the body of the glacier thirty feet
below the surface. Other experiments showed the
rapidity of advancement and that the centre moved
more rapidly than the edges—a result proved by the
position of a row of stakes which had been driven
across the glacier the previous September, and now
found to form a crescent, the centre being far in ad-
vance of those on the sides. The rate of advance-
ment of the glacier day and night, the topographical
survey of the glacier, the surface waste, these and
others were the points observed.

The letters of Agassiz written at this time show
what sacrifices were made to add to the knowledge
of glacial science. The results of these investiga-
tions, representing seasons of labour and adventure,
were summed up in a work completed in Paris and
published under the title of the Systeme Glaciaire,
which embodied, so to speak, the life history of a

82 Louis Agassiz.

single glacier, as the author says in his Preface, he
with his companions “ lived in the intimacy of the
glacier, striving to draw from it the secret of its
formation and its annual advance.” The work isa
monument to the genius of Agassiz in other than
zoological fields.

COAPTER ALL.
THE AMERICAN TRIP.

Glacial Studies—New Books—Variety of Works—Suggestion of
Prince Canino—An Opening in America—Plans for the Ameri-
can Trip—The Monthyon Prize—Visit to Paris—Arrival in Bos-
ton—First Lectures—American Scientists—Impressions of
America—Marine Studies—The Home in East Boston.

SHILE the attention of )

Agassiz in the year 1842
seemed fully occupied
with his glacial investi-
gations he by no means
neglected his other
work. He appeared to
have a marvellous fac-
ulty for covering many
and different fields of
investigation at the same
time. Now expounding
his theories on_ glacial
action, now issuing a new book, or superintend-
ing the artists upon another, his active mind
was never at rest.

It was during the very face of these glacial in-
vestigations that he produced some of his most im-
83

84 Louis Agassiz.

portant zodlogical works, as Etudes Critiques sur les
Mollusques Fossiles,a most elaborate work containing
one hundred plates, a volume on tertiary shells
with fourteen plates, also a work on fossil echino-
derms, with thirty-seven plates. Add to these the
Nomenclator Zoblogicus and his Libliographia Zoolo-
gie et Geologie, upon which he worked at this time,
and we may form some conception of the labours of
this remarkable man.

The Prince of Canino, Charles Bonaparte, was,
in all probability, among the first to discuss with
Agassiz a proposed visit to America. Ina letter to
Agassiz in 1842, this friend and naturalist wrote:
“J indulge myself in dreaming of this journey to
America in which you have promised to accompany
me. What a relaxation! and at the same time
what an amount of useful work.”

In another letter he begged Agassiz to keep him
in mind for the American trip, as in 1844 he would
find himself free togo. That Bonaparte appreciated
that the move would mean much to science is shown
by the sentence, “The mere anticipation of this
journey is delightful to me, since I shall have you at
my side, and may thus feel sure that it will make an
epoch in science.”

The stupendous undertakings of Agassiz, while
they were far-reaching in their scientific value were
not remunerative, hence he was continually in finan-
cial straits. These difficulties became so overpower-
ing that he was forced to write to Bonaparte that the
trip to the United States, though tempting, was im-
possible unless he could go under conditions that

The American Trip. 85

would also be remunerative. Referring to this he
wrote Prince Bonaparte in April, 1843, as follows:
“Do you think any position will be open to me in
the United States, where I might earn enough to
enable me to continue the publication of my un-
happy books, which never pay their way because
they do not meet the wants of the world ?”’

Late in 1843 the work Recherches sur les Potssons
Fossiles was completed, and in the following year the
monograph on the Fossil Fishes of the Old Red
Sandstone, the latter especially a labour of love.

The idea of an American trip, one that would
open up new and untrodden fields for scientific re-
search, and that would possibly prove in some way
remunerative, was ever in Agassiz’s mind. It grew
in interest, and in 1845 he began seriously to investi-
gate the opportunities for success. He wrote to Sir
Charles Lyell, who was familiar with America, re-
garding it, and in reply the latter suggested as a
possible source of income the Lowell Institute, then
famous for its lecture courses, and communicated
with the Institute. This resulted in Agassiz receiv-
ing an offer for a course of lectures, which proved to
be the beginning of a new career, and gave to
America her greatest scientist. The possibilities of
the American trip were made greater by the aid of
the King of Prussia, who tendered Agassiz fifteen
thousand francs for scientific investigations.

Agassiz left Neuchatel in March, 1846, going to
Paris, and his departure from the old home where he
had formed so many pleasant associations cast a
gloom over the entire community. M. Louis Favre

86 Louis Agassiz.

in referring to it writes: “Great was the emotion at
Neuchatel when the report was spread abroad that
Agassiz was about to leave for a long journey. It
is true he promised to come back, but the New
World might shower upon him such marvels that his
return could hardly be counted upon. The young
people, the students, regretted their beloved profes-
sor not only for his scientific attainments, but for
his kindly disposition, the charm of his eloquence,
the inspiration of his teaching; they regretted also
the gay, animated, untiring companion of their ex-
cursions, who made them acquainted with nature,
and knew so well how to encourage and interest them
in their studies.”

One of the brightest features in Agassiz’s charac-
ter, is the fact that he sank all personal interests in
science. He was devoted toit, his life seemed a con-
secration to the dissemination of knowledge. This
is well shown in a letter to Professor Silliman, writ-
ten previous to his trip to America and published in
the American Fournal of Science, 1874: “In order
to prepare for the extra expense, I shall be obliged
to live very economically and in a manner little in
accordance with the royal munificence which has
furnished the means of making this journey.”
And again : “ My sphere is entirely too circumscribed
by the scientific world, and all my ambition is limi-
ted to being useful to the branch of science I
particularly cultivate. With all thisI am no misan-
thrope; but I learned early that when one has no
fortune, one cannot serve science and at the same
time live in the world. IfIhave been able to pro-

Ihe American Trip. 87

duce numerous expensive publications, it has been
only by following this system of economy and vol-
untary- seclusion; and the results which I have
obtained thus far have rewarded me so well for the
privations which I have suffered, that I have no
temptation to adopt another style of life, even
should I hereafter, and especially in your country,
suffer more trouble than I have had to sustain in my
own.”

Agassiz remained in Paris some time, completing )
his second work on glaciers. While here he received
the Monthyon Prize of Physiology from the Acad-
emy in appreciation of his work on fossil fishes.
From Paris he went to England, sailing from there
for America, arriving in Boston in October, 1846.
His fame had long preceded him, and the name of
Agassiz was a familiar one to the people of Boston,
and when he appeared upon the platform, ready to
begin his series on The Plan of Creation, he was
accorded a warm and enthusiastic welcome. Fresh
from Europe and entirely unfamiliar with the demo-
cratic institutions and methods of America, he found
himself confronted by an audience of to him an
extraordinary nature. It was composed not of the
wealthy people exclusively, but of the rich and the
poor, side by side. The plan of securing tickets to
the Lowell Institute was to draw lots for them, thus
giving all classes an equal opportunity to benefit
by the bequest. Agassiz was obviously at a disad-
vantage in his imperfect mastery of the English
language, yet such was his charm of manner, his
forcible and simple method of presenting facts, that

83 Louis Agassiz.

his hearers were delighted, and he scored an imme-
diate success. Many distinguished scientists had
addressed the same listeners, yet none had so capti-
vated and appealed to them, or so aroused their
enthusiasm. The lecturer spoke in broken English
and often paused to select a word in his limited
vocabulary, but in no instance did the audience lose
patience. His forcible manner of expression, his
marvellous skill in illustrating, by which he showed
the growth and development of forms, delighted his
auditors and he held their attention until the last.

At this period Agassiz was thirty-nine years of
age, in his prime, and enthusiastic on almost every
subject where the possible extension of knowledge
might lie. He found a new field in America and
immediately took his place as the first and greatest
of science teachers. Between his lectures he travelled
and familiarised himself with the people, their man-
ners and customs, and despite what were to him
incongruities he was impressed with the feeling that
here in this free land there was even a greater field,
a broader mission, than he could find in Europe, and
there is little doubt that he early conceived the
hope that he might remain in America permanently.
He was impressed with the fact that here he was
brought closer to the people.

In a letter to a friend he wrote to the effect that
one of the strangest sights he ever witnessed was
a meeting of three thousand workmen who had
gathered together to found a library. He remarked
their neat appearance, the absence of any evidence
of poverty, and insensibly contrasted the labouring

A GAPO, OR FLOODED FOREST. (BRAZIL.)

The American Trip. 89

classes of Europe and America and their several
chances of advancement.

o At an early day he availed himself of an oppor.)
tunity to meet Professor Silliman of Yale, with
whom he had corresponded for a number of years.
Asa Gray of Boston, Redfield, Professor Torrey, of
Princeton, Henry Lea, the Le Contes, Dana, and
others he now met, and in a trip taken to Washing-
ton he was overwhelmed with attention. He avoided
social entertainments as such, almost invariably,
having a good excuse in the fact that as the King
of Prussia paid him for his time, his services belonged
to him. “For this,” he says, “no one can quarrel
with me, and so far as I am concerned it is much
better.” On this tour Agassiz met the late Professor
Spencer F. Baird, then a professor in Dickinson
College in Carlisle. While visiting the larger cities
he was constantly in demand and invited to recep-
tions and entertainments; but he avoided all he
could. A gentleman who called upon him at the
Mayor’s in New York, at this time, failed to gain an
audience, and at last obtained the startling informa-
tion that Mr. Agassiz was a very queer man and
evidently in the fish business as he spent most of his
time around the docks, especially at the fish-market,
bringing home all sorts of fish, crabs, and turtles,
“and,” said the informant, ‘the more worthless the
fish is the more he likes it. He’s daft, 1’m thinking.”
The listener took the hint and paid his respects to
Agassiz at the fish-market, finding him just about to
start home, loaded down with “ new species,” which
he had discovered temptingly arrayed on the fish-

90 Louis Agassiz.

dealer’s marble slab. Agassiz says himself at this
time, “ Wishing to employ my time as usefully as
possible I postponed my visits to the savants of the
city and the delivery of my letters, till I was on the
eve of departure that I might avoid all invitations.”

Agassiz made the trip up the Hudson and was
Qlighted with West Point, where with Professor
Bailey he renewed acquaintance with the glacial
moraines and polished bowlders. At Albany he
visited the State Museum and was deeply impressed
with the publications on science which were avail-
able to the humblest citizen. During all this trip he
made many accurate observations of the fauna and
formed good representative collections, and, further,
recorded many impressions regarding American
scientists. To those at home he wrote, “ The liber-
ality of American naturalists to me is unparalleled.”
He appreciated the pluck and enterprise of the
American scientists and naively said, “ What they
need is leisure.” Agassiz did not anticipate becom-
ing a citizen of the busy Republic at this time, but
in after years, when he became a member of the
body politic, he fully appreciated this lack of leisure
and ultimately fell a victim to the American curse
of overwork. The course of lectures given at the
Lowell Institute was so eminently successful that
upon its termination, another was begun upon
glaciers, his favourite topic.

The associations which Agassiz made, the cus-
toms of the people, the manner of living, and the
political freedom enjoyed, all impressed him strongly,
and we find him becoming an enthusiast on every-

Lhe American Trip. gl

thing American. “Never,” he wrote to Chancellor
Favargez, “did the future look brighter to me than
now.” How firmly the American idea was taking
possession of his being is shown by a quotation from
a letter to a friend in which he says: “I am con-
stantly asking myself which is better,—our old
Europe, where the man of exceptional gifts can give
himself absolutely to study, opening thus a wider
horizon for the human mind, while at his side thou-
sands barely vegetate in degradation or at least in
destitution ; or this new world, where the institutions
tend to keep all on one level as part of the general
mass,—but a mass, be it said, which has no noxious
elements. Yes, the mass here is decidedly good.
All the world lives well, is decently clad, learns some-
thing, is awake and interested. Instruction does
not, as in some parts of Germany, for instance, fur-
nish a man with an intellectual tool and then deny
him the free use of it. The strength of America
lies in the prodigious number of individuals who
think and work at the same time. It isa severe test
of pretentious mediocrity, but I fear it may also
efface originality.”

To Milne Edwards he wrote: “ Naturalist as I
am, I cannot but put the people first,—the people
who have opened this part of the American continent
to European civilisation. Whata people! But to
understand them you must live among them. Our
education, the principles of our society, the motives
of our actions differ so greatly from what I see here,
that I should try in vain to give you an idea of this
great nation, passing from childhood to maturity

92 Louis Agassiz.

with the faults of spoiled children, and yet with the
nobility of character and the enthusiasm of youth.
Their look is wholly turned toward the future.”

Of all the scientists Agassiz selected Dana as
showing the most promise, considering him the head
and leader. He held Gould, Wilkes, De Kay, Hol-
brook, and Pickering in high estimation, declaring
the latter to be a well of science. Le Conte, Wy-
man, Torrey, Gray, Pierce, Jackson, James Hall,
Rogers, Dr. Morton, and others he fully appreciated,
and wrote to friends in Europe regarding their work
and high aims in the world of science.

ONever before had Agassiz enjoyed so favourable an

opportunity to study marine life, and with avidity
he availed himself of the facilities afforded by the
neighbouring shore of Nahant, where later he made
his home. Here he made many remarkable and
interesting discoveries among the lower forms of
marine life, which were read by his friends in Paris
before the Academy of Sciences. It was at this
time that Dr. Holder, late curator of zodlogy at the
American Museum of Natural History, New York,
and father of the author, met Agassiz, joining him in
many of his expeditions along Lynn Bay and the
shores of Nahant.

To the author he often referred to Agassiz, espe-
cially to his principles, not only holding him up as
one of the greatest of living scientists in his estima-
tion, but believing that the feature in his doctrine
that the Creator was everywhere shown by the
teachings of nature, would as time advanced give
him increasing fame and an undying place in history.

The American Trip. 93

George B. Emerson was one of the acquaintances
formed by Agassiz at this time and the following
gives his impressions of the latter:

* A little more than twenty-seven years ago, as I
was sitting in my study, a message came to me that
two gentlemen desired to seeme. They were im-
mediately admitted, and Dr. Gould introduced me
to Louis Agassiz. His noble presence, the genial
expression of his face, his beaming eye and earnest,
natural voice, at once gained me, and I responded
cordially to his introduction. He said, ‘Ihave come
to see you, because Dr. Gould tells me that you
know the trees of Massachusetts; I wish to be made
acquainted with the Carya. I have found the leaves
and fruit of several species in the Jura Mountains,
where they were deposited when those mountains
were formed; but, since that time, none have been
found living in Europe. I want to know them as
they are now growing.’ I told him that I knew all
the species found in New England, and should be
glad to show them to him. ‘But I have,’ I said,
‘presently to begin my morning’s work. If you will
let me call upon you immediately after dinner, I
shall be glad to take you to them.’

“‘ At the time fixed, I called on him at his lodgings,
and took him in my chaise, first to Parker’s Hill,
where one species of hickory grew, then through
Brookline, Brighton, and Cambridge, where two
others were found, and to Chelsea, where a fourth,
and one that might be a variety, were growing. I
pointed out the characteristics of each species in
growth, branching, bark, fruit, and leaves, and

94 Louis Agassiz.

especially in the buds. He listened with the most
captivating attention, and expressed surprise at my
dwelling upon the peculiarities of the buds. ‘I have
never known the buds to be spoken of as character-
istic,’ said he; ‘that is new to me.’ He admitted the
distinct peculiarities of structure in the buds; and, I
have no doubt, remembered every word I said, for,
a few months afterwards, I saw, in a newspaper, that
Mr. Agassiz would give a lecture, in Roxbury, on
the buds of trees. We drove on to Chelsea Beach,
which stretches off several miles,—apparently with-
out end,—and, as the tide was very low, was then at
least a quarter of a milewide. He was charmed with
everything, expressing his pleasure with all the earnest-
ness of a happy child, hardly able to restrain himself
in his admiration and delight. He told me that he
had never before been on a sea-beach, but that he
was familiar with the undulations and wave marks on
the old beaches laid open in the Jura Mountains.

““T need not say whata pleasant drive this was. I
had long felt great interest in various departments
of Natural History, but had been so fully occupied
with my own duties, as a teacher, that I had been
unable to indulge myself fully, and that for a small
part of the year, in oneonly. Here wasa companion
who was intimately acquainted with all, and with
the most distinguished men who had been advancing
them, and who was ready and happy to communicate
wealth of information upon every point I could ask
about.

“Some days after, I invited all the members of this
Society (Boston Society of Natural History) to meet

The American Trip. 95

Mr. Agassiz at my house. Every one came that
could come. They conversed very freely on several
subjects, and Agassiz showed the fulness of his
knowiedge, and his remarkable powers of instant
observation. All seemed to feel what a precious
accession American science was to receive. _

“Not long afterwards, Mr. Agassiz accepted a
invitation to spend Christmas with us. We took
some pains, ourselves and our children, among whom
were then two bright boys, full of fun and frolic,
one in college, and one nearly prepared to enter.
He was easily entertained, entering heartily, joyously,
and hilariously, into everything, games and all, as if
he were still as young as the youngest, but full of
feeling, and moved, even to tears, by some poor
lines to him and his native land.”

A number of friends had followed Agassiz to this
country, among them Count Francois de Pourtaleés,
who became one of America’s distinguished natural-
ists, Mr. E. Desor, and Mr. Jacques Burkhardt, so
that his new home in East Boston often had much
the semblance of the old Swiss residence. Here, as
there, hard work was the order of the day, and this
bachelor’s-hall, for so it might be called, as Mrs.
Agassiz and her children were still in Europe, became
the centre of scientific interest and head-quarters .
for the naturalists—who had become inspired by
his methods and enthusiasm.

The establishment of Agassiz in this home in East
Boston forms the beginning of an epoch in the scien-
tific history of America. From this little centre
waves began to radiate that spread over the entire

96 Louis Agassiz.

country. Agassiz’s reputation as a teacher increased ;
pupils came from far and near, and a revival in
American scientific circles took shape that not only
produced telling results in science but caused Agassiz
to remain in America and cast his fortunes hence-
forth with the great Republic.

CE ARTE Reale
AGASSIZ AT HARVARD.

The Scientific School at Cambridge—A Professorship Tendered—The
Agassiz Household—Death of Mrs. Agassiz—The Museum of
Comparative Zoélogy—Agassiz and the Coast Survey—Trip to
Lake Superior—Second Marriage—Expedition to the Florida
Reef—Acceptance of a Professorship inthe Charleston Medical
College—II] Health—Return to Cambridge.

N 1848 the King of Prussia)
gave Agassiz an honourable
discharge from his service,
and the naturalist was ‘free
to turn in any direction that
he desired. Itso happened
that Amos Lawrence now
founded a scientific school
at Cambridge as a branch
of Harvard University, and
having been attracted by the
brilliant attainments of the
Swiss scientist, he offered

him the chair of Natural History with a salary of

fifteen hundred dollars. This Agassiz accepted in

1848, and at the age of forty he became a professor of

the University at Harvard, with Felton, Longfellow,

7 97

NETS
Ty

98 Louts Agassiz.

Pierce, Asa Gray, and Jeffries Wyman as colleagues,
while Channing, Emerson, Whittier, Ticknor, Motley,
Lowell, and others of that brilliant coterie became
his intimates. The home in East Boston was broken
up, Agassiz removing to Cambridge, his new home
soon becoming. the centre of a social and scientific
interest, as the strong personality, the genius of
the man captivated ‘every one and imparted new
life and inspiration to all who surroundedhim. His
family—wife, son, and young daughter—were still in
Switzerland that now (1848) was undergoing no little
political excitement, due to the proclamation of
France. The household in Boston was cared for by
a Swiss clergyman named Christinat, who had long
been an intimate friend and companion, and whose
devotion and love for the scientist was not only affect-
ing but suggestive of the strong and loyal attachment
Agassiz was capable of inspiring among all who came
in contact with him. Agassiz was especially at-
tached to Mr. Guyot, who followed him to America
and became a member of his family ata time when
Agassiz needed the presence of a close friend, as he
had recently been apprised of the death of his wife
who had for years been an invalid. In speaking of
Mrs. Agassiz Prof. Guyot, in his biographical memoir
of Louis Agassiz, says: ‘She was a noble-minded
young woman of rare moral excellence. A dignified
serenity, tempered by much gentleness and simplicity
of manner, won for her at once respect and affection.
Her deeper feelings were often veiled by a natural
reserve which, however, never assumed the appear-
ance of coldness, Her talent for drawing was of

Agassiz at Harvard. 99

the first order, and she was fond of placing it at the
disposal of her favourite brother, Alexander. The
drawings of natural objects which she executed for
him, and later for Agassiz, commanded the admira-
tion of all by their taste and exquisite correctness.”

The new home gradually assumed the appearance
of a zodlogical garden on a modified scale. Here the
stranger would meet many surprises. The obstruc-
tion beneath his feet might be a living turtle; here
might be seen a number of live alligators, there a
rabbit, while near at hand an eagle, a bear, and some
young opossums awaited investigation.

As an example of the persistence and thorough-
ness of Agassiz, he was one evening the guest of a
Boston Microscopical Club when a member made
the statement that he had studied a certain form
four days, and finding that nothing resulted from
this elaborate investigation gave it up as impractica-
ble. After some discussion the guest of the evening,
Agassiz, was called upon. He astonished them by
saying that he also had studied the object in ques-
tion, having it under his eye at stated periods uzght
and day for six weeks. It is needless to say that he
set the microscopists an example by his persistent
labour, and, as Dr. Stebbins has said: “ The spirit
of Agassiz took possession of their souls.”

This period of Agassiz’s life was epoch-making.
He embarked upon his duties as a professor of
zoology with all his accustomed vigour, and made his
presence felt at once. He instigated a new departure
in American natural history and founded what may
be termed the Agassiz school of natural science teach-

100 Louis Agassiz.

ing, which holds to-day wherever the greatest suc-
cess is found. His lectures were fully attended, and

‘ he drew to the institution scholars from every por-
tion of the country, who had heard of his fame and
were desirous of emulating his methods. Finding
the appliances for teaching crude and imperfect,
he immediately began to work upon the problem
that, when solved, resulted in the greatest compara-
tive museum in America—the Museum of Compara-
tive Zodlogy at Cambridge. There was at that time
no museum at Cambridge and no specimens, though
they were accumulating day by day under the
skilled hands of Agassiz and his friends. The labora-
tory consisted of an ancient shanty, which stood on
four water-logged piles on the Charles River near
the Brighton Bridge. Here specimens were packed,
and at the rude tables the students and their pre-
ceptors often worked, making under the leaking roof
and crazy walls many interesting and valuable
incursions into the fields of science.

Agassiz now had abundant opportunity to devote
himself to marine zodlogy—a subject to which he
had always been inclined, but which from his resi-
dence in the interior he had never enjoyed. The
Coast Survey offered him every facility, and he made
many and valuable trips with Captain Henry Davis.
The work which he accomplished attracted the atten-
tion of Dr. Bache, then superintendent of the Coast
Survey, and recognising the results that could be
produced, he aided Agassiz in every way possible,
placing the “Bibb” at his disposal whenever the
opportunity occurred.

Agassiz at Harvard. 101

CA cacsiv’s expeditions were not confined to the sea.
In 1848 he organised a party made up of some of his
pupils, having as its objective the shores of Lake Su-
perior between Fort William and Sault Sainte Marie.
The trip lingered long in the memory of those who
made it. Here Agassiz was at his best, discussing
and teaching as he investigated. Once upon the
ground the party camped, the evenings being de-
voted to lectures from Agassiz or discussions on the
observations of the day. Here he renewed his
glacial studies and expounded to his young friends
his favourite theories, which found abundant ex-
pression.

The entire Superior region was worked up in a
manner novel and telling. The country was accur-
ately surveyed, while the fishes of the lake were
represented in a fine collection. The complete
account of the trip was afterwards published, and
stands to-day the most exhaustive treatise on the
locality ever made.

During this year Agassiz issued his Principles of
Zoology, written conjointly with Gould,—a work that
had a remarkable sale and is selling to-day. Agassiz
still had an idea that he might return to Europe,
but in 1850 an event occurred which undoubtedly
settled the question. This was his marriage with
Elizabeth Graves Cary, the gifted woman who now
survives him.

The question of a museum was ever uppermost in
Agassiz’s mind, and one day he received a letter
which seemed an inspiration in this direction, an
opportunity to add greatly to his collections. The

102 Louis Agassiz.

letter was from Dr. Bache, offering him a six-weeks’
tour on the Florida Reef to answer certain questions
regarding the growth and formation of coral. Noth-
ing could have been offered Agassiz that would
have delighted him more. We can well imagine
that Darwin’s writings on coral reefs had excited his
interest and that he longed to make incursions into
this most fascinating of all fields of zodlogy. Dr.
Bache gave him the entire control of a vessel, and
the expedition started well equipped with appliances
and assistants.

One result of this expedition was to provide the
growing collection at Cambridge with fine specimens
of corals, sea fans, shells, fishes, in fact, a very
fair representation of the fauna of the gulf as found
at Tortugas, and, which now rest in the fine museum
at Cambridge. Agassiz had stopped in Charleston,
S. C., on his way south, there forming extremely
pleasant acquaintances, and in 1851 he received the
offer of a professorship in the Charleston Medical
College which, curiously enough, he found to be
more remunerative than his present position, as the
professorship at Harvard required him to give out-
side lectures to bring the salary up to his expenses.
This, and the fact that hard work was telling upon
him and that he required a quieter life, inclined him
to accept, and in 1851 we find him installed and at
work in anew laboratory on Sullivan’s Island, which
was washed by the warm waters of the gulf which
brought the forms he now had become familiar with
directly to his doors. Here the naturalist passed
many happy hours, obtaining what was a rest to

Agassiz at Harvard. 103

him, though every moment had its duties. It was
during his stay in Charleston that he received the
Cuvier prize, also the letter from his proud mother,
in which she wrote: ‘“ Your fossil fishes, which have
cost you so much anxiety, so much toil, so many
sacrifices, have now been estimated at their true
value by the most eminent judges. . . . This
has given me such happiness, dear Louis, that the
tears are in my eyes as I write it to you.”

France became jealous of America in the posses-
sion of Agassiz, and the Emperor Napoleon offered
him a position that would have attracted the ordi-
nary man, the highest scientific office in his gift, also
intimating that as a citizen of France it was not ex-
actly the right thing for him to give the benefits of
his mind to a foreign country. To this Agassiz re-
plied, “that he was not a citizen of France and that
his family owed nothing to it but exile and poverty ;
and that he prized more highly the spontaneous
gratitude and gifts of a free people than the patron-
age of emperors and the formal regard of nobles.”

The influence of Agassiz had now permeated
every portion of the United States and everywhere
his methods were accepted and followed. He was
an indefatigable collector in America as he had been
in Europe, and in 1855 he had accumulated speci-
mens covering almost every field in natural history.
The museum which was so needed at Cambridge
was ever in his mind, and his desire was to make it
not merely a display of animals but instructive in
its very arrangement. He had constant fear for his
treasures, which were stored in Cambridge in an old

104 Louis Agassiz.

building on the college grounds. The college al-
lowed four hundred dollars per annum for their care,
but this was totally insufficient, and Agassiz ex-
hausted his private resources in attempting to have
them properly preserved; finally his efforts were
appreciated, certain wealthy men coming to the front
with ten or twelve thousand dollars with which the
collection was purchased for Cambridge University.

Agassiz resigned his professorship at Charleston in
[1853 on account of ill health, and during the follow-
ing year, which he spent at Harvard, he received
an urgent invitation from the university of Zurich.
But he had become Americanised, and could not
be tempted from his allegiance to the land of his
adoption. Again at Cambridge, he made a study of
the fishes of all the great rivers and lakes, provided
sea captains with cans of alcohol, when they started
on their voyages, for the chance specimens which
might be picked up, and all over the country, among
all classes, formed friends who became, to a more or
less extent, his disciples and aiders, and specimens of
all kinds poured into the new hall of science which
Harvard had built for the scientist.

In 1855, Agassiz with his wife established a school
for young ladies, which soon became one of the
institutions of Boston. The idea did not originate
with the scientist, but was one of the many plans
formulated by his wife and children to aid him.
The following from the circular of the school shows
that Agassiz took an active part in it, and there are
many in Boston to-day who look back with tender
recollections to the pleasant hours spent in the

Agassiz at Harvard. 105

master’s company: ‘I shall myself superintend the
methods of instruction and tuition, and, while main-
taining that regularity and precision in the studies
so important to mental training, shall endeavour to
prevent the necessary discipline from falling into a
lifeless routine, alike deadening to the spirit of teacher
and pupil. It is further my intention to take the
immediate charge of the instruction in Physical
Geography, Natural History, and Botany, giving a
lecture daily, Saturdays excepted, on one or other
of these subjects, illustrated by specimens, models,
maps, and drawings.”

This school was continued eight years, and through
this means he was relieved from pecuniary anxieties.

CHAPTER XIV.

LIFE IN CAMBRIDGE.

Continued Honours—Invitation to Paris—Receives the Order of the
Legion of Honour—Bequest of Francis C. Gray—The Museum
—Visit to Europe—Dedication of the Museum—Growth of
Corals—The ‘‘ Contributions ”—Fiftieth Birthday—Patriotism—
Founder of the National Academy.

HE growing fame of Agas-
siz, his continued work in
science, and the accom-
plishment of such grand
results in so varied fields
of investigation and re-
search kept him _ con-
stantly before the world,
and he was the continued
recipient of many honours.
Among the strong temp-
tations to leave the coun-
try of his choice was an
invitation from Paris in 1857, tendering him the
chair of Palaontology in the Museum of Natural
History—a position until then held by the cele-
brated D’Orbigny. No offer that Agassiz had re-

106

MOUTH OF THE RIVER JAVARI, A TRIBUTARY ON THE RIGHT OF THE AMAZON.

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Life in Cambridge. 107

ceived touched him more, as he still remembered how
far above him seemed this chair when a few years
before he was a struggling student in the great city
of Cuvier and Humboldt. Agassiz refused this hon-
our which was later renewed with the proviso that
he should accept at his own convenience. But he
remained firm, and his French admirers gave up the
attempt, and later the Order of the Legion of Honour
was conferred upon him, showing the esteem in
which the Emperor held him. It was reported at
this time, and with truth, that Agassiz had written
to a friend, “Were I offered absolute power for
the reorganisation of the Yardin des Plantes, with
a revenue of fifty thousand francs, I should not
accept it. I like my independence better.”

This and the fact that he continued to refuse these
honours aroused, if possible, a stronger feeling for him
in the hearts of American people. He had become
one of them; wasnowan American scientist, teacher,
and patriot. The increased attention which was
given him aided in the accomplishment of his heart’s
desire, which was the founding of a great museum.
He spent much time in planning this museum
_which was to be, as everything he formulated,
instructive, broadening, object-teaching. With his
friends he discussed his plans, and upon the death
of Francis C. Gray, fifty thousand dollars was
bequeathed for the establishment of a museum
on the plan of his friend Agassiz. Among other
conditions was the following: “That neither the
collections nor any building which may contain the
same shall ever be designated by any other name

108 Louts Agassiz.

than the Museum of Comparative Zodlogy at
Harvard.” This was the wish of Agassiz, who did
not desire it to bear his name, which would have
delighted every one, but to-day, it is generally known
and rightly, as the Agassiz Museum. He was its
founder, its builder from inception to finish. The
legacy of Mr. Gray was followed by others. The
University granted the land for the building site,
and the State provided lands to the value of one
hundred thousand dollars for the edifice, to which
were added other sums—the subscriptions of private
parties, and finally, the present Museum of Com-
parative Zodlogy with its fine collections was begun.

It should not be supposed that Agassiz obtained
the appropriation from the State without some
trouble. He met the legislators appointed to confer
with him in the hall of the Capitol, and was listened
to by the members of both Houses as he plead for
science as a man would for his life. He spoke for
Massachusetts and education, claiming that the Bay
State should take the lead and keep it. He had
determined to give his life to that end if Massachu-
setts would aid him. “ My great object,” he said,
“is to have a museum founded here which will be
equal to the great museums of the Old World. We
have a continent before us for exploration, which
has as yet been only skimmed on the surface. My
earnest desire has always been to put our museums
on a footing with those of Europe or even ahead of
them.”” The address stirred the hearts and patriot-
ism of the hearers, though there were some who cast
ridicule upon the proposition to build, as they said,

Life in Cambridge. 109

“a palace for bugs.” But the enthusiasm and faith
of Agassiz in the people of Massachusetts was not
misplaced, and the bill passed.

After a short visit to Europe in the summer a
1859 Agassiz returned and witnessed the dedication
of the museum in 1860. It so happened that in this
year the author of the present volume was an active
worker, for the pleasure of it, for the new museum,
and during a residence on the Florida reef, where
the author’s father was stationed as an army surgeon,
thousands of specimens were collected and sent to
the Agassiz Museum. Many of the rare shells and
corals in the cabinets the author dived for in the
deep lagoons of the locality, bringing up also bright-
hued gorgonias, pink-lipped conchs, and other forms
which were sent North as best we could by sailing,
vessels that stopped here. Letters soon came from
Agassiz expressing delight at the variety of the forms,
with suggestions for research in new directions; letters
that showed his great enthusiasm on all questions
appertaining to naturalhistory. Some ofthe investi-
gations made here came as a surprise to Agassiz.
The latter requested Dr. J. B. Holder to observe if
possible the growth of corals. Dr. Holder was an
ardent naturalist, an admirer and disciple of Agassiz,
and the work was a labour of love. To better study
the corals a wall of dead concrete rock was built out
into the gulf, forming a tide-water aquarium through
which the water flowed and ebbed, and within this
were placed various marine forms which were to
be studied, among them the corals. Agassiz had
spent some time in this locality with Bache, and his

110 Louis Agassiz.

estimate of the growth of corals was very low. In
a paper and afterwards in his Methods of Study
he says in substance that a brick placed under water
in 1850 by Captain Woodbury was taken up in 1858
and found to have acrust of coral upon it a little
more than half aninchinthickness. Thisis evidently
a mistake, as Captain Woodbury was not ordered to
Tortugas until 1857. The brick referred to is
probably one sent to Prof. Agassiz by Dr. Holder.
The piece of brick when first found had asmall head
of Meandrina convexa upon the side. Dr. Holder
watched it a year, keeping it in the aquarium under
what might be considered unfavourable circum-
stances for its rapid growth, and found that in twelve
months it doubled its diameter, or from one inch
it had increased to two, the growth being one inch
in a year instead of half an inch in eight years; or
in another case mentioned by Prof. Agassiz, half an
inch in ten years. Dr. Holder thus established the
fact that the growth of this genus of corals was
much more rapid than was generally supposed. A
cut of the coral is figured in Holder’s Elements of
Zoblogy.

The new museum, while it occupied much of
Agassiz’s time and resources, did not prevent him
from devoting attention to various new fields. He
was continually bringing out some new work, and
his “ Contributions”’ are monuments to his industry
in these years. Humboldt wrote regarding the lat-
ter: “. . . Thearthat by some untoward circum-
stances, no doubt accidental, you have never received,
my dear Agassiz, the letter expressing the pleasure

Life in Cambridge. Ill

which I have with all true lovers of science respecting
your important undertaking, Contributions to the
Natural History of the United States.” This series
was originally intended to embrace the facts he had
accumulated in America,—a work of great expense
that was carried through by the aid of Francis. C.
Gray, who aroused so great interest in the subject that
a remarkable subscription list was obtained. In the
Preface Agassiz says: “I must beg my European
readers to remember that this work is written in
America, and more especially for Americans; and
that the community to which it is particularly ad-
dressed has very different wants from those of the
reading public in Europe. There is nota class of
learned men here distinct from the other cultivated
members of the community. On the contrary, so
general is the desire for knowledge, that I expect to
see my book read by operatives, by fishermen, by
farmers, quite as extensively as by the students in
our colleges or by the learned professions, and it is
but proper that I should endeavour to make myself
understood by all.”

The series of ten volumes was never completed,
but the four that were, stand to-day a monument to
his energy and to his extraordinary fact-collecting
faculty as exhibited in his American life.

The completion of the first volume celebrated his
fiftieth birthday.

On the eve of this anniversary his pupils gave
him a serenade. As midnight came their young
voices rose in a grand choral of Bach’s, and when
the master appeared, bewildered and delighted, he

112 Louis Agassiz.

was greeted with flowers and congratulations by
many who loved him well.

This birthday was made memorable by a dinner
given to Agassiz by the famous “ Saturday Club,” of
which Dr. Holmes said when referring to Longfellow:
“On one occasion he read a short poem at the table.
It was in honour of Agassiz’s birthday, and I cannot
forget the very modest, delicate musical way in which
he read his charming verses.”

The poem is probably familiar to all—yet it is
fitting that it should find place here.

“ THE FIFTIETH BIRTHDAY OF AGASSIZ,

“It was fifty years ago,
In the pleasant month of May,
In the beautiful Pays de Vaud,
A child in its cradle lay.

“* And Nature, the old nurse, took
The child upon her knee,
Saying: ‘ Here is a story-book
Thy father has written for thee.’

‘“ “Come wander with me,’ she said,
“Into regions yet untrod,
And read what is still unread
In the manuscripts of God.’

““ And he wandered away and away
With Nature, the dear old nurse,
Who sang to him night and day
The rhymes of the universe.

““ And whenever the way seemed long,
Or his heart began to fail,
She would sing a more wonderful song,
Or tell a more marvellous tale.

Life in Cambridge. 113

“* So she keeps him still a child,
And will not let him go,
Though at times his heart beats wild
For the beautiful Pays de Vaud ;

““ Though at times he hears in his dreams
The Ranz des Vaches of old,
And the rush of mountain streams
From glaciers clear and cold ;

““ And the mother at home says, ‘ Hark !
For his voice I listen and yearn;
It is growing late and dark,
And my boy does not return.’”
May 28, 1857.

(The “ Saturday Club” referred to was a favourite
organisation with Agassiz. Dr. Holmes writes re-
garding it: ‘ At one endof the table sat Longfellow,
placid, quiet, benignant, soft-voiced, a most agreeable
rather than a brilliant talker, but a man upon whom
it was always pleasant to look,—whose silence was
better than many another man’s conversation. At
the other end sat Agassiz, robust, sanguine, animated,
full of talk, boy-like in his laughter. 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 Hawthorne, Motley, Dana,
Lowell, Whipple, Peirce, the distinguished mathema-
tician, Judge Hoar, eminent at the bar and in the
cabinet, Dwight, the leading musical critic of Boston
for a whole generation, Sumner, the academic cham-
pion of freedom, Andrew, ‘the great war governor’
of Massachusetts, Dr. Howe, the philanthrophist,
William Hunt, the painter, with others not unworthy
of such company.”

114 Louis Agassiz.

Agassiz took no active part inthe civil war. His

sympathies were with the North, and during the
struggle he was naturalised as an American and lost
no occasion to aid the cause of humanity by word
or deed. In truth, his opinions,widely expressed in
Europe during the war, had more effect than is
generally supposed.
» His discussion with Dr. Howe in 1863 on the posi-
tion of the negro, attracted universal attention, and
abstracts of the answers which Agassiz gave to the
circular sent out by Dr. Howe were copied widely in
this country and Europe. The question before the
people was what to do with the liberated slaves and
what position should they occupy. The particular
question which Dr. Howe, the philanthrophist, asked
of Agassiz, the naturalist, was, “Is it probable
that the African race, represented by less than
two million blacks and a little more than two
million mulattoes, unrecruited by immigration, will
be a persistent race in the country? or will it be
absorbed, diluted, and finally effaced by the white
race, numbering twenty-four millions, and con-
tinually increased by immigration, beside natural
causes.”

Agassiz’s reply was, in brief, that the negroes could
not be compared to the Indians who fell away and
disappeared before the white man. They were more
pliable, and as they readily adapted themselves to
various conditions of life they would hold their own;
indeed, increase in the South; and time has shown
that he was right. Regarding the political rights of
the negro Agassiz said: “I have no hesitation in

Life in Cambridge. 115

saying that they should be equal to other men be-
fore the law.”

While Agassiz took an active interest in all ques-
tions his greatest thought at this time was the mu-
seum, which ever grew under his guidance. Hardly
a day passed but some new idea or scheme took
form in his fertile mind; now the aid of consuls in
foreign lands was involved; now the fishing fleet
was asked to collect for the museum; even the
smacks which ran down the coast to Cuba carried
the copper cans of alcohol of the Agassiz Museum,
while the captain of every whaler bore in mind the
circular, letter, or personal request of the ardent and
indefatigable naturalist. In October, 1863, Agassiz
conceived the daring plan of collecting the fishes of
the rivers of the world—a work requiring a long
time and endless labour and research, and the well
conceived plan was put into execution and to a
marked degree was successful.

Agassiz was not alone the naturalist at Harvard.
His advice on all matters was requested and taken,
and his influence felt in the university life. It was
partly at his suggestion that the Academic Council
was founded, which was a monthly meeting of the
professors, at which the various topics of interest
were discussed. It was Agassiz who introduced the
college lecture system. He was the father of a lib-
eral elective system and made himself felt in almost
every branch of the college life. Besides this, he
founded many societies and kept them alive and
active by the part he took in their work. He founded
the National Academy of Sciences, which is now the

116 Louis Agassiz.

leading scientific body of the United States, and was
the originator of numerous natural history societies
throughout the United States.

Professor Burt G. Wilder relates the following
amusing incident of Agassiz and his Harvard friends
while off on a collecting tour:

“A summer party of Harvard professors were
driven through the White Mountains. As the
coach slowly ascended a hill, Agassiz and others
would leave it and presently return laden with
stones and wild flowers, or ornamented with beetles
and butterflies pinned to their hats and the lapels of
their coats. Professor Felton sat alone in the coach
perusing a favourite Greek author. ‘ Who are those
fellows?’ at last asked the coachman, in whose eyes
plants were interesting merely as food for his ani-
mals, minerals as likely to impede progress, and
insects as apt to interfere with personal comfort.
‘They are a party of naturalists,’ said Felton. ‘Ah!’
replied he, ‘that accounts for it, poor fellows.’ A
few days later he drove another party, to whom he
confided his experience as follows: ‘ Last Thursday
I had the queerest lot of passengers you ever saw;
they were men grown and dressed like gentlemen;
but they kept jumping out of the coach, and like
little children ran about the field chasing butterflies
and bugs, which they stuck all over their clothes.
Their keeper told me they was zaturals ; and judg-
ing by their conduct, I should say they was.’

“Then,” adds Professor Wilder, “the great natural-
ist was taken for a harmless lunatic; but he per-
sisted, and the people at last listened to his precept

Life in Cambridge. 117

and followed his example. And if, to-day in almost
any part of the United States, a man may pursue
living creatures otherwise than for sport, and talk of
them for another object than passing an idle hour,
and nevertheless retain the respect of the com-
munity ; if, in short, the occupations of natural his-
tory collecting and teaching are now honourable and
at least more lucrative than before, it is to Agassiz
more than any other one man that the change must
be ascribed.”

Agassiz had many opportunities to materially
increase his income; he had but to turn aside from
his scientific work. To all these suggestions, how-
ever, he was obdurate. He declined a very advan-
tageous offer to write a text-book on the ground
that he did not believe in text-book teaching ; indeed
it was inimical to his methods. To another offer to”
lend-himself to a legitimate and tempting financial
scheme he replied, “I have no time to make money.”
Vacation in the ordinary sense was unknown to
Agassiz. Every trip had some significance to the
scientific world, every “rest” a new line of investi-
gation, from which he returned freighted with
collections and facts. In the fall of 1864 he under-
took an elaborate study of the glacial phenomena on
the Maine islands, the results of which are graphi-
cally given in one of his most interesting works,
Geological Sketches.

CHAPTER XV.

AGASSIZ IN BRAZIL.

Failing Health—Brazilian Trip—Naturalists of the Party—Arrival
in Brazil—Courtesy of Dom Pedro—Lectures in French before
the Emperor—Visit to Coffee Plantation—Strange Ant Nests—
Hunting in Brazil—Attempt to Observe the Tapir—Curious
Animals—Ant-eaters, Sloths, etc.

N the year 1865 Agassiz
was fifty-eight years of
age. Few men had ac-
complished so much, yet
if questioned the great
naturalist would have ex-
pressed remorse that he
had done so little. He
saw the book of nature
spread before him, God’s
word expressed in every
leaf, fish, or fossil, in
every mountain stream

or glacier, and considered it a sacred duty to preach

this great sermon of God, the maker of nature, and
his work to all mankind. How impassioned was
his teaching the world knows. Time was all too
short for him; every hour had its duty and must

118

‘NOZVWV UAddN AHL AO Lvogd VaLInvoa

Agassiz in Brazil, 119

be accounted for. Such was the doctrine of this
brilliant mind; yet no one could stand the physi-
cal and mental strain its fulfilment demanded, and
he, the man who had slept on the glacier night after
night with only a blanket beneath him, who had
buffeted a thousand mental and physical storms,
began to fail’ The pace was telling. The advice of
his friend Cuvier that ‘“ work kills” was in a fair way
to be demonstrated ; in short, a rest and change was
demanded, and Agassiz took it in a characteristic
manner—by forming one of the most important
expeditions of his life, one which resulted in many
valuable discoveries and much arduous labour. He
had decided to make a trip to Brazil as a vacation,
and while the matter was under discussion he met a
friend, Mr. Nathaniel Thayer, of Boston, who gener-
ously offered to equip a party and defray the ex-
penses of the expedition. The party was composed
of Professor and Mrs. Agassiz, his old friend Burk-
hardt, as artist, John G. Anthony, conchologist,
Orestes St. John and Frederick C. Hartt as geolo-
gists, John A. Allen, ornithologist, and George
- Sceva as preparator. In addition to these a number
of volunteers joined the party. Agassiz’s brother-
in-law, Thomas G. Cary, Walter Hunnewell, S. V. R.
Thayer, Newton Dexter, William James, Thomas
Ward and Edward Copeland, also Dr. and Mrs.
Cotting.

It will be remembered that Agassiz was given the
Spix collection of Brazilian fishes to describe by his
companion Martius, and from that time he had always
longed to study these beautiful forms in their

120 Louis Agassiz.

homes. This was the chief object of the expedition
which in three weeks arrived in Rio Janeiro.

Agassiz went immediately to the Emperor, from
whom he had received many favours, to pay his
respects. His Majesty gave the visitors every atten-
tion and aided materially in the collection of rare -
specimens.

It would be impossible to follow the naturalists
throughout this trip. It was a zodlogical expedition,
and to this feature especial attention is called, though
a full description of Agassiz’s South American tour
would take the reader through every possible field
of thought or natural history.

Dom Pedro returned the call of Agassiz in the
Imperial yacht, and by his attention and interest
proved himself the enlightened and enthusiastic
scientist he was. The Emperor was fully in sym-
pathy with Agassiz, and a warm friendship sprang
up between the two men whose tastes were a bond
that broke away the barriers of ceremony and rank.
The Emperor promised his hearty co-operation, and
afew days later the actual work of the expedition
was begun, and the plans Agassiz had laid out put
in operation.

This was Agassiz’s first visit to the extreme tropics.
He had spent days and weeks on the glaciers, sleep-
ing, eating, and living on the great ice rivers, and
had always looked forward to the time when he
could enter the forests of the tropics and observe
the various forms that made up its fauna. Here
was the opportunity, and Agassiz embraced it with
all his old-time enthusiasm, which, it is needless to

Agassiz in Brazil. 121

say, was imparted to all his colleagues. The labora-
tory which he established was the centre of attraction,
and when the object of the strangers became known
specimens poured in from every quarter.

The first trip of importance was over the road of
the Union and Industry Company from Petropolis
to Juiz de Fora. Here Agassiz obtained his first
actual view of the wealth of tropical vegetation,
which, with the variety of palms, exceeded his great-
est expectations.

_ At Juiz de Fora he found an ardent ally in a Ger-

man engineer, and hardly had the party been there
a day before the neighbourhood was being scoured
by all the children for specimens.

This German gentleman had a fine collection of
natural objects which greatly interested Agassiz.
From him news was received of the great northern
victories—the capture of Richmond and Petersburg
and the ending of the war.

(Agassiz was particularly desirous of observing the
evidences of glacial action in Brazil, which he believed
must be present, and while near Tijuca he was grati-
fied to find what he considered unmistakable evi-
dence of the drift. Although supposed to be resting
Agassiz was never quiet. He gave lectures on the
steamer all the way to Brazil, and upon his return to
Rio from Tijuca he hardly allowed himself a moment
of leisure. His mind was entirely absorbed with the
new work he had in view. When not actively
engaged in collecting or investigating some subject
he was caring for his specimens, working from early
morning until late into the night. He organised his

122 Louts Agassiz.

aids and divided them up into various parties which
he proposed sending into the interior, one of especial
interest to him being a trip to the upper Rio San
Francisco. Here he proposed that one of the party
should cross the forest to the river Tocantins and
follow it down to the Amazon, while others were
to follow the valley of the Piauhy to the coast. To
arrange for these trips required a great amount of
work which would have tested the strength of a
much stronger man.

During the time these preparations were being
made Agassiz formed collections that gave a very
complete idea of the fauna of the vicinity of Rio, as
well asa part of Minas Gerdes.

.Dom Pedro took a personal interest in the work
eas requested Agassiz to deliver a series of sci-
entific lectures in French,—doubtless the first of
the kind ever given in the country, which to his
great gratification were received favourably. The
Emperor and his family honoured him by attending
the lectures, and the audience was composed of the
intelligence and fashion of the Brazilian capital.

After the series were completed Agassiz left Rio
to visit the fazenda of Senhor Lage, where he
wished to observe the culture of the coffee plant.
He spent a number of delightful days here, during
which he witnessed the festival of San Joao, which
continued an entire week and consisted principally
of hunting. Agassiz joined in the hunts, and, asa
result, each sportsman became an enthusiastic col-
lector for the American naturalist, who at the end of
the week had accumulated a large number of rare

| Agassiz in Brazil. ie

and valuable specimens from almost every branch of
the animal kingdom. The method of hunting was
eminently characteristic of the Brazilians. A clear-
ing was made in which food was scattered, the
hunters concealing themselves in the treetops or on
the branches in huts or covers made of leaves from
which they shot the capabara, the peccaty, or other
animals that ventured into the open.

On one of the rides from this place Agassiz made a
study of the famous Cupim or Termites nests, which
had been piled up to the extraordinary height of six
feet with a diameter of three or four feet. These
were hard as rocks, and it was necessary to split them
open with axes to study their interiors. The nests
he found were built of earth around the trunk of an
old tree, the interior being permeated by endless
passages—the halls of the remarkable house, which
led down into the ground. Agassiz was much inter-
ested in this subject and watched the various kinds of
ants which came out with all the delight of a student.
To show the remarkable extent of the nests of the
Sauba ants, which he also observed, he found that if
smoke was blown into their dens it would reappear
one quarter of amile away. The wonders of ant life
were almost inexhaustible. Here were ant armies
passing over the country in every direction, often
looking as if covered with green from the fact that
each ant carried a green leaf in its powerful jaws.
Agassiz was now in his element, and returned from
his various tramps loaded down with collections of
all kinds. He was particularly desirous of obtaining
a tapir, wishing to compare it to certain extinct

124 Louts Agassiz.

forms and to observe it in its native wilds if possible.
To afford him this opportunity, Mr. Lage, with
whom they were visiting, organised a hunt, but
after much excitement in false alarms they were
destined to disappointment.

CHAPTER XVI.

AROUND PARA.

Amazon Life—The Natives—The Four-Eyed Fish—New Discoveries
of l'ishes—Forest Fishes—Tropical Scenery—A Canoe Voyage—
Visit to a Forest Home—Indian Houses in the Submerged For-
est—Opinions of the Natives Regarding Agassiz.

UGUST found Agassiz and
# some of his friends at
Para, and, contrary to his
expectations, in a delight-
fully cool climate, well
adapted for the work of
collecting which he had
laid out for himself. On
the way they had _ ob-
served new jelly-fishes
belonging to the Phizos-
tomide, which were lifted
aboard the steamer and
given to the artist who made life-studies of the won-
drous creatures in colours. Agassiz was particularly
impressed with the wonders of the Amazon, and in
referring to the islands he terms them “an archipelago
of islands in an ocean of fresh water.’”’ He was much

125

126 Louis Agasstz.

interested in the natives, from whom he obtained
many peculiar fish that were not included in the
Spix collection with which he was so familiar. Their
plan of work amused him not a little. This was to
stretch a seine across the river, then go up stream by
the bank and come down in the water, shouting and
driving the fish before them—catching in this way
sufficient to fill their canoes.

One rare fish observed here by Agassiz for the
first time was what the Indians called 77a/hote, being
the Aunableps tetrophthalmus of science. The term
implies “four-eyed,” from the peculiar structure of
the organs of vision which are divided by a mem-
branous fold into two halves, which is supposed to
allow the fish to see in the air as well as in the water.
The anableps was often observed hopping along at
the surface, as if trying to see objects out of the
water.

Agassiz was happy and fortunate in the presence
in the party of a Brazilian naturalist, Major Coutinho,
who gave him no little aid, possessing a knowledge
of the Indian language that was invaluable, and
made collections for him of all kinds.

Agassiz was constantly on the lookout for evi-
dences of the drift and of glacial action, and was
not a little puzzled by the peculiar deposit found in
the valley of the Amazon. Ina letter to the Em-
peror he wrote: “I amas far as ever from being
able to point out the origin of these materials and
the direction of their transportation. Now that
Major Coutinho has learned to distinguish the drift
from the decomposed rocks, he assures me that we

COMBAT OF THE JAGUAR AND GREAT ANT-EATER.

inl

Around Pard. ey

shall find it throughout the valley of the Amazons.
The boldest imagination shrinks from any generali-
sation on this subject, and yet we must gradually
familiarise ourselves with the idea that the cause
which has dispersed these materials, whatever it be,
has acted on the largest scale, since they are proba-
bly to be found all over the continent.”

Although the especial interest of the naturalist
was centred in the glacial drift and fishes, the latter
received the most attention, and, as an evidence of
his energy, he discovered at Par4 more new species
than were then known from the entire basin of the
Amazon. One of the finest steamers plying on the
river had been placed at his disposal, and under the
most favourable auspices the party moved slowly up
the great river, passing by hundreds of islands, a
continuous panorama of rich tropical verdure. The
weather was so delightful that they used hammocks
swung on the deck of the vessel, literally living out-
of-doors. At a little town named Breves they
made the first stop, and it becoming noised about
that a passenger desired bugs and animals of vari-
ous kinds, the evening found Agassiz the centre of a
crowd of children laden with animals of all kinds
from centipedes to live monkeys. Many of the
fishes so obtained were very rare and some new to
science.

The shores of the river had a great charm for the
naturalist, the majestic palms and their great variety
forming a never tiring vista. Here he first became
familiar with the rubber tree of commerce, observ-
ing the natives tap the trees as he had seen the

128 Louis Agassiz.

maples tapped for sugar in New England. What
he termed the “forest fishes,” those found about the
trunks of submerged trees, interested him greatly,
fifteen species finding place in the rapidly growing
collection, ten of which were new. It is difficult for
the layman to appreciate what an absolutely new
species means to the ardent naturalist and what a keen
sense of delight he experiences in the discovery, and
later in the description. In one day eighty-four species
of fish were taken, fifty-one of which were new. In
fact, so rapidly did the new forms come in that it
was almost impossible to care for them, much less
make coloured drawings. At the town of Obydos
Agassiz was pleased at being greeted by Dr. Marcus,
who had years before forwarded specimens from the
Amazon to the Cambridge Museum. From here he
made an extended canoe voyage, which resulted in
many valuable discoveries and afforded a fine op-
portunity for studying the natives, who wondered as
did many of the whites, why the stranger should be
so interested in the animals which they considered
entirely worthless.

The method by which the natives adapted them-
selves to their surroundings was especially interest-
ing to Agassiz. Owing to the large amount of sub-
merged land and the dangers from a sudden rise in
the river, many of their homes were built on piles
sunk in the soft mud or soil. One Indian invited
Agassiz to visit his house, and leading the way the
naturalist followed him into the heart of the forest.
The Indian had provided him with a long pole to
cross the creeks on the logs safely, but finally the

Around Para. 129

water became so deep that he could not touch bot-

OQ tom with the pole. The logs, too, began to roll
about, and Agassiz was obliged to confess that he
could not follow this road. The Indian asked him
to wait, and while Agassiz balanced himself on the
slippery logs he went for a canoe and soon conveyed
him to the opposite shore, where stood a picturesque
little home in which the wife and children lived. In
referring to the return Agassiz says: ‘I shall never
forget that row, the more enchanting that it was so
unexpected, through the narrow water-path, over-
arched by a solid roof of verdure, and black with
shadows, and yet it was not gloomy, for outside, the
sun was setting in crimson and gold, and its last
beams struck in under the boughs and lit the in-
terior of the forest with a warm glow. Nor shall I
forget the face of our Indian friend, who had wel-
comed us so warmly to his home, and who evidently
enjoyed our exclamations of delight and the effect of
the surprise he had given us. The creek led bya
détour back into the river, a few rods above the
landing where our steamer lay. Our friendly boat-
man left us at the stairway, with a cordial good-bye,
and many thanks from us at parting.”

Agassiz was particularly impressed with the
courtesy and kindness of the natives. Everywhere
they showered attentions upon him, and examined
Mrs. Agassiz—her hair, clothes, and articles of jew-
elry with the greatest curiosity. Inthe morning she
would be awakened by the Indian woman bringing
her flowers, repaying the courtesy by allowing them
to examine her toilet articles. The native men

130 Louts Agassiz.

undoubtedly looked upon Agassiz as a mild and
harmless lunatic, for what sane man would come
thousands of miles to hunt for creatures that were
utterly useless? In fact, the more useless they were
the more the Americano seemed to care for them,
which amused the natives greatly, while no doubt it
was difficult for them to show their contempt for a
man who would exchange a good chicken for a few
fishes, and little ones at that.

FUNERAL VASE OF THE
MANAO INDIANS

VEGETATION OF THE CANAL DES BREVES.

CHAPTER XVII.

UP THE RIO NEGRO.

Interest of Dom Pedro—Wooding up a Rio Negro Steamer—At Teffé
—Fishes That Carry Young in Their Mouths—Collecting Plants
at Fonte Béa— Laboratory at Teffé— Remakarble Family of
Fishes—The Studis—Distribution of Fishes—Routine Work—
Floating Islands—Numerous New Species of Fishes.

fifth of September
Agassiz and his party
entered the Rio Negro,
and the trip was begun
with great enthusiasm
on the part of all. The
influence _of the Em-
peror was felt even in
this out-of-the way sec-
tion of the country, a
steamer being placed at
their disposal by his or-

ders. Agassiz was more
than astonished at the variety and abundance of the
fishes found, and especially at the fact that they dif-
fered so in different localities not very far apart. To
the President of Para he wrote: “I hasten to inform
you of the extraordinary success which continues to

131

123 Louis Agassiz.

crown our efforts. It is certain that from this time
forth, the number of fishes inhabiting the Amazons
greatly exceeds all that has hitherto been imag-
ined, and that their distribution is very limited on
the whole, though a small number of species have fol-
lowed us since we left Parad and others have a range
more or less extensive. You remember, perhaps,
that, when alluding to my hopes, I told you one day
that I believed in the possibility of finding from two
hundred and fifty to three hundred species of fish in
the whole basin of the Amazons, even now, having
passed over less than one third of the main stream,
and only diverged here and there to some points
beyond its shores, I have already obtained more than
three hundred. It is incredible, above all, if you
consider that the total number known to naturalists
does not reach one third of what I have already col-
lected. This result scarcely allows one to foresee the
discoveries to be made whenever the affluents of the
great river are explored with the same care.”

At every point during this trip there was some-
thing to interest the naturalist.

At Coari on the Coari River the travellers were
much amused at the manner of passing wood aboard
the steamer. Ten men having formed in a line a log
was passed from one to the other and counted as it
was received, seven logs a minute, according to
Agassiz’s estimate, finding their way into the hold
of the steamer, which explained why the “ wooding
up” stops were of so long duration. At Teffé one
of the most interesting discoveries was made, prov-
ing that some fishes carry their young in their mouths

Up the Rio Negro. 133

at certaintimes. This discovery so fascinated Agassiz
that he made his headquarters here for a month,
carefully studying the fish, which he named after
the Emperor, and which is described in the following
letter to his Majesty:

“ SIRE :—On arriving here this morning I had the)
most agreeable and unexpected surprise. The first
fish brought to me was the Acara [see accompany-
ing cut], which your Majesty kindly permitted me to
dedicate to you, and by an unlooked-for good for-
tune it was the breeding season, and it had its mouth
full of little young ones inthe process of develop-
ment. Here, then, is the most incredible fact in
embryology fully confirmed, and it remains for me
only to study, in detail and at leisure, all the changes
which the young undergo up to the moment when
they leave their singular nest, in order that I may
publish a complete account of this curious history.
My anticipations as tothe distribution of fishes are
confirmed; the river is inhabited by several very dis-
tinct ichthyological faune, which have, as a common
link, only a very small number of species to be met
with everywhere. It remains now to ascertain with
precision the limits of these ichthyological regions,
and I may perhaps be drawn on to devote some time
tothis study, if I find the means of accomplishing it.
There is a question which now becomes very inter-
esting; it isto know how far the same phenomenon
is reproduced in each one of the great affluents of
the river Amazon, or, in other words, whether the
fishes of the upper regions of the Rio Madeira, the

134 Louis Agassiz.

Rio Negro, etc., etc., are the same as the lower
course of these rivers. As to the diversity of fish
in the whole basin, my expectations are far sur-
passed. Before arriving at Manaos I had already col-:
lected more than three hundred species—that is to
say, at least three times the number of species thus
far known. About half have been painted from life
by Mr. Buckhardt ; if I can succeed in publishing all
these documents, the information I shall be able to
furnish on this subject will exceed all that has thus
far been made known. Weare here without news
from the south since we left Rio, and all we had
learned then was, that after a very stormy passage
your Majesty had reached the Rio Grande. May
God protect and bless your Majesty !

“With sentiments of the most profound respect
and the liveliest gratitude, I am,

“Your Majesty’s very humble and obedient servant,

“L. AGASSIZ.”

While Agassiz studied these fishes the other mem-
bers of the party were up the various streams in the
vicinity, and new facts were being added to science
every day. At Fonte Béa Agassiz made a fine collec-
tion of fossil plants and more new fishes, which kept
artists and naturalists continually at work. Their
headquarters at Teffé were delightful, the house
being located in a green field descending gradually
to the river. Near the house was a turtle-tank,
which Agassiz immediately secured for his specimens
and soon converted into an aquarium. The house
took on the air of a laboratory. Cans, bags, and
barrels stood about ; there were swinging shelves for

Up the Rio Negro. 135

specimens that were liable to be eaten by ants, tables
for dissecting, while specimens were seen every-
where.

The first haul of the seine here was a most prolific
one, resulting in the capture of thousands of fishes,
among which were many new species that were
eagerly examined and quickly sketched or painted
to the life by the artists. er,

Agassiz had now secured about four hundred)
species of fishes, half of which had been copied in
colour by Buckhardt. The specimens as soon as
possible were transferred to glass jars, and thus the
artist painted them as they poised before his eyes in
all the glory of their brilliant colouring. Agassiz
found that by this method he was correcting much
careless work that had been done by previous inves-
tigators, who from studying poor and faded speci-
mens had duplicated species many times over.
Among the fishes found at Teffé was one (Geo-
phagus) which had a most remarkable method of
reproduction. In a letter Agassiz says, in referring
to it: “The eggs pass, I know not how, into the
mouth, the bottom of which is lined by them, be-
tween the inner appendages of the branchial arches,
and especially into a pouch, formed by the upper
pharyngeals, which they completely fill. There
they are hatched, and the little ones, freed from the
egg-case, are developed until they are in a condition
to provide for their own existence. I do not yet
know how long this continues; but I have already
met with specimens whose young had no longer any
vitelline sac, but were still harboured by the pro-
genitor.”

136 Louts Agassiz.

© To Milne Edwards he wrote from here: “ The
embryology and metamorphoses of the Chromides,
which I have just been studying, have convinced me
that the fishes with labyrinthic branchiz, separated
from all other fishes by Cuvier, as a family entirely
isolated on account of the strange structure of its
respiratory organs, are closely related to the Chro-
mides. Thus this group becomes, by its various
affinities, one of the most interesting of the class of
fishes, and the basin of the Amazon seems to be the
true home of this family. I will not fatigue you
with my ichthyological researches; let me only add,
that the fishes are not uniformly spread over this
great basin. I have already acquired the certainty
that we must distinguish certain ichthyological
faune very clearly characterised. Thus the species
inhabiting the river of Pard, from the borders of the
sea to the mouth of the Tocantins, differ from those
which occur higher up; those of the lower course of
the Xingu differ from those of the lower course of
the Tapajoz. Those of the numerous igarapés and
lakes of Manaos differ as much from those of the
principal course of the great river and of its great
affluents. It remains now to study the changes
which may take place in this distribution in the
course of the year, according to the height of the
waters, and perhaps also according to the epoch at
which the different species lay their eggs. Thus far
I have met but a small number of species having a
very extensive area of distribution. One of these is
the Studis gigas, found almost everywhere. It is the
most important fish of the river, that which, as food,

‘SNVIGNI OVNVW HO HOV Id-TVINNg

Up the Rio Negro. 137

corresponds to cattle for the population along the
banks. Another problem to be solved is, how far
this phenomenon of the local distribution of fishes
is repeated in the great affluents of the Amazons.”
Referring again to this remarkable discovery
Agassiz says: “The species which lay their eggs in
the sand belong to the genera Hydrogonus and
Cheetobranchus. Like the North American Pomotis,
they build a kind of flat nest in the sand or mud, in
which they deposit their eggs, hovering over them
until the young are hatched. The species which
carry their young in their mouth belong to several
genera, formerly all included under the name of
Geophagus by Heckel. I could not ascertain how
the eggs are brought into the mouth, but the change
must take place soon after they are laid, for I have
found in that position eggs in which the embryo had
just begun its development, as well as those in a
more advanced stage of growth. Occasionally, in-
stead of eggs, I have found the cavity of the gills,
as also the space enclosed by the branchiostegal
membrane, filled with a brood of young already
hatched. The eggs before hatching are always
found in the same part of the mouth, namely, in the
upper part of the branchial arches, protected or held
together by a special lobe or valve formed of the
upper pharyngeals. The cavity thus occupied by
the eggs corresponds exactly to the labyrinth of that
curious family of fishes inhabiting the East Indian
Ocean, called Labyrinthici by Cuvier. This cir-
cumstance induces me to believe that the branchial
labyrinth of the eastern fishes may be a breeding

138 Louis Agassiz.

pouch, like that of our Chromides, and not simply a
respiratory apparatus for retaining water. In the
Amazonian fish a very sensitive network of nerves
spreads over this marsupial pouch, the principal
stem of which arises from a special nervous ganglion,
back of the cerebellum, in the Medulla oblongata.
This region of the central nervous system is strangely
developed in different families of fishes, and sends
out nerves performing very varied functions. From
it arise, ‘normally, the nerves of movement and sen-
sation about the face; it also provides the organs
of breathing, the upper part of the alimentary canal,
the throat and the stomach. In the electric fishes
the great nerves entering the electric battery arise
from the same cerebral region, and now I have
found that the pouch in which the egg of the Acara
is incubated and its young nursed for a time, receives
its nerves from the same source. This series of facts
is truly wonderful, and only shows how far our
science is still from an apprehension of the functions
of the nervous system.”

The beaches of the Amazon were found to be of
great interest, being the resort of many singular
creatures. Here were strange turtles, the nests of
fishes, alligators, and birds. The Indians were very
skilful in discovering the nests of turtles where
there was no evidence of their existence upon the
surface. They would move quickly along, then
suddenly stop and throw up the sand, to invari-
ably find the eggs ten or twelve inches below
the surface. Here the large alligators lay in the
sun and could be easily shot from the canoe, or

Up the Rio Negro. 139

their habits and ways watched from some conven-
ient ambush.

The native methods of taking fishes and large

gaine was extremely interesting. A popular one
was by the bow and arrow, even fishes as large as
the gigantic Studis being taken in this manner.
Some of the party caught several manatees, which,
being too heavy and large to preserve, were skinned
and the skeletons saved. One singular find was a
log taken from the bottom, the hollow of which was
literally packed with small fishes of a certain kind
called Anojas by the natives.
9 Some extremely interesting discoveries were made
by Agassiz in the young of fishes. He employed
native children to collect all the small or young
fishes they could find, and the result was the dis-
covery that in many cases the young of one species
resembled the adults of others. An instance of this
was found in a new billfish that while young passed
through a stage resembling the adult Hemirham-
phus which has a long lower jaw.

In October the scientific head-quarters at Teffé
was broken up, the party moving on, having obtained
not only a fine collection of fishes, but reptiles, birds,
shells, botanical specimens, insects, and treasures of
all kinds.

Agassiz was most impressed by the peculiar
distribution of fishes. He says: “ After setting my
whole party well under way in Teffé, I made the
very instructive excursion with Major Estolano to
the Lago do Boto, a small sheet of water by the
side of his sztzo on the banks of the main course of

140 Louis Agassiz.

the Amazons, where I had a fair opportunity of
ascertaining how widely different the fishes may be
that inhabit adjoining localities in the same hydro-
graphic basin. To this day I have not yet recovered
from my surprise at finding that shores which, from
a geographic point of view, must be considered
simply as opposite banks of the same stream, were,
nevertheless, the abode of an essentially different
- ichthyological population.”

Agassiz not only found time to investigate the
zodlogy of the region, but there was hardly a
department in the field of science that was not
touched upon in some way. He was indefatigable
in his labours; indeed, was the same Agassiz, enthu-
siastic, thoughtful, and ambitious, that we have seen
in his youthful days.

The routine along the Amazon was one of con-
tinued work. The party rose at five inthe morning,
breakfasted at six, after which they started upon the
various trips that had been arranged by the chief.
Agassiz was fond of sport, but denied himself much
of this pleasure, being obliged to attend to the
specimens which were brought in, as in this hot
climate they decomposed so rapidly that immediate
attention was required. Agassiz gave the. artist
general directions, and the latter, despite the intense
heat and swarms of mosquitoes, often succeeded in
making twenty sketches a day, and at the end of
the trip Mr. Burkhardt was able to show about eight
hundred paintings.

It is impossible to follow the steps of Agassiz
throughout the entire Amazonian region, and these

Up the Rio Negro. 14!

suggestions simply illustrate the compass of his
mind and the generalship that characterised all his
movements. In science he wasa leader of the forces,
certainly in America, and was now in a foreign land
marshalling them with marked ability, his conquests
being the subjugation of ignorance and the dissemi-
nation of facts.

Olt was while descending the Amazon that Agassiz)
first saw myriads of floating islands drifting
down the river—shrubs, trees, great palms, all bound
together by entangled vines,—often half an acre in
extent, sometimes bearing animals upon them.
On many were cranes, herons, and other wading birds,
and the captain of the steamer informed Agassiz
that upon one occasion, when lying at anchor at
Parana, he saw a floating island come down bearing
two deer upon it, which he captured as the island
struck the ship. At another time a large and power-
ful jaguar was seen floating along on one of these
islands toward the sea. The lands overflowed were
prolific places for the collector, the blades of grass
and stalks often being covered with insects of all
kinds and descriptions, which found safety here.
As the steamer continued down the river it took on
more and more the appearance of a menagerie.
Parrots, half a dozen monkeys, a pair of deer, several
tame iguanas, a sloth, and numerous smaller animals
making up the collection.

Agassiz in his lectures thus described the life in
the forest: “Through sucha forest, where the animal
life was no less rich and varied than the vegetation,
our boat glided slowly for hours. The number and

142 Louis Agassiz.

variety of birds struck me with astonishment. The
coarse, sedgy grasses on either side were full of water-
birds, one of the most common of which was a small
chestnut-brown wading bird, the Jagana (Parra),
whose toes are immensely long in proportion to
its size, enabling it to run upon the surface
of the aquatic vegetation as if it were solid
ground. It was now the month of January,
their breeding season; and at every turn of the
boat we started them up in pairs. Their flat
open nests generally contained five flesh-colored eggs,
streaked in zigzag with dark brown lines. The
other waders were a small white heron, another ash-
colored, smaller species, and a large white stork.
The ash-colored herons were always in pairs; the
white ones always single, standing quiet and alone
on the edge of the water, or half hidden in the green
capim. The trees and bushes were full of small war-
bler-like birds, which it would be difficult to char-
acterise separately. To the ordinary observer they
might seem like the small birds of our woods;
but there was one species among them which at-
tracted my attention by its numbers, and also because
it builds the most extraordinary nest, considering
the size of the bird itself, that I have ever seen. It
is known among the country people by two names,
as the Pedreiro or the Forneiro; both names refer-
ring, as will be seen, to the nature of its habitation.
This singular nest is built of clay, and is as hard as
stone (pedra), while it has the form of the round
mandioca oven (forno), in which the country people
prepare their farinha, or flour, made from the

Up the Rio Negro. 143

mandioca root. It is about a foot in diameter, and
stands edgewise upon a branch, or in the crotch of
a tree. Among the smaller birds I noticed bright
tanagers, and also a species resembling the canary.
Besides these, there were the wagtails; the black
and white willow-finches; the hang-nests, or Japi,
as they are called here, with their pendent, bag-like
dwellings, and the familiar “ Bem-ti-vi.”. Humming-
birds, which we are always apt to associate with
tropical vegetation, were very scarce. I saw buta
few specimens. Thrushes and doves were more
frequent, and I noticed also three or four kinds of
wood-peckers, besides parrots and paroquets; of
these latter there were countless numbers along our
canoe path, flying overhead in dense crowds, and at
times drowning every other sound in their high,
noisy clatter.

“Birds of prey, also were not wanting. Among
them was one about the size of our kite, and called
the red-hawk, which was so tame that, even when
our canoe passed immediately under the low branch
on which he was sitting, he did not fly away. But,
of all the groups of birds, the most striking as com-
pared with corresponding groups in the temperate
zone, and the one which reminded me the most dis-
_tinctly of the fact that every region has its peculiar
animal world, was that of the gallinaceous birds.
The most frequent is the Cigana, to be seen in
groups of fifteen or twenty, perched upon trees
overhanging the water, and feeding upon berries.
At night they roost in pairs, but in the daytime are
always in larger companies. In their appearance

144 Louis Agassiz.

they have something of the character of both the
pheasant and peacock, and yet do not closely resem-
ble either. It is a curious fact that, with the ex-
ception of some small partridge-like gallinaceous
birds, all the representatives of this family in Brazil,
and especially in the valley of the Amazons, belong
to types which do not exist in other parts of the
world. Here we find neither pheasants, nor cocks of
the woods, nor grouse; but in their place abound
the Mutum, the Jacu, the Jacami, and the Unicorn
(Crax, Penelope, Psophia, and Palamedea), all of
which are so remote from the gallinaceous types
found farther north that they remind one quite as
much of the bustard, and other ostrich-like birds, as
of the hen and pheasant. They differ also from
northern gallinaceous birds in the greater uniformity
of the sexes, none of them exhibiting those strik-
ing differences between the males and the females
which we see in the pheasants, the cocks of the
woods, and in our barn-yard fowls, though the plu-
mage of the young has the yellowish mottled color
distinguishing the females of most species of this
family. While birds abounded in such numbers, in-
sects were rather scarce. I saw but few and small
butterflies, and beetles were still more rare. The
most numerous insects were the dragon-flies,—some
with crimson bodies, black heads, and burnished
wings; others with large green bodies, crossed by
blue bands. Of land-shells I saw but one, creeping
along the reeds; and of water-shells I gathered only
a few small Ampullaria.”

Up the Rio Negro. 145

On arriving at Para Agassiz was much broken
down and fatigued by the arduous duties of the
trip, yet he could scarcely restrain himself when new
fields opened all about and drew him on. Here
he found a letter from the Emperor, who announced
that he had a New Year’s present for him in the
shape of a collection of fishes from the southern
rivers of South America, which, with the eighteen
hundred species that Agassiz had secured, made a
most valuable collection. The great variety of fish
life impressed him constantly, and in a letter to the
Emperor he said: “Another side of this subject,
still more curious perhaps, is the intensity with
which life is manifested in these waters. All the
rivers of Europe united, from the Tagus to the
Volga, do not nourish one hundred and fifty species
of fresh-water fishes; and yet in a little lake near
Manaos, called Lago Hyanuary, the surface of which
covers hardly four or five hundred square yards, we
have discovered more than two hundred distinct
species, the greater part of which have not been ob-
served elsewhere. What acontrast!”

The expedition throughout Brazil was continued
for sixteen months, and its results were given to the
world, and the friends of science who made the
journey possible, in a joint volume—A Yourney in
Brazil, by Professor and Mrs. Agassiz.

It was a life in the forest, drifting along with the
wonders of tropical nature on every hand; and that
Agassiz made the most of it is demonstrated by the

present collections of the fauna of Brazil in the
1°

146 Louis Agassiz.

Museum at Cambridge, where rest about eighty
thousand specimens, all obtained during this trip,
which the great naturalist looked upon as a rest and
vacation period, a time in which he accomplished
more than some workers in science and other fields
have in an entire lifetime.

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CHAPTER XVIII.
THE CRUISE OF THE ‘ BIBB.”

Return from Brazil—Renewed Work at the Museum—Lectures in
New York—The Resolution of Bancroft—The Coast Survey and
Science—Appointment to Cornell University—Report to the
Legislature—The Cruise of the 8264—Address on Humboldt.

cxtsiz returned from
Brazil in August, 1866,
and was soon deeply en-
grossed in his beloved
museum, which was en-
riched by treasures that
i Lad ~ a year or so previous he
aT TCR s. % | had not dreamed of. The
eal A yy } bli :
2 a . ie public at large was in-
44) WES aif (a tensely interested in his
—4 5 work, and there was an im-
mediate and pressing de-
mand upon him for a series
of lectures on the trip, which were given, and received
with great enthusiasm. Then came a call from New
York, and the lectures were repeated at the Cooper
Union, the remarkable sight being witnessed of ‘no
standing room” at a series of scientific lectures where

147

148 Louis Agasstz.

the prices were as high as at the theatre. This
course created a very general interest in science in
New York, and at the close the following resolution
was offered by Bancroft, the historian :

“ Resolved, That the thanks of this great assembly
of delighted hearers, etc., be given to the illustrious
Professor Agassiz, for the fulness of his instruction,
for the clearness of his method of illustration, for
his exposition of the idea as antecedent to form ;
of the superiority of the undying, original, and
eternal force over its transient manifestations; for
happy hours which passed too rapidly away; for
genial influences of which the memory will last
through our lives.”

The following months and entire winter Agassiz
gave to his collections, the arrangement and care of
which involved an enormous amount of work. The
following year he devoted to his studies, spending
much of the time at Nahant. During this period,
he urged upon Professor Benjamin Peirce, then
superintendent of the Coast Survey, the propriety of
making the survey as valuable as possible to the
scientific world,—a suggestion happily adopted.

In this year Agassiz lost his mother, who had
always been in close sympathy with his work and
in constant communication with him. The loss fell
heavily upon him, and undoubtedly affected his
own health, which now gave way again, necessita-
ting complete rest. He slowly recovered strength,
and in 1868 madean excursion to the West witha
large party of prominent men. On his return he
stopped at Ithaca where Cornell University was just

INDIAN SHOOTING WITH BLOW -GUN.

The Cruise of the “Bibb,” 149

opening her doors, and was prevailed upon to accept
the appointment of non-resident professor. A me-
morial tablet in the chapel of the university testifies
to the appreciation of the trustees of the important
part he took in the opening days of the institution.
Agassiz’s ambition to see the museum at Cam-
bridge the leading institution of the kind in the
world was now in a fair way to be realized. The
Legislature, appreciating what he had done, gave
him seventy-five thousand dollars for an additional
building, and by private subscriptions this was
doubled, so that the treasures from Brazil could
be well cared for. In referring to the act of the
Legislature, Agassiz wrote in his report: Ff
© While I rejoice in the prospect of this new build-
ing, 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 edifice,
I yet can hardly look forward to the time when we
shall be in possession of it without shrinking from
the grandeur of our undertaking. The past history
of our science rises before me with its lessons.
Thinking men in every part of the world have been
stimulated to grapple with the infinite variety of
problems connected with the countless animals
scattered without apparent order throughout sea and
land. They have been led to discover the affinities
of various living beings. The past has yielded up
its secrets, and has shown them that the animals now
peopling the earth are but the successors of countless
populations which have preceded them, and whose
remains are buried inthe crust of our globe. Further

150 Louis Agassiz.

study has revealed relations between the animals of
past time and those now living, and between the law
of succession in the former and the laws of growth
and distribution in the latter, so intimate and com-
prehensive that this labyrinth of organic life assumes ©
the character of a connected history, which opens
before us with greater clearness in proportion as our
knowledge increases. But when the museums of the
‘Old World were founded, these relations were not
even suspected. The collections of natural history,
gathered at immense expense in the great centres of
human civilization, were accumulated mainly as an
evidence of man’s knowledge and skill in exhibiting
to the best advantage, not only the animals, but the
products and curiosities of all sorts from various parts
of the world. While we admire and emulate the in-
dustry and perseverance of the men who collected
these materials, and did in the best way the work it
was possible to do in their time for science, we have
no longer the right to build museums after this
fashion. The originality and vigour of one generation
become the subservience and indolence of the next
if we only repeat the work of our predecessors.
They prepared the ground for us by accumulating
the materials for extensive comparison and research.
They presented the problem; we ought to be ready
with the solution. If I mistake not, the great object
of our museums should be to exhibit the whole
animal kingdom as a manifestation of the Supreme
Intellect. Scientific investigation in our day should
be inspired by a purpose as animating to the general
sympathy, as was the religious zeal which built the

The Cruise of the “Bibb.” 151

Cathedral of Cologne or the Basilica of St. Peter’s.
The time is passed when men expressed their deep-
est convictions by these wonderful and beautiful
religious edifices; but it is my hope to see, with the
progress of intellectual culture, a structure arise
among us which may be a temple of the revelations
written in the material universe. If this be so, our
buildings for such an object can never be too com-
prehensive, for they are to embrace the infinite work
of Infinite Wisdom. They can never be too costly,
so far as cost secures permanence and solidity, for
they are to contain the most instructive documents
of Omnipotence.”

In 1869 Agassiz was invited to take a cruise on the
Libb, the Coast Survey steamer, along the coast of
Cuba, his old friend of the Aar glacier days, Count
Pourtalés being the naturalist in charge. This trip
proved a most important one, being far-reaching in
its discoveries and the deductions which were made.
Agassiz thus refers to the dredgings in the Bulletin
of the Museum of 1869:

“From what I have seen of the deep-sea bottom,
I am already led to infer that among the rocks
forming the bulk of the stratified crust of our globe,
from the oldest to the youngest formation, there
are probably none which have been formed in very
deep waters. If this be so, we shall have to admit
that the areas now respectively occupied by our
continents, as circumscribed by the two-hundred-
fathom curve or thereabout, and the oceans at
greater depth, have from the beginning retained
their relative outline and position; the continents

152 Louis Agassiz.

having at all times been areas of gradual upheaval
with comparatively slight oscillations of rise and
subsidence, and the oceans at all times areas of
gradual depression with equally slight oscillations.
Now that the geological constitution of our conti-
nent is satisfactorily known over the greatest part of
its extent, it seems to me to afford the strongest evi-
dence that this has been the case; 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 ocean. The fact that
upon the American continent, east of the Rocky
Mountains, the geological formations crop out in
their regular succession, from the oldest azoic and
primordial deposits to the cretaceous formation,
without the slightest indication of a great subse-
quent subsidence, seems to me the most complete
and direct demonstration of my proposition. Of
the western part of the continent I am not prepared
to speak with the same confidence. Moreover, the
position of the cretaceous and tertiary formations
along the low grounds east of the Alleghany range is
another indication of the permanence of the ocean
trough, on the margin of which these more recent
beds have been formed. I am well aware that ina
comparatively recent period, portions of Canada
and the United States, which now stand six or seven
hundred feet above the level of the sea, have been
under water; but this has not changed the configu-
ration of the continent, if we admit that the latter
is in reality circumscribed by the two-hundred-
fathom curve of depth.”

The Cruise of the Bibb.” 153

O One of the greatest efforts of this period of
Agassiz’s life, one which though painful gave him
supreme pleasure, was the delivery of an address
on the occasion of the centennial celebration of
Humboldt’s birth. Agassiz as we have seen, had
been one of his dearest friends. He had lived with
him, worked with him, enjoyed his counsel, and no
one was better fitted to speak upon his virtues.
The movement was inaugurated by the Boston So-
ciety of Natural History, and Agassiz accepted the
duty with his usual modesty, feeling and expressing
the belief that he was not a biographer. As with
everything he attempted, the address was a most
impressive one, and stands to-day the most valuable
paper on Humboldt extant. In this paper we find
much that relates to the great naturalist himself, and
the following extracts, taken from the memoirs of
the Boston Society of Natural History, are worthy
of perusal in this connection.

He says: “Humboldt had at this time (about
1830) two residences in Paris,—his lodging at the
Hétel des Princes, where he saw the great world, and
his working room in the Rue de la Harpe, where he
received with less formality his scientific friends. It
is with the latter place I associate him; for there it
was my privilege to visit him frequently. There he
gave me leave to come to talk with him about my
work and consult him in my difficulties. I am un-
willing to speak of myself on this occasion, and yet
I do not know how else Ican do justice to one of
the most beautiful sides of Humboldt’s character.
His sympathy for all young students of nature was

154 Louis Agassiz.

one of the noblest traits of his long life. It may
truly be said that toward the close of his career
there was hardly one prominent or aspiring scientific
man in the world who was not under some obliga-
tion to him.

“At this period I was twenty-four, he was sixty-
ffwo. Ihad recently taken my degree as Doctor of
Medicine, and was struggling not only for a scientific
position but for the means of existence also. I
have said that he gave me permission to come as
often as I pleased to his room, opening to me freely
the inestimable advantages which intercourse with
such a man gave to a young investigator like myself.
But he did far more than this. Occupied and sur-
rounded as he was, he sought me out in my own
lodging. The first visit he paid me in my narrow
quarters in the Quartier Latin, where I occupied a
small room in the Hétel du Jardin des Plantes, was
characteristic of the man. After a cordial greeting,
he walked straight to what was then my library,—
a small book-shelf containing a few classics, the
meanest editions bought for a trifle along the quays,
some works on philosophy and history, chemistry
and physics, his own Views of Nature, Aristotle’s
Zoology, Linnzus’s Régne Animal, and quite a number
of manuscript quartos, copies which, with the assist-
ance of my brother, I had made of works I was too
poor to buy, though they cost buta few francs a
volume. Most conspicuous of all were twelve vol-
umes of the new German Cyclopedia presented to
me by the publisher. I shall never forget, after his
look of mingled interest and surprise at my little col-

VILLAGE OF MOROMOROTE, ON THE RIGHT BANK OF THE AMAZON.

The Cruise of the “Bzbb.” 155

lection, his half-sarcastic question as he pounced upon
the great Encyclopzedia,—‘ Was machen Sie denn mit
dieser Eselsbriicke?’ What are you doing with this
ass's bridge ?—the somewhat contemptuous name
given in Germany to similar compilations. ‘I have
not had time,’ I said, ‘to study the original sources of
learning, and Ineed a prompt and easy answer toa
thousand questions I have as yet no other means of
solving.’

“Tt was no doubt apparent to him that I was not
familiar with the good things of this world, for I
shortly afterward received an invitation to meet him
at six o'clock in the Galerie vitrée of the Palais
Royal, when he led me into one of the restaurants,
the tempting windows of which I had occasionally
passed by. When we were seated, he half laugh-
ingly, half inquiringly asked me whether I would
order the dinner. I declined the invitation, saying
that we should fare better if he would take the
trouble, and for three hours, which passed like a
dream, I had him all to myself. How he examined
me, and how much I learned in that short time.
How to work, what to do, and what to avoid; how
to live; how to distribute my time; what methods
of study to pursue,—these were the things of which
he talked to me on that delightful evening. I do
not mention this trivial incident without feeling
that it may seem too familiar for the occasion; nor
should I give it at all except that it shows the
sweetness and kindliness of Humboldt’s nature. It
was not enough for him to cheer and stimulate the
student; he cared also to give a rare indulgence

156 Louis Agassiz.

to a young man who could allow himself few
luxuries.”

Undoubtedly the effort of this address was too
great a strain upon Agassiz in his enfeebled condi-
tion, and shortly after he showed further evidence
of a failure in strength. The great intellect that
had fought so many battles gave warning that
it must have rest, if indeed it was not too late.
Agassiz, though, as we have seen,a man of great
physical strength, always overworked himself; his
mind invariably laid out work far too great for him
to accomplish, and it was this indomitable industry
that cut him down in what should have been his
prime. Up to this time he had always evaded the
doctors by inventing some expedition which would
pass as a rest, but now the demand upon him could
not be slighted and he took the longest vacation of
his life, spending a winter in what was enforced seclu-
sion. In the spring of 1870 he went to Deerfield on
the Connecticut River, where to the surprise of his
friends he soon recovered, returning to the museum
in November, 1870, apparently with a complete
renewal of health.

CHAPTER XIX.
ON THE ‘“ HASSLER.”

Invitation to Go Around the Horn—The Party—In the Gulf Weed—
A Singular Discovery—Inhabitants of the Gulf Weed—Nest of
a Fish—Defining a Species by its Skin—Off the Rio de la Plata
—Discovery of Tertiary Fossils—Living Crinoids—Glaciers of
Patagonia—Among the Fuegians—Discoveries at Lota—Recep-

tion in San Francisco.
ey early days of 1871
gassiz received a com-

munication from Profes-
sor Peirce to’ the effect
that he was about to send
a new vessel around the
Horn to San Francisco,
and asking him if he
would like to make the
trip in the interests of
science. The invitation
was accepted, and the sci-
entific party was finally
made up and included Agassiz, Count de Pourtales,
Dr. Franz Steindachner, Mr. Blake, and Dr. Thomas
Hill, ex-president of Harvard University. With his
usual interest Agassiz looked forward to the trip which

157

158 Louis Agassiz.

he believed would result in important discoveries to
science. He wrote to Mr. Peirce at this time: “If
this world of ours is the work of intelligence and not
merely the product of force and matter, the human
mind, as a part of the whole, should so chime with
it, that from what is known it may reach the un-
known. If this be so, the knowledge gathered,
should, within the limits of error which its imperfec-
tion renders unavoidable, enable us to foretell what
we are likely to find in the deepest abysses of the
sea.”

He thought that the abyssmal portions of the
deep sea would be found to contain forms which
would resemble those of earlier geological times, and
he went so far as to name species he hoped to dis-
cover. He expected to find an immediate ancestor
of the trilobite, star-fish,and other forms, but in this
was disappointed.

The subject of glaciers still occupied his attention
and he felt assured that the deep sea would divulge
some of the secrets. This is referred to in the same
letter to Mr. Peirce, which was published in the
Bulletin of the Comparative Museum of Zoology :

“There is, however, still one kind of evidence
wanting, to remove all doubt that the greater exten-
sion of glaciers in former ages was connected with
cosmic changes in the physical condition of our
globe—namely, all the phenomena relating to the
glacial period must be found in the southern hemi-
sphere, accompanied by the same characteristic
features as in the north, but with this essential dif-
ference—that everything must be reversed. The

On the “Hassler.” 159

trend of the glacial abrasions must be from the
south northward, the lee-side of abraded rocks must
be on the north side of the hills and mountain
ranges, and the bowlders must have travelled from
the south to their present position. Whether this
be so or not, has not been ascertained by direct
observation. I expect to find it so throughout the
temperate and cold zones of the southern hemi-
sphere, with the exception of the present glaciers of
Terra del Fuego and Patagonia, which may have
transported bowlders in every direction. Even in
Europe, geologists have not yet sufficiently discrimi-
nated between local glaciers and the phenomena
connected with their different degrees of successive
retreat on the one hand; and, on the other, the facts
indicating the action of an extensive sheet of ice
moving over the whole continent from north to
south. Among the facts already known from the
southern hemisphere are the so-called rivers of stone
in the Falkland Islands, which attracted the atten-
tion of Darwin during his cruise with Captain
Fitzroy, and which have remained an enigma to this
day. I believe it will not be difficult to explain
their origin in the light of the glacial theory, and
I fancy they may turn out to be ground moraines
similar to the ‘horsebacks’ in Maine.

“You may ask what this question of drift has
to do with deep-sea dredging? The connection is
closer than may at first appear. If drift is not of
glacial origin but is the product of marine currents,
its formation at once becomes a matter for the Coast
Survey to investigate. But I believe it will be

160 Louis Agassiz.

found in the end that, so far from being accumu-
lated by the sea, the drift of the Patagonian low-
lands has been worn away by the sea to its present
outline, like the northern shores of South America
and Brazil. pee

The Hassler sailed December 4, 1871, and the
moment the prow of the good ship entered the Gulf
Stream the ardent naturalists were at work; Count
Pourtalés on the temperature of the Gulf Stream,
and Agassiz on the fauna of the floating weed known
as sargassum. One of the finds was a curious nest—
a mass of sea-weed bound in and about and held in
place by a delicate cord of gelatinous appearance.
The leaves or fronds of the weed were dotted with
white eggs the size of a pin’s head, and Agassiz soon
decided by the use of his glass that each egg held
a little fish. But what fish? The parent had not
been found with the nest. Agassiz soon bethought
him of his previous studies with the pigment cells of
fishes, and the first comparison he made satisfied him
that the embryos were the young of a Chironectes,
young specimens of which he used for comparison.

It will be remembered that in a letter written
to Professor Peirce previous to sailing Agassiz ex-
pressed the belief that he should discover some early
forms of star-fishes ; it so happened that at the first
haul of the dredge off St. Thomas they took stemmed
crinoids which seemed like the ghosts of by-gone
days rising from the depths of the sea to remind
them of the past. One of the crinoids was kept
alive nearly an entire day, and Agassiz had an op-
portunity to observe its motions, seeing it fold and

ered

A NEST OF FISHES.

On the “Hassler.” 161

unfold its arms. In describing his sensations of de-
light to Professor Peirce he said: “I could see,
without great effort of the imagination, the shoal of
Lockport teeming with the many genera of crinoids
which the geologists of New York have rescued from
that prolific Silurian deposit.”

A landing was made at Monte Video when Agassiz
examined the geology of the bay, and after dredging
off the Rio de la Plata, another stop was made at
Port San Antonio, in which place some fine fossils of
the Tertiary time werefound. Here Agassiz saw his
first guanaco. Off the Gulf of St. George many
beautiful forms among the star-fishes were. taken,
the dredge at one time coming up filled with Ophi-
urans. At Possession Bay the party landed and made
a study of the old moraine. At the Elizabeth Islands
and San Magdalena, Agassiz observed for the first
time a penguin rookery, obtaining fine specimens of
the birds. At Glacier Bay he visited the glacier that
comes down here, and is a mile across its front,
formed of clear blue ice. A forest was growing out
of the old terminal moraines, and in the face of the
glacier was a huge cave thirty or more feet high and
about one hundred feet deep.

An unsuccessful attempt was made to trace this
glacier to its source, its upper portion branching off
into many smallstreams ofice. The rate of advance
was found to be ten inches a day; indeed, this
glacier was examined by Agassiz with all the care
and interest that he had given to similar phenomena
in Switzerland ; the fact that he could compare the
two making the investigation of especial interest.

162 Louis Agassiz.

The steamer left Playa Parda Cove in the latter
part of March, and as they sailed away six fine gla-
ciers were visible. From here up the coast, new
and attractive features appeared every day. Agassiz
made the acquaintance of the Fuegians, finding them
amost interesting study. The Hassler anchored in
Smythe’s Channel, where more glaciers and fine snow-
capped mountains were seen and where Agassiz
revelled in many of nature’s offerings. At every
point, even though they tarried but a few hours, he
obtained some new and valuable fact hitherto unob-
served or unrecorded. Glaciers were ever in his
mind and in his report to Professor Peirce he says:

“ April 27th.—While I was transcribing my report,
Pourtalés came in with the statement that he had
noticed the first indication of an Andean glacier
in the vicinity. I have visited the locality twice
since. It is a magnificent polished surface, as well
preserved as any I have seen upon old glaciated
ground or under glaciers of the present day, with
well-marked furrows and scratches. Think of it! a
characteristic surface, indicating glacial action, in
lat. 37° S., at the level of the sea. The place is only
a few feet above tide level, upon the slope of a hill
on which stands the ruins of a Spanish fort, near the
fishermen’s huts of San Vicente, which lies between
Conception Bay and the Bay of Aranco. Whether
the polished surface is the work of a glacier descend-
ing from the Andes to the sea-shore or not, I have
not yet been able to determine. I find no volcanic
pebbles or bowlders in this vicinity, which, after my
experience in San Carlos, I should expect all along

On the “Hassler.” 163

the shore, if the glaciers of the Andes had descended
to the level of the ocean in this part of the country.
The erratics here have the character of those observed
fartner south. It is true the furrows and scratches
of this polished surface run mainly from east to west ;
but there are some crossing the main trend, at angles
varying from 20° to 30°, and running S. E. N. W.
Moreover, the magnetic variation is 18° 3’ at Talca-
huano April 23d, the true meridian bearing to the
right of the magnetic. I shall soon know what to
make of this, as I start to-morrow for the interior, to
go to Santiago and join the ship again at Valparaiso.
I have hired a private carriage, to be able to stop
whenever I wish soto do. I also take a small seine
to fish for fresh-water fishes in the many streams
intervening between this place and Valparaiso. The
trend of the glacial scratches in San Vicente re-
minds me of a fact I have observed in New Eng-
land near the sea-shore, where the glacial furrows
dip to a considerable extent eastward toward the
deep ocean, while farther inland their trend is more
regular and due north and south.

“T had almost forgotten to say that I have ob-
tained unquestionable evidence of the cretaceous age
of the coal deposits of Lota and the adjoining locali-
ties, north and south, which are generally supposed
to be Tertiary lignites. They are overlaid by sand-
stone containing Baculites. Ineed not adduce other
evidence to satisfy geologists of the correctness of my
assertion. I have myself collected a great many
fossils, in beds resting upon coal-seams.”’

At Talcahuana Agassiz started up the coast by

164 Louis Agassiz.

coach, intending to meet the steamer at some north-
ern point. The trip proved fruitful in results and
was most enjoyable to the little party, who joined the
ship finally at Valparaiso. At Santiago Agassiz was
received with distinguished honours. Among the
pleasant surprises which greeted him was the an-
nouncement of his election as Foreign Associate
of the Institute of France, which he considered
one of the highest honours he could receive. Ina
letter to the Emperor of Brazil he refers to it as
follows:

“The distinction pleased me the more because so
unexpected. Unhappily it is usually a brevet of
infirmity, or at least of old age, and in my case it is
to a house inruins that the diploma is addressed. I
regret it the more because I have never felt more
disposed for work, and yet never so fatigued by it.”

A most interesting part of the Hassler voyage
was that portion devoted to the Galapagos Islands—
Albemarle and others. In the former Agassiz
studied the peculiar volcanic formation, and in his
memoirs he refers to the fact that the party lunched
one day in a cave which was nothing more or less
than a broken volcanic bubble or air-hole which was
forty feet long by ten in height.

The trip up the coast was continued with increas-
ing interest, and finally, in August, 1872,the Hassler
entered the Golden Gate. Agassiz was received with
the greatest cordiality by scientists and laymen.
His interest in scientific work on the Pacific Coast
was shown in many ways, one result being the en-
dowment of the University of California by Edward

On the “Hassler.” 165

Tompkins of Oakland in the name of Agassiz,
while the gift of Lick Observatory undoubtedly
could be traced to similar inspiration.

Agassiz was received in San Francisco by Joseph
Le Conte, Davidson, Gilman, Drs. Stebbins and
Scott, Dr. Ezra Carr, and other well-known men and
scientists, finding here many old friends and ac-
quaintances. He was tendered a number of recep-
tions, and the impression he made upon strangers
is well illustrated in the following incident. A
well-known literary man, now connected with the
Academy of Sciences of San Francisco, told the
author that he was a guest at areception tendered Pro-
fessor and Mrs. Agassiz, General — had dined
with royalty, was a skilled diplomat, and one of
the last men to become disconcerted under any
circumstances; yet when he was presented to
the distinguished guest of the evening and re-
called his work and reputation, he was singularly
confused. “His personality impressed me to a
marked degree,” he said to the author, and when I
found myself in his presence, and remembered his
career and the manner of man he was, I was silenced,
much to my annoyance, and when I did speak it was
to tell a deliberate untruth. Agassiz asked me if I
had been long on the coast. In reply I said no,
when in reality I was a forty-niner. Later when I
met Mrs. Agassiz I told her how in my confusion,
and I might say admiration for her husband, I had
told him an untruth. She considered it an excel-
lent joke, and later, in the full possession of my
faculties I enjoyed a laugh over the occurrence with

166 Louts Agassiz.

Agassiz, who modestly disclaimed any intention of
trying to impress me.”

The condition of the great naturalist’s health was
such that he made no extended researches on the
Pacific Coast, and returned to Cambridge in October,
1872. There is never a scientific gathering of the
men of his time but he and his trip to the West
are remembered. In Arizona a lofty peak bears his
name. In Alaska one of the giant glaciers—a feeder
of the Great Malaspina Glacier, is called the Agassiz,
while over the divide, in the inter-continental region,
the name Agassiz is given to an ancient glacial lake
in Wyoming—all monuments of an enduring kind.

CHAPTER XxX:

AT PENIKESE.

Growth of a New Idea—John Anderson’s Gift—A Patron of Science—
Realisation of Agassiz’s Dream—Whittier’s ‘‘ Prayer of Agassiz”
—A Distinguished Corps of Teachers—Sayings of the Great
Teacher at Penikese—Last Days.

{GASSIZ had long felt the
need of a laboratory upon
a large scale, a school at
the sea-side where stu-
dents of natural history
could meet and _ under
competent instruction be
brought face to face with
natural objects. As with
everything else he under-
took, the idea grew upon
him and rapidly took
shape and form in his
mind. He soon laid the plan before the public and
it was discussed in the press from Maine to Florida
and from ocean to ocean, exciting interest in every
State. The subject was first brought to the attention
167

168 Louts Agassiz.

of the Massachusetts Legislature when they made
their annual visit to the museum, Agassiz pressing
the claim of the new scheme as a part of the educa-
tional development of the institution that they had
so ably fathered. The appeal to the Legislature was
published in the press and read by chance by John
Anderson, of New York, who at once became inter-
ested in the plan and a few days later tendered
Agassiz a site for the proposed school on the island
of Penikese, one of the group in Buzzard’s Bay, so
well-known by the rhyme:

** Naushon, Nonamesset,
Uncatena, and Wepecket,
Nashawena, Pesquinese,
Cuttyhunk, and Penikese.”

To the gift Mr. Anderson added $50,000 with
which to fit out the school; and so the Anderson
School of Natural History took form, and on the
4th of July Agassiz set sail for the island. He
found everything in the crudest condition, but a
strong appeal to carpenters and other workers
brought order out of chaos, and soon the old stable,
out of which the sheep had been turned to make
way for medusz, echinoderms, men and women,
became habitable just in time for the steamer con-
taining the visitors and students. In the old barn,
still hung with festoons of silken make, through
which the swallows darted and chirped a welcome,
this grand old man, with bared head, opened the
school in silent prayer. This incident was made the
subject of the following poem by Whittier :

At Pentkese. 169

THE PRAYER OF AGASSIZ,

On the isle of Penikese,

Ringed about by sapphire seas,
Fanned by breezes salt and cool,
Stood the Master with his school.
Over sails that not in vain

Wooed the west-wind’s steady strain,
Line of coast that low and far
Stretched its undulating bar,
Wings aslant along the rim

Of the waves they stooped to skim,
Rock and isle and glistening bay,
Fell the beautiful white day.

Said the Master to the youth :

“* We have come in search of truth,
Trying with uncertain key

Door by door of mystery ;

We are reaching, through His laws,
To the garment-hem of Cause,
Him, the endless, unbegun,

The unnamable, the One

Light of all our light the Source,
Life of life, and Force of force.

As with fingers of the blind,

We are grouping here to find
What the hieroglyphics mean

Of the Unseen in the seen,

What the Thought which underlies
Nature’s masking and disguise,
What it is that hides beneath
Blight and bloom and birth and death.
By past efforts unavailing,

Doubt and error, loss and failing,
Of our weakness made aware,

On the threshold of our task

Let us light and guidance ask,

Let us pause in silent prayer!”

170

Louts Agasstz.

Then the Master in his place
Bowed his head a little space,
And the leaves by soft airs stirred,
Lapse of wave, and cry of bird
Left the solemn hush unbroken
Of that wordless prayer unspoken,
While its wish, on earth unsaid,
Rose to heaven interpreted.

As in life’s best hours we hear

By the spirit’s finer ear

His low voice within us, thus

The All-Father heareth us ;

And His holy ear we pain

With our noisy words and vain.
Not for Him our violence
Storming at the gate of sense,

His the primal language, His
The eternal silence !

Even the careless heart was moved,
And the doubting gave assent,
With a gesture reverent,

To the Master well-beloved.

As thin mists are glorified

By the light they cannot hide,
All who gazed upon him saw,
Through its veil of tender awe,
How his face was still uplit

By the old sweet look of it,
Hopeful, trustful, full of cheer,
And the love that casts out fear.
Who the secret may declare

Of that brief, unuttered prayer ?
Did the shade before him come
Of th’ inevitable doom,

Of the end of earth so near,
And Eternity’s new year ?

In the lap of sheltering seas
Rests the isle of Penikese ;

At Pentkese. Int

But the lord of the domain

Comes not to his own again :
When the eyes that follow fail,
On a vaster sea his sail

Drifts beyond our beck and hail.
Other lips within its bound

Shall the laws of life expound ;
Other eyes from rock and shell
Read the world’s old riddles well :
But when breezes light and bland
Blow from Summer’s blossomed land,
When the air is glad with wings.
And the blithe song-sparrow sings,
Many an eye with his still face
Shall the living ones displace,
Many an ear the word shall seek
He alone could fitly speak.

And one name forevermore

Shall be uttered o’er and o’er

By the waves that kiss the shore,
By the curlew’s whistle sent
Down the cool, sea-scented air ;
In all voices known to her,
Nature owns her worshipper,

Half in triumph, half lament.
Thither Love shall tearful turn,
Friendship pause uncovered there,
And the wisest reverence learn
From the Master’s silent prayer.

The school was carried on with unflagging interest.
Agassiz lectured sometimes twice a day. Here were
Dr. Burt G. Wilder of Cornell, Professor A. S. Pack-
ard, Count Pourtalés, Professor Guyot, E. S. Morse,
Alfred Mayer, F. W. Putnam—all distinguished men
in their various fields as instructors, whose lectures
were listened to with close attention. Among the
students were some of the leading naturalists of the

172 Louts Agasstz.

present day, who here obtained the inspiration per-
haps which led to later successes. Among them
were David Starr Jordan, now President of the
Leland Stanford Junior University; Professor Fer-
nald, of Maine; William K. Brooks, later author of
a hand-book on Juvertebrate Zodlogy ; Dr. F. H.
Snow, now Chancellor of the University of Kansas;
Dr. W. O. Crosby, Walter Fewkes, Samuel Garman
of the Museum of Comparative Zodlogy, Walter
Faxon, Ernest Ingersoll, Professor Apgar, of Tren-
ton, Miss Susan Hallowell, Miss Mary Beaman,
Charles S. Minot, Professor Stowell, and many
more.

The applications by students far exceeded the
accommodations for them, and out of the several
hundred, fifty of both sexes were finally selected.
Referring to these days, David Starr Jordan says:

“None of us will ever forget his first sight of
Agassiz. We had come down from New Bedford in
a little tug-boat in the early morning, and Agassiz
met us at the landing-place on the island. He was
standing almost alone on the little wharf, and his
great face beamed with pleasure. For this summer
school, the thought of his old age, might be the
crowning work of his lifetime. Who could foresee
what might come of the efforts of fifty men and
women, teachers of science, each striving to do his
work in the best possible way? His thoughts and
hopes rose to expectations higher than any of us
then understood.

“ His tall robust figure, broad shoulders bending a
little under the weight of years, his cheery smile,

At Pentkese. 173

the enthusiastic tones of his voice,—all these entered
into our first as well as our last impressions of
Agassiz. He greeted us with great warmth as we
landed. He looked into our faces to justify: him-
self in making choice of us among the many whom
he might have chosen.

“ And the summer went on ith its succession of
joyous mornings, beautiful days, and calm nights,
with every charm of sea and sky, the master with us
all day long, ever ready to speak words of help and
encouragement, ever ready to give us from his own
stock of learning. The boundless enthusiasm which
surrounded him like an atmosphere, and which
sometimes gave the appearance of great achieve-
ment to the commonest things, was never lacking.

“ Essentially Latin in his nature, he was always
- picturesque in his words and his work. He de-
lighted in the love and approbation of his students
and his friends, and the influence of his personality
sometimes gave his opinions weight beyond the ©
value of the investigations on which they were
based. With no other investigator have the work
and the man been so identified as with Agassiz. No
other of the great workers has been equally great as
a teacher. His greatest work in science was his
influence on other men.”

Dr. Jordan, who was one of the pupils at Penikese,
jotted down some of the talks given to teachers at
this time by Agassiz, and through his courtesy I am
able to reproduce them here: ‘“ Never try to teach
what you yourself do not know and know well. If
your school board insists on your teaching anything

174 Louis Agassiz.

and everything, decline firmly to do it. It isan im-
position alike on pupils and teachers to teach that
which he does not know. Those teachers who are
strong enough should squarely refuse to do such
work. This much-needed reform is already begin-
ning in our colleges, and I hope it will continue. It
is arelic of medizval times, this idea of professing
everything. When teachers begin to decline work
which they cannot do well, improvements begin to
comein. If one will be asuccessful teacher, he must
firmly refuse work which he cannot do successfully.

“Tt is a false idea to suppose that anybody is com-
petent to learn or to teach everything. Would our
great artists have succeeded equally well in Greek or
calculus? A smattering of everything is worth little.
It is a fallacy to suppose that an encyclopedic knowl-
edge is desirable. The mind is made strong not -
through much learning, but by the thorough posses-
sion of something.”

‘Lay aside all conceit. Learn to read the book
of Nature for yourself. Those who have succeeded
best have followed for years some slim thread which
has once ina while broadened out and disclosed
some treasure worth a life-long search.”

“A man cannot be a professor of zodlogy on one
day, and of chemistry on the next, and do good work
in both. As in a concert all are musicians—one
plays one instrument, and one another, but none all
in perfection.”

“You cannot do without one specialty ; you must
have some base-line to measure the work and attain-
ments of others. Fora general view of the subject

At Pentkese. 175

study the history of the sciences. Broad knowledge
of all Nature has been the possession of no naturalist
except Humboldt, and general relations constituted
his specialty.”

‘Select such subjects that your pupils cannot walk
without seeing them. Train your pupils to be ob-
servers, and have them provided with the specimens
about which you speak. If you can find nothing
better, take a horse-fly or a cricket, and let each hold
a specimen and examine it as you talk.”

“In 1847 I gave an address at Newton, Massachu-
setts, before a Teachers’ Institute conducted by
Horace Mann. My subject was grasshoppers. I
passed around a large jar of these insects, and made
every teacher take oneand hold it while I was speak-
ing. If any one dropped the insect, I stopped till
he picked it up. This was at that time a great inno-
vation, and excited much laughter and derision.
There can be no true progress in the teaching of
natural science until such methods become general.”

“There is no part of the country where, in the
summer, you can not get a sufficient supply of the
best specimens. Teach your children to bring them
in yourselves. Take the text from the book, not
from the booksellers. It is better to have a few
forms well known than to ‘teach a little about many
hundred species. Better a dozen specimens thor-
oughly studied as the result of the first year’s work,
than to have two thousand dollars’ worth of shells
and corals bought froma curiosity shop. The dozen
animals would be your own.”

“ The study of Nature is an intercourse with the

176 Louis Agassiz.

highest mind. You should never trifle with Nature.
At the lowest her works are the works of the highest
powers, the highest something in whatever way we
may look at it.”

“A laboratory of natural history is a sanctuary
where nothing profane should be tolerated. I feel
less angry at improprieties in church than in a scien-
tific laboratory.”

“In Europe I have been accused of taking my
scientific ideas from the Church. In America I have
been called a heretic, because I would not let my
church-going friends pat me on the head.”

The Penikese school existed in Agassiz. It was
his personality which made it a success, his great
genius that made it possible; and as the students
separated in the autumn, all felt that a fresh impetus
had been given to biological study, a stimulus that
has found expression in later years in the establish-
ment of various marine laboratories in various parts
of this country and Europe.

_ Inthe autumn Agassiz returned to the museum and

(the contemplation of new work, made possible by the
grant of one hundred and twenty-five thousand dollars
by the Legislature, one hundred thousand of which
was considered as a birthday gift to the scientist, to
be used as he willed in the cause of the museum, —a
contrast indeed to his experience in former years
when he pleaded and used all his eloquence to secure
the necessary appropriations to insure the preserva-
tion of his growing collections.

It was very evident to the friends of the naturalist
that his strength was failing, that he had overtaxed

At Pentkese. 177

nature. Yet he had plans outlined that would have
required half the lifetime of an ordinary man to ac-
complish. As the winter came on he began a series
of lectures on the type of Radiates. Atthis time he
wrote and began the preparation of several articles
on the theories advanced by Darwin, and on the 2d
of December, 1873, he appeared before the people of
Fitchburg at a meeting of the Massachusetts Board
of Agriculture, lecturing on “ The structural growth
of domesticated animals.” This was his last public
effort, yet while the audience was impressed with
his mental force and saw no lessening of the fires of
his genius, those who knew him best felt that he was
struggling against physical weakness.

He often almost broke down in these last days
—the glint of the setting sun rested upon his face,
.the shadow of the unknown was upon him. At
one time he said: “I want rest; I am ready to
go; Iam tired! but I will work while I live; while
I have strength I will labour.” He desired to die in
the harness, and the end came when the great soul
was filled with thoughts for the advancement of
science and the intellectual elevation of mankind.

To the immediate loved ones he spoke of weari-
ness, and finally on the 14th of December, 1873, laid
down the burden in the full confidence of a life well
spent, of a journey happily ended, leaving a mem-
ory and heritage as imperishable as the boulder from
the glacier of the Aar, that marks his grave at Mount
Auburn, or the great ice-river that bears his name in
the Alaskan mountains above the Malaspina glacier.

The death of Agassiz, like that of Darwin, created

178 Louts Agasstz.

widespread comment and regret throughout the
civilised world. The people, irrespective of sect or
class, recognised the fact that one of the great figures,
not only of the century, but of the age, had passed
away.

“For a long time,’ wrote Professor Silliman,
“have we dreaded the sad event which we now record.
For many years the splendid physique of Agassiz
manifested signs that his prodigious labours were
overcoming his elasticity. His herculean strength,
which made fatigue of body or mind unknown to
him, yielded to the severer tax of the American
climate and the incessant growing demands upon
him from every source. His life and strength were
renewed by his long voyage to San Francisco in the
Hassler ; but both he and his friends recognised the
fact that to labour with his former activity was im-
possible and forbidden. Yet to live, was for him
unavoidably to labour; and to die in the harness
rather than to live after the power to serve his fellow-
men was passed—his aspiration.”

VEGETATION ON THE SHORES OF THE JANDIATUBA.

(VALLEY OF THE AMAZON.)

» erie
4 athe “Re o

. nee so x 2

=
on

CHAPTER XXI.

RELIGIOUS BELIEF.

Friendship for Darwin—Opposition to his Theories—Letter to Dr.
Wilder—Strong Religious Belief—Agassiz on Evolution—Last
Literary Work in Opposition to Darwin’s Theory—A Definition
of Classification—Evidences of Religious Thoughts—Denounced
as an Atheist—The Lectures at the Academy of Music.

GASSIZ was the great theis-
tic philosopher of the age
in which he lived, and an
account of his life would
be. incomplete without
some reference to his op-
position to the theories
advanced by Charles Dar-
win, in which is outlined
his strong religious belief.
Between the two men ex-
isted the kindest of feeling.
In 1871 Agassiz wrote to
Professor Burt G. Wilder: ‘I have read both volumes
of Darwin’s Descent of Man, which he sent himself
with some very pleasant words. You know that
we are truly friends, much as we differ in views.”
Both men believed in a Creator; but Darwin rarely

179

180 Louis Agassiz.

if ever referred to religion in his works, directly or
indirectly, while with Agassiz the reverse holds.
He believed that the theories of Darwin were in-
compatible with a belief in an all-wise Creator, and
he combated them with all his power, his attitude
upon this question being one of the most interesting
features of his career.

Agassiz always stood by the tenets of his religious
belief. Everything in nature was suggestive of the
bounty, the wisdom of a living God, and any theory,
any belief that threw a shadow of doubt upon this
was looked upon asa sacrilege. In brief, these two
great minds, while working for a common object,
were diametrically opposed on many points. Dar-
win’s great theories, which aroused such fierce an-
tagonism throughout the world, found no stronger
antagonist and critic than Agassiz, who even to
the last stood by his convictions. Both men were
great ; both possessed of a divine genius. They were
born and equipped for great deeds and accomplish-
ments, antagonistic to each other yet each imbued
with highest respect for the attainments of the other.

“What a set of men you have at Harvard!” said
Darwin to Longfellow. ‘“ Both our universities put
together cannot furnish the like. Why, there is
Agassiz,—he counts for three.” And of Darwin
personally Agassiz had none but good words, though
he vigorously opposed the acceptance of his ideas.

Darwin believed that man is the result of develop-
ment and the highest form of the animal kingdom
of to-day, and that in all probability he was or is
a descendant or rather an ascendant of a Simian

Religious Belief. 181

type; that all animals have developed from pre-
vious forms, the species and genera being produced
by environment in vast eras of time. In a letter
to Sir Philip de Grey Egerton, Agassiz wrote:
“My recent studies have made me more adverse
than ever to the new scientific doctrines which
are flourishing now in England. This sensational
zeal reminds me of what I experienced as a
young man in Germany, when the _ physio-phi-
losophy of Oken had invaded every centre of sci-
entific activity ; and yet, what is there left of it? I
trust to outlive this mania also. As usual, I do not
ask beforehand, what you think of it, and I may
have put my hand intoa hornet’s nest; but you
know your old friend Agass., and will forgive him if
he hits a tender spot.”

Agassiz’s last literary work was upon an article for
/the Atlantic Monthly, on the “ Evolution and Perma-
*nence of Type.” “A physical fact is as sacred as a

moral principle. Our own nature demands from us
this double allegiance,” was his text, his creed, and
in the above-mentioned paper, in defining his plan
for future articles, he said: “ I hope in future articles
to show, first, that, however broken the geological
record may be, there is a complete sequence in many
parts of it, from which the character of the succes-
sion may be ascertained; secondly, that, since the
most exquisitely delicate structures, as well as em-
bryonic phases of growth of the most perishable
nature, have been preserved from very early de-
posits, we have no right to infer the disappearance
of types because their absence disproves some favour-

182 Louis Agassiz.

ite theory; and, lastly, that there is no evidence of a
direct descent of later from earlier species in the
geological succession of animals.”

_ In 1844 Agassiz completed a monograph on the
(fishes of the Old Red Sandstone, which was begun
at the request of the British Association for the
Advancement of Science, and was a supplement to
the magnificent work in five volumes entitled
Recherches sur les Potssons Fosstles. At this time, he
made some observations that then and in later years
attracted no little attention. He knew that there
were certain living fishes, as the sturgeon, in which the
upper lobe of the tail was formed by the continuance
of the backbone, and he saw in these the descend-
ants of a large group that swarmed the ancient
Carboniferous and Devonian seas. Agassiz made
the remarkable discovery that certain other fishes,
not of the group of which the sturgeons may be
taken as a representative, had in the embryo state
tails that were heterocercal, which afterwards be-
came homocercal. From this discovery, which at
the time occasioned no little interest in the world of
science, Agassiz deduced the famous law that the
“embryo of the fish during its development, the
present class of fishes with its numerous families,
and the type of fish in its geological history, undergo
strictly analogous phases,” and in hisintroduction to
a monograph of the fossil fishes of the Old Red
Sandstone he applies this in a general way to verte-
brates: “The successive creations have undergone
phases of development analogous to those the em-
bryo passes through during its growth, and similar

Religious Belief. 183

to the gradations the present creation shows us in
its ascending series, considered as a whole.

The most incontestable result of modern palzonto-
logical research, in the examination of the question
which at present occupies us, is the fact, now beyond
controversy, of the simultaneous appearance of par-
ticular types of all classes of invertebrate animals
from the earliest development of life upon the
surface of the globe. The history of this successive
development shows conclusively the impossibility of
referring the first inhabitants of the earth to a small
number of branches, differentiated from one parent
stock by the influence of the modifications of ex-
terior conditions of existence.” This is the keynote
of Agassiz’s belief regarding the creation and origin
of life which he held until the last.

His ideas on the much discussed subject of classi-
fication are well illustrated in the introduction of a
work entitled Contributions to the Natural History of
the United States, the plan of which was published
in 1857. “In the beginning of this chapter,” he
says, “I have already stated that classification seems
to me to rest upon too narrow a foundation when it
is chiefly based upon structure. Animals are linked
together as closely by their mode of development, by
their relative standing in their respective classes, by
the order in which they have made their appearance
upon earth, by their geographical distribution, and
generally by their connection with the world in which
they live, as by their anatomy. All these relations
should, therefore, be fully expressed in a natural
classification; and though structure furnishes the

184 Louts Agasstz.

most direct indication of some of these relations,
always appreciable under every circumstance, other
considerations should not be neglected which may
complete our insight into the general plan of
creation.”

With the types which he termed embryonic he

(recognises others which he called prophetic. He
thus writes in his essay on Classification :

“T confess that this question as to the nature and
foundation of our scientific classifications appears to
me to have the deepest importance ; an importance
far greater, indeed, than is usually attached to it. If
it can be proved that man has not invented but only
traced this systematic arrangement in nature; that
these relations and proportions which exist through-
out the animal and vegetable world have an intel-
lectual, an ideal, connection in the mind of the Crea-
tor; that this plan of creation, which so commends
itself to our highest wisdom, has not grown out of
the necessary action of physical laws, but was the
free conception of the Almighty Intellect, matured
in His thought before it was manifested in tangible
external forms ; if, in short, we can prove premedita-
tion prior to the act of creation, we have done once
and forever with the desolate theory which refers us
to the laws of matter as accounting for all the
wonders of the universe, and leaves us with no God
but the monotonous unvarying action of physical
forces, binding all things to their inevitable
destiny. :

“To me it appears indisputable that this order
and arrangement of our studies are based upon the

Religious Belief. 185

natural primitive relations of animal life; those sys-
tems to which we have given the names of the great
leaders of our science who first proposed them, being
in truth but translations into human language of the
thoughts of the Creator. And if this is indeed so,
do we not find in this adaptability of the human
intellect to the facts of creation, by which we be-
come instinctively and, as I have said, uncon-
sciously the translators of the thoughts of God, the
most conclusive proof of our affinity with the Divine
mind? And is not this intellectual and spiritual
connection with the Almighty worthy of our deepest
consideration? If there is any truth in the belief
that man is made in the image of God, it is surely
not amiss for the philosopher to endeavour by the
study of his own mental operations to comprehend
the workings of the Divine Reason, learning from
the nature of his own mind better to understand the
Infinite Intellect from which it is derived.”

Agassiz was first of all a believer in a Divine
Ruler, in a Creator of all things. To him it was
this Divine Intelligence that governed life. He was
essentially religious; the teaching of his devoted
and pious mother had taken so deep root that he
never wandered. It was this in part that undoubt-
edly made Agassiz the successful teacher that he
was. The simplest facts in nature gave him inspira-
tion. Every leaf, the smallest animals were but the
evidences of the Divine Creator whose existence
he acknowledged. In his essay on Classification
he says: “All the facts proclaim aloud the one
God, whom we know, adore, and love; and Natural

186 Louts Agassiz.

History must in good time become the analysis
of the thoughts of the creator of the universe,
as manifested in the animal and vegetable king-
doms.”

Agassiz’s line of argument against the develop-
ment theory is well illustrated in the following
extract from a published article, Zhe Tertiary Age, °
and its Characteristic Animals :

“‘One word more as to the relation of the Tertiary
mammalia to the creation which preceded them. I
can only repeat here the argument used before: the
huge quadrupeds characteristic of these epochs make
their appearance suddenly, and the deposits contain-
ing them follow as immediately upon those of the
Cretaceous epoch, in which no trace of them occurs,
as do those of the Cretaceous upon those of the
Jurassic epoch. I would remind the reader that in
the central basin of France, in which Cuvier found
his first Palaotherium, and which afterwards proved
to have been thickly settled by the early Mammalia,
the deposits of the Jurassic, Cretaceous, and Tertiary
epochs follow each other in immediate, direct, unin-
terrupted succession; that the same is true of other
localities, in Germany, in Southern Europe, in Eng-
land, where the most complete collections have been
made from all these deposits; and there has never
been brought to light a single fact leading us to
suppose that any intermediate forms have ever
existed through which more recent types have been
developed out of older ones. For thirty years
Geology has been gradually establishing, by evi-
dence the fulness and accuracy of which are truly

Religious Belief. 187

amazing, the regularity in the sequence of the geo-
logical formations, and distinguishing, with ever-
increasing precision, the specific differences of the
animals and plants contained in these accumulations
of past ages. These results bear living testimony to
the wonderful progress of the kindred sciences of
geology and palzontology in the last half-century ;
and the development theory has but an insecure
foundation so long as it attempts to strengthen itself
by belittling the geological record, the assumed im-
perfection of which, in default of positive facts, has
now become the favourite argument of its beholders.”’

In 1863 Agassiz published a volume entitled,
Method of Study in Natural History, the main ob-
ject of which was to give hints and suggestions to
young readers, yet in the introduction he says: “I
have also wished to avail myself of this opportunity |
to enter my earnest protest against the transmuta-
tion theory, revived of late with so much ability,
and so generally received. It is my belief that
naturalists are chasing a phantom, in their search
after some material gradation among created beings,
by which the whole Animal Kingdom may have
been derived by successive development from a
single germ, or from a few germs. It would seem,
from the frequency with which this notion is re-
vived,—ever returning upon us with hydra-headed
tenacity of life, and presenting itself under a new
form as soon as the preceding one has been ex-
ploded and set aside,—that it has a certain fascina-
tion for the human mind. This arises, perhaps, from
the desire to explain the secret of our own existence ;

188 Louis Agassiz.

to have some simple and easy solution of the fact
that we live.

“JT confess that there seems to me to bea repulsive
poverty in this material explanation, that is contra-
dicted by the intellectual grandeur of the universe;
the resources of the Deity cannot be so meagre, that,
in order to create a human being endowed with '
reason, he must change a monkey intoaman. This
is, however, merely a personal opinion, and has no
weight as an argument; nor am I so uncandid as
to assume that another may not hold an opinion
diametrically opposed to mine in a spirit quite as
reverential as my own. But I nevertheless insist
that this theory is opposed to the processes of nature,
as far as we have been able to apprehend them;
that it is contradicted by the facts of Embryology
and Paleontology, the former showing us forms of
development as distinct and persistent for each group
as are the first types of each period revealed to us
by the latter; and that the experiments upon
domesticated animals and cultivated plants, on
which its adherents base their views, are entirely
foreign to the matter in hand, since the varieties
thus brought about by the fostering care of man are
of an entirely different character from those observed
among wild species. And while their positive evi-
dence is inapplicable, their negative evidence is
equally unsatisfactory ; since, however long and
frequent the breaks in the geological series may be
in which they would fain bury their transition types,
there are many points in the succession where the
connection is perfectly distinct and unbroken, and

Religious Belief. 189

it is just at these points that new organic groups are
introduced without any intermediate forms to link
them with the preceding ones. In another series
of papers, I shall endeavour to show the futility of
the argument so far as it is founded upon the imper-
fection of the geological record.”

Everywhere in this and other papers we note the
reverential feeling of the naturalist. The idea ofa
creative God, a Maker, a Divine Architect, never
left him, and while Darwin was being attacked by
the clergy for his belief, Agassiz received the sneers
and scoffs of many for what they termed his bigoted
views. He simply expounded his belief, never
urging its adoption, and how liberal was his teaching,
how little tinctured with the spirit of bigotry, is seen
in the fact that to-day, with perhaps one exception,
all of his pupils are believers in the modern theory
of evolution as expounded by Darwin.

In referring to classification, Agassiz believed it
meant “simply the creative plan of God as ex-
pressed by inorganic forms. Referring to man and
his position and spiritual nature, he says: ‘Even
in the lowest members of this highest group of the
Vertebrates, at the head of which stands man him-
self, looking heavenward it is true, but nevertheless
rooted deeply in the Animal Kingdom, we have the
dawning of those family relations, those intimate
ties between parents and children, on which the
whole social organisation of the human race is based.
Man is the crowning work of God on earth; but
though so nobly endowed, we must not forget that
we are the lofty children of a race whose lowest

190 Louts Agassiz.

forms lie prostrate within the water, having no
higher aspiration than the desire for food; and we
cannot understand the possible degradation and
wretchedness of man, without knowing that his physi-
cal nature is rooted in all the material characteristics
that belong to his type and link him even with the
Fish. The moral and intellectual gifts that dis- °
tinguish him from them are his to use or to abuse;
he may, if he will, abjure his better nature and be
Vertebrate more than man. He may sink as low as
the lowest of his type, or he may rise to a spiritual
height that will make that which distinguishes him
from the rest far more the controlling element of his
being than that which unites him with them.”

_.In another place Agassiz says, in referring to
(‘Darwin’s suggestion that man in breeding animals
simply takes the place of certain happenings in nature:
“ Nature holds inviolable the stamp that God has set
upon his creatures ; and if man is able to influence
their organisation in some slight degree, it is because
the Creator has given to his relations with the animals
he has intended for his companions the same plasticity
which he has allowed to every other side of his life,
in virtue of which he may in some sort mould and
shape it to his own ends, and be. held responsible
also for its results.

“The common-sense of a civilised community
has already pointed out the true distinction, in ap-
plying another word to the discrimination of the
different kinds of domesticated animals. They are
called Breeds, and Breeds among animals are the
work of man: species were created by God.”

Religious Belief. 1gI

In 1862 Agassiz delivered a series of six lectures
in the Academy of Music, Brooklyn, N. Y., which
were entitled “The Graham Lectures,’ on the
“ Power, Wisdom, and Goodness of God” as mani-
festec in his works. In one of these lectures he
announced what may possibly surprise the reader.
He said:

“T know that I have been considered by many
persons an infidel, because I have not taken for my
guidance in the study of science the dictum of certain
creeds. But science cannot submit to dictation, it
must build up what it seeks upon the premises which
it finds. Let us be content if the results lead to the
same conclusion; we shall stand then in the position
of one who, having been brought up in the religion
of his parents, and having been led astray by doubts,
has at length, under the influence of a better frame
of mind and of sober thought, come to reconsider
the basis of his doubts, and by laborious investiga-
tion has returned to the faith he had forsaken.

“Such is the position of science. It is the ques-
tioning, the doubting element in human progress:
and when this has gone far enough, it begins the
work of reconstruction in such a way as will never
harm true religion, or cause any reasonable appre-
hension to the real and sincere Christian. Suchismy
conviction; and while I am considered on one side
as an infidel, and decried on the other in scientific
circles as a bigot, as one who follows the lead of a
creed rather than that of science, I feel bound to
say that I am neither.”

Those who professed to believe Agassiz an infidel

192 Louis Agassiz.

could hardly have been posted as to his methods and
belief, as the works of no naturalist of his time so
ring with religious fervour and enthusiasm. In one
of his lectures he says: “In presenting the order of
succession of animals in past ages, my object was
chiefly to show that there exists such a connection
between them as bespeaks thought, plan, and delib-
eration, and that in their combination at different
periods is clearly seen the intervention of an intelli-
. gent Creator.” And again: “ Even though we can
make ourselves conscious that they (animals) are
built by mind, and that it has pleased the Maker of
all things to give us a spark of that life which makes
us to be His children, formed in His image, that evi-
dence is nowhere stronger than in the fact that our
mind is capable of studying those works to a limit
which approaches to a comprehension of their won-
derful relation to one another.”

Thus it will be seen, that Agassiz stands out
strongly among the scientists and naturalists of his
time as a defender of the faith, as one who never
allowed the doubt of infidelity to creep into his
mind. To him all nature spoke of the glory of
God, and every living thing was an evidence of the
creative mind in nature, the wisdom of a Divine
Architect.

_In referring to his religious nature Dr. Stebbins
‘says: “He waseminently a religious and devout
man. He was ever looking for the indications of
thought and purpose in nature from monad to mas-
todon. He studied nature as the work of an intelli-
gent mind, not of blind forces. The more he dis-

Religious Belief. 193

covered of order, the more he perceived of intellect.
This vast display of animate and inanimate nature
was to him the result and perpetual expression of
the divine thought, a revelation of God. How I have
seen his face glow as he described some of the most
striking of the evidences of intellectual action in
nature! He has been accused of weakness for
yielding to such impressions, advancing such opin-
ions. It was his great glory not to esteem the thing
above the thought, the product above the producer.
To see behind adapted forms a purposing mind is
not a weakness, but a necessity for every compre-
hensive mind. The studies of Agassiz did not lead
him into the mire of materialism nor the deserts of
pantheism, nor the dreary solitudes of atheism, but
to the sublime ideas of God and immortality.

“Yes; Agassiz was reverent. Said he to his
class at Penikese: ‘The study of nature is direct
intercourse with the highest mind. It is unworthy
an intelligent being to trifle with the works of the
Creator. A laboratory of natural history is a sanctu-
ary, in which nothing improper should be exhibited.
I would tolerate improprieties in a church as soon
as in a scientific laboratory,’ and in this spirit he
did his work.”

To-day the students of Agassiz are among the
most distinguished advocates of the doctrine of
Darwin, and unquestionably the majority of natu-
ralists of the world have accepted its deductions ;
yet there are many who still agree with the emi-
nent Swiss. What the decree of future generations
will be can but be surmised.

CHAPTER XXII.
THE AGASSIZ ASSOCIATION.

Agassiz the Teacher—Effect on American Science—Important Posi-
tions Held by Pupils—Methods of Study—The Disciple of Out-
door Studies—Methods of Teaching—The Agassiz Association—
Work Accomplished.

QUESTIONABLY
Agassiz was the greatest
teacher of science the
world has seen. The
faculty of conveying in-
formation and enthusing
the recipient with ardour
was inborn. We _ have
seen that he was suc-
cessful in teaching even
in boyhood and _ that
during the days of
the “Little Academy”
he was the central figure among many bright
lights.

He came to this country at a time when it was
ripe for new methods. His views were novel, his
individuality was recognised everywhere, and, as

194

Het

! il be

Ft Wi

_ GIUMKARZ,

(A TRIBUTARY OF THE AMAZON.)

MOUTH OF THE RIVER NAPO.

The Agassiz Association. 195

a result, it was not long before he was the centre of
scientific interest in America. He gathered about
him a coterie of brilliant men from all parts of the
country, and it is interesting to note that in almost
every instance these students, graduates, as it were,
of his system and methods of work, have taken posi-
tions of the highest rank. Putnam, now director of
the Department of Ethnology at the World’s Fair;
Jordan, President of Leland Stanford Jr. University ;
Bickmore, the founder of the American Museum;
Agassiz, his.son, an eminent scientist, the head of
the Cambridge Museum of Comparative Zodlogy ;
Whitman, of Clark University ; Snow, Chancellor of
the University of Kansas; Crosby, of the Boston
Natural History Society, Garman, of the Museum of
Comparative Zoélogy, Wilder, Morse, Mayer, Minot,
Brooks, and Packard of Boston, and many more are
distinguished naturalists of to-day. Agassiz’s com-
ing to America marked the beginning of a new
epoch in American science. He introduced methods
of study and investigation unknown.

Many of his pupils will remember their first days
with him, and several have chronicled their experi-
ences. To one, now a distinguished entomologist,
who went to the great master to perfect himself, was
given an echinoderm, with a request to be prepared
to tell something about it. To be left alone with an
echinoderm, especially if one has never seen the
animal before, and expected to describe its charac-
teristics, was, to say the least, puzzling, yet the
student carefully made his observations and un-
wittingly learned the first great precept in the

196 Louis Agassiz.

Agassiz school of science teaching. He observed
and investigated at first hand, and had the happy
consciousness of having made his discoveries him-
self. This was Agassiz’s method. He once entered
a class with a bottle of grasshoppers, gravely dis-
tributing the kicking insects to the students, then
began a lucid, even charming, discourse, which was
followed by the students from thorax to eye, and an-
tennz to mouth parts and back again, after which
the grasshoppers were allowed their liberty.

But it is to the after results of Agassiz’s life that
I would refer in the present chapter, and to the in-
direct influence of Agassiz upon young people.

Agassiz was a disciple of out-door studies. His
classes observed while walking the moors and valleys
and recited among the flowers or by the brookside,
with the song of the birds and the hum of insects
in their ears. This method of study is in vogue
to-day and the name of Agassiz is synonomous
with health-giving, soul-inspiring out-door studies,
face to face with nature and the Divine Giver of all
things.

In almost every town or city in the United States
we find the Agassiz Association, and, happily, it is
fast spreading to other lands. The idea of forming
societies among young people to follow out the sug-
gestions of study made by the great teacher, is due,
in this country to Harlan H. Ballard of Lenox,
Mass., a devoted admirer of the great naturalist,
and an educator and lover of nature himself.

The Agassiz Association was founded in 1875, be-
ing the “outgrowth of a life-long love for nature,

Lhe Agassiz Association. 197

and a belief that education is incomplete unless it
includes some practical knowledge of the common
objects that surround us.” A similar association
had flourished for some years in Switzerland, and the
American society grew rapidly in interest. In 18800
it was taken up by the St. Nicholas, and so, from
the little society in the Berkshire Hills, sprang the
hundreds of chapters that bear the name of Agassiz
from one end of North America to the other. The
societies were formed in schools, in towns, villages,
in fact wherever there were a few persons interested
in natural history. While visiting an island in the
Pacific, about thirty miles off the coast of California,
the author was surprised and delighted to find that,
though there were but few permanent inhabitants on
the island, there was a chapter of the Agassiz Asso-
ciation. Even in this remote island the name of the
great naturalist was revered, and gave inspiration to
a few persons who gathered regularly to discuss
the specimens that formed the stock in trade of a
local curiosity dealer.

The Agassiz Association is a free school of natural
history, to include any one old and young, and from
schools it has spread so that, according to Mr. Ballard,
about two thousand clubs have been enrolled: since
1880, ranging from two or three members up to one
hundred and fifty, which is the membership list of
the Fitchburg, Mass., Chapter, No. 448. This chapter
has accomplished much, has published a “ Flora of
Fitchburg and Vicinity,” and issued many valuable
papers on the fauna and flora of the locality. Mr.
Ballard has received the co-operation of many scien-

198 Louis Agassiz.

tists all over the country, who have agreed to answer
questions relating to their specialties, and in this
way the dissemination of knowledge and facts has
been pushed. The constitution of the Agassiz Asso-
ciation is as follows:

Art.1. The name of this society shall be The
Agasstz Association.

Art. 2. It shall be the object of this association
to collect, study, and preserve natural objects and
facts.

Art. 3. The officer of this association shall be a
President, who shall perform the customary duties
of such officer, and who may nominate his own suc-
cessor, who may be elected by the votes of a majority
of the chapters of the association.

Art. 4. New chapters may be added with the
consent of the president, provided that no such
chapter shall consist of less than four members.
Chapters shall be named from the towns in which
they exist, and if there be more than one chapter in
a town, they shall further be distinguished by the
letters of the alphabet.

Art.5. Each chapter may choose its own officers
and make its own by-laws.

Art.6. The Swiss Cross shall be the official organ
of the Agassiz Association.

Art. 7. This constitution may be amended by a
three-fourths vote of the association or its repre-
sentatives.

Under this constitution the good work has gone
on. Hundreds of young people have been aided
morally, physically, and mentally. They have been

The Agasstz Association. 199

taken out into the glad sunlight, made better and
stronger by the association, and with the possession
of new facts regarding simple things rendered more
helpful and useful. “It was the dream of Louis
Agassiz himself,” writes Mr. Ballard, “to see
American youth early led into the pleasant paths
of natural science; to see them forsaking all foolish
and wanton sport for the sake of a wise and loving
study of the works of God.”

The success of the Agassiz Association lies in
in the fact that it appeals to all, old and young, big
and little. Ina letter to the author, Mr. Ballard, in
referring to a new branch of the society, writes:
©“ This is a chapter composed not of members who
live in the same town, but of persons living remote
from one another, in places where not enough con-
genial spirits can be found to form a club, but who
are united by a common interest in a common ob-
ject of research. These are called corresponding
chapters, and first among them was the Archzologi-
cal Corresponding Chapter, which has for its presi-
dent Mr. Hilberne T. Cressen, of Philadelphia; for
vice-president, Dr. C. C. Abbott, of Trenton, N. J.;
and for secretary, Mr. A. H. Leitch, of Dayton,
Ohio. The members of this society are all adult,
and propose, under the auspices and general direc-
tion of the Peabody Museum, to preserve valuable
mounds from the spade of the vandal and the
speculator, until they can be properly opened either
by themselves or by some one else acting under
scientific supervision. Two other corresponding

200 Louis Agassiz.

chapters have been added recently: the Gray
Memorial Chapter of Botany, G. H. Hicks, presi-
dent, and the Isaac Lee Memorial Chapter of
Conchology, led by Dr. M. L. Leach, of Traverse
City, Mich. Chapter No. 1, founded in a coun-
try school in Lenox, Mass., in 1875, still exists, and
is in a stronger condition than ever, although it has
recently been removed to Pittsfield, Mass., where
it is about to undertake the study of local geology
and mineralogy. /Since the establishment of our
Society the gitls and women have kept equal step
with the boys and men, not only in patient and
thorough work in the field and laboratory, but also
in the less congenial but perhaps no less necessary
work of organisation and direction. Many ladies
are efficient secretaries, curators, and presidents of
chapters, and one at least has held the office of
\ president of a State assembly, and carried it off
\with honor.” —$—___—————
“One of the pleasant features of this Agassiz Asso- }
ciation is the custom of celebrating in each chapter |
all over the land the birthday of Agassiz, May 28th. |
| The chapters make the event an especial occasion,
| spending the day as Agassiz would were he with
them, face to face with nature. Perhaps some paper
| is read, or The Prayer of Agassiz, by Whittier, or
the lines by Longfellow on the naturalist’s fiftieth
birthday are recited. :
Among those interested in the chapters are old
students of Agassiz, who revere his name and mem-
| ory, and appreciate the enthusiasm and delight with

:
:

rel

‘*

r The Agassiz Assoctation. 201 »
/
/ which he would have watched the progress and

| opularisation of science among the young.

j/ popu g ¥ g

j The Agassiz Association is but one of the effects
g

of the teaching of Agassiz upon the thought of the
| day. a
t

CHAPTER XxXIll.

AGASSIZ AND HIS WORKS.

Work on the Spix Collection of Fishes — On Fresh-Water Fishes—
Sur les Moules de Mollusques Vivans et Fossiles—Etudes sur
les Glaciers—The Nomenclator Zoblogicus—Contributions to the
Natural History of the United States—The Structure of Animal
Life, etc., etc.

HE published works, pam-

i r \ phlets, and monographs
j i \\| of Louis Agassiz have
4 “} never been completely
a \ | _.| tecorded, but even a

casual review of the list
known is suggestive of
the phenomenal labours
of the great thinker and
investigator in the world
of science. The pub-

GT
es 0 | }
iy ital Kr Z
hl 2} lished works of Agassiz,
which were milestones in

the development of his career, have been casually
referred to in the previous pages, but they were so
epoch-making, had so marked an effect upon the
scientific thought of the time, that some special
mention may add to the interest of the story.

202

FISHES

THE UCAYALI AMAZON AND OF THE LAKES BORDERING ITS SHORES.

Agassiz and His Works. 203

Authorship came to Agassiz by no slow evolution.
He sprang at once into the arena of letters, and was
at the early age of twenty-one given by Martius the
work of describing the Spix collection of fishes. The
work, when complete, was given the following title:
Selecta genera et species piscium quos collegit et pin-
gendos curavit Dr. F. B. de Spix. Digressit, de-
scripsit, et observationibus illustravit Dr. L. Agassiz.

It was a high compliment to the young naturalist
that he should be selected to complete this work,
and it is remarkable that one of his age could write
so elaborate a volume, and in the Latin language;
it gave him a reputation that was something more
than mere fame.

The story of his life and aspirations at this time
is touching and interesting. His dream was to sur-
prise his parents by the announcement of their son’s
authorship, and we have already seen how the secret
was made public. All his young energies were
poured into this work, his entire future seeming to
depend upon this one effort, and when we remember
that this youth of twenty-one was not only doing
the work that was usually given to the oldest natu-
ralists, but writing in the Latin language, we can
realise what he had undertaken. His letters to his
brother at this time teem with the pleasant anticipa-
tions of the results of his labours and the delight
which he believed it would give his parents. In one
letter, published in the work of Mrs. Agassiz on her
husband, he refers to the fact that it will seem a
singular thing that the largest book in their father’s
library will be the folio bearing his own name, “ and

204 , Louis Agassiz.

will it not,” he asks, “be as good as to see his pre-
scription at the apothecary’s?”’—a suggestion that
is appreciated when we remember that Agassiz’s
father at this time was strenuously endeavouring to
have him adopt the profession of medicine.

This work alluded to still stands as one of the
most valuable on the subject to which it relates.
( Agassiz’s second venture, in which he was assisted
by Cotta, the noted publisher, was a work on the
natural history of the Fresh-Water Fishes of Europe,
a portion of which was issued in 1839-40, but never
entirely completed. He communicated the infor-
mation of this great undertaking to his parents in a
letter from Munich in 1829. He was then anxiously
awaiting the reviews of his Braztlian Fishes, and
for the verdict, though fairly sure of a welcome from
the scientific press of the day. The work on fresh-
water fishes he planned to issue in numbers, each
to contain twelve coloured plates. The young author
proposed to announce his new undertaking at the
meeting of savants and naturalists which was to be
held at Heidelberg, when he intended to distribute
his circulars. Cuvier, to whom the Braszzlian Fishes
had been dedicated, and who was highly pleased
with the work, promised to aid in its sale in every
way. He also expressed great interest in the forth-
coming work on fresh-water fishes, pointing out to
Agassiz that there was room for such a work as the
one he proposed, as the illustrations of those of
Block, Marsigli, and others were not correct.

Between the publication of more important works
came special papers, monographs, communications

‘NOZVWV AHL AO YALSNOW v

Agassiz and His Works. 205

to the press, scientific and otherwise, which, if com-
pletely collected, would show the extraordinary
enterprise and vigour of the young student. The
fourteen years during which Agassiz held the chair
of Natural History at Neuchatel were especially pro-
lific in published works, being the period during
which he conducted the large lithographic establish-
ment where were made and published many of the
plates of the work on Fossil Fishes, those of Potssons
ad’ Eau Douce, the illustrations of the Embryology of
the Coregonus, those of the work on Glaciers, and
the fine cuts of the work on Echinoderms.

The work on the fossil fishes, already referred to,
was the finest thing of the kind ever published. It
contained a thousand species, nearly every one then
known to science, and was issued in a regal manner
in five volumes with four hundred plates. The mag-
nitude of the work can be realised when it is known
that it was ten years in appearing from the press.
This work is a monument to the industry, persever-
ance, and ambition of Agassiz.

His next most important book was that on
Glaciers which gave him world-wide fame. This
work was the result of the glacial rocket which he
threw into the geological skies. Agassiz was at the
time president of an aspiring scientific body, the
Helvetic Society of Natural Sciences, and in his
address at the opening of the meetings at Neuchatel
he announced his views and threw down the glove
to the scientific world. That his views should take
shape in a volume was to be expected, and we have
asa result Ltudes sur les Glaciers. This elaborate

206 Louis Agassiz.

work appeared in 1840 and 1841 in the German and
French languages, and was illustrated by fine plates.
This was followed by numerous short papers, lec-
tures, monographs, and descriptions of visits to
various glacial regions, and in 1847 appeared his
Systeme Glaciaire, an elaborate effort, beautifully
illustrated. This not only includes Agassiz’s ob-
servations, but contains a résumé of all that had
hitherto been observed regarding glaciers. The
stray papers on this subject, which Agassiz wrote in
these years, if collected, would form a volume in
themselves. One especially is brought to mind for
its interest and value. It appeared in the Eaznburgh
New Philosophical Fournal in October, 1842, and
was entitled ‘The Glacial Theory and its Recent
Progress.” It contained a map of the interesting
region about Glen Roy. An example of Agassiz’s
description is found in the following from a paper
on the formation of glaciers :

“The long summer was over. For ages a tropical
€limate had prevailed over a great part of the earth,
and animals whose home is now beneath the equa-
tor roamed over the world from the far south to
the very borders of the arctics. The gigantic
quadrupeds, the mastodons, elephants, tigers, lions,
hyenas, bears, whose remains are found in Europe
from its southern promontories to the northernmost
limits of Siberia and Scandinavia, and in America
from the Southern States to Greenland and the
Melville Islands, may indeed be said to have pos-
sessed the earth in those days. But their reign was
over. A sudden intense winter, that was also to last

Agassiz and Flis Works. 207

for ages, fell upon our globe; it spread over the very
countries where these tropical animals had their
homes, and so suddenly did it come upon them that
they were embalmed beneath masses of snow and
ice, without time even for the decay which follows
death. The elephant, whose story was told at
length in the preceding article, was by no means a
solitary specimen ; upon further investigation it was
found that the disinterment of these large tropical
animals in northern Russia and Asia was no unusual
occurrence. Indeed, their frequent discoveries of
this kind had given rise among the ignorant inhabi-
tants to the singular superstition already alluded to,
that gigantic moles lived under the earth, which
crumbled away and turned to dust as soon as they
came to the upper air. This tradition, no doubt,
arose from the fact that, when in digging they came
upon the bodies of these animals, they often found
them perfectly preserved under the frozen ground,
but the moment they were exposed to heat and
light they decayed and fell to pieces at once. Ad-
miral Wrangel, whose Arctic explorations have been
so valuable to science, tells us that the remains of
these animals are heaped up in such quantities in
certain parts of Siberia that he and his men climbed
over ridges and mounds consisting entirely of the
bones of elephants, rhinoceroses, etc. From these
facts it would seem that théy roamed over all these
northern regions in troops as large and numerous as
the buffalo herds that wander over our western
prairies now. We are indebted to Russian natural-
ists, and especially to Rathke, for the most minute

208 Louis Agassiz.

investigations of these remains, in which even the
texture of the hair, the skin, and flesh has been sub-
jected by him to microscopic examination as accurate
as if made upon any living animal.

“We have as yet no clue to the source of this
great and sudden change of climate. Various sug-
gestions have been made,—among others, that
formerly the inclination of the earth’s axis was
greater, or that a submersion of the continents
under water might have produced a decided increase
of cold; but none of these explanations are satisfac-
tory, and science has yet to find any cause which
accounts for all the phenomena connected with it.
It seems, however, unquestionable that since the
opening of the Tertiary age a cosmic summer and
winter have succeeded each other, during which a
Tropical heat and an Arctic cold have alternately
prevailed over a great portion of the present Tem-
perate Zone.

“ At great heights there is never dampness enough

(to allow the fine snow-crystals to coalesce and form
what are called ‘ snow-flakes.’ I have even stood on
the summit of the Jungfrau when a frozen cloud
filled the air with ice-needles, while I could see the
same cloud pouring down sheets of rain upon Lau-
terbrunnen below. I remember this spectacle as one
of the most impressive I have witnessed in my long
experience of Alpine scenery. The air immediately
about me seemed filled with rainbow-dust, for the
ice-needles glittered with a thousand hues under the
decomposition of light upon them, while the dark
storm in the valley below offered a strange contrast

Agassiz and His Works. 209

to the brilliancy of the upper region in which I
stood. One wonders where even so much vapour as
may be transformed into the finest snow should
come from at such heights. But the warm winds,
creeping up the sides of the valleys, the walls of
which become heated during the middle of the day,
come laden with moisture, which is changed toa
dry snow-like dust as soon as it comes into contact
with the intense cold above.”

While the works of Agassiz were well received by
the public, they were enthusiastically praised by his
friends, particularly Von Humboldt. “You are
happy, my dear Agassiz,” he said, “in the more
simple and yet truly proud position which you have
created for yourself. Your admirable work
draws to a close. The last number, so rich in dis-
coveries, and the prospectus, explaining the true state
of this vast publication, have soothed all irritation
regarding it. It is because I am so attached to you
that I rejoice in the calmer atmosphere you have
thus established about you. The approaching com-
pletion of the work delivers me also from the fear
that a too great ardour might cause you irreparable
loss. You have shown not only what a talent like
yours can accomplish, but also how a noble cour-
age can triumph over seemingly insurmountable
obstacles.”

Referring to the work on Lresh-Water Fishes, Hum-
boldt said: “In what words shall I tell you how
greatly our admiration is increased by this new work
on the Fresh-Water Fishes? Nothing has appeared
more admirable, more perfect, in drawing and colour.

210 Louis Agassiz.

This chromatic lithography resembles nothing we
have had thus far. What taste has directed the publi-
cation! Then the short descriptions accompanying
each plate add singularly to the charm and enjoyment
of thiskind of study. . . . Inot only delivered your
letter and the copy with it to the King, but I added
a short note on the merit of the undertaking. The -
counselor of the Royal Cabinet writes me officially
that the King has ordered the same number of copies
of the Presh-Water Fishes as the Fossil Fishes—that is
to say, ten copies.”

Such words, coming from the greatest savant of
the day to a young author, cannot have failed to give
him renewed courage to fight the battle.

A feature of Agassiz’s works is that they appeal
to the layman as well as the scientist, the same grand
idea of popularising science underlying all. This is
well illustrated in some of his monographs and
papers, of which may be mentioned Sur les Moules
de Mollusques Vivans et Fossiles.

As early as 1834 Agassiz published an elaborate
paper in the /s7s, entitled “ Uber die Echinodermen,”
which attracted wide-spread attention. The curious
“ basket-fish,” or Astrophyton—a starfish with bifur-
cating arms—was described in 1839, and so plain and
simple is the description that it is delightful reading
to those not especially interested in science or the
wonders of the Echinodermata.

The echinoderms were always a favourite study
with Agassiz, and he published many papers regard-
ing them. In 1838 to 1842 he issued Monographies
a’ Echinodermes Vivans et Fossiles—a valuable contri-

SOME CURIOUS AMAZON FISHES.

Agassiz and His Works. 21}

bution to the subject, and one which added not a
little to his fame and reputation.

Agassiz was now but thirty-five years of age, yet
few scientists in Europe were as well known to the
world. There was hardly a branch of science upon
which he was not authority. The year 1846 saw the
completion of what was to allintents and purposes a
vast index of the genera of the animal kingdom, an
extensive work in which he was assisted by twenty-
two scientific friends, among whom the work was
divided. The volume was issued under the title of
Nomenclator Zoologicus.

One of Agassiz’s first works in the United States
was an account of his investigations in the Lake
Superior region, and it is interesting to note that in
later years his son Alexander became the owner of
valuable copper interests here, the proceeds of which
have been used with a prodigal hand in the cause of
science and upon the museum which Louis Agassiz
founded.

Agassiz’s notes upon his observations in America
soon assumed large proportions. Among the first
publications was a paper on the viviparous fishes
of California, then recently discovered, while a still
greater plan began to take formin his mind. This
was an elaborate work, to be entitled Contributions
to the Natural History of the United States, and to
entail the publication of at least ten large volumes.
It was to be a subscription work, and in a very short
time twenty-five hundred names were secured, attest-
ing to the popularity of the distinguished writer.
This work was never fully completed, but four vol-

212 Louis Agassiz.

umes being issued, these remaining as monuments to
his energy and fame. The titles are: An Essay on
Classification, North American Testudinata, The
Embryology of Turtles,and The Acalephs.

If we were to select any of Agassiz’s books as re-
presenting his best work and happiest expression,
this might well be the above-mentioned, as in the -
various essays are found some of his best thoughts,
showing his rare intellectual development. Referring
to this, Theodore Lyman says: ‘To properly appre-
ciate this masterly disquisition, it must be remem-
bered that Agassiz had always a metaphysical mind,
and one in which the idea of intelligent power was
a ground principle. Although he had not accepted
the results of Oken, he heartily admired his spirit,
and ever spoke of him with pleasure. Indeed, he
may be said to have adopted the method of Cuvier
and the inspiration of Oken. Advancing from this
point Agassiz interprets the phenomena of Not-self
by those of Self. The last paper that came from
his hand, ‘ Evolution and Permanence of Type,’ has
this sentence: ‘/¢ cannot be too soon understood that
science 1s one; and that, whether we investigate lan-
guage, philosophy, theology, history, or physics, we are
dealing with the same problem, culminating in the
knowledge of ourselves. The human mind is for him
an entity in accord with the creating spirit, and
capable therefore of studying and appreciating crea-
tion. This study and this appreciation he considers
science ; and he finds in the animal kingdom the
physical expression of various intellectual operations,
some sharply defined and some shadowy, some

j
|

MATAMATA TURTLE,

Agassiz and His Works. 253

simple and some hopelessly complex, just as are the
familiar workings of the human mind. Not only is
his erudition throughout remarkable, but his grasp
_of facts, intricate in their relations and numerous, is
quite amazing. In nothing is this better exhibited
than in his celebrated demonstration of the corre-
spondence of embryological, geological, and zoé-
logical succession. He shows that, in many orders,
the species which first appear in the older beds re-
semble the embryo of the highest species now living ;
and, moreover, that this fossil and this embryo have
characters in common with the living species that
stand lower in the zodlogical scale. Thus among
Crustacea the living Brachyurans stand highest ; but
the embryo of the Brachyuran has a long tail like
the Macrourans, which are characteristic of the
middle geological periods, and among the living are
zodlogically inferior to the Brachyurans.

Among the works of Agassiz that have been widely
circulated and extremely popular, is his Geological
Sketches, issued in 1866. This little volume was the
result of notes made for extemporaneous lectures,
and appeared finally as aseries of articles in the
Atlantic Monthly. There are ten chapters on topics
of especial interest, as ‘‘ The Growth of Continents,”
“The Formation of Glaciers,” ‘‘ Mountains and their
Origin,” and others.

Equally valuable is a work previously referred to,
The Structure of Animal Life, which was issued in
the same year, and comprised six lectures, delivered
at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in 1862, under
the title of “The Graham Lectures on the Power,

214 Louis Agassiz.

Wisdom, and Goodness of God as Manifested in his
Works.” This volume threw a flood of light upon
subjects that had rarely been presented to the
masses. The original lectures constituted a remark-
able picture at that time. Few if any journals paid
especial attention to science, yet these lectures upon
a technical subject were so well attended that there
was but ‘“‘standing room only,” showing the power
of conveying information and of holding an audience
possessed by Agassiz.

An extremely interesting work, one which ran
through many editions and is still selling, is his
Methods of Study, which he considered as a ‘“‘ com-
plement or commentary” to the Essay on Classtfica-
tion. His view here was to present in “a more
popular form the views first expressed,” and to reach
younger students. To any one to whom nature has
a charm, this is a most delightful volume, the clear
lucid style attracting the reader and holding his
interest to the end. Agassiz had that immediate
touch with nature that enabled him to surround any
subject, no matter how technical, with an especial
interest, and this is well illustrated in this volume in
the chapters on ‘‘ Homologies,” ‘‘ The Age of Coral
Reefs,” ‘Alternate Generations,’ ‘The Ovarian
Egg,” etc.

Agassiz was opposed to text-books, but one of his
works published in this country was Principles of
Zovlogy, written in collaboration with Augustus A.
Gould, intended for use in schools and colleges.

The last important work of Agassiz was his fourney
in Braztl, which comprises a delightful journal of

‘

*AAMIA LNOUYS ‘AVEAH + TIAHS :S3ILYNL VLVAVIVNW AHL AO AGNIS

‘“AAMIA MOVA ‘LOO

Agassiz aud His Works. — 215

Professor and Mrs. Agassiz, the book being chiefly the
work of the latter, and suggestive of the delightful
companionship that existed between the scientist and
chis wife. We have seen that Agassiz received much
counsel and advice from his mother, and it may be
said that his wife, who survives him, was his collabor-
atorin every sense. She was his constant and appre-
ciative companion, herself no less an enthusiast than
her distinguished husband; living the same life, enter-
ing into all his joys, hopes, and ambitions, she was
at once his counsellor, companion, friend, and worthy
co-labourer. In the Preface of the Brazilian volume,
Agassiz thus refers to the aid his wife gave: “One
word as to the manner in which this volume has
grown into its present shape, for it has been rather
the natural growth of circumstances than the result
of any preconceived design. Partly for the enter-
tainment of her friends, partly with the idea that I
might make use of it in knitting together the scien-
tific reports of my journey by a thread of narrative,
Mrs. Agassiz began this diary. I soon fell into the
habit of giving her daily the more general results of
my scientific observations, knowing that she would
allow nothing to be lost which was worth preserv-
ing. In consequence of this mode of working, our
separate contributions have become so closely inter-
woven that we should hardly know how to discon-
nect them, and our common journal is therefore
published, with the exception of a few unimportant
‘changes, almost as it was originally written.”
It is the commingling of the expressions of these
two earnest characters that adds greatly to the

216 Louis Agassiz.

charm of the volume-—that gives a vivid and pictu-
resque account of the entire voyage referred to in
previous pages. This work, as might have been
expected, had a large sale and is still in constant
demand.

Professor Agassiz received much assistance from
his son Alexander, who has followed in his foot- '
steps,—a true Agassiz and devotee of science. The
Cambridge Museum has been to him a sacred trust,
and out of his fortune he has given nearly half a
million dollars to science through the institution
founded by his father.

Alexander is the only son of Louis Agassiz by his
first wife and is ranked among the most distinguished
scientists of the day. He came to Cambridge in
1849, receiving his final education at Harvard,
from which he graduated in 1855. When fully
equipped by special courses in various institutions
of learning, he entered active life, going to Califor-
nia in 1859 in connection with the Coast Survey.
He was an indefatigable collector, always having the
museum at Cambridge in view, and in 1860 he was
made assistant of Professor Agassiz, in 1865 becom-
ing virtually its head during the latter’s absence. In
1866 he interested himself in the copper mines of
Lake Superior, which by his energy became famous
throughout the world, and which through his gener-
osity and love of science have been made to pay
constant tribute to the great monument of Agassiz
the elder—the Cambridge Museum. Professor
Alexander Agassiz is a member of the National
Academy his father founded and of almost every

Agassiz and His Works. 217

scientific society of prominence in the world; his
publications, monographs, and reports of various
kinds, in connection with his father and individually,
being among the valuable contributions to science
of the day. With Mrs. Elizabeth C. Agassiz he is
joint author of a delightful work, Sea-Side Studies in
Natural History, while of his father’s works he
completed the fifth volume of Contributions to the
Natural History of the United States.

In a single chapter it is impossible to give more
than a suggestion of the works of Louis Agassiz,
but a study of his bibliography shows him to have
been one of the most exhaustive and comprehensive
thinkers in the field of science that any age has
produced

CHAPTER XXIV.

THE AGASSIZ MEMORIALS.

The Effect of His Death—The Memorial and Resolutions of the
California Academy of Sciences: Addresses of Davidson, Gil-
man, Le Conte, Stearns, Stebbins, Scott, Edwards—Action of the
Smithsonian Institution: Addresses of ex-President Garfield and
Dr. Parker—Memorial of the Boston Natural History Society :
Address by Rev. R. C. Waterson.

jy Wp “ape

HE death of Agassiz was
a shock not only to the
scientific but to the world
at large, and from every
quarter came words ex-
pressive of the high ap-
preciation in which he
was held. Agassiz was an
honorary or active member
of almost every scientific
society of any standing in
this country and Europe,
and the memorials issued

by them, constituted a most interesting and impres-
sive tribute, giving in many instances an insight into
his character as seen from the standpoint of his fellow-

218

(A TRIBUTARY OF THE AMAZON.)

MOUTH OF THE RIVER NANAY.

Lhe Agassiz Memorials. 219

workers, the men of his time who laboured with him
in the cause of science and truth.

Action of the California Academy of Sciences.

The memorials which emanated from the Califor-
nia Academy of Sciences are of exceeding interest,
and have been introduced here in the belief that they
will add materially to this brief estimate of the char-
acter of a well-beloved man of science.

AGASSIZ’S INFLUENCE ON SCIENCE.

By GEORGE DAVIDSON.

In his own handwriting, upon a souvenir of his
Pacific Coast visit, is the legend ‘“ L. Agassiz, born
May 28, 1807.” On the 14th of December, 1873,
the telegraph flashed to the uttermost parts of the
earth that he was no more; and we meet to-night to
render homage to his memory.

After a few occasional meetings, from my first
acquaintance with him twenty-seven years since, it
happened to be my lot last season to introduce him
to the Academy and its friends, after his voyage of
twenty thousand miles, undertaken at a time of life
when most of us look forward for rest from life-
toiling. You saw that his old enthusiasm was still
ablaze; you felt the peculiar charm of his presence
and voice, and were happier and better in knowing
that you had come into personal relations with one
who commanded such influence and power for good.
So it has been through a busy, earnest life, devoted

220 Louis Agassiz.

to but one object; to see him was to love him; to
know him was to willingly promise service to science
for all time, and to feel amply repaid in fulfilling
that promise.

Learned men and _ statesmen, and educated,
brilliant women had hung on his words, and had
paid the same tribute: all mourn with the same
sorrow. In our hearts he can never be forgotten ;
in the centuries hence, his influence and labours will
assure students there were intellectual giants in these
days.

To others, more intimate with his daily life and
thoughts, must be left the analysis of that powerful
hold which he maintained on all classes of men. Sim-
plicity and purity of character, singleness of purpose,
directness, and comprehensiveness of the highest
order, were the bases for that subtle power which
gathered facts from observation, combined and cor-
related them, thence deduced order, and placed them
so lucidly and attractively before the learned and
unlearned.

With the permission of the Academy, I make this
the occasion to say a few words upon the impetus,
direction, and steadily preserved influence which he
exerted upon scientific study in the United States;
not only in his particular lines of investigation, but
upon every other branch of knowledge. In 1846,
fresh from contact with the advanced scientific men
of Europe, and endowed with the amplest powers of
body and mind, he saw and was delighted with the
broad and untrammelled field in the country of his
adoption, One rule he at once established for him-

The Agassiz Memorials. O23

self —that the results of all his investigations should
be given to American and not to foreign institutions ;
and to the day of his death he broke not the self-
imposed obligation. He had cast his life and lot
amongst us; and the communication of discoveries
to others abroad — who, however, were no less his
friends, admirers, and co-labourers—he deemed a
special act of treason.

The many wants he discovered, upon assuming
his professorship in Cambridge, would have dis-
heartened and dismayed others less ardent and self-
reliant. You recollect with what quaint and good
humor he described the few dried fishes forming the
collection of natural history, by which he was expect-
ed to illustrate his lectures andinvestigations. That
want aroused in his mind the desire, and fixed the
purpose, to found a museum of zodlogy which should
surpass the most complete in Europe—not as a
mere measure of vastness, but as the only proper
means of affording the necessary material for the
use of students, and for aiding the broader studies
of the advanced naturalist. With constant thinking,
the plan grew in scope and definiteness. Here men
high in their special studies could thoroughly
describe and classify every obtainable specimen, and
designate their relation with each other; whilst the
fossils of buried ages should reveal their story, and
exhibit their correlation with the present epoch.
From a critical discussion of such aggregated results,
we may be assured that the law of development in
the natural history of the world, whatever it may be,
would be demonstrated.

222 Louts Agasstz.

He has not lived to see it. For a quarter of a
century he has fought to obtain the means to perfect
it, and has really succeeded as no other man upon
this continent could have hoped for. But he has
infused among our people the sentiment of more
liberal assistance to science, and the full fruition of
his labour will come to his successors.

It seems a marvel how much of the enthusiasm
and industry of Agassiz has been developed among
those who have studied or come in contact with him.
If there were any that became weary with the heat
and burthen of the day, they have dropped by the
wayside. The young, the earnest, the ambitious,
are scattered over the globe, searching, working, and
studying to increase our knowledge. The men of
mark who have been students under him are not
few; although, perhaps, differing from many of his
views, they are working with his indomitable ardour.

From him they have learned that their real student
life but just commences when they quit the college
halls for the broader and more suggestive fields
where animal life exhibits itself in a thousand new
relations, and suggests new methods and solutions.

In the last quarter of a century there has arisen
in America a large body of the ablest naturalists,
geologists, and paleontologists; and I attribute the
thoroughness of their investigations, their enthusiasm
and success, to the direct and reflected example
of Agassiz.

But the impetus which he gave to the interesting
study of natural history, to fossil ichthyology, to
geology, and especially to glacial action, had its effect

The Agassiz Memorials. 223

upon all other branches of science. Remarkably
well versed in every science, and intimate with the
scientists in their specialties, he imparted to them,
as the magnet to the steel, an equal amount of his
force, directness, and thoroughness; he cheered the
struggling, re-invigorated the diffident, and diffused
a halo of attractiveness around each one’s study.

He was especially earnest and forcible in expressing
Chis views of scientific education. He contended for
broader studies than those prescribed in the old,
dogmatic curriculum; for something more than
heavy, reiterated book-learning. He demanded
original research, exhaustive observation, and rigor-
ouscomparison. And whilst garnering the treasures,
he was peculiarly chary of propounding hypotheses
and theories. To him the time had not come for
laying down the law of development. He could not
bear with superficial study: a man should give his
whole life to the object he had undertaken to inves-
tigate. He felt that desultory, isolated, spasmodic
working avails nothing, but curses with narrowness
and mediocrity. Although strongly wedded to his
particular objects and course, he fully realised and
ably advocated the equal value and importance of
the other special branches. He appreciated the
fact that the tastes and peculiar mental fibre of
others would lead them in other channels, and he
looked forward to the time when their results should
be brought into harmony with his own.

We hear so much of weak, inconsequent condem-
nation of specialists, that an erroneous but wide-
spread misapprehension would appear to exist upon

224 Louts Agassiz.

the subject. In every-day life, who hesitates to
measure out commendation to the blacksmith, the
printer, the farmer, the jeweller, the artist, the mer-
chant, for excellence in their specialties? Thesteam-
ship, the mansion, the bridge, are but the carefully
combined results of men’s labours in many special
trades; and the strength and beauty of every
structure and work are great and pleasing just in
proportion as the special workmen are skilled. The
moulding of all their results into one harmonious
body is the work of another specialist, who has the
comprehension to properly adjust and aggregate
them.

The case is not at all dissimilar with the specialists
of science. Eachis gathering and logically arran-
ging all the details of his examinations and study;
whilst others are endeavouring to blend and _ har-
monise, so far as practicable with yet incomplete
observations, the results in the different branches of
science. So delicate have become the means and
methods of examination, so extreme the range of
subjects, so intimate their correlation, that we are
perforce compelled to confine our special investiga-
tions to single and very narrow lines of research.
The geologist, botanist, chemist, physiologist
mathematician, subdivide their labours; cosmical
physics attract one astronomer, observations of the
planets another, spectrum analysis another. As the
results in particular branches are announced, special
discussions are entered upon to evolve the law which
entwines and embraces them all. These discussions
must conform to and be governed by mathematical

The Agassiz Memorials. 225

processes. No indeterminate solutions can be
admitted ; for their presence indicates the necessity
for more tangible facts.

It was the realisation of this requirement for labour
in specialties in natural history and its cognate
branches, that impressed Agassiz with the necessity
of a museum that should be complete in its abso-
lutest sense ; and to accomplish this he undertook
his exploration on the Amazon, his voyage round
Cape Horn, and had projected a voyage this coming
May though the labyrinth of waters extending from
Puget Sound to the Chilkaht River in Alaska.

On the Pacific Coast we are full of faith that such
& museum will be gathered by the Academy, and
that, from the ample means of her benefactors, origi-
nal researches in special branches of science will be
systematically carried on, and the results be regularly
made known in series of lectures. For general infor-
mation, this method has had no abler exponent than
Agassiz; in fact, he was the father of the method of
popularising science by lectures of the highest order
by the investigators themselves. In the present
flush of scientific lecturers we are too apt to forget
that when he, many years since, commenced giving
his series of lectures on natural history, fossil fishes,
the glaciers, etc., freed from the usual flood of cold
technicalities, he was looked upon as an innovator,
and as degrading science. Fortunately, his concep-
tion of its value was thetrue one. A deepand abid-
ing yearning for fresh, living information has been
diffused, and, one by one, even the learned men of
Europe have yielded to the pressure, and given of

226 Louts Agassiz.

their abundant stores of knowledge to the humble
as to the rich.

We cannot yet measure the full value of this new
means of diffusing the results and methods of scien-
tific investigations. It humanises and expands the
minds of men of power whose business, habits, and
pursuits have kept them apart from study since their
school-boy days; it quickens the memory of the
student and reader; and from the humbler walks of
life it will call out the latent talent of many a gifted
but timid youth, whose instincts and aspirations
would have been chilled by the esoteric system of
the old formal school.

In the introduction of this method of popularising
science, it was peculiarly fortunate that Agassiz had
the rare power of stating so clearly and so logically,
and of illustrating so rapidly and cleverly, the pro-
cesses and deductions of his investigations. It was
all new knowledge—not gleaned from encyclopedias
or composed of the unverified statements of others.
It was mental food for the acutest thinker; it was
comprehended by the youngest student. In _ his
lectures his diction was a model of English; no
straining for effect, no struggling for words, but the
right word always inthe right place. “I never think
of the words I am to use,” said he. “I arrange the
matter, order,and method of statement and illus-
tration clearly in my mind before I begin, and then
the words come of themselves.”

It was fortunate, also, that he had that charm of
manner—modesty, simplicity, manliness, and kind-
ness for others—which attracted and captivated his

The Agassiz Memorials. 227

audience. In fact, it was fortunate for popular
science that he was—Agassiz; for men with such
a rare combination of good qualities, and such a
position, come but seldom in a century.

One of the branches of scientific investigation to
which he gave much actual examination and earnest
thought, and by which he will be known as the great
expounder, was the extent of glacial action during
the period when the greater part of the northern and
southern continents was under an ice-sheet of
immense thickness. He first grasped the full force
of the problem, and enunciated it; and his demon-
strations have made clear many existing conditions
on the surface of the earth, which had baffled the
skill of others. Perplexities melted before it, and
from chaos are emerging order and consecutiveness.
In his visit to this coast, he was particularly gratified
and excited with the evidences of glacial action which
mark our Sierras, and which I have shown to mark
our coast-line. These, the existence of the great
living glaciers of British Columbia and Alaska, and
the evidences of glacial action through the thousand
miles of ocean Yosemites stretching from latitude
forty-seven to sixty, were some of the inducements
that led him to acquiesce in the projected trip of this
season. He had studied the glacial action through
similar geological formations from Cape Horn
northward, and, from his comprehensive knowledge
and grasp of the subject, was peculiarly fitted for the
discussion. Evenamong those who may be capable
of seizing the minutie of evidence and realising the
magnitude of the powers which performed that work,

228 Louis Agassiz.

it may be many years before any one can command
the means and the time for their examination and elu-
cidation. It requires arare combination of qualifica-
tions for its solution, particularly that of the mechan-
ical faculty ; and we can but hope that from among
our young students of California will come those
who can demonstrate it successfully.

I close with a few words of a power which he pos-
sessed, so unusual among scientific men, yet so abso-
lutely necessary for the development of science as
understood by the specialists, and of knowledge as
taught by the colleges, that we can but pray without
ceasing his mantle may fall and cover many shoulders.
Others possess it—perhaps only differing in degree—
or the magnificent endowments which have been
made to our higher seats of learning would have been
devoted to other purposes. Yet he first made the
claims of science a demand upon the affluent who
had grown wealthy through the practical applications
of scientific investigations and discoveries. He
would admit of no compromise measures—science
had taken a back seat too long; her votaries had
been sneered at as particularly deserving reproba-
tion for lack of the money-making faculty; and he
repudiated the supposed eleemosynary character of
the gifts grudgingly made to her. He boldly stood
forth as the champion of the self-sacrificing devotees
of science. For the benefit of human knowledge
he had given, with unsparing prodigality, the mental
and physical activity of a life noted for its remark-
able vigour, endurance, and consecutiveness; and his
sense of justice was aroused to appeal for help to

The Agassiz Memorials. 229

those who could so easily and so largely endow our
colleges and universities, our museums and acad-
emies of science. You have listened to these
appeals, and know that even in our midst they have
not been in vain. Throughout our country the leaven
has reached the treasures of large-minded men who,
during their lifetime, wish to see the fruition of their
nobler instincts. In the last ten years, millions of
dollars have been devoted to learning and science ; but
many more millions are needed, and the apostles of
science must cease not urging and proving her claims.
Our university alone needs its millions for buildings,
apparatus, and museum; and another million for
the endowment of professorships. Our academy
needs as much for buildings, collections, and for
foundations for original research. And in our
midst we need an amply endowed institute of tech-
nology.

The interest which he imparted to science on this
coast, in one short visit, has steadily increased. The
cheering words which he spoke in our behalf have
fallen upon the hearts of our people, and awakened
their sympathy. The academy certainly has cause
to rejoice in its benefactions ; but we need still more
freely the helping hand of endowment, to realise
what he prophesied.

We can listen no more to the magic of his voice;
but his example is ever before us. Words of praise
can add nothing to his glory; but we can honour his
memory by imitating his fervid devotion to science,
and its diffusion among mankind. It never faltered ;
it pervaded his being.

230 Louis Agassiz.

He was the incarnation of Science; and greater love
hath no man than this—he laid his life down for it.
He has gone; but his name will be a landmark in
human knowledge through the long roll of centuries.

AGASSIZ AS A TEACHER.

By PRoFEssor D. C, GILMAN.

The name of Agassiz does not belong to the
learned alone, though it is honoured most by the wise
and the profound ; it likewise belongs to the com-
mon people, for it is a household word throughout
the land.

Few men, while they live, attain renown among
the multitude, and also retain their eminence among
philosophers ; but he wore fitly this double crown—
“the praise of praised men,” which is gold, and the
applause of the unlearned, which is silver. How few
of those whom we call distinguished, whether writers,
teachers, statesmen, merchants, scholars, or leaders
in arms, are equally known and honoured with this
college professor, this comparative zodlogist, this
interpreter of nature! The news of his decease has
brought to learned societies and to common schools,
to universities and to fishermen’s cottages, the sense
of a personal bereavement, for it tells of the loss of
a guide, the death of a friend.

To these twofold aspects of his character, your
attention will now be directed; the speaker who
follows,* by our mutual understanding, rehearsing

* Prof, Joseph Le Conte.

Lhe Agassiz Memorials. 231

the claims of Agassiz to scientific renown, while I
am to dwell upon his claims to popular regard, or
rather upon his character, as a teacher, and the influ-
ence he has exerted upon American Education.

It will be generally admitted that, among all the
teachers of the land, he has held the foremost place.
Notwithstanding that ours was to him a foreign
tongue, that he grew up to the prime of life under
European institutions, and that the subjects which
he taught were quite remote from what are called
the “practical” wants of the Americans, he always
spoke among us with that extraordinary power of
adaptation, that easy self-possession, that rare adjust-
ment of thoughts and words to the occasion, which
constitutes true eloquence—which attracts, enlight-
ens, delights, and persuades. Before the Legislature
of Massachusetts or the National Academy of
Sciences, in the college lecture-room or in the
teachers’ institute, on the public platform or in the
private parlor, in the open field or on the vessel’s
deck, he was always the same—ready, graceful,
enthusiastic, earnest, suggestive, and instructive.
He delighted to learn, that he camiedt teach ; to teach,
that he might learn.

When such a man departs, old, honoured, un-
sullied, and beloved, it is well to inquire into
the antecedents of his character, the elements of
his renown.

It isnot every teacher he is endowed with a good
constitution, neither too nervous, nor too phlegmatic.
Agassiz was fortunate in his physical character, his
noble figure, his beaming countenance, his elastic

232 Louis Agassiz.

step, his excellent health. He was not of that type
of scholars whose shrivelled faces and whose withered
forms declare the neglect of exercise, and the misuse
of food; nor was he one who gained by stimulants
extraordinary force. He possessed what might be
called a commanding presence, a favourable personal
equation, a magnetic influence, a manly beauty, or
aneasy dignity—a quality not to be defined, but
everywhere appreciated, which may be in-bred, yet
must be first in-born. He came of good descent,
having a mother of rare intellectual qualities, and
on his father’s side an ancestry of six generations of
Protestant ministers, going back to the Huguenot
refugees. But his was not the parentage of wealth
or fashion, and the narrow circumstances of his early
life quickened his industry, his patience, and fitted
him forever after to sympathise with and encourage
those who have high aims and shallow purses.

His early culture was most liberal. In many
countries, and though many years, his studies were
prolonged. Four years, the record runs, in the
gymnasium at Bienne, two years in college at
Lausanne, two years in the medical school at Zurich,
five years in the universities of Heidelberg, Munich,
and Erlangen, that is, thirteen years, at least, of prep-
aration inthe period of youth.

Thus he came in contact with some of the most
renowned naturalists in Europe—Cuvier, Humboldt,
Martius, Spix, and a host besides—and received that
intellectual impress from superior minds which is far
more influential than a library full of books, or a city
full of museums,

The Agassiz Memorials. 233

Hence he laid a broad basis for his scholarship.
Ancient and modern languages, philosophy, human
anatomy and physiology, botany, mineralogy, geol-
ogy, and zodlogy, were all pursued with such enthu-
siasm, that in any of these departments he might
have been distinguished.

So was he qualified to teach—by natural endow-
ments, personal presence, honourable ancestry,
narrow circumstances, prolonged culture, and broad
foundations. What, now, were the consequents of
such antecedents—the superstructure on such a
foundation ?

There was supreme kindliness or self-control in
his disposition, which led him to be patient with
ignorance, and what is harder yet, with arrogance;
which made him generous in bestowing his time,
his learning, and his letters upon others; which made
him accessible to the most timid student, or the
most humble discoverer of a curious bug.

To this was added a charming enthusiasm, which
gushed forth in no spasmodic intermittence, but
bubbled up perpetually with refreshing effervescence.
He captivated all whom he met. He made them
believe that his work was his play; that they might
engage in it with asurety of reward. He seemed to
say perpetually to his associates, as Faraday said to
Tyndall, under untoward circumstances: ‘Our sub-
jects are so glorious, that to work at them rejoices
and encourages the feeblest; delights and enchants
the strongest.”

Genuine gratitude was also conspicuous in all he
did. Theschool-boy who brought him an uncommon

234 Louts Agasstz.

fish, or the farmer who sent him a nest of turtle’s
eggs, or the woodsman who favoured him witha
family of little rattlesnakes, was as sure of his hearty
acknowledgments as the millionaire of Boston who
endowed his museum, or the tobacconist of New
York who bought for him Penikese Island, or the
officers of the Government who placed at his
command the resources of the Coast Survey. No
emperor or king ever received such homage, volun-
tarily bestowed by high and low alike, or such trib-
utes from the united realms of earth, and air, and
sea; none returned such gratitude. This gratitude
was marked by unmistakable sincerity. His looks,
and tones, and the pressure of his hand, all confirmed
the utterance of his lips. No one need fear that
when the private letters of Agassiz are made public
there will be anything to regret, as there was in the
posthumous revelations of one of his most illustrious
contemporaries.

There was, moreover, a hearty co-operation with
other workers, and in other spheres —a friendly
indorsement of their efforts which was free from the
tone of patronage or of interference. The members
of this Academy must well remember the generous
words which he uttered on the evening when he first
set foot in San Francisco—his congratulations at
the success of the Academy, his words of encourage-
ment for the University, and his eulogy of the
Geological Survey, the pride of all the science of the
states

Still more remarkable in Agassiz was his readiness
to aid in the diffusion of knowledge. Devoted as he

The Agassiz Memorials. 235

was to scientific researches—to the advancement of
learning by investigations of the most profound sort,
extending down to the lowest organisms at the
bottom of the sea, and back to the remotest zons
of geological history—he was always ready to come
before the public and bring the newest and the best
of his acquisitions. There are such men as intel-
lectual misers, but he was not of that race. There
are also those who are deaf and dumb, but he used
all his faculties. He did not wait for costly diagrams
or extraordinary specimens. A blackboard and a
piece of chalk were all the apparatus which he
required for a lecture on natural history. At the
oldest University in Cambridge, or at the newest
in Ithaca, through the Atlantic Monthly or the extra
Tribune, in the National Academy, or on Penikese
Island, in the State house at Boston, or in Pacific
Hall at San Francisco, he was ready to teach all
who wished to be taught. The wisest would enjoy
the clearness, the liveliness, and the method with
which he told his tale; and the uninformed would
think they were growing wise, because they could
follow so agreeably and intelligently the utterance
of a master. He believed in the Public Schools;
and the newspapers say that one of the last acts of
his public life was to give a lecture at a teachers’
meeting.

As a popular teacher, Agassiz was undoubtedly
aided by his devout reverence, which saw in Nature
something more than a force or law, or rather, which
believed all law and force to emanate from a Law-
giver and a Ruler. He did not obtrude these

236 Louis Agassiz.

opinions. He was not more fortunate than other
men of science in escaping the attacks of bigotry and
superstition ; but now and then, like a church-bell
tolling on aSabbath morning, deep utterances would
come forth expressive of his faith. For example,
at the close of his essay on “ Classification,” occurs
this passage: ‘“ All the facts proclaim aloud the one
God, whom man may know, adore, and love; and
Natural History must in good time become the
analysis of the thoughts of the Creator of the uni-
verse, as manifested in the animal and vegetable
kingdoms.” (Contributions to Natural History of
the United States.)

Thus we see that the supreme kindliness, charm-
ing enthusiasm, genuine gratitude, unmistakable
sincerity, uniform co-operation, incessant desire to
diffuse as well as to advance knowledge, and devout
reverence, were among his most conspicuous qualities
as ateacher. I do not dwell upon his love of truth,
for that is fundamental with all real men of science;
nor on his abstinence from money-making, for all
legitimate university life precludes the professor
from wild speculations on the one hand,or from
regular business responsibilities on the other; nor do
I dwell upon his love of studies remote from their
practical bearings, for the student of Nature never
knows what profound benefits to mankind may pro-
ceed from the most abstract research. In these
respects I do not know that Agassiz differed much
from other naturalists, but in native gifts, and in the
acquisitions of varied culture, there are but few to
be compared with him.

The Agassiz Memorials. e247

Hence he has exerted a powerful influence upon
American education. It is true that he was fortu-
nate in colleagues and in circumstances. Guyot
came with him to this country from Switzerland, and
in a different sphere, and with different intellectual
endowments, has shown many of the qualities which
distinguish his life-long associate. Their united
work among the teachers of Massachusetts will
always be gratefully remembered by the friends of
popular education. Dana, when Agassiz arrived,
had recently returned from his voyage around the
globe, laden with rich treasure of thought and obser-
vation, and in his enlightened and impartial conduct
of the American Fournal of Sctence, was a powerful
ally inthe promotion of all departments of scientific
education and research. Bache and Henry, at the
head of two great departments of the Government,
the Coast Survey and the Smithsonian Institution,
were able to turn the national resources toward the
same great purposes. Torrey and Gray had already
given world-wide reputation to American Botany,
and Peirce had advanced the science of Mathematics.
The gifts of Lawrence, and Sheffield, and Peabody,
successively brought new and advantageous impulses
to the study of Natural History. The explorations
of the Western States and Territories, the settle-
ment of California, and the surveys of the Pacific
Railroad route, created a demand for trained geolo-
gists and naturalists. Young men were attracted
to Cambridge by the renown of the Swiss professor,
and, after learning wisdom in his laboratories, went
off to found and develop new institutions in Salem,

238 | Louts Agasstz.

Boston, New Haven, Ithaca, and Oakland, or offered
themselves to the service of the State or nation.
Teachers in the common schools, especially in New
England, learned how to awaken interest in the study
of Nature. Congress, in 1862, made a generous
provision for scientific schools; and now, a quarter
of a century from the coming of Agassiz, scientific
courses run parallel with classical courses in most of
the colleges of the country. Iam far from attribut-
ing all this progress to any individual. It is the
movement of science, in a new country, and in the
nineteenth century; but I do not hesitate to say
that among all the great and serviceable men who
have helped on this spirit of research and of inves-
tigation, none is more worthy of grateful homage
than Louis Agassiz. Especially was he noteworthy
for his opposition to the rote-teaching in scientific
text-books; for his encouragement of local studies—
researches about home; and for his persistent
employment and recommendation of the art of
drawing as an indispensable aid in scientific research.

If I may be allowed to make an allusion to my
own relations with Professor Agassiz, I will say that
the greeting which you gave him, and the greeting
which he gave me in the halls of the Academy,
fifteen months ago, filled me with assurance and
courage. It was not long afterward, before his visit
here bore fruits, and the liberality of Edward
Tompkins, of Oakland, endowed in the University
of California a professorship which is to bear in all
time the nameof Agassiz. Scarcely two months ago
I sat in his study at Cambridge, and answered his

The Agassiz Memorials. 239

inquiries about California, and the friends whom he
met here. I congratulated him on the recovery of his
health, and heard his declaration that he had at his
command all the funds which he could well employ
for two years to come. Scarcely ten days have
passed since I received from an Eastern society a
request, which was made at the suggestion of Agassiz,
that I would prepare, or cause to be prepared, a
paper on the commerce of the Pacific in its relations
to San Francisco. Then came the telegram that he
was gone.

Agassiz isgone! His name is henceforth enrolled
among the immortals. Whatever personal deficien-
cies he may have had, whatever of the imperfections
or weaknesses which belong to humanity, will soon
be forgotten, and his worth will be more apparent as
the years rollon. Hereafter he will be remembered
with Linnzus, and Cuvier, and Humboldt, and
others, whom the world delights to honor for their
scientific researches; with Franklin, and Rumford,
and Faraday, who have made popular the sciences
which they have likewise advanced. So welay upon
his tomb our perishable garland, and say, Farewell,
philosopher and philanthropist! Farewell, our
teacher and our friend.

AGASSIZ’S WORK AND METHOD.

PROFESSOR JOSEPH LE CONTE,
Mr. PRESIDENT AND GENTLEMEN, MEMBERS OF

THE ACADEMY OF SCIENCES: — I respond the more
willingly to your invitation to say something in

240 Louis Agassiz.

honour of Professor Agassiz, because I owe personally
so deep a debt of gratitude to him as my teacher.
For some fifteen months in the years 1850-51, as his
private pupil, I spent the whole working hours of
nearly every day by his side, either in the laboratory
or else in excursions along the shores of Massachu-
setts, or over the mountains of New York, or on the '
reefs and keys of Florida. The result of this long
intimate association was, on my part, a great and
ever-increasing love, admiration, and reverence for
him, both as a scientist and asa man, and on his part,
Iam sure, a very strong and affectionate regard. It
would be very pleasant to me to linger here a
moment—to speak of him as a man and a teacher;
the contagiousness of his enthusiasm, the abundance
and suggestiveness of his thoughts, the greatness of
his intellect, far greater even than his work, and,
therefore, contrary to what we find in little great
men, the increase of his intellectual stature as you
approached him nearer and nearer. It would be
pleasing to me to linger here, but I have a higher
duty to perform, and one which I am sure would be
more pleasing to him. In speaking of a man of
science, before a scientific body, it seems to me
peculiarly appropriate that I should try to show
the true grounds of his great reputation, and the
reasons for believing that tt will be permanent.

Inthe noble army of science—that army so com-
pactly organised for the conquest of darkness and
the extension of the empire of light—there are many
valiant fighters, but there can be but few /eaders.
In the construction of the great temple of science—

The Agassiz Memorials. 241

that eternal temple made without hands—the only
temple ever erected by man worthy to be dedicated
to the great Author of nature—there are many busy,
eager, joyous workmen, but there can be but few
master-builders. Now, I wish to show that in the
construction of the temple of science, Agassiz was
not only an indefatigable worker in all the lowest
details, with chisel and hammer and trowel, in brick
and stone and mortar, but also a great master-
mason , that in the army of science he was not only
a valiant fighter in the very front rank, but also a
great leader. In a word, I wish to show that he
was not only an indefatigable, enthusiastic worker
in all the lowest details of his chosen science, ob-
serving, collecting, arranging, analysing, classifying,
but also a great philosophic thinker—that his life
and work form an epoch in science—that in look-
ing back over the track of time, his gigantic stature
will remain for many ages to come a conspicuous
landmark.

As we look back over the history of science, we
see, at long intervals, certain men who seem to tower
far above their fellows. In what consists their great-
ness? They are men who have introduced great
ideas or new methods into science—ideas which extend
the domain of human thought, or methods which
increase our power over nature, facilitate the pro-
gress of discovery,and thus open the way to the
conquest of new fields. Such men were Copernicus,
and Galileo, and Kepler, and Newton, and Herschell,
in astronomy: such were Linnzus, and Buffon, and
Cuvier and Agassiz, in organic science.

242 Louis Agasstz.

Let me illustrate the effect of the introduction of
great ideas into science. I will select one example
from astronomy, and one from geology.

Before the time of Copernicus and Galileo, this,
our earth, was a// of space for us. Sun, moon, and
stars were but little satellites revolving about us at
inconsiderable distance. Astronomy then was but
the geometry of the heavens, the geometry of the
curious lines traced by these wandering fires on the
concave board of heaven. But with the first glance
through the telescope, the phases of Venus and the
satellites of Jupiter revealed the existence of other
worlds beside our own. In that moment the funda-
mental idea of modern astronomy, the idea of infinite
space filled with worlds like our own, was fully born
in the mind of Galileo. In that moment the intel-
lectual vision of man was infinitely extended.

Again, before the time of Buffon and Cuvier, this,
our human epoch, the history of our race, was a// of
tome for us. Shells and other remains of marine
animals had, indeed, been found far in the interior of
the continents, and high up the slopes of mountains,
and there had been much speculation as to the
origin of these. Some may have thought by means
of these to extend the limits of our epoch, but none
dreamed of other epochs. Some may have thought
they were discovering new coast islands along the
shores of time; but none dreamed that these were
the evidences of new worlds in the infinite abyss of
time. It was reserved for Buffon and Cuvier first to
recognise the entire difference between fossil and
living species, In that moment was born the funda-

The Agassiz Memorials. 243

mental idea of geology, the idea of infinite time
containing many successive epochs, or time-worlds
like our own. In that moment the intellectual hofi-
zon of man was again infinitely extended.

These two are the grandest moments in the his-
tory of science; yea, in the intellectual history of
our race. The one opened the gates of infinite
space, and showed us many space-worlds; the other
opened up the gates of infinite time, and showed us
as many successive creations or time-worlds.

We see, then, the intellectual impulse communi-
cated by a great new idea. The introduction of a
new method, though less striking to the imagination,
is perhaps even more important. We will illustrate
it presently. Now, I wish to show that Agassiz,
too, was the originator of new ideas, and the intro-
ducer, or at least the perfecter, of new methods in
science. Yes, Agassiz was the originator of a great
new idea in geology, and the introducer or perfecter
of a new method in organic science.

For nearly a century past, glaciers, their structure,
their mysterious motion, and their effects, have been
the subject of the intensest interest to scientists; an
interest which is deepened by the splendours of
mountain scenery and the perils of mountain travel.
The most eminent men have successively expended
their energies upon these problems: De Saussure,
and Charpentier, and Huger, and Agassiz, and Guyot,
and Forbes, and Tyndall. To the physicist, the two
points of greatest interest are, the /aw of glacier
motion and the ¢heory of glacier motion. Now, in
the din and confusion of discussion, as to whether

244 Louis Agassiz.

Agassiz or Forbes first discovered the true /aw of
glacial motion, and as to whether Forbes or Tyndall
advanced the true theory of glacial motion, it seems
to have been almost forgotten that to Agassiz and
Guyot is due the credit of something far greater
than either the law or the theory of glacial motion.
I put aside with bare mention the immense mass of
accurate observations accumulated by Agassiz, and
embodied in his great works—the Etudes des Glaciers
and the Systeme Glaciére, a treasury from which all
subsequent writers have drawn. I put aside also all
questions as to the laws and the theories of glacial
motion, important as they are, as trifling in compari-
son. I desire to fix your attention on only one
great idea introduced by him, vzz.: the idea that
glaciers are now, and have been to a much greater
extent in a previous epoch, a great geological agent,
sculpturing our mountains and determining the
forms of our continents.

Let me trace the history of this great idea.
Agassiz and Guyot had studied minutely the evi-
dences of the former extension of the glaciers of
Switzerland. Guyot had even traced the outlines
of these ancient glaciers, and thus established the
existence of a glacial epoch in that country. With
these results still fresh in his mind, Agassiz visited
England in 1844 or 1845 (I know not the exact date,
nor is it important), and quickly recognised the
footprints of glaciers all over the mountains of
Wales and Scotland, and astonished the world by
announcing that these regions were moulded be-
neath an ice-sheet. In 1846 he came to this country,

The Agasstz Memorials. 245

and again tracked the steps of glaciers all over the
surface of New England, and again astonished the
world by announcing that all the northern portions
of the United States were also moulded beneath an
ice-sheet. It is unnecessary to trace the extension
of this idea from country to country ; suffice it to
say, that it was soon recognised that there wasa
glacial epoch not for Switzerland only, but for the
whole earth. Before Agassiz, the study of glaciers
was the study of nice questions in physics, and of
interest principally to special physicists. Agassiz
transferred the whole subject into the broad domain
of geology, and gave it a far deeper, broader, and
more general interest. The result was not only a
powerful impulse to the study of glaciers, but a
flood of light shed upon the whole later geological
history of our earth, and thus an enormous impulse
to geology also.

But I said that Agassiz was a great reformer in
zodlogy also—that he was also, if not the first intro-
ducer, at least the perfecter of the great method of
organic science. This must ever remain the chiefest
glory of Agassiz. Yes, far greater than all his great
works in zodlogy—as great as these are, a monument
of industry and genius—far greater than these is the
method which underlies them, and which has impreg-
nated all modern zodlogy.

Let me pause a moment, in deference to the intel-
ligent but unscientific of this audience, to explain
the meaning and show the power of scientific meth-
ods. Scientific methods bear the same relation to
intellectual progress which machines, instruments,

246 Louis Agassiz.

tools, do to material progress. The civilised man is
not superior to the savage in physical strength.
The wonderful mechanical results achieved by civil-
ised man are possible only by the use of mechanical
contrivances. So, also, the scientists differ from the
unscientific not by any superior intellectual power.
The astounding intellectual results achieved by
science have been attained wholly by the use of
intellectual contrivances, called methods. As in the
lower sphere of material progress, the greatest bene-
factors of our race are the inventors or perfecters of
new mechanical contrivances or machines; so in the
higher sphere of intellectual progress the greatest
benefactors of our race are the inventors or perfec-
ters of new intellectual contrivances, or methods.
To illustrate the necessity and power of method,
take, for example, the method of zotation, character-
istic of mathematics. How simple the contrivance,
and yet how powerful! Nine numeral figures, hav-
ing each a value of its own, and also a value depend-
ing upon its position: a few letters—a and 4, x and
y, connected by the symbols + and —: that is all.
And yet by the use of this simple contrivance the
dullest boy in your public schools may accomplish
intellectual results which the greatest philosophic
genius could not otherwise attain. As soon as we
leave the field of abstract thought and rise into the
field of phenomena, observation commences. But as
in the field of pure thought, thought can accomplish
little without method ; so in the field of phenomena,
observation can accomplish little without the assist-
ance of method. The phenomena of the external

Lhe Agassiz Memorials. 247

world are so complex, so affected by disturbing
forces and conditions, that in order to be under-
stood, they must first be simplified. The scientist,
therefore, by experiment, removes one condition
after another, and one disturbing force after another,
until the true cause and necessary condition is per-
ceived. This is the great method of experiment, upon
which rests the whole fabric of physics and chemis-
try. But when we rise still higher into the field of
organised bodies, the phenomena become infinitely
more complex and infinitely more difficult to under-
stand without the assistance of method, and yet,
just here, the method of experiment fails us, or, at
least, can be used only to a very limited extent.
The conditions of life are so complex, so nicely ad-
justed, so delicately balanced, that when we attempt
to introduce our rude hands in the way of experi-
ment, we overthrow the equilibrium, we destroy the
very conditions of our experiment, vzz.-; life. In
this dilemma what shall we do? Fortunately, nature
herself prepares for us a most elaborate series of
experiments. The phenomena of life in the higher
animals and plants are indeed far too complex to be
understood; but if commencing with these we go
down the scale, we find these phenomena becoming
simpler and simpler until they reach the simplest
expression in the microscopic cell or microscopic
spherule of protoplasm. The equation of life is
reduced to its simplest terms, and then, only, we
begin to find the value of the unknown quantity.
This series I will call the natural history serves.
Again, nature prepares for us another series of ex-

248 Louis Agassiz.

periments. Commencing with the mature condition
of the higher animals, and going backwards along
the line of individual history through the stages of
embryo, egg, and germ, we find again the phenomena
of life become simpler and simpler, until we again
reach the simplest condition in the microscopic cell.
This, I will call the embryonic series. Again, that
there might be no excuse for man’s ignorance of the
laws of life, nature prepares still another series of
experiments. Commencing with the fauna and flora
of the present time, and going back along the track
of geological history, through Tertiary, Secondary,
Palzozoic and Eozoic, to the very dawmz of life, we
find a series of organic forms becoming simpler and
simpler, until we again reach the simplest term in
the lowest conceivable forms of life. This I will
call the geological or paleontological, or evolution
series. :

Now it has been by extensive comparison in each
of these series up and down, and by extensive
comparison of the three series with each other, that
our knowledge of organisms has gradually become
scientific; that mere accumulation of facts and phe-
nomena has grown with science; that a mere heap
of useless rubbish has been changed into a beautiful
edifice. This is what is called the method of com-
partson—the great method used in the science of
life. Yes, anatomy only becomes scientific through
comparative anatomy. Physiology only becomes
scientific through comparative physiology; and I
may add, psychology will never become scientific
except through comparative psychology.

The Agassiz Memorials. 249

So much I have said to show you the nature and
power of scientific methods and especially of that
method—the method of comparison—upon which
rests the whole fabric of the science of organisms.
Now what has Agassiz done in perfecting this
method? I will attempt to explain.

We have seen that this method consists of ¢hree
subordinate methods which lead to similar results,
viz... comparison in the three series, the natural his-
tory series, the embryonic series, and the geological
series. Now Cuvier and his co-labourers introduced
and perfected comparison in the natural history
series and thus laid the foundation of scientific
zodlogy; but Agassiz and Von Baer and their co-
labourers extended the method of comparison into
the embryonic and geological series, and also into
the relation of the three series to each other; and
thus greatly perfected the method and increased its
power. Others, no doubt many others, assisted in
the great work, but Agassiz was unquestionably the
leader in the movement. For forty years Agassiz
worked incessantly, enthusiastically —even to the
breaking down of his strong physical constitution
and the sacrifice of his life—on the ideas and the
methods conceived in his youth. Js not this a great
life ?

Finally, let us glance at some of the results of
Agassiz’s method. The drect result is too familiar
and obvious to dwell on. We see it in the amazing
impulse given to biology and its consequent great
and ever-increasing progress in recent times. I will
only very briefly draw your attention to the zzdzrect

250 Louis Agassiz.

results, z. ¢., results which were not in the mind of
Agassiz nor aimed at by him.

1. Agassiz’s work and Agassiz’s method prepared
the whole ground and laid the whole foundation for
the modern doctrine of evolution. The idea of the
similarity of the three series mentioned above—the
natural history, the embryonic, and the palzonto-
logical—and therefore the light which each sheds on
the others, a view so long insisted on by Agassiz and
so tardily and grudgingly accepted by zodlogists,
forms the whole scientific basis, and comparison in
these three series, the whole scientific method, of
the theory of evolution. Evolution is development.
Evolution of the organic kingdom is development of
the organic kingdom through geologic times. No
one insisted so long and so strongly on development
of the organic kingdom through geologic times, as
did Agassiz. All that is grandest and most certain
in evolution, vzz.: development from lower to higher,
from simpler to more complex, from general to
special by a process of successive differentiation, has
always been insisted on by Agassiz, and until re-
cently only grudgingly accepted by English zodélo-
gists and geologists. In this sense, therefore,
Agassiz is the great apostle of evolution. It was
only the present theortes of evolution, or evolution by
transmutation, which he rejected. His was an evolu-
tion not by organic forces within, but according to
an intelligent plan without—an evolution not by
transmutation of species, but by suéstitution of one
species for another. In the true spirit of inductive
caution, perhaps of excessive caution, he confined

The Agassiz Memorials. 251

himself strictly to the formal laws of evolution, and
no man has done so much in establishing these as
he; but he regarded the cause of evolution as beyond
the domain of science, and all attempts at a causal
theory as at least premature if not altogether vain.
2. Agassiz’s work and Agassiz’s method has laid
the only foundation of a possible scientific sociology.
Society also is an organised body, and therefore
subject to the laws of organisms. Society, too,
passes by evolution from lower to higher, from sim-
pler to more complex, from general to special, by a
process of successive differentiation. Society pro-
gresses, develops. This is the most glorious doctrine
of modern times. The phenomena of society, how-
ever, are even more complex than those of organ-
isms, and therefore still more in want of a method.
But we have already seen that phenomena which are
too complex to be analysed by experiment can only
be brought into subjection by the method of com-
parison. If, then, there shall ever be a scientific
sociology, it must be by the use of the same meth-
ods which are used in biology; it must be by the
comparison of social institutions, governments, civili-
sations, etc., in all stages of development; it must
be by extensive comparison of social phenomena in
three sertes, first, as exhibited in different races and
nations in various stages, as now existing in different
places, corresponding to the natural history series;
second, as exhibited in various stages of advance of
the same nation from barbarism to civilisation, cor-
responding to the embryonic series; third, as ex-
hibited in the slow onward progress of the cole

252 Louts Agassiz.

race through rude Stone age, polished Stone age,
Bronze age and Iron age, corresponding to the
palzontological series. It is by comparisons of this
kind that Herbert Spencer is now attempting to lay
the foundations of a scientific sociology. I repeat
it: if sociology ever becomes a science it will owe
much to the genius and the method of Louis
Agassiz.

POPULARITY OF LOUIS AGASSIZ.

By RoBErT E. C. STEARNS.

MR. PRESIDENT.—It has pleased you to insist
that I should add something to the general expres-
sion of sorrow and of eulogy. It is in no spirit
of reluctance that I hesitate to bear testimony to
the merits of him to whose voice it was so pleasant
to listen, and in whose presence it was a pleasure to
be; but rather from the fear of my inability to
render an even measure of justice to the dead.

Without enlarging upon those exterior character-
istics by which he was known, and which, ennobled
by a generous nature, gave grace and dignity to his
person, we find with and above these attractions a
moral and intellectual greatness and simplicity,
which endeared him to his fellow-men.

I cannot recall the name of any other scientific
man, which has been so often spoken, and with so
much respect and affection, in the homes and fami-
lies of our people, as that of Agassiz.

This respect and affection arose, not alone from
his intellectual achievements or from the popularity

Lhe Agassiz Memorials. 253

of his lectures and writings, but from that large-
heartedness which made him accessible to all.

In his intercourse with his fellow-men, he gradua-
ted his speech not by the rank or station of the
person, for each and all were received with unmeas-
ured courtesy and kindness.

Such intellectual breadth, moral excellence, and
estimable qualities as he possessed, are seldom found
in the same person; and these made him not only an
impressive and attractive teacher, but, combined with
enthusiasm, inspired all with the desire to serve and
assist him; hence, in part, that vast aggregation of
materialat Cambridge,beyond the capacity of the pres-
ent building for its proper arrangement and display.

What wonderful progress has been made in our
country since the arrival of Agassiz, in 1846! Its
material wealth how enormously increased, broad
areas peopled, new States established, and the march
of empire pushed westward to the sea. At that
time, for the year of his arrival may be regarded as
a notable and important event in the history of the
country, within a few rods of this spot, the waters
of the Bay rippled along an almost untrodden beach.
Do you remember his concluding remarks at the
Academy’s rooms, on that September evening, a
little more than a year ago? He said: “When I
saw to-day, for the first time, San Francisco through
the Golden Gate, I was amazed. I looked upon it as
one of the marvels of modern times that there
should bea city standing upon these shores, so grand,
so prosperous, so rich, and so young.” Great and
manifold as are the changes we have noticed, great

254 Louis Agassiz.

also has been the progress of science and intellec-
tual advancement in the nation. The increased and
constantly increasing interest in scientific study and
literature is most marked and astonishing.

I cannot but remember, and with regret, that
when a boy some thirty years ago, when first I
became interested in the study of natural history,
there were neither books nor teachers. How often
have those early disadvantages been brought to
mind, from time to time, as in after years I added to
the muster roll of friends, the names of younger
men who were privileged to sit under the teachings
of the great master.

As some good mother, by the fireside’s glow,
spreads the new book upon her lap, and, calling her
children near, points out the pictures and explains
their meaning; so he, with radiant face and winning
voice, gathered around him those nature-loving boys,
and, opening wide the book of the greater mother,
page by page, pointed to its living illustrations—
explained their history and their relations, their
beauty and their use.

How shall we estimate the value of early training
under such a teacher ?

Of the earlier students, Stimpson has passed away.
He had accumulated, though but forty years of age,
the ample store of more than twenty years’ investi-
gation. His manuscripts and plates were destroyed
by the great fire in Chicago. Of this sad event and
its effect upon him he wrote: ‘“ My own books, col-
lections, manuscripts, and drawings—twenty years’
work—all gone.” What a pang must have shot

The Agassiz Memorials. 255

through his heart as he wrote that line! “His old
teacher offered him all the resources of the museum
at Cambridge, but, with all his old love for the work,
his strength was gone.”

We may speak freely of the dead, if no evil is in
our speech; but delicacy suggests that we should
cautiously praise the living.

Other members of the earlier classes are profes-
sors and teachers in various colleges and schools
throughout the country, or faithfully toiling in some
field of investigation. I may not call their names.
Many have already acquired distinguished reputa-
tion, and all are contributing to “the sum of human
knowledge.” Some of them are borne upon the
roll of this Academy, and share with us the duties
of this occasion.

A few days more than eighteen months have
gone since Stimpson died ; and now the illustrious
teacher has followed his old-time pupil, on the
same inevitable path.

Shall we not pause, before we say farewell, and
review the labours and services of the master, since
the day when he made our country his own?

How much, what part of our intellectual growth
and material advancement, with its resulting higher
and expanding civilisation, is due to him?

Of. those lofty qualities which lift man above the
merely imitative and sensual animal, and place him
nearer the divine—in all which makes a people wise
and virtuous and anation great—who has done more
to disseminate the seed and encourage the growth
than Louis Agassiz ?

256 Louis Agassiz.

And now we say, good-bye! The form we knew
and called by his name will soon fade away; but the
effacing fingers of decay can never mar the record of
his noble life.

At the conclusion of this paper, which, owing to
the absence of Mr. Stearns, was read by Dr. E. S.
Carr, the latter remarked as follows:

“Ves, Mr. President, Agassizis notdead. He has
gone to sit with Humboldt and Cuvier, with Plato
and Aristotle, among the stars ; the voice of human-
ity, echoing down the corridors of time, and gather-
ing fulness, through the coming ages, will ever
proclaim as long asa love of knowledge endures—
Agassiz still lives.”

AGASSIZ’S PLACE IN SCIENCE.

REV. Dr. HORATIO STEBBINS,

Mr. PRESIDENT, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN :—It
would not be appropriate to me in this presence, and
after what has been said by those who have pre-
ceded me, to undertake to give a résumé of Agassiz’s
scientific thought, or to sketch his career as one of
the great interpreters of nature’s law; but while I
have been sitting here listening to the words of
others, and looking into your faces, I have been im-
pressed anew by that cheerful, harmonious accord of
reason, intelligence, and all magnanimous sentiments
with which we acknowledge human greatness. With
what refreshing admiration—with what proud, grate-
ful, sympathising joy do we stand on these level

The Agassiz Memorials. 257

plains of existence and look up to those vast
mountain ranges whose solitary summits attest
man’s intellectual and moral grandeur, and the
permanence of truth! It is the felicity of the scien-
tific man, that the truth he seeks is cosmopolitan.
It knows not state or nation, tribe or race, but is
world-truth and world-law. The distinguished rep-
resentatives of that truth have a clear atmosphere,
and if their moral nature is strong enough to sustain
itself in those rarified heights, they lead a life of
singular dignity and freedom, their minds dashed
with no colour of prejudice or passion—seeking what
is. To know what is in the world of things, is the
vocation of the man of science. His reputation is
the reputation of truth, strong and still as the sun;
and his name is the property of mankind. In the
enthusiasm of admiring grief, we accord to our late
illustrious fellow-citizen and cosmopolite such a
place and such a name.

Far back, ascending the centuries, in the very
horizon of man’s intellectual history, is Aristotle, in
whose mind the seeds of the universe were planted,
who compassed all the knowledge of his time, and
gave the hint to future ages. Two thousand years
later is Humboldt, who, with matchless wonder of
comprehension and penetration—with a persistency
of purpose and idea, pursued, without a parallel in
the life of man, through a period of nearly seventy
years of original research—constructed a ‘‘ Cosmos,”
thescience of the relationof things, which is perhaps
the source of more of the knowledge of the modern

time than has come from any other single mind. In
%7

258 Louis Agassiz.

our own time, and in the near distance of the present,
is Agassiz, who, coming forward at a period when
science was so complex as to render universality
impossible, devoted himself to the investigation of
the living forms upon the surface of our globe, and to
finding the thread of order and law running through
all organised beings. His mind was at once incisive
and comprehensive, analytic and synthetic; while
a fine glow of poetic insight and feeling suffused
his whole intellectual and moral frame. It was
this poetic nature, expressed in elevated, restrained
enthusiasm of purpose and idea, that enabled him
to give such an impulse to scientific studies in
America. He had the rare ability of pursuing
original research and of transforming it into popular
knowledge—a hazardous undertaking for some, in-
asmuch as the popularisation of science is accom-
plished through dense and refracting media, which
impair intellectual rectitude and degrade the scien-
tific standards of truth to practical and economical
relations. To extend the domain of science is one
thing, to diffuse science is another thing; and the
two are rarely united.

Agassiz claims my admiration for the firmness and
simplicity with which he maintained the right of
science to pursue its own investigations in its own
domain, without controversy, and without reference
to any prejudices or opinions that might be held in
any other department of knowledge or experience.
With the old conflict between science and religion
he had nothing to do. He had frankness and truth
enough to confess that there is as much dogmatism

The Agassiz Memorials. 259

in science as in religion; but he knew that essen-
tially there is no conflict between them, and never
can be. Their boundaries are undefined, as the
boundaries between the known and the unknown,
the apprehended and the comprehended, always will
be. It is one of the infirmities of the human mind to
become provincial in its conceptions of truth, and
to judge the universe of things by the standards of
its own village experience. Agassiz did much to
enlarge and enlighten the mind, by teaching that the
outward world is an expression of the thought of
God, and that man’s science is the discovery of
God's law.

He was indeed a light and a life! That life has
finished its earthly course, and that light is extin-
guished from our earthly horizon. It must be
considered a happy event to us here, that he visited
once these western shores. It is a privilege to have
seen him; as it is a profound satisfaction to feel that
the distinguished expressions of human nature are of
kindred blood with ourselves. As I looked on him
and called to mind the recollections of former days,
admonished of the malady that was destroying
him, I grieved for living men; but I did not grieve
for him—there was so little of him that could die.

REMARKS BY REV. DR. W. A. SCOTT.

Mr. PRESIDENT, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN :—I did
not know till I entered the hall this evening, that I
was expected to have the honour of saying a word
to you on this interesting occasion, but being urged

260 Louts Agassiz.

to appear on the platform I could not absolutely
refuse, because as acitizen it was in my heart to
honour, as far as in me lay, this memorial meeting,
and as a member of this Society to aid in tendering
our respects to the memory of our illustrious dead.
Another reason for opening my lips is to endorse
the sentiments of Rev. Dr. Stebbins, just uttered in ‘
regard to the alleged or supposed antagonism of
science to revealed religion. Believing as I do, as
intimated in the reference made to the opinions of
the late Louis Agassiz, that there is as much dogma
in science, or even more than in religion, I am ready
to say and boldly maintain that there is not, and
cannot be, any real antagonism or controversy
between true science and true religion. All truth is
of God and isa unit. Science and religion are twin
sisters from the throne of the Eternal Lawgiver.
There is no real controversy between them—no
strife but as to which branch of knowledge can do
most for mankind. Properly interpreted, they come
from the same glorious hand and tend to the same
result—the happiness of mankind and the glory of
the Creator. I honour science, and heartily bid God-
speed to every honest investigator of the laws of the
universe. As a theologian I have never had the
slightest fear concerning the advance of true science.
Our natural philosophers cannot travel so far but
they will find the Creator has been there before
them ; and as they climb through space and journey
among planets and systems unnumbered, they will
all find that the ladder by which they have ascended
to the very outposts of the universe was built for

_ The Agassiz Memorials. 261

them by the hand of an all-wise Lawgiver possessed
of supreme intelligence, will, and power. No, ladies
and gentlemen, there is no real controversy between
true science and religion. Their mission is one—
the progress of mankind to a higher degree of
knowledge and sincere purity. I have ever believed
in free thought, free speech, and a free press—not
toleration, but absolute freedom. It is thought that
governs the world.

But he must be a braver man than I claim to be,
who would undertake to entertain such a presence
as this at such a late hour, and especially after the
learned and eloquent remarks that have been made
by the gentlemen who have preceded me, even if I
had an address prepared, which I have not. All I
can venture to say is, that in doing honour to our
distinguished fellow-citizen, we honour ourselves.
Some nations honour their dead in one way, some
in another. Some build monuments or found insti-
tutions to perpetuate their names to coming genera-
tions. The eloquent addresses already delivered
have told us of the exalted character of our great
scientist as a man, a citizen in all the walks of life, of
the magnetism of his presence and speech, and of
his wonderful abilities as a teacher, and of the results
or net gains to the scientific world, as the perfecter,
if not the original proclaimer, of a new thought and
of a new method of scientific experiments, which are
revolutionising many of the departments of scientific
philosophy. We need not then offer a hecatomb at
his tomb. It may be true, in a limited sense, as the
heathen sages have said, “Those whom the gods

262 Louis Agassiz.

love die early,” and for us, too early has Louzs
Agassiz passed from us through glory’s morning
gate to the great majority gathering on the shores
of “the beautiful river,’ where the flowers never
fade. But not too early for himself, nor for the
cause of science to which his whole nature was_
consecrated. You have been told that the tele-
graph wires flashed to us the sad intelligence
“ Agassiz is no more.” This is a popular but an
erroneous announcement. True, he is no longer
on earth, to be seen in the high places he so
long honoured. We shall look no more here upon
his noble form, nor hear his eloquent and burning
words, but ke stzll lives. He is one of those men
who possess two immortalities—one, his own indi-
viduality, which he has carried with him to the
future state, and the other remains with us in our
hearts and in the annals of science to the end of
time.

Reference has been made to personal acquaintance
with the deceased. I was not as highly favoured as
some of the gentlemen who have spoken, but happily
not altogether without being able to record with
gratitude my knowledge of him, and the benefits
derived from his lectures. As a disciple, I once
enjoyed two full courses of his lectures, on Fishes
and Geology, and then sat at the feet of Professor
Mitchell, of the Cincinnati Observatory, and after-
wards at the feet of Professor Guyot, of Princeton
College, so honourably mentioned in your presence.
And from these masters of scientific lectures I de-
rived views of the laws of Nature and the works of

The Agassiz Memorials. 263

God, for which I desire to acknowledge my deepest
gratitude.

Let us then thank our Heavenly Father for the
advance of Science, and for the life, character,
labours, and contributions to true science of Louis
Agassiz. And as it is a true saying, “ They mourn
the dead aright who live as they would wish us to
live,” so let us in our several spheres endeavour to
imitate the noble deeds of our illustrious dead;
remembering that he said “he had no time to make
money.’ And he was right. Thank God he gave
his time, strength, genius, and heart to a far nobler
purpose. To make money requires time, skill, and
talent. It is a trade—a business—and in its place
all right; but it is not the highest calling of man.
It is not in itself the greatest good. What is gold,
gold to thought, to the enjoyments of a cultivated
mind? Like him, then, let us go forth from this
memorial meeting to give more of our time, and
strength, and substance, to the enlightenment, men-
tal culture, and advancement of our fellow-men, in
the knowledge of all truth.

EULOGY BY HENRY EDWARDS.

‘©O! what a noble heart was here undone,
When Science self destroyed her favourite son.”

From a seat of learning in the North has gone
forth a wail of sorrow, a wail which echoes not only
through the length and breadth of our own land, but
in every place in which refinement and culture have
found a home, and which will thrill for years to

264 Louis Agassiz.

come in many a heart at the mention of the name
of the departed. Agassiz isdead. The mighty brain
in which grand thoughts were kindled, is, as far as
our earth is concerned, at rest for ever; the smile
which ever shone on modest merit beams for us no
more; the kind and gentle voice which spoke in
earnest sympathy with even the meanest endeavour, ~
is hushed and still, and memory is all that is left us
of one so loved. To speak in praise of his vast
acquirements would be but

“To guard a title that was rich before.”

The history of his adopted country will inscribe
them on its brightest pages, and his works will be
forever cherished amid the records of the nation.
But apart from the homage which the worshippers
of his genius will surely lay before its shrine—apart
irom the consideration of the labours which have ren-
dered him immortal, and enrolled his name among
the deathless few—there steals into the thought the
recollection of that tender and gentle nature which
was so magnetic in its association, and which shed
so pleasing an influence upon all which came within
its contact. Involved in his own cherished pursuits,
he scorned the mean pretences of the world, and
being, as he himself declared, “Too busy to make
money,” he was utterly free from the taint of selfish-
ness, and lived less for his own advancement than
for the good of others, preferring the calm enjoy-
ment of a studious and retiring life to the tinsel
glories of wealth and display. Mindful of the diffi-
culties which beset the student of Science, and well

The Agassiz Memorials. 265

knowing how willingly the world will sneer at what
it cannot comprehend, his hand was ever extended
to help the seeker after truth, and to place his feet
upon a firm foundation. <A father among the young,
a brother among the mature, and a kind and gentle
friend to all, the name of Agassiz will be loved as
his genius is honoured, and his childlike nature cher-
ished as his mental powers are valued and esteemed.
Above the earth which covers his remains will be
mingled the bitter regrets for the loss of one so
gifted, and the sighs of sympathy for those who will
miss the communion of a loving heart. As on and
on we journey towards the end, the pathway of our
life is strewn with sorrowing memories; but the
blossoms of existence diffuse their fragrance by the
wayside, and teach us that all is not sad for those
who mourn. The incense of good deeds ascends to
Heaven, and the place which so glorious a soul as
his filled on earth, becomes a monument for after
time, and points to the generations which follow,
the shining remembrance of his power. For over |
fourteen years the writer has held pleasant inter-
course with him; has profited by the varied store
of knowledge he was ever so ready to impart; and
with a saddened soul would add this poor tributary
leaf to the garlands which will deck his tomb. He
is but one among the many who have felt the
friendly interest which Agassiz was wont to display
to all who needed the help of such a teacher, and
who, in the years to come, will sigh

‘For the touch of a vanished hand,
And the sound of a voice that is still,”

266 Louis Agassiz.

RESOLUTIONS OF THE CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF
SCIENCES,

WHEREAS, we, the members and associates of the
California Academy of Sciences, have learned that
it has pleased Divine Providence to call our friend
and fellow-member, Professor Louis Agassiz, away
from his earthly labours; Therefore be it

Resolved, That in the death of Professor Agassiz
we recognise the loss of one whose life was passed
in earnest devotion to the advancement of Science
and the cause of liberal education; whose labours in
this field have won for him an enduring fame
throughout both hemispheres ; whose efforts in this
his adopted country have, more than those of any
other individual, contributed to a wide popular
appreciation of the dignity, value, and importance of
scientific research, and to the necessity of incorpor-
ating in our schemes of education, instruction in
those laws which form the foundations of the
Natural Sciences and are inseparably connected with
our material and intellectual prosperity; whose
geniality and enthusiasm in the pursuit of his
favourite studies, and whose unequalled power of
presenting the results of those studies to the public
in a simple and attractive form, have endeared to
the hearts of this nation, and especially to us and
others, who are more or less individually concerned
in the pursuit of scientific truth.

Resolved, That we believe that to Professor Agassiz
and the pupils whom he influenced by his teachings
and example, we largely owe the adoption of that

The Agassiz Memorials. 267
ao Sen Le
wise liberality, exhibited by the government and
by. many private individuals, in matters relating to
scientific exploration and research, which is so justly
the pride of American citizens.

Resolved, That the visit of Professor Agassiz to
this community, his genial presence, and his address
before the Academy and its friends, will always be
held by us in grateful remembrance.

Resolved, That we deeply regret the bereavement
of Professor Agassiz’s family and would offer them
our sincere and respectful sympathy.

Resolved, That these resolutions be printed in the
Academy’s Proceedings, and that the Secretary be
directed to forward an engrossed copy to the san
of the deceased.

Action of the Smithsonian Institution.

Soon after the death of Agassiz, the Regents of
the Smithsonian Institution held a meeting and the
following remarks were made on the dead scientist,
by ex-President James A. Garfield :

GARFIELD ON AGASSIZ.

Never before in a single year has the Board of
Regents suffered so severe a loss. It would be
difficult to find, in any organisation, two men more
eminent, and representing a wider range of culture,
than the two regents, Chief Justice Chase and Pro-
fessor Agassiz, who have fallen since the last meeting
of this board.

268 Louis Agasstz.

In Professor Agassiz we have lost a man of kin-
dred powers, whose life was spent in a different
though hardly less conspicuous field of action.

Few lives were ever so sincerely and entirely de-
voted to the highest and best aims of science. I
was led to appreciate this by a remark which Pro-
fessor Agassiz made to me several years ago, which
is, I believe, the key to his own career, and deserves
to be remembered by all who would follow in his
footsteps. His remark was that he had made it the
rule of his life to abandon any intellectual pursuit the
moment tt became commercially valuable.

He knew that others would utilise what he dis-
covered; that when he brought down the great
truths of science to the level of commercial values,
a thousand hands would be ready to take them and
make them valuable in the markets of the world.
Since then I have thought of him as one of that
small but elect company of men who dwell on the
upper heights, above the plane of commercial values,
and who love and seek truth for its own sake. Such
men are indeed the prophets, the priests, the inter-
preters of nature. Few of their number have
learned more, at first hands, than Professor Agassiz ;
and few, if any, have submitted their theories to
severer tests.

It was a great risk for the astronomer to announce
that the perturbations of the solar system could
only be accounted for by a planet as yet unknown,
and to predict its size and place in the solar system,
trusting to the telescope to confirm or explode his
theory. But perhaps Professor Agassiz took even a

The Agassiz Memorials. 269

greater risk than this. Who does not remember the
letter he addressed to Professor Peirce, of the Coast
Survey, just before he set out on the Hassler expedi-
tion, predicting in detail what evidences of glacial
action he expected to find on the continent of
South America, and what species of marine animals
he expected to discover in the deep-sea soundings
along that coast? He risked his own reputation as
a scientific man on the predictions then committed
to writing.

What member of this board will forget the lecture
he delivered here after his return, detailing the dis-
coveries he had made, and showing how completely
his predictions had been verified ?

While he was the prince of scholars, and a recog-
nised teacher of mankind, yet he always preserved
that childlike spirit which made him the most amia-
ble of men. He studied nature with a reverence
born of his undoubting faith. He believed that the
universe was a cosmos, not a chaos; and that
throughout all its vast domains there were indub-
itable evidences of creative power and supreme
wisdom.

We have special cause for regret that his early
death has deprived this community and the world of
a series of lectures which were to have been deliv-
ered here this winter, on subjects of the deepest
interest to science. His death will be deplored in
whatever quarter of the globe genius is admired and
science is cherished. He has left behind him asa
legacy to mankind a name and a fame which will
abide as an everlasting possession.

270 Louts Agassiz.

RESOLUTIONS OF THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION.

Resolved, That the Board of Regents of the
Smithsonian Institution record on the minutes of
their proceedings their high appreciation of the
character and labours of their lamented associate,
Louis Agassiz, and the expression of their profound
sorrow on account of his unexpected death, in the
full exercise of his power, and amidst his unparal-
leled usefulness.

Resolved, That Professor Agassiz, by the attrac-
tion which he exerted on all who came under the
magical influence of his genial temperament and
generous sympathies, nobly advocated the claims of
Science to high popular estimation, private endow-
ments, and liberal public patronage.

Resolved, That as an instructor in his adopted
country, he introduced methods of study, and
directed attention to fields of research in natural
history, far more elevated than those which had been
previously in use; that as an original investigator he
made additions to human knowledge which do
honour to the science of the nineteenth century,
and associate his name with those of the prominent
benefactors of his race.

Resolved, That in the death of Professor Agassiz,
the Smithsonian Institution has lost a wise adviser
in its scientific operations, a powerful supporter of
its policy in regard to original research, and an influ-
ential friend, ready at all times to advocate its
claims on Congress for the independent support of
a national museum.

The Agassiz Memorials. 271

Resolved, That the Board of Regents deeply
sympathise with the family of the deceased, on
account of their sad bereavement, and that a copy
of these resolutions be transmitted to them.

DR. PARKER’S OPINION OF AGASSIZ.

Mr. CHANCELLOR :—It may seem presumptuous
in me to rise to move the adoption of the resolutions
submitted.

To calculate the distance and magnitude of the
sun, requires an astronomer, and to analyse its
chemical properties is the province of the spectro-
scopist, but multitudes who are neither astronomers
nor spectroscopists can delight in the revelations
which are made in regard to that luminary.

I am not a scientist; still, I can appreciate,
in some degree, the labours of one who shone a
star of the first magnitude in the firmament of
science !

It is sixteen years since I first met Professor
Agassiz, whose death the Board of Regents so
deeply lament. It was at commencement at Har-
vard University, in 1858, the first year after my
return from a long residence in China. The Em-
peror Napoleon had made tempting offers in the
way of high position to Professor Agassiz to go to
Paris. Intense solicitude on the part of his friends
in Cambridge and the country generally, was felt as
to his decision. It was on this occasion that their
anxious suspense was relieved, as Professor Agassiz,
after dinner, rose and announced his determination

272 Louis Agassiz.

henceforth to be an American citizen. This declara-
tion was received with most enthusiastic demonstra-
tions of rejoicing.

I am happy the resolutions now submitted recog-
nise his adopted citizenship. An incident that has
come to my knowledge within the last hour has
given me great pleasure, as illustrating the patriot-
ism of the man. A mutual friend said, “ Professor
Agassiz, it fills me with gratitude every time I think
of your declining the very flattering proposition
that was made to you from the court of France.”
To which he replied: ‘Yes, and do you know,
that proposition was renewed to me after the war
began, and I replied with more earnestness than
before, if I loved my adopted country too much
to leave it when all was peace, I certainly shall
not leave it now, when a shadow has come over
its prospects.”

In the resolutions adopted by different scientific
and literary institutions throughout the country,
much prominence is given, and rightly, too, to the
irreparable loss sustained by the —— of this pre-
eminent man of science.

While we sympathise most fully with that senti-
ment, there is another consideration that should not
be overlooked. I refer to the kind Providence that
has given to the world such a man, preserved his
life to mature years, and enabled him to accomplish
so much as he has done for the science, not only of
the day and of this country, but of the age and
world.

The Agassiz Memorials. ae

To Louis Agassiz belongs the distinction of hav-
ing awakened, in a remarkable degree,a spirit of scien-
tific inquiry, and of having discovered changes our
planet has undergone, through the influence of laws
he was the first to demonstrate, arriving at sucha
knowledge of their operations that it may be truly
said of him that the remote consequences of these
laws, first predicted by his theory, were, in repeated
instances, most signally verified upon two continents
by his observations.

In the circumstances of his departure from this
life, there were peculiar mercies that call for grateful
recognition. Fears were at one time entertained,
and not without cause, lest he might linger through
years of suffering, deprived of reason; but he and
his loving family have been spared that affliction,
and he has been, as it were, translated, to resume,
or rather to continue, on a higher plane, his advance
in the knowledge of the works of the Creator, with
devout and endlessly increasing adoration of their
Divine Author.

On motion of Dr. Parker, the resolutions were

unanimously adopted.

Memorial of the Boston Natural Hrstory Soczety.

The Memorial of the Boston Natural History So-
ciety, of which Agassiz was a prominent member, is
especially interesting, as it gives many facts relating
to the Humboldt Celebration. The address was

274 Louis Agassiz.

delivered by the Rev. R. C. Waterson and is as
follows :
ADDRESS BY REV. R. C. WATERSON.

At a meeting of the Boston Society of Natural
History, June, 1869, it was moved and voted that a
celebration of the Centennial Anniversary of the
birth of Alexander von Humboldt, by this Society,
is highly desirable. It was also suggested that Pro-
fessor Agassiz be invited to deliver an address upon
the occasion. The invitation was extended to Pro-
fessor Agassiz andaccepted. Various circumstances
connected with that memorable occasion, at a time
like the present, come to the mind with peculiar
power.

In Professor Agassiz’s public address, his intro-
ductory remarks were, “I am invited to an un-
wonted task. Thus far I have appeared before the
public only as a teacher of Natural History. To-
day, for the first time in my life, I leave a field in
which I am at home, to take upon myself the duties
of a biographer.”

Thus this Society had the privilege of inviting
Professor Agassiz to a duty (most nobly fulfilled),
which without this invitation in all probability he
would never have entered upon. That being, as he
himself expressed it, the first time in his life he had
undertaken such a task; it was also, as we now
know, destined to be the last. This event which,
on every account, had great interest, for these
reasons possesses a solemnand sacred import. That
anniversary we would keep in grateful remem-

The Agassiz Memorials. 275

brance, forming as it does, in connection with many
reminiscences, an added and, may we not say, an
indissoluble tie between us and him.

At the time when the invitation was extended to
Professor Agassiz, he was overwhelmed with work;
while, by previous labour, both body and mind had
already been overtaxed. Under such circumstances
it would have appeared next to impossible for him
to comply with the request of the Society, yet so
desirous was he to meet their wishes that he under-
took the task.

On the 8th of June Mrs. Agassiz wrote:

“Though your letter touched and gratified me
deeply, it made me very anxious, too. I could al-
most have wished the occasion had not arisen, for it
alarms me to see the way in which work accumu-
lates upon Mr. Agassiz, whose health is no longer so
good as it used to be.

“It seems as if it would be easy for him to talk of
Humboldt, and so, out of the fulness of his heart, it
would ; but on such an occasion, the address must
include a very careful review of all the facts of his
life, of his relation to science through three quarters
of acentury; it must be accurate as well as compre-
hensive, and even Humboldt’s most intimate friend
could not prepare it without a good deal of care and
research. Ido not say this because I would dis-
suade Mr. Agassiz from it; on the contrary, it
seems to me a duty, which, since it arises, he cannot
avoid; and I think he fully intends to undertake it,
though not without many fears lest he should not
rise to the grandeur of the occasion.

276 Louis Agasstz.

“Mr. Agassiz begs me to say that he has the
greatest desire to further the project to the utmost
of his power, and only fears, as I have said, to fall
short of his own wishes, and the expectations of
those who are willing to entrust him with such a
responsibility.”

On the 3d of July Professor Agassiz wrote as
follows :

“For weeks past I have intended every day to
write you, but the fact is that just now I have
scarcely time to breathe, and with the sincere desire
of accepting the invitation tendered to me through
you, I have been trying to free myself in some de-
gree of the tasks before me. It is not so easy todo
this as it seems.

“‘ However, I write now to say that I will do my
best so far as it depends upon me, to make the anni-
versary of Humboldt worthy of his memory, and
serviceable to science in the country. The task will
be a difficult, and in some respects a painful one to
me, none the less because of my personal relations
with him. But I will do my best, and I beg you to
believe that the confidence placed in me by those
who wish to make this occasion a marked day, has
gratified and touched me deeply.

‘“T wish you would express this sentiment in my
behalf, and add that my great cause of hesitation
has been the fear that I might not satisfy the ex-
pectations of those who have thus honoured me.

‘““ Believe me,
“ Ever truly yours,
“Louis AGASSIZ.”

The Agassiz Memorials. a7

In a note, dated July 21st, he says: “I have been
‘completely prostrated this week.”

Yet notwithstanding this exhaustion (doubtless
far beyond what was imagined by his most intimate
friends, and, added to this, serious illness among the
members of his own family, his son leaving for
Europe, on account of his health, the very day upon
which the address was delivered), Professor Agassiz
most conscientiously devoted himself through the
sultriness of an intensely hot midsummer, to the
work of preparation. Few are probably aware what
a mind like his would, under such circumstances,
consider requisite. Nothing was to be taken for
granted; not even the memory of former investiga-
tions would be accepted without passing through
the process of examination. Every step was to be
measured, with critical exactness, through the long
progress of Humboldt’s scientific career.

Is there not exemplified in this fact, one of the
marked characteristics of Professor Agassiz’s mind?
Absolute thoroughness; sifting every question and
principle down to its first elements; tracing every
thought, from its earliest germ through each suc-
cessive development, until the final result is reached.

In order to secure freedom from all interruption
during these researches, he asked for a room at the
City Library, which was readily granted. Here he
could gather about him. papers and books which
during his absence would remain undisturbed. Mr.
Winsor, the efficient and obliging Superintendent,
tells me that for more than a month Professor Agassiz
passed there at least three or four days of each week,

278 Louis Agassiz.

from nine o’clock in the morning until generally
three o’clock in the afternoon, and that during this
time he called for more than two hundred volumes
in different languages, always desiring to read each
work as it originally came from the mind of the
author. Thus every work which Alexander von
Humboldt ever wrote passed under careful review;
not only every volume, but every pamphlet, with the
exception of one, which could not be found in this
country.

On the 4th of September he wrote me:

“JT have only yesterday finished gathering my
materials, and have not yet begun preparing my
address.”

He adds: “My friends will never know what
anxieties I have to go through on this occasion.”

Six days after this I received the following:

‘*NAHANT, SEPT. IOTH, 1869.
“My DEAR SIR:

“JT have succeeded this evening in bringing toa
close my draft of an address; not exactly as I would
like to deliver it, but such as I may be compelled to
read should the occurrences of the day unfit me for
an extemporised discourse which I believe might be
more effective.”

It would thus appear that even after the address
was written, he hoped to give, not what he had
embodied in manuscript, but the result of which
that would be the basis, in the form of an extempo-
rised discourse, for which, as all know from his

Lhe Agassiz Memorials. 279

constant habit of speaking without notes, he pos-
sessed the very highest qualifications.
However, to meet every contingency, he adds:

“As I go to-morrow to Cambridge, I will try to
have my illegible manuscript set in type, that I may
myself be able to read it. At the same time I shall
see how my diagrams are progressing, and if satis-
factory, forward them at once to the Music Hall.

“ Very truly yours,
““L. AGASSIZ.”

On the 13th of September he wrote:

“DEAR SIR: —

“T hope I may havea proof of my address for
your reporters by the time I reach Boston to-morrow,
which I shall hand to you. My diagrams went to
the Music Hall Saturday afternoon, with the palm-
branch worn on Humboldt’s funeral.

“The pen taken from his desk the day he died,
and sent to me, I shall bring myself, fearing it might
be lost if left with bulkier objects.

“Very truly yours,
“'L. AGASSIZ.”

Such were some of the preparatory labours con-
nected with the address which was to be heard on
that Centennial Anniversary by literary and scientific
men from every part of the country. Seldom has
there been an occasion in the history of New
England, which has brought together so brilliant
an assemblage of able scholars and prominent men
in every department of thought.

280 Louis Agassiz.

At the evening reception, Mr. Ralph Waldo
Emerson, in speaking of what he termed the “ de-
lightful address in praise of Humboldt,” concentrated
his estimate in this characteristic declaration, ‘‘ Our
eminent professor never delivered a discourse more
wise, more happy, or of more varied power.”

These words expressed the universal feeling. And
the address, so cordially welcomed by those who
heard it, was received when published with equal
favour on both sides of the Atlantic.

This very day, I was reading a letter by Sir John
Herschel expressing his commendation; and in the
Life of Alexander von Humboldt, edited by Pro-
fessor Karl Bruhns, director of the Observatory at
Leipzig, the address of Agassiz is referred to, both
in the preface, and in the body of the book. In the
latter, a lengthy extract is introduced. [See Vol. II.,
pp. 179, 180, and 181.]

There were several occasions upon which Alexan-
der von Humboldt extended such attention and
kindness to Agassiz, at a time when encouragement
was most needed, that it seems but an act of justice
and gratitude to recall them here. The first was
related by Agassiz some fifteen years ago, at a meet-
ing of the American Academy of Art and Science,
soon after Humboldt’s death.

“May I be permitted,” he said “ to tell a circum-
stance personal to me? I was only twenty-four
years of age when in Paris, whither I had gone with
means given me by a friend, but I was at last about
to resign my studies from want of ability to meet my
expenses. Professor Mitscherlich was then on a visit

_ The Agassiz Memorials. 281

in Paris, and I had seen him in the morning, when
he had asked me what was the cause of my depressed
feelings, and I told him I had to go, for I had noth-
ing left. The next morning as I was seated at
breckfast, in front of the yard of the Hotel, where I
lived, I saw the servant of Humboldt approach ; he
handed me a note, saying there was no answer and
disappeared. I opened the note, and I see it nowas
distinctly as if I held the paper in my hand. It said:

“« MY FRIEND:

“«T hear that you intend leaving Paris in conse-
quence of some embarrassments. This shall not be.
I wish you to remain here as long as the object for
which you came is not accomplished. I enclose you
a check of £50. It is a loan which you may repay
when you can.’”’

That one act of Humboldt, at the turning-point
in the life of Agassiz, may have affected the whole
course of his after-career. If Sir Humphrey Davy
could say “‘ My best discovery was Michael Fara-
day,” what shall we say of this discriminating
instance of generous encouragement, which perhaps
gave to us Agassiz as a man of science.

In the address upon Humboldt, Agassiz speaks of
his studies at Munich, whose University had opened
under the most brilliant auspices, and where nearly
every professor was prominent in some department
of science or literature. ‘These men,” he says,
“were not only our teachers but our friends. We
were the companions of their walks, and often pres-
ent at their discussions.” “My room,” he adds, “ was

282 Louis Agassiz.

our meeting-place, bedroom, study, museum, library,
lecture-room, fencing-room, all in one. Students and
professors used to call it the little Academy.”

It was at this time that Humboldt was preparing
for his Asiatic journey. Agassiz was anxious to
accompany him, and asked that he might join the
expedition as an assistant. This was the beginning '
of his personal acquaintanceship with Humboldt.

A graphic picture is presented of the student’s life
in Paris, in the days of Louis Philippe, when Cuvier,
just the age of Humboldt himself, was active and
ardent in research, his sa/on frequented by statesmen,
scholars, and artists.

Cuvier was then giving a course of lectures in the
College of France, on the History of Science.
“Humboldt,” says Agassiz, “ attended these lectures
regularly; I had frequently the pleasure of sitting
by his side, and being the recipient of his passing
criticism.” At this period, Humboldt had his work-
ing-room at the Rue de la Harpe. “There,” con-
tinues Agassiz, “it was my privilege to visit him
frequently. There he gave me leave to come, to
talk with him about my work, and consult him in
my difficulties.”

At this time Agassiz was twenty-four years of age,
and Humboldt sixty-two.

“I had recently,” says Agassiz, “taken my degree
as Doctor of Medicine, and was struggling, not only
for a scientific position, but for the meanis of exist-
ence also. I have said that he gave me permission
to come as often as I pleased to his room, opening
to me freely the inestimable advantages which inter-

The Agassiz Memorials. 283

course with such a man gave toa young investigator
like myself. But he did far more than this, occupied
and surrounded as he was, he sought me out in my
lodging.”

Pere he gives a most interesting account of a visit
from Humboldt, at Agassiz’s narrow quarters, in the
Hotel du Jardin des Plantes. After which is an
invitation from Humboldt, to meet him at the Palais
Royal—where they dine—“‘a rare indulgence,” says
Agassiz, “ for a young man, who could allow himself
few luxuries.” ‘“ Here” he adds, “for three hours,
which passed like a dream, I had him all to myself.
How he examined me, and how much I learned in
that short time! How to work,’what to do, and
what to avoid; how to live, how to distribute my
_ time ; what methods of study to pursue; these were
the things of which he talked to me, on that delight-
ful evening.”

When we reflect upon the extended reputation
acquired by Agassiz before he left Europe; of that
visit to this country which led him gladly to adopt
it as his home, and of the untiring zeal with which
he devoted to it the best years of his life; shall we
not hold in grateful remembrance the man who gave
to him, at the most critical moment, the cordial hand
of friendship, and who by his cheering words, inspired
fresh ardour, and ahope which no after trial could
extinguish ?

It is more than a pleasant picture, it is a lesson for
all time, and should awaken, through generations,
the desire generously to encourage and wisely to aid.

284 Louis Agassiz.

THE HUMBOLDT SCHOLARSHIP.

It was in this spirit that a ‘“ Humboldt Scholar-
ship” became associated with the Humboldt
Anniversary. Through personal solicitation on the
part of the committee the sum of seven thousand
dollars was subscribed to form a permanent fund,’
the income of which, under the direction of the
Faculty, was to be solely applied to the aid of young
and needy students, while pursuing their preparatory
studies at the Museum of Comparative Zodlogy, in
Cambridge. The founding of this scholarship was
the voluntary proposition of this Society as a token
of sympathy and hearty good-will.

The gratification of Professor Agassiz was at once
expressed. In a note written July 3d, he says:

“Your proposition to connect a scholarship with
the Museum of Comparative Zodlogy, in commem-
oration of this occasion, has had great weight with
me. I believe that such an arrangement will not
only be an ever-returning memento of the solemnities
of this 14th of September, but, if properly con-
ducted, will contribute to the real advancement of
Natural History among us.”

The origin of this scholarship was by some misap-
prehended. It was supposed to have been suggested,
directly or indirectly, by Professor Agassiz. This is
an entire mistake. Noone could feel more sensitive
than he himself did upon this subject. His feelings
are frankly expressed in a note which I received

Lhe Agassiz Memorials. 285

from him, after he had read a paragraph in the daily
_ papers, referring this movement to him.

“My DEAR SIR:

“In a paper to-day, giving an account of the pro-
posed celebration, ‘a plan’ is alluded to ‘of Mr.
Agassiz for founding a Humboldt Scholarship in
the institution of which he is the head.’

“This is no doubt a simple error of the press, but
I should be very sorry to have it stand. It would
have been very ungracious in me, and would have
shown, to say the least, a great want of delicacy,
had I suggested an endowment for the Museum in
which I am personally interested. It was, as you
know, a proposition made spontaneously without
any reference to me. And though I rejoice in it
and feel doubly unwilling, on account of this offer,
to shrink from the responsibility connected with the
invitation of your committee, yet the suggestion
coming from me, under the circumstances, instead
of being appropriate, would be wholly unbecoming.
You will excuse me for troubling you about this,
but I am sure you will see that it places me in an
awkward position.”

If in any mind there should exist even the
shadow of a misapprehension upon this subject,
these words will serve to explain fully both the
feelings of Professor Agassiz and the exact facts
of the case.

At the close of his public address of the 14th of
September, he says:

286 Louis Agassiz.

‘“‘T have appeared before you as the representative
of the Boston Natural History Society. It was
their proposition to celebrate this memorable anni-
versary. I feel grateful for their invitation, for the
honour they have done me. I feel still more grateful
for the generous impulse which has prompted them
to connect a Humboldt Scholarship, as a memorial”
of this occasion, with the Museum of Comparative
Zoology at Cambridge.”

Thus, Mr. President and gentlemen, while we
cannot but deeply mourn the vast loss which this
community and the whole country has sustained by
this bereavement, we rejoice in that friendly rela-
tionship which so long existed between us, and are
thankful that one of the last great public utterances
of his life was given under the auspices of this
Society.

And now that his life, so beneficently crowded
with activity and usefulness, has closed to us in this
sphere of being, we are grateful that our mutual
efforts established what will not only be a perpetual
bond of union between this Society and the institu-
tion of which he was the honoured head, but which,
we trust, through successive years may prove a
source of practical help and encouragement to num-
berless students, who, by their future efforts, may
extend the boundaries of knowledge, thus aiding in
the work of human progress, while they carry for-
ward to yet further completion those investigations
and discoveries which, in our own day, have given
immortality to the names of Humboldt and Agassiz.

BIBLIOGRAPHY OF LOUIS AGASSIZ.

CONTENTS.

I. PRINCIPAL WORKS OF AGASSIZ,

2. ARTICLES IN PUBLICATIONS OF LEARNED SOCIETIES AND PERI-
ODICALS.

. Books CONTAINING CONTRIBUTIONS BY AGASSIZ.

BIOGRAPHIES OF AGASSIZ.

5. ARTICLES ON AGASSIZ. BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES; CRITICISMS

AND ACCOUNTS OF HIS RESEARCHES AND THEORIES,
6. PRINCIPAL REVIEWS OF AGASSIZ’Ss WORKS.

Note -—An asterisk placed before a title signifies that the book has
not been seen by the compiler.

I.—PRINCIPAL WORKS.

Bibliographia Zodlogize et Geologiw. A general catalogue
of all books, tracts, and memoirs on zoélogy and geology. Corr., enl.,
and ed. by H. E. Strickland. 4 vols., 8vo. Lond. (Royal Society),
1848-54.

Caractéres Zodlogiques et Anatomiques des Sauroides
Vivans et Fossiles. 4to. Neuchatel, 1842.

Catalogus Systematicus Ectyporum Echinodermatum
Fossilium Musei Neocomensis, secundum Ordinem Zodélogicum Dis-
positus, Adjectis Synonymis Recentioribus nec non Stratis et Locis in

287

288 Louis Agassiz.

quibus Reperiuntur. Sequunter characteres diagnostict generum novo-
rum vel minus cognitorum. Necomi Helvet., 1840.

Contributions to the Natural History of the United States
of America. Illus. Plates. 4 vols., 4to. Bost., 1857-62.

Contents : v. ii—Essay on Classification—North American Testu-
dinata, ov. iii—Embryology of the Turtle. v. iiii—Acalephs in
General—Ctenophore. v. iv.—Discophore—Hydroide—Homologies
of the Radiata.

Dents et les Rayons des Placoides. 4to. Neuchatel, 1844.

Description des Echinodermes Fossiles de la Suisse. 2 T.,
25 planches. 4to. Neuchatel, 1839-40.

Note:—Extraits des Tomes iii. et iv. des ‘‘ Nouveaux Mémoires de
la Société Helvetique des Sciences Naturelles.”

Discours d’Overture des Séances de la Société Helvétique

des Sciences Naturelles 4 Neuchatel, le 24 Juillet, 1837. 8vo,
Neuchatel, 1837.

Dissertatio Inauguralis ;: De Taxi et Syntaxi Morphomatum
Telz Cornez Dictz. 4to. Monachii, 1839.

Essai sur la Classification des Poissons. 4to. Neuchatel, 1844.
Essay on Classification. 8vo. Lond., 1859.

Etudes Critiques sur les Mollusques Fossiles. [With Atlas.]
too planches. 5 T., 4to. Neuchatel, 1840-45.

Etudes sur les Glaciers. [With Atlas.] Dessinés d’aprés
nature et lithographies par J. Bettanier. 2 T., 4to and f°. Neu-
chatel, 1840,

Geological Sketches. First and second series. Tllus. 2 vols.,
r2mo. Bost., 1866, 1876.

Histoire Naturelle des Poissons d'Eau Douce de l’Europe
Centrale. Planches [colored, with descriptions in French, German,
and English.] Obl. 4to. Neuchatel, 1839.

Iconographie des Coquilles Tertiaires, Reputées Identiques
avec les Espéces Vivantes ou dans Différens Terrains de l'Epoque Ter-
tiaire, Accompagnée de la Description des Espéces Nouvelles. 15
planches. 4to. Neuchatel, 1845.

Note :—From ‘‘ Neue Denkschriften der Allgemeinen Schweizer-
ischen Gesellschaft fiir die Gesammten Naturwissenschaften,” Bd.
vii., 1845.

Libliography of Louis Agassiz, 289

Journey to Switzerland and Pedestrian Tours in that
Country. Including a Sketch of its History and of the Manners and
Customs of its Inhabitants. 8vo. Lond., 1833.

Lake Superior: Its Physical Character, Vegetation, and
Animals Compared with those of Other and Similar Regions, Witha
narrative of the tour and contributions by other scientific gentlemen.
Illus. 8vo. Bost., 1850.

Matériaux pour une Bibliothéque Zodlogique et Paléontolo-
gique. Neuchatel, 1842.

Mémoire sur les Moules de Mollusques Vivants et Fossiles.
4to. Neuchatel, 1839.

Vote :—Extrait de T. ii., 1839, des ‘‘ Mémoires de la Société des
Sciences Naturelles de Neuchatel.”

Methods of Study in Natural History. 12mo. Bost., 1863.

Note -—Appeared first in serial form in volumes ix. and x. of the
Atlantic Monthly.

Monographie des Poissons Fossiles du Vieux Grés Rouge,
ou Systéme Dévonien (old red sandstone) des fles Britanniques et de
Russie . . . Ouvrage redigé 4 la demande de 1’Association
Britannique pour ]’Avancement des Sciences et présenté par extraits 4
sa reunion 4 Manchester en 1842. 2T.; T.ii., planches. 4to and
obl. f°. Neuchatel, 1844-45.

Monographies d’Echinodermes Vivants et Fossiles. 57
planches. 4 T., gto. Neuchatel, 1838-42.

Nomenclator Zodlogicus, Continens Nomina Systematica
Generum Animalium tam Viventium quam Fossilium, secundum
Ordinem Alphabeticum Deposita, Adjectis Auctoribus, Libris, in
Quibus Reperiunter. 4to. Soloduri, 1842-46.

—— Same. Index Universalis. 8vo. Soloduri, 1848.

Nouvelles Etudes et Expériences sur les Glaciers Actuels:
leur Structure, leur Progression, et leur Influence sur le Sol. 2 T.;
T. ii., Atlas. 8vo & f°. Paris, 1847.

Poissons Fossiles et l’Ostéologie du Genre Brochet. 4to.
Neuchatel, 1842.

Rapport sur les Poissons Fossiles, Présenté a |’Association
Britannique pour: l’Avancement des Sciences en 1842, 8vo,

Neuchatel, 1842.
19

290 Louis Agassiz.

Recherches sur les Poissons Fossiles, Comprenant la De-
scription de 500 Espéces qui n’Existent plus, 1’Exposition de Lois de
la Succession et du Développement Organique des Poissons durant
toutes les Métamorphoses du Globe Terrestre, une Nouvelle Classifi-
cation de ces Animaux . . . enfin, des Considérations Géolo-
giques Générales Tirées le V’Etude des Fossiles. 10 Tom. (5 T.,
planches.) 4to. Neuchatel, 1833-43.

Selecta Genera et Species Piscium quos in Initere per
Brasilian Annis 1817-1820. . . . Collegit et pingendos curavit J. B.
des Spix. . . . digessit, descripsit et observationibus anatomicis
illustravit Dr. L. Agassiz. Preefatus est et edidit itineris socius F. C.
P. de Martius. f°. Monachii, 1829.

Structure of Animal Life: Six lectures delivered at the Brook-
lyn Academy of Music, January and February, 1862. 8vo. New
York, 1862.

Succession et du Développement des Etres Organisés a la

Surface du Globe Terrestre, dans la Différents Ages de la Nature.
Discours Prononcé 4 |’Inauguration de l’ Académie de Neuchatel, le 18
Nov., 1841. 8vo. Neuchatel, 1842.
Same, Aufeinander-Folge und Entwickelung der Organisirten
Wesen auf der Oberflache der Erde in den verschiedenen Zeitaltern.
Rede . . . [delivered] am 18 Nov., 1841. Aus dem Franzésischen
von Dr. N. Grager. 8vo. Halle aS., Gérlitz, 1843.

Systeme Glaciaire. Nouvelles Etudes et Expériences sur les
Glaciers Actuels. 2 7T. T.ii., planches. 8voandf*. Paris, 1847.

Tableau Genéral des Poissons Fossiles Rangés par Ter-
rains. I6pp. 1844.

Tableau Synoptique des Principales Familles Naturelles
des Plantes. 12mo. Neuchatel, 1833.

Twelve Lectures on Comparative Embryology. Delivered
before the Lowell Institute in Boston. 8vo. Bost., 1849.

Untersuchungen iiber die Gletscher. . . . Nebst einen
Atlas von 32 Steindrucktafeln (mach der Natur gezeichnet und
lithographirt von J. Bettanier.) 2 Bde. 4to and f°. Solothurn and
Neuchatel, 1840, 1841.

Agassiz, Louis, and Mrs, Elizabeth C, A Journey in Brazil.
Illus. 8vo, Bost., 1868,

Bibliography of Louis Agassiz. 291

—— Same, [In French.] Tr. . . . par. F. Vogeli. 8vo.
Paris, 1869.

Agassiz, Louis, avd Gould, A. A. Principles of Zodlogy,
Touching the Structure, Development Distribution, and Natural
Arrangement of the Races of Animals, Living and Extinct. Pt.
_i,; Comparative Physiology. 12mo. Bost., 1848.

Same. [In German.] . . . Mit einen vorwort von
Professor Bronn. 8vo. Stuttgart, 1851.

Agassiz, Louis, 77. Conchologie, Minéralogique, par James
Sowerby, Tr. Frangaise, corr. et aug., par L. Agassiz. 2T.; T. ii.,
planches. ;

Agassiz, Louis, 7y. Geologie und Mineralogie in Beziehung
zur natiirlichen Theologie von W. Buckland. Aus dem Englischen

. mit Anmerkungen und Zusitzen versehen von Dr. L.
Agassiz. 2 Bde. 8vo,. Neuchatel, 1838-39.

2.—ARTICLES IN PUBLICATIONS OF LEARNED SOCIETIES AND
PERIODICALS.

Abgerissene Bemerkungen iiber Fossile Fische. (eues
Fahrbuch fiir Mineralogie, Geognosie, Geologie, und Petrefakien-
kunde, 1834, pp. 379-390.)

Additions to Mr. Wood’s Catalogue of Crag Radiaria.
(Annals and Mag. of Nat. Hist., v. vi., 1841, p. 343.)

Address Delivered on the Centennial Anniversary of the
Birth of Alexander von Humboldt, under the auspices of the Bost.
Soc. of Nat. Hist., Sept. 14, 1869. 58 pp., 8vo. Bost., 1869.
Same. Wumboldt Library, No. 43, 20 pp.

Same. [Abridged.] (Amer. F1. of Sci. and Arts, 2d ser., v.
28, July, 1859, pp. 96-107.

Address to the California Academy of Sciences, in Response
to an Introduction, Sept. 2, 1872. (Cal. Acad. of Sci. Proceedings,
v. iv., 1868-72, p. 253.) :

Same. (Mining and Scientific Press. San Fr., v. xxv., Sept.
7, 1872, pp. 152, 153.)

Affinities and Distribution of the Cyprinidz. (Zodlogical

Soc. of Lond, Proceedings, 1835, pt. 3, pp. 149-151.)

292 Louis Agassiz.

Alte Morainen bei Baden-Baden. (Neues fahrbuch fir Min-
eralogie, Geognoste, Geologie und Petrefaktenkunde, 1841, pp. 566,
567.)

Alter der Glarner Schiefer-Formation, nach ihren Fische—
Resten. (Neues Fahrbuch fiir Mineralogie, Geognosie, Geologie und
Petrefaktenkunde, 1834, pp. 301-306.)

America the Old World. (Atlantic Monthly, v. xi., Mar., 1863.
Pp. 373-382.)

*Anatomy of Freshwater Bivalves. (Bost. Soc. of Nat. Hist.
Proceedings, v. iii., 1850, pp. 356, 357.)

Anatomy of the Genus Lepidosteus, with Descriptions of
Two New Species. (Zodlogical Soc. of Lond. Proceedings, 1834,
pt. 2, pp. IIg, 120.)

Same, In French. (L’lustitut. fournal Général des Sociétés
et Travaux Scientifiques, T. iii., 1835, p. 199.)

Animal Morphology. (Amer. Assoc. for the Advanc. of Sci.
Proceedings, 1849, pp. 411-423.)

Animals Found in Red Snow. (British Assoc. Ady. of Sci.
Report, 1840, pt. 2, p. 143.)

Animals of Millepora are Hydroid Acalephs and not Polyps.
(Amer. Fl. of Sci. and Arts, 2d ser., v. xxvi., 1858, pp. 140, 141.)

Same. In French, (Archives des Sciences Physiques et Na-
turelles, nouv. sér., T. v., 1859, pp. 80, 81.)

*Animaux de la Neige Rouge. (Z’/ustitut. Fournal Génerac
des Sociétés et Travaux Scientifigues, T. ix., 1841, p. 94.)

*Annelides, Studies on, (Bost. Soc. of Nat. Hist. Proceedings,
v. ili,, 1850, pp. 190, 191.)

Antiquity of Man. (Bost. Soc. of Nat. Hist. ar
v. xi, 1866-68, pp. 304, 305.)

*Arrangement and Geology of Fishes. (Edinburgh New Phil,
Fl, v. xix., 1835, pp. 331-346.)

*Bassin de l’Amazone. (Société de Géographie, Genéve.
Mémoires et Bulletins, T. vii., 1868, pp. 159-196.)

Belemniten, (Neues Fahrbuch fir Mineralogie, Geognosie,
Geologie und Petrefaktenkunde, 1835, p. 168.)

Libliography of Louis Agassiz. 293

*Beschreibung einer neuen Species aus dem Genus
Cyprinus, Linn. (sis. Encyclopddische Zeitschrift, 1828, col.
1046-1049; 1829, col. 414, 415.)

*. Same. In French. (Bulletin des Sciences Naturelles et de
Géologie, par le Baron de Férussac, T. xix., 1829, pp. 117, 118.)

Slack-Banded Cyprynide. (Amer. Assoc. for the Advance. of
Sci. Proceedings, 1848, p. 70.)

Blind Fish of the Mammoth Cave. (Amer. $2. of Sci. and
Arts, 2d ser., v. xi., 1851, pp. 127, 128.)

* Same, (Edinburgh New Phil. $/., v.li., 1851, pp. 254-256.)

* Same. In German, (TZagsberichte cider die Fortschritte
der Natur- und Heilkunde, Abtheilung fur Zodlogie, Bd. ii., 1851,
PP. 45-47.)

Blocs Erratiques du Jura. (Comptes Rendus. Hebdomadaires
des Séances del Académie des Sciences, T. v., 1837, pp. 506-508.)

Same, (Bibliotheque Universelle de Geneve, nouv. sér.,T. xi.,
1837, pp. 416-418.)

a Same. (L’ Institut. Fournal Général des Sociétds et Travaux
Scientifigues, T. xi., 1837, pp. 417, 418.)

*—— Same. In English. (Edinburgh New Phil. $1, v. xxiv.,
1838, pp. 176-179.)
*— Same. In German. (Meue Notizen aus dem Gebiete der

Natur- und Heilkunde, Bd. iv., 1838, col. 117.)

* Catalogus Echinodermatum Fossilium Musei Neocomien-
sis. (Société Impériale des Naturalistesde Moskou. Bulletin, 1839,
PP. 422-430.)

*Cervus Alces and Tarandus Auct (Lobatus and Hastalis).
(Bost. Soc. of Nat. Hist. Proceedings, v. ii., 1847, pp. 187, 188.)

Circulation and Digestion in the Lower Animals. (Amer.
Fi. of Sct. and Arts., 2d ser., vol. x., 1850, pp, 123, 124.)

* Same. In German. (TZagsberichte uber die Fortschritte der
Natur- und Heilkunde. _ Abtheilung fiir Zodlogie, Bd. ii., 1851,
Pp. 135.)

Circulation of the Fluids in Insects. (Amer. Assoc. for the
Advance. of Sci. Proceedings, 1849, pp. 140-143.)

Same. In French. (Annales des Sci. Naturelles. Zodlogie,
ge sér., T. xv., 1851, pp. 358—362.)

294 Louts Agassiz.

* Circulation of the Lower Animals. (Bost, Soc. of Nat.
Hist. Proceedings, v. iii., 1850, pp. 206, 207.)

* Classification des Animaux dans ses Rapports avec leur
Développement Embryonnaire et avec leur Histoire Paléontologique.
(Bibliotheque Universelle de Geneve, 4esér., T. xv., 1850, pp. 190-204.)

Classification in Zodlogy. (Amer. Acad. of Arts and Sci. Pvo-
ceedings, V. 3, 1852-57, p. 221.)

*Classification of Fishes. (Zdinburgh New Phil. F1., v. xxxvii.,
1844, pp. 132-143.)

* Same. In German. (Weue Notizen aus dem Gebiete der
Natur- und Heilkunde, Bd. xxxi., 1844, col. 225-230; 241-245.)

Classification of Insects from Embryological Data. Illus.
Plates. (Smithsonian Contributions to Knowledge, v. ii., No. 6, 1851,

28 pp.)
*.

TIO.)

* Classification of Mammalia, Birds, Reptiles, and Fishes
from Embryonic and Paleozoic Data. (Adinburgh New Phil. Fi.,
v. xlix., 1850, pp. 395-398.)

Classification of Polyps. (Amer. Acad. of Arts and Sci. Pro-
ceedings, V. iii., 1852-57, p. 187.)

Classification of the Siluroids. (Bost. Soc. of Nat. Hist. Pro-
ceedings, V. xi., 1866-68, p. 354.)

Same, (Edinburgh New Phil. Fl., v. liv., 1853, pp. 101—

Coloration of Animals, New Views Respecting. (Amer.
Acad. of Sci. Proceedings, v. ii., 1848-52, p. 234.)

Comparison of the Skulls of the American Bison and
European Aurochs, (Bost. Soc. of Nat. Hist. Proceedings, v. xi.,
1866-68, pp. 317, 318.)

*Considérations sur la Distribution Géographique des
Animaux et de Homme. (Société des Sciences Naturelles de
Neuchatel. Audlletin, T. i., 1844-46, pp. 162-166.)

Contemplation of God in the Cosmos. (Christian Examiner,
v. l., Jan., 1851, pp. I-17.)

Contributions to the Natural History of the Acalephe of
North America, Part 1: On the Naked-Eyed Meduse of the
Shores of Massachusetts in their Perfect State of Development.
Part 2: On the Beroid Medusz of the Shores of Massachusetts in

Libliography of Louis Agassiz. 295

their Perfect State of Development. (Amer. Acad. of Arts and
Sci. Memoirs, N, S., v. iv., Pt. 2, 1850, pp. 221-367.)

— Same. Parti. (Amer. $1. of Sci. and Arts, 2d ser.,
v. x., Sept., 1850, | p. 272-276.)

“Contributions to the Natural History of the United
States,” Announcement of. (Havfer’s Mag., v. xi., Aug., 1855,
PP: 414, 415.)

“Contributions to the Natural History of the United

States.” [Prospectus of the Publication of.] (Amer. $1. of Sci. and
Arts, 2d ser., v. xx., July, 1855, pp. 149-151.)

*Coup d’CEil Synoptique des Ganoides Fossiles. (Société
Imperiale des Naturalistes de Moskou. #ulletin, T. viii., 1835,
pp- 202-3 18.)

Cours de l’Amazone. (Société de Géographie, Paris. Bulletin,
5e sér., T. xii., 1866, pp. 433-457.)

Darwinian Theory, The. [Facsimile of a letter sent to James
A. Parsons in reply to an inquiry as to A’s views.] (Scientific
American, v. xxx., Feb. 7, 1874, p. 85.)

Deep-Sea Dredgings in the Gulf Stream during the Third
Cruise of the U. S. Steamer £766. (Harvard College. Museum of
Comparative Zoélogy. Bulletin, v. i., 1863-69, pp. 363-386.)

Deep-Sea Dredging, Letter concerning addressed to Prof.
Peirce. (Harvard College. Museum of Comparative Zodlogy.
Bulletin, v. iii., 1872-73, pp. 49-53.)

Same. (Annals and Mag. of Nat. Hist., 4th ser., v. ix.,
1872, pp. 169-174.)

Deep-Sea Explorations. More about the Trilobites. (Cana-
dian Naturalist and Geologist, v. vi., 1872, pp. 358-361.)

*Descriptio Speciei Nove e Genere Cycnocephalus, Briss.
(Isis. Encyclopidische Zeitschrift, Bd. xxi., 1828, col. 861-863.)

Same. In French. (Bulletin des Sciences Naturelles et de
Géologie, par le Baron de Férussac, T. xix., 1829, pp. 345, 346.)

*Description de quelques Espéces de Cyprins du Lac de
Neuchatel. (L’ Institut. Yournal Général des Sociétés et Travaux
Scientifiques, T. iv., 1836, pp. 419, 420.)

296 7 Louis Agassiz.

- *Description de quelques Espéces de Cyprinus du Lac de
Neuchatel, qui sont encore inconnues aux Naturalistes. (Société des
Sciences Naturelles de Neuchatel. Mémoires, T.i., 1835, pp. 33-48.)

*—— Same. In German. (Archiv fir Naturgeschichte, Bd. iv.,
1838, pp. 73-82.)

*Description des Echinodermes Fossiles de la Suisse
Ire Partie. (Meue Denkschriften der Allgemeinen Schweizerischen
Geselischaft fiir die Gesammten Naturwissenschaften, Bd. iii., 1839;
Bd. iv., 1840.)

Détermination Exacte de la Limite des Neiges Eternelles
en un Point Donné. (Comptes Rendus. Hebdomadaires des Séances
de l Académie des Sciences, T. xvi., 1843, pp. 752-756.)

Same, In German. (Annalen der Physik und Chemie. Von
7. C. Poggendorff, Bd. lix., 1843, pp. 342-348.)

*Development of Lepidopterous Insects. (Bost. Soc. of Nat.

Hist. Proceedings, v. iii., 1850, pp. 199-200.)

*Développement des Actinies. (Société Philomatique, Paris,
Extraits des Proces-Verbaux des Séances de la. 1847, pp. 96-98.)

* (ZL’lnstitut. Fournal Général des Sociétés Travaux e.
Scientifiques, T. xv., 1847, pp. 388-389.) :

*Développement des Etres. (Société Géologique de France.
Bulletin, T. xii., 1854-55, pp. 353-355.)

Differences between Progressive, Embryonic, and Pro-
phetic Types in the Succession of Organized Beings through the
Whole Range of Geological Times. (Amer. Assoc. for the Adyanc.
of Sci. Proceedings, 1849, pp. 432-438.)

*— Same, (Edinburgh New Phil. $1., v. xlix., 1850, pp.
160-165.)

Different Species of the Genus Salmo which Frequent the
Various Rivers and Lakes of Europe. (British Assoc. for the Advanc.
of Sci. Report, 1834, pp. 617-623.)

*—— Same. (Edinburgh New Phil. Fl., v. xvii., 1834, pp.
380-385.)

Same. In French. (L’lmstitut. Yournal Général des
Socidtés et Travaux Scientifiques, T. iii., 1835, pp. 72, 73.)

Discovery of Viviparous Fish in Louisiana by D. Dowler.
(Amer. Fl. of Sci. and Arts, 2d ser., v. .xix., 1855, pp. 133-136.)

Libliography of Louis Agassiz. 297

* Distribution des Anciennes Maraines de |’Allée Blanche
et du Val Ferret. (Socicté des Sciences Naturelles de Neuchatel.
Bulletin, T. i., 1844-46, p. 171.)

* Distribution Géographique des Animaux. (Société des
Sciences Naturelles de Neuchatel. Budletin, T. i., 1844-46, pp.
58-60 ; 63-66.

* Distribution Géographique des Cheiroptéres. (Socidté des
Sciences Naturelles de Neuchatel. Budletin, T. i., 1844-46, pp-
63-65.)

* Distribution Géographique des Etres Organisés. (Société
des Sciences Naturelles de Neuchatel. Bud/etin, T. i., 1844-46,
Pp- 357-362.)

*Distribution Géographique des Quadrumanes Animaux.
(Société des Sciences Naturelles de Neuchatel. Bulletin, T. i.,
1844-46, p. 58.)

*Distribution of Fossils in Formations. (Zdindurgh New
Phil. Fl., v. xxxii., 1842, pp. 9, 10.)

*Diverses Familles de l’Ordre des Crinoides. (Société Hel-
vétique des Sciences Naturelles. Actes, 1845, pp. 91-93.)

Diversity of Origin of the Human Races. (Christian Ex-
aminer, Vv. xlix., July, 1850, pp. 110-145.)

*Echinodermen. (/sis, Luxcyclopidische Zeitschrift, 1834, col.
254-257.)

Same. Growth and Bilateral Symmetry of the
Echinodermata. (Lond. and Edinb. New Phil. Mag., v. v., 1834,
pp. 369-373.)

*Einleitung zu einer Monographie der Radiarien oder
Echinodermen. (Weue Wotizen aus dem Gebiete der Natur— und
Heilkunde, Bd. v., 1838, pp. 305-311, 321-326.)

*Embryology, Lectures on. Illus. (American Traveller and
Daily Evening Traveller, 1848-49.)

Embryology of Ascidia and the Characteristics of New
Species from the Shores of Massachusetts. (Amer. Assoc. for the
Advance. of Sci. Proceedings, 1849, pp. 157-159.)

Embryology of the Turtle, Recapitulation of, as Given in
‘Contributions to the Natural History of the U. S.”, v. ii., pt. 3.

298 Louis Agassiz.
By H. J. Clark. (Amer. Fl. of Sci. and Arts, 2d ser., v. xxv.,
May, 1858, pp. 342-357.)

*Entwickelung eines Seesterns. (Archiv fir Anatomie,
Physiologie, und Wissenschaftliche Medicin. Von $. Miller, Bd.
xvii., 1851, pp. 122-124.)

*Enumeration des Poissons Fossiles d’Italie. (Nuovi An-
nali Scienze Natural, Bologna, T. iv., 1840, pp. 244-252; 325-332.)

Erratic Phenomena about Lake Superior. [Extract from
Lake Superior, etc.| (Amer. Fl. of Sci. and Arts, 2d ser., v. x., 1850,
pp. 83-101.)

Same, In French. (Bibhothégue Universelle de Geneve,
4e sér., T. xvi., 1851, pp. 5-34.)

*Etude Comparative du Cerveau des Poissons. (Société des
Sciences Naturelles de Neuchatel. Bulletin, T. i., 1844-46, pp.
147, 148.)

Eulogy on Dr. J. E. Holbrook. (Bost. Soc. of Nat. Hist.
Proceedings, v. xiv., 1870-71, pp. 347-351.)

Evolution and Permanence of Type. (Aétlantic Monthly,
v. xxxlii., Jan., 1874, pp. 92-101.)

Examination of the Florida Reefs, Keys, and Coast. (U.S.
Coast Survey. Ann. Rep. of Suf’t., 1851, pp. 145-160.
Same, (U.S. Pub. Docs., 32d Cong., 1st Sess., 1851-52.
Senate Ex. Docs., v. v., No. 3, pp. 145-160.)
Same. (U.S. Coast Survey. Ann: Rep. of Sup’t., 1866,
Ppp. 120-130.)

Exploration of the Coral Reefs of Florida. (Amer. Assoc.
for the Advance. of Sci. Proceedings, 5th meeting, 1851, pp. 81-85.)

External Appearance of Glaciers. (Atlantic Monthly, v. xiii.,
Jan., 1864, pp. 56-65.) ;

Extraordinary Fishes from California, constituting a new fam-
ily [Holconoti]. (Amer. $1. of Sci. and Arts, 2d ser., v. xvi., 1853,
PP. 380-390 ; v. xvii., pp. 365-369.)

*% Same, (Edinburgh New Phil. $1., v. lii., 1884, pp.
214-228.)
* Same, InGerman. (Archiv fiir Naturgeschichte. Von

Wiegmann, Bd. xx., 1854, pp. 149-162; Bd. xxi., 1854, pp. 30-34.)

Libliography of Louts Agasstz. 299

*Faites en étudiant les Nageoires des Poissons. (Société
Helveétique des Sciences Naturelles. Actes, 1845, PP. 49-52.)

*Familie der Karpfen. (Archiv fur Naturgeschichte, Von
Wiegmann, 1838, pp. 73-81.)

Farbende Infusorien in rothem Schnee. (Neues Yahrbuch
Jiir Mineralogie, Geognosie, Geologie und Petrefaktenkunde, 1840,
P- 93-)

Faune Ichthyologique de l’Amazone, Lettres Relatives ala.
(Annales des Sciences Naturelles. Zodlogie, 5e sér., T. iv., 1865,
pp. 382, 383; T. v., 1866, pp. 226-228, 309-311.)

Fern Forests of the Carboniferous Period. (Atlantic Monthly,
v. xi., May, 1863, pp. 615-625.)

Fish-nest [of Chironectes Pictus] in the Sea-weed of the
Sargasso Sea. (Amer. $l. of Sci. and Arts, 3d ser., v. iii., 1872,
Pp. 154-156.)

*— Same. (Annals and Mag. of Nat. Hist., 4th ser., v. ix.,
1872, pp. 243-245.)

#. Same. (Canadian Naturalist and Geologist, v. vi., 1872,
PP- 354-356.)

* Same. (Monthly Microscopical F., v. vii, 1872, pp. 120,
130.)
*—— Same. In French. (Société des Sciences Naturelles de

Neuchatel. Budletin, T. ix., 1873, pp. 165-169.)

Fishes from the Southern Bend of the Tennessee River in
Alabama, Collection of. (Amer. $2. of Sci. and Arts, 2d ser., v. xvii.,
1854, Pp. 297-308 ; 353-365.)

Fishes of Lake Superior. (Amer. Assoc. for the Advanc. of
Sci. Proceedings, 1848, pp. 30-32.)

Florida Reefs, Report onthe. Illus. 23 plates. 61 pp. (Harvard
College, Museum of Comparative Zoélogy. Memoirs, v. vii., No. 1,
1880.)

Formation of Glaciers. (Atlantic Monthly, v. xii., Nov., 1863,
pp- 568-576.)

Former Existence of Local Glaciers in the White
Mountains. (Amer. Assoc. for the Advanc. of Sci. Proceedings,
y. xix., 1870, pp. 161-167.)

Same. (American Naturalist, v. iv., 1871, pp. 550-558.)

300 Louis Agassiz.

*Fossil Fishes. (Zdinburgh New Phil. Fl., v. xxxvii., 1844,
Pp. 331-334.)

*Fossil Fishes Found by Mr. Gardner in the Province of
Ceara, in the North of Brazil. (Edinburgh New Phil. F1., Vv. Xxx.,
1841, pp. 82-84.)

Fossil Fishes of Scotland. (British Assoc. for the Advanc. of
Sci. Report, 1834, pp. 646-649.)

cs Same. In French. (L’Zustitut. fournal Général des
Sociétés et Travaux Scientifiques, T. iii., 1835, pp. 65, 66.)

Fossil Fishes of the Devonian System, or Old Red
Sandstone. (British Assoc. for the Advanc. of Sci. Report, 1842,
pp. 80-88.)

* Same. In French. (Bibhothéque Universelle de Genéve,
T. xliii., 1843, pp. 353-369.)

Fossil Fishes, Particularly Those of the London Clay.
(Edinburgh New Phil, Fl., v. xxxix., 1845, pp. 321-327; v. xl,
1846, pp. 121-125.)

Fossil Remains of an Elephant Found in Vermont. (Amer.
Assoc. for the Advance. of Sci. Proceedings, 1849, pp. 100, IOT.)

*Fossiles du Terrain Crétacé du Jura Neuchatelois. (So-
ciété des Sciences Naturelles de Neuchatel. A/émoires, T. i., 1835,
pp. 126-145.)

* Same. (L’I[nstitut. Fournal Général des Sociétés et Tra-
vaux Scientifigues, T. iv., 1836, pp. 420, 421.)

Fossilien Fische die Liasformation. (¥ahrbuch fiir Mineral-
ogie, Geognosie, Geologie und Petrefaktenkunde, 1832, pp. 139-149.)

Fossilien Siisswasser-Fische der Tertiaren Formationen.
(Fahrbuch fiir Mineralogie, Geognoste, Geologie und Petrefakten-
kunde, 1832, pp. 129-138.)

Freshwater Fishes of Central Europe. (Amer. $0. of Sci.
and Arts, vol, xlv., 1843, pp. 211-214.)

*Gattungen Unterden Nordamerikanischen Najaden.
(Archiv fir Naturgeschichte. Von Wiegmann, T. xviii., 1852, pp.
41-52.)

Gegen Wissmann’s Ansicht vom Ursprung Erratischer
Blicke. (Mewes Fahrbuch fiir Mineralogie, Geognosie, Geologie und
Petrefaktenkunde, 1840, pp. 575, 576.)

Libliography of Louis Agassiz. 301

*Genus Dorudon of Gibbs. (Phila. Acad. of Nat. Sci. Pro-
ceedings, vol. iv., 1848, pp. 4, 5.)

Genus Trigonia. Charakter von Art iiberhaupt, Gletscher.
(Neues Fahrbruch fiir Mineralogie, Geognosie, Geologie und Petree
Jaktenkunde, 1841, pp. 356, 357.)

* Geographical Distribution of Animals. (Edinburgh New
Phil. F1., v. xlix., 1850, pp. 1-23.)

Same. In German. (Verhandlungen des Naturhistorischen
Vereins der Preussischen Rheinlande und Westphalens, Bd. 7, 1850,

pp. 228-254.)

*Geographische Verbreitung der Fische. (Tagsberichte,
_ tiber die Fortschritte der Natur-und Heilkunde, Adthetlung fir

Zoblogie, Bd. i., 1850, pp. 244-247.)

Geological Middle Age, The. (A¢lantic Monthly, v. xii., Aug.,
1863, pp. 212-224.)

* Geologie de la Vallée de l’Amazone. (Société Géologique de
France. Suxiletin, T. xxiv., 1867, pp. I0g-III.)

* Gills of Crustacea. (Bost. Soc. of Nat. Hist. Proceedings,
v. iii., 1850, pp. 225, 226.)

Glacial Period, The. (Atlantic Monthly, v. xiii., Feb. 1864,
Ppp. 224-232.)

Glacial Phenomena in Maine. (Atlantic Monthly, v. xix., Feb.-
Mar., 1867, pp. 211-220; 281-287.)

Same. In French. (Archives des Sciences Physique et Natu-
velles, T. xxviii., 1867, pp. 319-352.)

*Glacial Theory of the Erratics and Drift of the New
and Old Worlds. (Edinburgh New Phil, F1., v. xlix., 1850, pp.
97-117.)

Glacier de 1’Aar, Observation sur le. (Comptes Rendus.
Hebdomadaires des Séances del Académie des Sciences. Paris, T. xv.,
1842, pp. 284-288.)

—— Same. (Annales de Chimie, n. sér., T. vi., 1842, pp.
465-484.)

*—— Same. In English. (Zdinburgh New Phil, Fl., v. xxxili.,
1842, pp. 399-402.)

302 Louis Agassiz.

* Same. In German. (Verhandlungen der Schweizerischen
Gesellschaft fiir die Gesammten Naturwissenschaften, 1842, pp.
81-91.)

*Glaciers. (Société Géologique de France. Bulletin, T. ix.,
1837-38, pp. 407, 408, 443, 450.)
Same. (Comptes Rendus. Hebdomadaires des Séances de
l Académie des Sciences. Paris, T. xv., 1842, pp. 435-446.)

Same, (Société Helvétique des Sciences Naturelles. Actes,
1843, pp. 72-74.)

*—— In English. (Zdinburgh New Phil, F1., v. xxvii., 1839,
pp. 383-391.)
*—— Same. InGerman. (Neue Notizen aus dem Gebiete der

Natur- und Heilkunde, Bd. xi., 1839, cols. 65-70.)

a Same. In German. (Zeitschrift fiir Erdkunde als Ver-
eleichende Wissenschaft, Bd. iv., 1845, pp. 376-382.)

Glaciers and Boulders in Switzerland. (British Assoc. for
the Advanc. of Sci. Report, 1840, pt. 2, pp. 113, 114.)
*.

Same. In German. (Neue Notizen aus dem Gebiete der
Natur- und Heilkunde, Bd. xvi., 1840, cols. 337-344.)

*Glaciers and the Evidence of their having once Existed in
Scotland, Ireland, and England. (Geol. Soc. of Lond. Proceedings,
v. iii., 1842, pp. 327-332.)

Same. (Lond. and Edinb, Phil, Mag. and Fl. of Sci., v. xviii.,
1841, pp. 569-574.)

—— Same. (Annals and Mag. of Nat. Hist., v. vi., 1841, pp.
396-398.)

*Glaciers, des Moraines et des Blocs Erratiques. (Bidiio-
theque Universelle de Geneve, nouv. sér., T. xii., 1837, pp. 369-394.)

*. Same. In English. (Edinburgh New Phil. Fl., v. xxiv.,
1838, pp. 364-383.)

Glanis of Aristotle, The. (Amer. Acad. of Arts and Sci. Pro-
ceedings, V. lii,, 1852-57, pp. 325-334.)

Gletscher-Studien mit Studer. (Neues Fahrbuch fiir Miner-
alogie, Geognosie, Geologie und Petrefaktenkunde, 1840, pp. 92, 93.)

Growth of Continents, (Adlantic Monthly, v. xii., July, 1863,
pp. 72-81.)

Libliography of Louis Agassiz. 303

Growth of Coral Reefs. (A Lecture. Scientific American, N.S.,
v. vi., Feb. 15, 1862, p. ror.)

Growth of the Egg, Prior to the Development of the
Embryo. Amer. Assoc. for the Advanc. of Sci. Proceedings, 4th
meeting, 1850, pp. 18, 19.)

Hassler Expedition, Remarks on Results of. Sept. 2, 1872.
(Calif. Acad. of Sci. Proceedings, v. iv., 1868-72, pp. 257, 258.)

Same. (Mining and Scientific Press, San. Fr., vy. xxv., Sept.
7, 1872, p. 153.)

Homologies of Echinoderms. (Bost. Soc. of Nat. Hist. Pro-
ceedings, V. viii., 1861-62, pp. 235-238.)

Homologies of Radiata. (Bost. Soc. of Nat. Hist. Proceedings,
Vv. Vili., 1861-62, pp. 226-232.)

Ice Period in America. (Atlantic Monthly, v. xiv., July, 1864,
pp- 86-93.)

*Ichthyological Fossil Fauna of the Old Red Sandstone.
Edinburgh New Phil. Fl., v. xli., 1846, pp. 17-49.)

* Iconographie des Coquilles Tertiaires Reputées Identiques
avec les Espéces Vivantes ou dans Différens Terrains de l’Epoque
Tertiaire Accompagnée de la Description des Espéces Nouvelles.
(Neue Denkschriften der Allgemeinen Schwetzerischen Gesellschaft
fiir die Gesammten Naturwissenschaften. Bd, vii., 1845.)

*Identité, L’, des Coquilles Tertiaires et des Coquilles
Vivantes. (Société Géologique de France. Bulletin, 2e sér., T.i.,
1844, Pp- 744, 745.)

*Influence de l’Inclinaison du Sol sur le Mouvement de la
Glace. (Société des Sciences Naturelles de Neuchatel. Audletin,
T. i., 1844-46, pp. 4, 5.)

*Infusoires Fossiles du Tripoli d’Oran. (L’lustitut. Fournal
Général des Sociétés et Travaux Scientifigues. Paris, T. v., 1837, pp.
330, 331-)

*Infusoria. The Earliest Larval State of Intestinal Worms.
Edinburgh New Phil. F1., v. liii., 1852, pp. 314, 315.)

Internal Structure and Progression of the Glacier. (Adantic
Monthly, v. xii., Dec., 1863, pp. 751-767.)

Investigations upon Medusz. (Amer. Acad. of Sci. Pro-
ceedings, V. ii., 1848-52, pp. 148, 149.)

304 Louis Agassiz.

*Isard, L’,des Pyrénées Comparé au Chamois des Alpes.
(Société des Sciences Naturelles de Neuchatel. Budletin, T. i., 1844-
46, pp. 57, 58.)

Kritische Revision der in der Ittiolitologia Veronese Abge-
bildeten Fossilen Fische. (Neues Fahrbruch fir Mineralogie, Ge-
ognosie, Geologie und Petrefaktenkunde, 1835, pp. 290-316.)

Kiinstliche Steinkerme von Konchylien; Fische. (Mewes —
Fahrbruch fiir Mineralogie, Geognosie, Geologie und Petrefakten-
kunde, 1838, pp. 49-51.)

* Letters to Louis Coulon. (Société de Physique et d’Histoire
Naturelle de Genéve. J/émotres, T. xxiii. 1874, pp. 72-__.)

Lettre [addressée de Boston 4 M. de Humboldt) sur quelques
Points de l’Organisation des Animaux Rayonnés et sur la Parité
Bilaterale dans les Actinies. (Comptes Rendus. Hebdomadaires des
Séances 1 Académie des Sciences. Paris, T. xxv., 1847, pp. 677-682.)

Léssbildungen im Thale des Amazonenstroms. (ewes
Fahrbuch fiir Mineralogie, Geognosie, Geologie und Petrefakten-
kunde, Bd, xxxviii., 1867, pp. 180, 181.)

*Manatee is a Pachyderm, The. (Bost. Soc. of Nat. Hist.
Proceedings, vol, iii., 1850, p. 209.)

Marcou’s “Geology of North America.” [Review of.]
(Amer. Fl. of Sct. and Arts, 2d ser., vol. xxvii., Jan., 1859, pp.
134-137.)

*Mémoire sur les Moules de Mollusques Vivantes et Fos-
siles. (Société des Sciences Naturelles de Neuchatel. J/émoires,
T. ii., 1839.)

Métamorphoses des Poissons. (Annales des Sciences Natu-
relles. Zodlogie, 5e sér., T. iii., 1865, pp. 55-58.)

*Métamorphoses que Subissent les Animaux des Classes
Inférieures. (Société des Sciences Naturelles de Neuchatel. Bz/-
letin, T. i., 1844-46, pp. 156-158.)

Métamorphoses Subies par Certains Poissons avant de
Prendre la Forme Propre 4 l’Adulte. (Comptes Rendus. Hebdoma-
daires des Séances de 1’ Académie des Sciences. Paris, T. lx., 1865,
pp. 152, 153.)

Same, In English. (Annals and Mag. of Nat. Hist., 3d
ser., vol. xvi., 1865, pp. 69, 70.)

Bibliography of Louis Agassiz. 305

Methods of Study in Natural History. (A/lantic Monthly,
v. ix., 1861, pp. I-13 } 214-222; 327-3375 446-460; 570-578; 754-
762 ; v. x., 1862, pp. 87-98 ; 325-336; 571-580.)

Mode of Copulation among the Selachians. (Bost. Soc. of
Nat. Hist. Proceedings, v. xiv., 1872, pp. 339-341.)

Monograph of Garpikes. (Amer. Assoc. for the Advance. of Sci.
Proceedings, 1848, p. 70.)

Morphology of the Medusz. (Amer. Assoc. for the Advanc. of
Sci. Proceedings, 3d meeting, 1850, pp. 119-122.)
* Same. (Edinburgh New Phil. F., v. 1., 1851, pp. 85-89.)

Moules du Musée de Neuchatel. (Société Imperiale des Na-
turalistes de Moscou. Sudlletin, 1839, pp. 415-430.)

Mountains and their Origin. (Adlantic Monthly, v. xi., Jun.,
1863, pp. 747-756.)

*Mouvement du Glacier de l’Aar. (Société des Sciences Na-
turelles de Neuchatel. Bulletin, T. i., 1844-46, pp. 1-4.)

Same. In German. (Mewes Fahrbuch fiir Mineralogie,
Geognosie, Geologie und Petrefaktenkunde, 1844, p. 620.)

* Mya Alba, Espéce Nouvelle de de Porto-Rico. (Société des
Sciences Naturelles de Neuchatel. Mémoires, T. ii., 1839.)

Narrative of an Expedition through the Straits of Magel-
lan to San Francisco in the Steamer Hass/er. (Smithsonian Institu-
tion. Report, 1872, pp. 87-92.)

Same. (Smithsonian Inst. sc. Coll., v. xviii., pp. 394-
400.)

Same. (U. S. Pub. Docs., 42d Cong., 3d Sess., 1873-74.
House Misc. Doc., No. 107.)

Natural History of the Animal Kingdom. A Lecture. Illus.
(Mining and Scientific Press, San Fr., v. xxv., Oct. 26, 1872, pp.
262, 265.

Same. (Overland Monthly, v. ix., Nov., 1872, pp. 461-466.)

Natural Provinces of the Animal World and Their Relation
to the different Types of Mankind. [From Nott, J. C., and Glid-
don, G. R., ‘‘ Types of Mankind.” ] (Zdindurgh New Phil. F., v.
Ivil., 1854, pp. 347-363.)

306 Louis Agassiz.

Natural Relations between Animals and the Elements in
which they Live. (Amer. $l, of Sci. and Arts, 2d ser., v. ix., 1850,
pp- 369-394.)

Same. Annals and Mag. of Nat. Hist., 2d ser., v. vi., 1850,

PP. 153-179.)
*. Same. (Edinburgh New Phil, Fl, v. xlix., 1850, pp. 193-

227.)

Same. In French, (Bibliothégue Universelle de Genéve, 4e.
sér., T. xix., 1852, pp. 15-31.)

*Nature et Définition des Espéces. (Revue des Cours Scien-
tifiques, T. vi., 1869, pp. 166-169.)

Neue Beobachtungen auf den Gletschern; Myacen; Struk-
tur der Gletscher ; Desor tiber Fossile Nucleolitem ; Fossil-Arten
der Molasse. (Meues Fahrbuch fiir Mineralogie Geognosie, Geologie
und Petrefaktenkunde, 1843, pp. 84-89.)

Neue Entdeckungen iiber Fossile Fische. (Veues Fahrbuch
fiir Mineralogie, Geognoste, Geologie und Petrefaktenkunde, 1833, pp.
675-677.)

* Same. In English. (Edinburgh New Phil, F1., v. xxxvii.,
1844, pp. 331-347.)

*New Classification of Fishes and on the Geological Dis-
tribution of Fossil Fishes. (Zadindurgh New Phil. $/., v. xviii.,
1835, pp. 175-178.)

Same. (Lond. and Edinb, Phil, Mag., v. v., 1834, pp. 459-

462.)
*

Same, Geological Soc. of Lond. Proceedings. Part ii.,
1838, pp. 99-102.)

New Species of Fish from Lake Superior. (From ‘‘ Lake
Superior,” etc., by A.) (Amer. Fl. of Sci. and Arts, 2d ser., v. X.,
1850, pp. 125-127.)

*Nouvelle Espéce d’Esoce du Lac Ontario. (L’Justitut,
Fournal Général des Sociétés Scientifiques de la France et de
? Etranger, T. xxv., 1857, p. 128.)

*Nouvelles Etudes sur les Prétendues Identités que l’on
Admet Généralement entre les Espéces Vivantes et les Fossiles de
Certains Terrains. (Société des Sciences Natureiles de Neuchatel.
Bulletin, T. i., 1844-46, pp. 108-109.)

Bibliography of Louis Agassiz. 307

*Nouvelles Observations Faites en Etudiant les Nageoires
des Poissons. (Société Helvétique des Sciences Naturelles. Actes,
1845, Ppp. 49-52.)

*Numerous Minute Tubes in Fishes, Opening Externally.
(Bost. Soc, of Nat. Hist. Proceedings, v. iii., 1848, pp. 27, 28.)

Observations de M. Durocher Relatives aux Phénoménes
Erratiques de la Scandinavie, Remarques sur les. (Comptes Rendus.
flebdomadaires des Séances del Académie des Sciences, Paris, T. xxii.,
Pt. 2, 1845, pp. 1331-1333.)

*—— Same. In English. (Zdinburgh New Phil. F1., v. x1.,
1845, p. 237-)

Observations Géologiques faites dans la Vallée de l’Ama-
zone. (Comptes Rendus. Hebdomadaires des Séances de 1 Académie
des Sciences, Paris, T. lxiv., 1867, pp. 1269, 1270.)

*Ordre d’Apparition des Caractéres Zodlogiques pendant
la Vie Embryonnaire. (Revue des Cours Scientifiques, T. vi., 1869,
pp. 169-171.)

Origin of Species. [From ‘‘ Contributions to the Nat. Hist. of
the U. S.,” v. iii.] (Amer. $1. of Sci. and Arts, 2d ser., vol. xxx.,
July, 1860, pp. 142-155.)

Parallel Roads of Glen Roy in Scotland. (Adlantic Monthly,
vy. xiii., June, 1864, pp. 723-736.)

*Parasite Little Bodies of Hydra. (Bost. Soc. of Nat. Hist.
Proceedings, Vv. iii., 1850, pp. 354, 355.)

*Period in the History of our Planet, A. (Zdinburgh New
Phil, Fl., v. xxxv., 1843, pp. I-29.)

Same. In German. (Weue Wotizen aus dem Gebiete der
Natur- und Heilkunde, Bd. xxvii., 1843, cols. 241-248; 257-264;
273-280 ; 289-292.)

*Petromyzontidez and Their Embryonic Development and
Place in the Natural History System. (Ldinburgh New Phil, F1.,
y. xlix., 1850, pp. 242-246.)

Phonetic Apparatus of the Cricket. (Amer. Assoc. for the
Advance. of Sci. Proceedings, 1848, p. 41.)

Physical History of the Valley of the Amazons. (Adlaniic
Monthly, v. xviii., July-Aug., 1866, pp. 49-60, 159-169.)

308 Louts Agassiz.

*Pictel’s ‘‘ Treatise on Paleontology, Remarks on.”
(Edinburgh New Phil. F1., v. xxxix., 1845, pp. 295-302.)

* Same. In German. (Meue Notizen aus dem Gebiete der
Natur- und Heilkunde, 2te ser., Bd. xxxvi., 1845, cols. 209-213.)

*Points de Organisation des Euryales, Accompagnée de
la Description Detailée de I’Espéce de la Méditerranée. (Société
des Sciences Naturelles de Neuchatel. Mémoires, T. ii., 1839.)

Poissons des Etats-Unis. (Comptes Rendus. Hebdomadaires
des Séances de ? Académie des Sciences, Paris, T. xxxvii., 1853, p. 184.)

%. Same. (L’Institut. Fournal Général des Sociétés et Tra-
vaux Scientifigues, 1853, p. 287.)

* Poissons des Terrains Paléozoiques. (Société Philomatique,
Paris. Lxtraits des procés-verbaux des Séances, 1846, pp. 61, 62.)

* Same. (L’ Institut. Fournal Général des Sociétés et Travaux
Scientifigues, Paris, T. xiv., 1846, p. 163.)

*Poissons Fossiles. (Société Impériale des Naturalistes de
Moscou. Sudlletin, T. viii., 1835, pp. 180-201.)

* Poissons Fossiles de l’Angleterre. (Z’Zustitut. Fournal
Général des Sociétés et Travaux Scientifigues, Paris, T. iv., 1836,
pp. 85, 86.)

Poissons Fossiles de l’Argile de Londres. [In French and
English.] (British Assoc. for the Advanc. of Sci. Report, 1844, pp.
279-310.)

Same, In French. (Annales des Sciences Naturelles. Z-
ologie, 3e sér., 1845, pp. 21-48.)

* Same. In English. (Edinburgh New Phil. Fl., v. xxxix.,
1845, pp. 321-327.)

Poissons Fossiles de la Formation Houillére. (Z’ Justitut.
Fournal Général des Sociétés et Travaux Scientifigues, Paris, T. iii.,
1835, Pp- 253, 254.)

Poissons Fossiles du Brésil. (Comptes Rendus. Hebdomadaires
des Séances de l’ Académie des Sciences, Paris, T. xviii., 1844, pp.
1007-I0I5.)

*—— Same. (L’Institut. Sournal Général des Sociétés et Tra-
vaux Scientifiques, T. x., 1844, pp. 187, 188.)

*Poissons Vivipares, (Z'lJnstitut. Sournal Général des Sociétés
Scientifiques de la France, T. xxiv., 1856, p. 164.)

Bibliography of Louis Agassiz. 309

*Polished and Striated Surfaces of the Rocks which Form
the Beds of the Glaciers of the Alps. (Geological Soc. of Lond.
Proceedings, V. iii., 1842, pp. 321, 322.)

Same. (Lond. and Edinb. Phil. Mag. and $1. of Sci., y.
Xvili., 1841, pp. 565, 566.)

Same, (Annals and Mag. of Nat, Hist., v. vi., 1841, pp.
392, 393.)

*Pores in the Disc of Echinoderms. (Bost. Soc. of Nat. Hist.
Proceedings, Vv. iii., 1850, pp. 348, 349.)

Primitive Diversity and Number of Animals in Geological
Times. (Amer. Fl. of Sct. and Arts, 2d ser., v. xvii., 1854, pp.
309-324.)

—— Same. (Annals and Mag. of Nat. Hist., 2d ser., v. xiv.,
1854, pp. 350-366.)

*—— Same. (Edinburgh New Phil, F1., v. \ii., 1854, pp. 27I-

292.)
*

Same. In French. (Bibkiothégue Universelle de Gendve.
4e sér., T. xxx., 1855, pp. 27-50.)

*Principes Rationnels de la Classification Zodlogique.
(Revue des Cours Scientifique, T. vi., 1869, pp. 146, 165.)

Principles of Classification [of the Animal Kingdom.]
(Amer. Assoc. for the Advanc. of Sci. Proceedings, 3d meeting,
1850, pp. 89-96.)

Principles of Classification of the Animal Kingdom. in
General, and among the Mammalia in Particular. (British Assoc.
for the Advance. of Sci. Report, 1835, Pt. 2, pp. 67, 68.)

*_— Same. (Edinburgh New Phil. Fl., v. 1., 1851, pp.
227-235.)

— Same. (Amer. Fl. of Sci. and Arts, 2d ser., v. xi., 1851,
pp. 127, 128.)

*Prodrome d’Une Monographie des Radiaires ou Echino-
dermes. (Société des Sciences Naturelles de Neuchatel. /é¢motres,
T. i., 1835, pp. 168-199.)

Same. (Annales des Sciences Naturelles Zodlogie, T. vii.,
1837, Pp. 257-296.)

—— Same. In English. (Annals of Nat, Hist, v. i., 1838,

PP. 30-43, 297-307, 440-449.)

310 Louis Agassiz.

*—— Same. In German. (Neue Notizen aus dem Gebiete der
Natur- und Heilkunde, Bd. v., 1838, cols. 305-311, 321-326.)

Progress Recently Made in the Natural History of the
Echinodermata. [From Monographies d’Echinodermes. By A.]
(Annals and Mag. of Nat. Hist., v. ix., 1842, pp. 189-197, 296-302.)

*Rapports Existant entre la Répartition des Glaciers et le
Relief Général des Alpes. (Société des Sciences Naturelles de Neu,
chatel. Bulletin, T. i., 1844-46, p. 172.

*Rapports qui Existent entre les Faits Relatifs 4 l’Appari-
tion Successive des Etres Organisés 4 la Surface du globe et la Dis-
tribution Géographique des Différens Types Actuels d’Animaux.
(Société des Sciences Naturelles de Neuchatel. Audletin, T.i., 1844-
46, pp. 366-369 ; T. ii., pp. 347-350.)

*Recherches sur le Genre de Mollusques auquel Lamarck
a Donné de Nom de Pyrula. (Société des Sciences Naturelles de
Neuchatel. Bulletin, T. i., 1844-46, pp. 69, 70.)

Reise-Projekt mach dem Aar Gletscher; Hiigi iiber
Gletscher ; Myaceen. (eues Fahrbuch fiir Mineralogie, Geognosie,
Geologie und Petrefaktenkunde, 1842, pp. 313-317.)

Relation between Coloration and Structure in the Higher
Animals. (Amer. Assoc, for the Advance. of Sci. Proceedings. 4th
meeting, 1850, p. 194.)

Relations Naturelles qui Existent entre les Animaux et
les Milieux dans lesquels ils Vivent. (Archives des Sciences Physiques
et Naturelles, T. xix., 1852, pp. 15-31.)

Remarques a l’Occasion d’une Note de M. Mandl, sur la
Structure des Ecailles des Poissons. (Compies Rendus. Hebdoma-
daires des Séances de? Académie des Sciences, Paris, T. x., 1840, pp.
191-194.)

Same. In German. (Neue Notizen aus dem Gebiete der
Natur- und Heilkunde, Bd, xiv., 1840, cols. 179-182 ; Bd. xviii,, 1841,
cols. 33-41.)

*—— Same. In English. (Edinburgh New Phil, $1., v. xxviii.,
1840, pp. 287-291.)

Résumé d’une Travail d’Ensemble sur l’Organisation, la
Classification, et le Développement Progressif des Echinodermes
dans la Serie des Terrains. (Compies Rendus. Hebdomadaires des

Bibliography of Louis Agassiz. 311

Séances de P Académie des Sciences, Paris, T. xxiii., 1846, pp. 276-
295.)

*Revue des Differéntes Epoques Géologiques. (Société des
Sciences Naturelles de Neuchatel. Audletin, T. i., 1844-46, pp.
50-52.)

*Rhacostoma Atlanticum. (Bost. Soc. of Nat. Hist. Pro-
ceedings, V. iii., 1850, pp. 342, 343.)

*Roches Striées de Suisse. (Société Géologique de France.
Bulletin, nouv. sér., 'T. ii., 1844-45, pp. 274-277.)

*Salmonide. (TZagsderichte uber die Fortschritte der Natur-
und Heilkunde, Abtheilung fiir Zodlogie, Bd. i., 1850, pp. 241-244.)

*Salmonide of Lake Superior. (Bost. Soc. of Nat. Hist.
Proceedings, V. iii., 1848, pp. 61, 62.)

Silurian Beach, The. (Adlantic Monthly, v. xi., Apr., 1863,
pp- 460-471.)

Smithsonian Institution. Formation of a Museum ; Communi-
cation from A. relative to. (Smithsonian Inst. Report, 1849, pp.
24-26.)

Same. (U. S. Pub. Docs, 31st Cong., 1st Sess., 1849-50.
House Misc. Docs., No. 50, pp. 24-26.)

Same. (Senate Misc. Docs., v. ii., No. 120, pp. 24-26.)

Smithsonian Institution, Letter on, addressed to C. W. Upham.
(Amer. Fl. of Sct. and Aris,, 2d ser., v. xix., 1855, pp. 284-287.)

Smithsonian Institution. Report on use of a new hall in
Smithson. Bldg. (Smithsonian Inst. Report, 1867, pp. I0g-III.)

Same. (U.S. Pub. Docs., goth Cong., 2d Sess., 1867-68,
Senate Misc. Docs., v. iii., No. 86, pp. 109-111.)

Structure and Growth of Domesticated Animals, (Amer.
Naturalist, v. vii., 1873, pp. 641-657.)

Structure and Homologies of Radiated Animals, with
reference to the Systematic Position of the Hydroid Polypi. (Amer.
Assoc. for the Advanc, of Sci. Proceedings, 1849, pp. 389-396.)

Structure des Ecailles des Poissons. (Annales des Sciences
Naturelles. Zodlogie, 2e sér., T. xiii., 1840, pp. 58-61.)

312 Louis Agassiz.

Structure et de Mode d’Accroissement des FE cailles des
Poissons et Réfutation des Objections de M. Mandl, (Annales des
Sciences Naturelles. Zodlogie, 2e sér., T. xiv., 1840, pp. 97-110.)

Structure of Coral Animals. (Amer. Assoc. for the Advanc.
of Sci. Proceedings, 1849, pp. 68-77.)

Structure of the Foot in Embryo Birds. (Amer. F/. of Sci.
and Aris, 2d ser., v. vi., 1848, pp. 432, 433.) ,

Structure of the Halcyonoid Polypi. (Amer. Assoc. for the
Advance. of Sci. Proceedings, 31 meeting, 1850, pp. 207-213.)

Structure of the Mouth in Crustacea. (Amer. Assoc. for the
Advane. of Sci. Proceedings, 4th meeting, 1850, pp. 122, 123.)

*Succession and Development of Organized Beings on the
Surface of the Terrestrial Globe. (Zdinburgh New Phil. F1., v.
xxxii, 1842, pp. 97-99; V. xxxili, 1842, pp. 388-399.)

*—— Same. InGerman. (Meue Notizen aus dem Gebiete der Natur-
und Heilkunde, Bd, xxiv., 1842, cols. 193-201.)

Succession des Poissons Fossiles dans la Série des Forma-
tions Géologiques. (Annales des Sciences Naturelles. Zodlogie, 3e
sér., T. ii., 1844, pp. 251-271.)

Synopsis of the Ichthyological Fauna of the Pacific Slope
of North Amer., chiefly from the Collections Made by the U. S.
Exped. under Capt. Wilkes, with Recent Additions and Comparisons
with Eastern Types. (Amer, $1. of Sci. and Arts. 2dser., v. xix.,
1855, pp. 71-99; 215-231.)

Synoptical Table of British Fossil Fishes, Arranged in the
Order of the Geological Formations. (British Assoc. for the
Advance, of Sci. Report, 1843, pp. 194-207.)

Same, (Edinburgh New Phil. Fl., v. xxxvii., 1844, pp.
331-347.)

Same. In French. (Annales des Sciences Naturelles.
Zoologie, 3e sér., 1844, pp. 251-271.)

Terraces and Ancient River Bars, Drift, Boulders, and
Polished Surfaces of Lake Superior. (Amer. Assoc. for the Advanc,
of Sci. Proceedings, 1848, pp. 68-70.)

Tertiary Age, The, and Its Characteristic Animals.
(Atlantic Monthly, v, xii., Sept., 1863, PP: 333-342.)

Bibliography of Louis Agassiz. 313

Theorie der Erratischen Blécke in den Alpen. (Mewes
Fahrbuch fiir Mineralogie, Geognosie, Geologie und Petrefaktenkunde,
1838, pp. 303, 304.)

Three Different Modes of Teething among Selachians.
(Amer, Naturalist, v. viii., Mar., 1874, pp. 129-135.)

Unconformability of the Paleozoic Formations of the
United States. (Amer. Assoc. for the Advanc. of Sci. Proceedings,
1851, pp. 254-256.)

Ursprung des Loess. (WMeues fahrbuch fur Mineralogie, Geog-
noste, Geologie und Petrefakienkunde, 1867, pp. 676-680.)

Vegetable Character of Xanthidium. (Amer. Assoc. for the
Advance. of Sci. Proceedings, 1849, pp. 89-91.)

Verbal Sketch of Prof. Johannes Miiller. (Bost. Soc. of
Nat. Hist. Proceedings, v. vi., 1856-59, pp. 382, 383.)

Vertebrate Fossiles Exhibited to the Association. (Amer.
Assoc. for the Advance. of Sci. Proczedings, 5th meeting, 1851, pp.
178-180.)

*Voyage d’Exploration Scientifique dans l’Atlantique et
lAmérique du Sud. (Revue des Cours Scientifique, 2e sér., T. iv.,
1873, pp- 1077-1093.)

Wassergefiss-System der Mollusken. (Zeitschrift fur
Wissenschaftliche Zoblogie, Leipzig, 1856, p. 176.)

*Water-tubes in Fishes. (Bost. Soc. of Nat. Hist. Proceed-
ings, V. ili., 1848, pp. 27, 28.)

Same. (Amer. $1. of Sct. and Arts, 2d ser., v. vi., 1848,
PP- 431, 432.)

Young Garpipes from Lake Ontario. (Amer. Fl. of Sci. and
Arts, 2d ser., Vv. xxiii., 1857, p. 284.)

Zodlogical Character of Young Mammalia. (Amer. Assoc.
for the Advance. of Sci. Proceedings, 1849, pp. 85-89.)

Zodlogical Notes. (Amer. F/. of Sci. and Arts, 2d ser., v.
xiii., 1852, pp. 425, 426.)

*Zodlogical Researches. (Zdinburgh New Phil. F1., v. xliv.,
1848, pp. 316-319.)

*. Same. In German, (Meue Notizen aus dem Gebiete der
Natur- und Heilkunde, 3te ser., Bd, v., 1848, col. 145-148; Bd,
vii., cols. 293, 294.)

314 Louis Agassiz.

3.—BooKs CONTAINING CONTRIBUTIONS BY AGASSIZ.

Agassiz, L., avd Buckland, W. Fossil Beaks of Four Extinct
Species of Fishes, Referable to the Genus Chimzra that occur in
the Oolitic and Cretaceous Formations of England. [With note by
Prof. A.] (Lond. and Edinb. Phil. Mag. and Fl. of Scz., v. viii,
1836, pp. 4-7.)

* Agassiz, L., et Couthino, Dr. J. M. Géologie de l’Amazone.
(Société Géologique de France. Bulletin, T. xxv., 1868, pp. 685-
691.)

Agassiz, L., ec Desor, E. Catalogue Raisonné des Familles,
des Genres, et des Espéces de la Classe des Echinodermes ; Précédé
d’une Introduction sur l'Organisation, la Classification, et le Dévelop-
pement Progressif des Types dans la Série des Terrains. (Annales
des Sciences Naturelles. Zodlogie, 3e sér., T. vi., 1846, pp. 305-
374; T. vii., pp. 129-168; T. viii., pp. 5-35, 355-381.)

* Agassiz, L., ec Vogt, C. Anatomie des Salmones. (Société
des Sciences Naturelles de Neuchatel. J/é¢moires, T. iii., 1845.)

Conrad, T. A. Synopsis of the Invertebrate Fossiles of the
Cretaceous Formations of New Jersey. [Synopsis of the Naiades of
North America, by A.] 8vo. Newark, 1868.

Costa, O. G. Ittiologia Fossile Italiana. Opera da servire di
supplimento alle ricerche su i pesci fossili di L. Agassiz. 4to.
Naples, 1853.

Desor, E. Journal d’une Course Faite aux Glaciers du Mont
Rose et du Mont Cervin. [Renfermant une Notice sur les Glaciers,
par. M. Agassiz.] 8vo. Geneva, 1840.

Nouvelles Excursions et Séjours dans les Glaciers et les Hautes
Régions des Alpes, de M. Agassiz et de ses Compagnons de Voyage.
Accompagnées d'une Notice sur les Glaciers de I’Allée Blanche et du
Val-Ferret. 8vo. Neuchatel et Paris, 1846.

Guyot, A. The Earth and the Man; or, Comparative Physical
Geography in its Relation to the History of Mankind. Assisted by
Professors Agassiz, Peirce, and Gray. New ed. [Tr. from the
French, by C. C. Felton.] 8vo. Lond., 1875.

Maury, L. F. A. Indigenous Races of the Earth; or, New
Chapters of Ethnological Inquiry. . . . With communications
from J, Leidy and L, Agassiz. 4to. Phila., 1857.

Bibliography of Louis Agassiz. 315

Miller, H. Footprints of the Creator. With memoir of M., by
Louis Agassiz. 8vo. Bost., 1857. :

Nott, J. C., azd Gliddon, G. R. Types of Mankind. [Natural
Provinces of the Animal World and their Relation to the Different
Types of Mankind, by A. Illus. 21 pp.] 8vo. Phila., 1854.
Indigenous Races of the Earth, including Monographs by
Prof. Agassiz, etc. 8vo. Phila., 1857.

Murchison, Sir R. I. The Silurian System. [Péerygotus Proble-
maticus, n. sp. Onchus Murchisoni,n. sp. By A. Illus. pp. 606.]
4to. Lond., 1839.

Pourtalés, L. F. de. Contributions to the Fauna of the Gulf-
Stream. [Communicated (and with a note) by Agassiz.] 8vo. 1868.

Williamson, Zieuz. R. S. Reports of Explorations in California
for Railroad Routes. 1855. [Fossil Fishes of Williamson’s Explora-
tions, by Agassiz, v. v., pp. 313-316. ]

4.—BIOGRAPHIES OF AGASSIZ.

Louis Agassiz: His Life and Correspondence. Ed. by Mrs.
Elizabeth Cary Agassiz. Port. Illus. 2vols.,12mo. Bost., 1885.

Same, Louis Agassiz: sa Vie et sa Correspondance. Tr. de
l’Anglaise par Auguste Mayor. Port. 8vo. Neuchatel, 1887.

Agassiz as a Lecturer. (Scientific American, n. s., v. vi.,
Mar. I, 1862, p. 137.)

Agassiz Museum at Cambridge. Illus. (Science, v. vi., Nov.
13, 1885, pp. 421-424.)

Agassiz at San Francisco. (Wature, v. vi., Oct. 24, 1872,
PP: 509; 510.)

Agassiz in the United States. (Mining and Scientific Press,
S. Fr., v. xxv., Sept. 7, 1872, p. 145.)

Agassiz Memorial, The. (Scientific American, v. xxx., Apr.
18, 1874, p. 240.)

Agassiz Memorial Meeting. Proceedings and Addresses.
San Francisco, Dec. 22, 1873. (California Academy of Sciences,
Proceedings, v. v., 1873-74, Pp. 220-243.)

316 Louis Agasstz.

5.—ARTICLES ON AGASSIZ; BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES ; CRITICISMS
AND ACCOUNTS OF HIS RESEARCHES AND THEORIES.

*—— (Amer. Acad. of Artsand Sci. Proceedings, v. ix., 1874,
Pp. 310-320.)

— (American Annual Cyclopedia, 1873, pp. 8-10.)

— With Port. (Ajppleton’s Cyclopedia of American Biography,
v. i, pp. 34-36.)

—— With Port. (Agpleton’s Fournal, v. iii., Apr., 1870, pp.
492-494.)

— (Atheneum, Dec. 20, 1873, pp. 818, 819.)

— (Lelkectic Magazine, v. xxiii., May, 1851, pp. 13-16.)

— With Port. (Zclectic Mag., v. xli., Aug., 1857, pp. 569-571.)

—— With Port. (Zclectic Mag., v. \xi., Jan., 1864, pp. 125, 126.)

—— Portand Illus. (frank Leslie's Illus. Newspaper, v. xxxvii.,
Jan. 3, 1874, pp. 277, 278.)

—— (Aarper’s Magazine, v. xxy., 1862, pp. 194-201.)

(Harper's Weekly, v. xviii., Jan. 24, 1874, p. 82.) With
Port. of Agassiz in his studio, (p. 80.)

—— With Port. (Litéell’s Living Age, v. \xii., 3d. ser., v. vi.,
July 9, 1859, pp. 67-69.)

*—— (London Quarterly Rev., v. \xvi., July, 1886, pp. 205- =)

— Same. (Littells Living Age, v. clxx., 5th ser., v. lv., Aug.
14, 1886, pp. 387-395.)

—— With Port. (Practical Mag., v. ii., 1873, pp. 321-323.)

—— With Port. (Mining and Scientific Press, S. Fr., v. xxv.,
Aug. 31, 1872, p. 129.)

—— With Port. Phrenological Fournal, v. \viii., Feb., 1874, pp.
102-104.

—— (Popular Science Monthly, v. iv., Feb., 1874, pp. 495-499.)

—— (Popular Science News, vy. xviii., Dec., 1884, p. 169.)

—— With Port. (p. 7). (Sctentific American, vy. xxx., Jan, 3, 1874,

Pp. 2.)
*.

(Société de Physique et d’Histoire Naturelle, Genéve.
Mémoires, v, xxiii., 1874, pp. 471-478.)

Bibliography of Louis Agassiz. at

Bliss,Richard, ¥, [Sketch of] Professor Louis Agassiz, With
Port. (p. 513). (Popular Science Monthly, v. iv., Mar., 1874, pp.
608-618.)

Blanchard, Emile, Un Naturaliste du xixe Siscle—Louis Agassiz.
(Revue des Deux Mondes, 3e sér., T. x. ter Jul., 1874, PP. 5-34;
ter Aotit, pp. 539-569.)

*Bronn, H. G. La Théorie des Glaces et ses Progrés les plus
Récénts. (Bibliotheque Universelle de Gendve, T. xli., 1842, pp. 118-
139.)

Same. In German. (Meues SYahrbuch fir Mineralogie,
Geognoste, Geologie und Petrefaktenkunde, 1842, pp. 56-88.)

* Same, In English. (Aadinburgh New Phil, Fl., v. xxxiii.,
1842, pp. 217-283; v. xxxiv., pp. 364-383.)

Couthino, Dr. J. M. Professor Agassiz’s Labors on the Amazon.
[Two letters.] (Zz Fletcher, J. C., and Kidder, D.P. ‘‘ Brazil and
the Brazilians.” Appendix J., pp. 627-633.) Bost., 1868.

Desor, Edouard. L’Ascension de la Jangfrau Effectuée le 28
Aoiit, 1841, par MM. Agassiz [and others]. 8vo. Geneva, 1841.

Compte Rendu des Recherches de M. Agassiz pendant ses
Deux Derniers Séjours 4 l’Hétel des Neuchatelois, sur le Glacier
Inférieurdel’Aar. 8vo. Geneva, 1843.

Excursions et Séjour de M. Agassiz sur la Mer de Glace de
Lauteraar et du Finsteraar. 8vo. Geneva, 1841.

Excursions et Séjours dans les Glaciers et les Hautes Régions
des Alpes, de M. Agassiz. 12mo. Neuchatel, 1844.

Nouvelles Excursions et Séjours dans les Glaciers et les
Hautes Régions des Alpes, de M. Agassiz et de ses Compagnons de
Voyage. 8vo. Neuchatel et Paris, 1846.

Emerson, George B. What we Owe to Louis Agassiz as a
Teacher. An address [delivered] before the Boston Society of
Natural History, Jan. 7, 1874. 17 pp. 8vo. Bost., 1874.

Same, (Bost. Soc. of Nat. Hist. Proceedings, v. xvi., pt.
3, 1874, pp. 211-225.)
*—— Same. (Amer. Fl. of Education, v. xxviii., p. 881.)

Farve, Ernest. Louis Agassiz: a biographical notice. Tr. by
M. A. Henry. (Smithsonian Institution. Annual Report, 1878, pp.
236-261.)

318 Louis Agasst2.

Same, (U.S. Pub. Docs., 45th Cong., 3d Sess., 1878-79.
Senate Misc. Docs., v. iii., No. 59, pp. 236-261.)

Note :—From the ‘‘ Archives des Sciences de la Bibliotheque Uni-
verselle,”” Genéve, T., lxix., Mai, 1877.

Fiske, John. Agassiz and Darwinism. (Popular Science Monthly,
v. ili., Oct. 1873, pp. 692-705.)

Funeral of Agassiz. (Mew York Times, Dec. 18, 1873.)

Garfield, J. A. Biogr. Notice of . . . Louis Agassiz. (Smith-
sonian Institution. Annual Report, 1873, pp. 149-151.)

—— Same. (U.S. Pub. Docs., 43d Cong., Ist. Sess., 1873-74.
Senate Misc. Docs., v. ii., No. 130, pp. 149-151.)

Gray, A. [Sketch of] Agassiz. (ation, v. xvii., Dec. 18, 1873,
PP- 404, 405.)

*Guyot, A. [Memoir of] Agassiz. (National Acad. of Sci. Biogr.
Memoirs, v. ii.)

*Haworth, H. H. Agassiz not the Author of the Glacial Theory.
(Manchester Literary and Phil. Soc. Zemoitrs, 4th ser., v. iii., p.
144.)

Holmes, O. W. Farewell to Agassiz. [Poem.] (Atlantic Monthly,
v. xvi., Noy., 1865, pp. 584, 585.)

In the Laboratory with Agassiz. By a former pupil. [Zvery
Saturday, v. xvi. (n. s., V. i.), Apr. 4, 1874, pp. 369, 370. |
Same. (Scientific American, vy. xxx., Apr. 18, 1874, pp.
244, 245.)

*Kirk, John, The Doctrine of Creation according to Darwin,
Agassiz, and Moses. 8vo, Lond., 1869.

Laugel, Auguste. Un Naturaliste Philosophie—M. Agassiz et
ses Travaux. Ses Theories sur la Pluralité des Créations et la Classi-
fication des Etres. (Revue des Deux Mondes, 2e sér., T. xi., ter
Sept., 1857, pp. 77-108.)

Le Conte, Joseph. Relation of Louis Agassiz to the Theory of
Evolution. (/z his ‘‘Evolution and its Relation to Religious
Thought,” pp. 32-49, N. Y., 1888.)

Same, (Popular Science Monthly, v. xxxii., Nov., 1887, pp.

17-26.)

*Life and Writings of Agassiz. (Zdindurgh New Philosophical
Fournal, v. xlvi., pp. I- .)

Bibliography of Louis Agassiz, 319

Life and Writings of Agassiz, (Massachusetts Quarterly, v.i.,
Dec., 1847, pp. 96-119.)

*Life-Work of Agassiz. (American, Phila., v. xi., pp- 7I- .)

Longfellow, H. W. The Fiftieth Birthday of Agassiz. [Poem. ]
(Zn his Works.)

Lowell, J. R. Agassiz. [Poem.] (Atlantic Monthly, v. xxxiii.,
May, 1874, pp. 586-596.)

*Lyman, Theodore. Commemorative Notice of Louis Agassiz.
(American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Annual Report of Council,
13 pp. 8vo. [Cambridge, 1873. ]

Lyman Theodore. Recollections of Louis Agassiz. (Atlantic
Monthly, v. xxxiii., Feb., 1874, pp. 221-229.)

Marcou, Jules. Louis Agassiz at Neuchatel. (Maddon, v. xxxvi.,
Jan. 11, 1883, p. 36.)

Monument to Agassiz. Illus. (Harper’s Weekly, v. xx.,
Jan. 29, 1876, p. 85.)

Mill (John Stuart) and Agassiz. (ational Quarterly Rev.,
V. Xxvili., Mar., 1874, pp. 235-252.)

Parker, Dr. Peter. Biogr. Notice of L. Agassiz. (Smithsonian
Institution. Aznual Report, 1873, pp. 153, 154.)

Same. (U.S. Pub. Docs., 43d Cong., rst Sess., 1873-74.
Senate Miscel, Docs., v. ii., No. 130, pp. 153, 154.)

Penikese Island, School at :

Jordan, Prof. David Starr. Agassiz at Penikese. (Popu-
lar Science Monthly, v. x\., Apr., 1892, pp. 721-729.)

Anderson School of Natural History. (ation, v. xvii.,
Sept. 11, 1873, pp. 174, 175.)

(Harper's Weekly, v. xvii., Aug. 9, 1873, pp. 70I, 702.)
With Port. of A. and of John Anderson. Illus.

—— [Programme of] Prof. Agassiz’s School of Natural His-
tory. (Popular Science Monthly, v. iii., May, 1873, pp. 123, 124.)
Agassiz at Penikese. With Port. (Zz ‘‘ Tribune Popular
Science,” pp. 47-64. Bost., 1874.)

*Pheebus, Mrs. V. C. Agassiz andhis Work. (Methodist Review,
y. xlvi., p. 405.)

Pourtalés, L. F. de. Sketch of Agassiz. 3 pp. (/» Vaille, F.
O., and Clark, H. A. Harvard book, v. i.)

320 Louis Agassiz.

Putnam, A. Agassiz and Spiritualism. 16mo. Bost., 1874.

Putnam, F. W. The Anderson School of Natural History at
Penikese. (Amer. Assoc. for the Advance. of Sci. Proceedings, v.
xxiii., 1874, pp. 144-146.)

Richardson, Ralph. Agassiz and Glacial Geology. [Address. ]
(Edinburgh Geol. Soc. Zvamnsactions, vy. iv., part iii., 1883, pp.
245-262.)

—— [Sketch of] Agassiz. (Edinburgh Geol. Soc. Transactions, v. ii.,
1874, pp. 285-287.

Scientific Worthies. Agassiz. (ature, vy. xix., April 17,
1879, pp. 573-576.)

Smyth, T. Unity of the Human Races, with a Review of the
Theory of Agassiz. 8vo. Edinburgh, 1851.

Stebbins, R. P. Discourse on Louis Agassiz. (Smithsonian
Institution. Axnual Report, 1873, pp. 198-210.)

Same. (U.S. Pub. Docs., 43d Cong., 1st Sess., 1873-74.
Senate Misc. Docs.,v. ii., No. 130, pp. 198-210.)

Treudley, F. Student Life of Agassiz. (Zducation, Bost., v. ix.,
May, 1889, pp. 595-600.)

Visit of Prof. Agassiz to Brazil. (U. S. Pub. Docs., 39th
Cong., 2d Sess., 1866-67. House Ex. Docs., vy. xi., No. 86.)

Vogt, C. Agassiz und seiner Freunde Geologische Alpenreisen.

Waterston, Rev. R. C. Connection of Prof. Agassiz with the
Centennial Anniversary of the Birth of Humboldt. (Bost. Soc. of
Nat. Hist. Proceedings, v. xvi., pt. 3, 1874, pp. 225-237.)

Whipple, E. P. Agassiz. (J Ais ‘*‘ Character and Characteristic
Men,” pp. 266-292, Bost., 1879.)

Whittier, J. G. Prayer of Agassiz. [Poem.] (J/ ‘ Tribune
Popular Science,” p. 46, Bost., 1874.)

Wortley, Zady E. S. American Notabilities: Prof. Agassiz.
(Za her ‘‘ Travels in the United States,” N. Y., 1851.)

—— Same. (Harper's Mag., v. iii., Aug., 1851, p. 384.)

6.—PRINCIPAL REVIEWS OF AGAssiIz’s WorKs.

Contributions to the Natural History of the United States
of America,

Libliography of Louis Agassiz. 321

—— (Amer $1. of Sct. and Arts, 2d ser., v. xxv., 1858, pp. 126-
128, 202-216, 321-341.)

—— Architecture of the Animal Kingdom, (Southern Review,
N. S., v. iii., Jan., 1868, pp. 46-75.)

—— Classification, (Harper's Mag., v. xvi., Jan. 1858, pp. 262-
266.)

Classification in Natural History. (Southern Review, N. S.,
vol. iv., Oct., 1868, pp. 465-476.)

Hill, T. Natural History of the U.S. (Christian Examiner,
v. Ixiv., Jan., 1858, pp. 56-74.)

Holmes, O. W. Agassiz’s Natural History. (A¢lantic Monthly,
v.i., Jan., 1858, pp. 320-333.)

Professor Agassiz on the Origin of Species. (Amer. $1. of
Sct. and Arts, 2d ser., Vv. xxx., 1860, pp. 142-155.)

Geological Sketches. First Series:

— [Littell’s Living Age, v. xci. (4th ser., v. iii.), Dec. 29, 1866,
pp. 805-809. |

Journey in Brazil :

— (Wation, v. vi., Feb. 20, 1868, pp. 153, 154.)

Lake Superior: Its Physical Character [etc.] :

Emerson, G. B. Agassiz’s Tour to Lake Superior. (Chris-
tian Examiner, v. xlix., July, 1850, pp. 9-37.)

Methods of Study in Natural History:

—— Architecture of the Animal Kingdom. (Southern Review,
N. S., v. iii., Jan., 1868, pp. 46-75.)
— (Atlantic Monthly, v. xiii., Jan., 1864, pp. 131, 132.)

Monographies d’Echinodermes Vivants et Fossiles :

(Amer. Fl. of Sct. and Arts, v. xxxvii., 1839. pp. 369-371 ;
y. xlii., 1842, pp. 378, 379; v. xlv., 1843, pp. 399, 400.)

Nomenclatur Zodlogicus : |

— (Amer. #1. of Sci. and Arts, 2d ser., v. iii., Mar., 1847, pp.
302-309.)

Recherches sur les Poissons Fossiles :

—— Agassiz on Fossil Fish. (Quarterly Review, v. lv., Feb.,
1836, pp. 433-445-)

aoe Louis Agassiz.

— (Cakutta $l. of Nat. Hist., v. iii., 1843, pp. 313, 314.)

Louis Agassiz: His Life and Correspondence.

— (Atheneum, Jan. 2, 1886, pp. 36, 37.)

—— (Literary World, v. xvi., Oct. 17, 1885, pp. 368, 369.)

— (Saturday Review, v. \xi., Mar. 6, 1886, pp. 344, 345-)

—— (Spectator, v. lviii., Dec. 19, 1885, pp. 1703, 1704.)

—— Allen, Grant. (Academy, v. xxviii., Nov. 7, 1885, pp. 309,
310.)

— Gray, Asa. (Andover Review, v. v., Jan., 1886, pp. 38-44.

*—_ —— Same. (British and Foreign Evangelical Review, v.
xxxv., 1886, p. 386.)

— Life of Agassiz, The. (Science, v. vi., Oct. 16, 1885, pp.
330-332.)

—— Scudder, Hi E. (Atlantic Monthly, v. \vi., Dec., 1885, pp.
848-850.)

INDEX.

Aar, glacier of, 72

Agassiz, Professor Alexander, 216

Agassiz, Association, The, 196;
constitution of, 198

Agassiz, Auguste, 8; devotion of,
to his brother, 15

Agassiz, Jean Louis Rudolphe,
birthplace of, 1; parentage, 2;
early love of nature, 2; first
collection of fishes, 3; manly
traits of, 4; inventive and imi-
tative faculties of, 4; influence
of his mother on, 5 ; early college
life at Bienne, 8; forming a
library, 9; outlining his future
career, IO; entering the medical
school, 12 ; strong personality of,
13; filial affection of, 14; his
love of books, 15; reasons for
entering Heidelberg, 18 ; early
associations, 18—-Ig ; as a linguist,
19; college life, 20; strong re-
ligious convictions of, 21 ; daily
routine at Munich, 28 ; first lec-
tures, 28; desire to travel, 29 ;
offer to visit Brazil, 32; training
for forced marches while on
expeditions, 35; examination,
passed for degree of Doctor of
Philosophy, 36; examination for
degree of Doctor of Medicine,
39; struggles as a doctor, 40;
life in Paris, 41; poverty of,
while in Paris, 43 ; remarkable
dream of, 44; accepts offer of a

323

professorship at Neuchatel, 49;
lectures to pupils (first), 53; suc-
cess as a teacher, 53; his love
for children, 55; declines the
call to chair of zodlogy at Heidel-
berg, 56; threatened with blind-
ness, 57; marriage to Cecile
Braun, 57; wins the Wollaston
prize, 57; visits England, 59,
seg., journey to Bex, 61; sells
his original drawings to defray
expenses, 62; speech on glaciers,
63; antagonism to his speech on
glaciers, 63-64; refuses the offers
of professorship from Geneva
and Lausanne, 66 ; establishes a
lithographic printing establish-
ment in Neuchatel, 66 ; made a
member of the Royal Society of
London, 67; visits Mont Blanc,
68; trials of poverty, 71; de-
scends into a glacier, 75 ; ascent
of the Jungfrau, 77; wins the
Monthyon prize of physiology,
87; visits America, 87; lectures
at Lowell Institute, 87 ; accepts
chair of Natural History of Cam-
bridge, 97; marries Elizabeth
Graves Cary, 101 ; accepts pro-
fessorship in the Charleston
Medical College, 102; wins the
Cuvier prize, 103; offered an
appointment by Napoleon, 103;
declines offer of appointment of
the University of Zurich, 104;
opens a school in Boston, 104 ;
tendered the chair of Palzon-

324

tology in the Paris Museum of
Natural History, 106; made
member of the Order of the
Legion of Honour, 107; sere-
naded by his pupils, 111 ; dinner
given to, by the *‘ Saturday Club”
on his fiftieth birthday, 112;
poem by Longfellow in honour of,
112-113; expedition to Brazil,
119; cordial reception by the
Brazilian Emperor, 120; A
Journey in Brazil, 145 ; returns
from Brazil, 147; lectures at
Cooper Union, 147 ; excursion to
the West, 148 ; loses his mother,
148; address on Humboldt, 153-
156; elected foreign associate
of the Institute of France, 164 ;
death of, 177; religious belief
of, 179, seg.; of works, 202,
seg.; Bibliography of, 287 seq.

Amazon, the, exploration of, 125,
seg.; varieties of fish in, 128-
132; floating islands of, 141

American Scientists, 89, seg.

Anderson, John, 168

Anderson School of Natural His-
tory, 168, 171-176

Ascent of the Jungfrau, 77

Bache, Dr., offers Agassiz a tour on
the Florida Reef, 102

Ballard, Harlan H., 196

Bancroft moves vote of thanks to
Agassiz at Cooper Union, 148

Bibb, the, cruise of, 151-152

Bibliography of Louis Agassiz,
287-322

Birthplace of Agassiz, I

Bischoff, Professor, 19

Boston, Agassiz opens a school in,
104

Boston Natural History Society,
memorial of, 273-286

Brazil, first expedition to, 119

Brazilian fishes, book on, 34

Brazilian forest life, description of,
IqI-144

Lhdex.

Braun, Cecile, marriage of Agassiz
to, 57

Braun, Professor, 19

Brilliant men—students of Agassiz
—list of, 195

Brooklyn, N. Y., ‘‘Graham Lec-
tures,” delivered at, 191

Buch, Leopold von, 55

Buckland, Dr., 74

California Academy of Sciences,
action of in connection with the
death of Agassiz, 219-269

Cambridge, Mass., scientific school
at, 97

Canino, Prince of, 84

Cary, Elizabeth Graves, marriage
of Agassiz to, IOI

Charleston Medical College, offers
Agassiz a professorship, 102

Charpentier, 61

Chavannes, Professor, II

Classification, essay on, 184

Cole, Lord, 62

Collection of fishes, 23

College lecture system, instituted
by Agassiz, L15

Commendatory press
first book, 37

Consent of parents to - scientific
career, 36

Constitution of the Agassiz Associa-
tion, 198

Contributions to the Natural His-
tory of the United States, 111,
183

Cooper Union, lectures at, 147

Coulon, Louis M., 47

Coutinho, Major, 126

Cupim or Termites nest, study of,
123

Cuvier prize, the, 103

Cuvier, Professor, 42 ; death of, 44

notices on

Daily life at Paris, 41
Darwin, Charles, 179

Lndex.

325

Davidson, George, tribute of, 219-
230

Desor, M., 73, seg.

Devotion of Auguste Agassiz to his
brother, 15

Difference in religious views of
Agassiz and Darwin, 179, seg.

Dinkle, Joseph, 34

Ddllinger, Professor, 26

Edwards, Henry, eulogy of, 263-
265

Edwards, Milne, letter to, 136

Egerton, Sir Philip de Grey, 62, 181

Emerson, George B., 93

England, visit to, 59

Estolano, 139

Evolution and permanence of type,
article on, 181

Favre, Ernest, 50

Florida Reef, the, Dr. Bache offers
Agassiz a tour on, 102

Fuchs, Herr, 26

Galapagos Islands, the, 164

Garfield, James A., tribute of, to
Agassiz, 267-269

Geneva, offer of professorship in
the Academy at, 66

Geological Sketches, 117

Geophagus’ (fish), remarkable
method of reproduction of, 135

Gilman, Prof. D. C., tribute of,
230-239 :

Glacier, life on a, 72; Agassiz’s
descent into, 75

Glaciers, study of, 70; speech on,
63; letter to Professor Peirce
concerning, 158-160

Gould, Augustus A., 214

Gray, Francis C., 111 ; bequest of,
107-108

‘*Graham Lectures, The,” delivered
at Brooklyn, N. Y., by Agassiz,
IgI

Growth of the Agassiz Association,
197

Gruithuisen, Herr, (astronomer), 26

Gux, effects of a, 73

Guyot, Arnold, 69, seg.

FHfassler, the cruise of the, 160-166

Hirzel, Professor, 16

Holder, Dr. J. B., 92, 109-110

Holmes, Dr. O. W., 112-113

Home in East Boston, 96

Howe, Dr., 114

Humboldt, Baron von, 46, seg.,
I1O; address on, 153-156

Humboldt Scholarship, the, 284-
286

Hunting, Brazilian method of, 123

Impressions of America, 88

Indians, Brazilian, courtesy of, to-
ward Mrs. Agassiz, 129 ; homes
of, 128-9

Influence of Von Martius, 31

Injection of coloured fluids into
glacier, 81 ;

Invitation to visit England, 57

Jelly-fish, new species discovered
by Agassiz, 125

Jordan, David Starr, 172-173

Jungfrau, ascent of the, 77

Lage, Senhor, 122

Lake Superior, survey of the shores
of, IOI

Lausanne, offer of professorship
from, 66

Le Conte, Prof. Joseph, tribute of,
239-252

Leuckart, Professor (zodlogist), 19

Life on a glacier, 72

London, Royal Society of, 67

Longfellow, poem by, in honour of
Agassiz, 112

326

Index.

Lota, coal deposits at, 163
Lowell Institute, lectures at, 87
Lyell, Sir Charles, 57

Lyman, Theodore, 212

Marcus, Dr., 128

Martius, Herr von, (botanist), 26;
31, seg.

Method of Study in Natural His-
tory, 187

Methods of Study, 110

Mont Blanc, visit to, 68

Monte Rosa, ascent of, 70

Monthyon, prize of physiology
awarded to Agassiz, 87

Motier, birthplace of Agassiz, I

Museum, bequest of Francis C.
Gray for the establishment of,
107-108

Museum of Comparative Zodlogy,
the, 107; dedication of, 109;
appropriation by Legislature in
behalf of, 149; Agassiz’s report
upon, 149-151

Napoleon, Agassiz offered an ap-
pointment by, 103

National Academy of Sciences, 115

Negroes, discussion between Agas-
sizand Doctor Howe concerning,
114

Neuchatel, Agassiz accepts a pro-
fessorship at, 49

Nicolet, M., 73, seg.

Para, 125

Paris, Agassiz invited to, 106

Parker, Dr., tribute of, to Agassiz,
271-273

Pecuniary aid of Humboldt to
Agassiz, 46

Pedro, Dom, interest of in Agassiz’s
expedition, 120, seg,; present of
to Agassiz, 145

Peirce, Professor Benjamin, 148 ;
invites Agassiz to go around Cape
Horn, 157; letter to concerning
glaciers, 158-160

Penikese, establishment of the
Anderson School of Natural
History at, 168

Pourtalés, Count (meteorologist),

» 95

Poverty, trials of, 71

Prayer of Agassiz, The, poem by
Whittier, 169-171

Preparation for threatened blind-
ness, 57

Principles of Zoblogy, 101

Prussia, King of, a supporter of
Agassiz, 80

Publication of first part of Brazilian
Fishes, 36

Religious belief of Agassiz, 179
Rio Negro, Trip up the, 131-
146

San Francisco, reception at, 165

Santiago, 164

‘* Saturday Club,” gives a dinner to
Agassiz, 112-113

Schinz, Professor, 14, 20

Schubert, (zodlogist), 26

Scotland, visit to, 74

Scott, Rev. Dr. W. A., tribute of,
259-263

Silliman, Professor, 86-178

Smithsonian Institution, action of
in connection with the death of
Agassiz, 267-273

Stearns, Robert E. C., tribute of,
to Agassiz, 252-256

Stebbins, Dr. Howard, 192; tribute
of, 256-9

Study at Munich, 24

Study of glacier system, 70

Stuttgart Museum, 25

Lndex. 427

T | V

Teffé, interesting discovery at, 132 ;| Vacation days, 8
Agassiz letter to the Emperor] Vogt, M. (microscopist), 73, seg.
concerning, 133-134

Thayer, Nathaniel, 119

The home collection, 16 )

The “‘ Little Academy,” 28 Waterson, Rev. R. C., tribute of,
The tertiary age, and its character-| 4, Agassiz, 274-286

istic animals, 186 Weber, J. C. (artist)

: a » Je ° ’ 34
Tiedemann, Professor, 19 . _| Whittier, John G., poem by, on
Tijuca, evidence of glacial action The Prayer of Agassiz, 169-171

at, 121 Wilder, Professor Burt G., 116

Tompkins, Edward, 164

Wollaston pri ‘Agassiz,
Tratholte (a rare Brazilian fish), 126 GHaston ere ton, by 2 easy

57
Woodbury, Dr., 110
U

Z
University of California, endow-

ment of, by Edward Tompkins, | Zurich, University of, Agassiz de-
164-165 clines offer of, 104

‘Iberoes of the Wations.

EDITED BY

EVELYN ABBOTT M.A., FELLOw or BALLIOL COLLEGE, OXFORD.

A SERIES of biographical studies of the lives and work
of a number of representative historical characters about
whom have gathered the great traditions of the Nations
to which they belonged, and who have been accepted, in
many instances, as types of the several National ideals.
With the life of each typical character will be presented
a picture of the National conditions surrounding him
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The narratives are the work of writers who are recog-
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thoroughly trustworthy as history, will present picturesque
and dramatic ‘“‘stories”’ of the Men and of the events con-
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To the Life of each “Hero” will be given one duo-
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yolumes, as follows:

Nelson, andthe Naval Supremacy of England. By W. CLark RUSSELL,
author of ‘‘ The Wreck of the Grosvenor,” etc.

Gustavus Adolphus, and the Struggle of Protestantism for Exist-
ence. ByC. R. L. Ftercuer, M.A., late Fellow of All Souls College,
Oxford.

Pericles, and the Golden Age of Athens, By EveLyn Azsort, M.A.,
Fellow of Balliol College, Oxford.

Theodoric the Goth, the Barbarian Champion of Civilization. By
THomAs HopckIn, author of ‘‘ Italy and Her Invaders,” etc.

Sir Philip Sidney, and the Chivalry of England. By H. R. Fox-
BournE, author of ‘‘ The Life of John Locke,” etc.

Julius Czsar, and the Organization of the Roman Empire. By
W. WaRDE Fow Ler, M.A., Fellow of Lincoln College, Oxford.
Alexander the Great, and the Extension of Greek Rule and of

Greek Ideas. By Prof. BENJAMIN I. WHEELER, Cornell University.

Charlemagne, the Reorganizer of Europe. By Prof. Gzorce L. Burr,
Cornell University.

Cicero, and the Fall of the Roman Republic. By J. L. STRACHAN
Davipson, M.A., Fellow of Balliol College, Oxford.

Louis XIV., and the Zenith of the French Monarchy. By ARTHUR
HassALx, M.A., Senior Student of Christ Church College, Oxford.

Sir Walter Raleigh, and the Adventurers of England. By A. L.
Situ, M.A., Fellow of Balliol College, Oxford.

Bismarck. The New German Empire: How It Arose; What It
Replaced ; and What It Stands For. By James SrMgE, author of
‘“A Life of Lessing,” etc.

To be followed by:
Henry of Navarre, and the Huguenotsin France. By P. F. WILLERT,
M.A., Fellow of Exeter College, Oxford.

William of Orange, the Founder of the Dutch Republic. By RuTH
PUTNAM.

Hannibal, and the Struggle between Carthage and Rome. By
E, A. FREEMAN, D.C.L., LL.D., Regius Prof. of History in the
University of Oxford.

Alfred the Great, and the First Kingdom in England. By F. York
PowELL, M.A., Senior Student of Christ Church College, Oxford.

Charles the Bold, and the Attempt to Found a Middle Kingdom,
By R. Lopes, M.A., Fellow of Brasenose College, Oxford.

John Calvin, the Hero of the French Protestants. By OwrENn M.
EpwaArbs, Fellow of Lincoln College, Oxford.

Oliver Cromwell, and the Rule of the Puritans in England. By
CHARLES FirTH, Balliol College, Oxford.

Marlborough, and England as a Military Power. By C. W. C.
OMAN, A.M., Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford,
G. P, PUTNAM’S SONS
New York LONDON
27 AND 29 Wrst TWENTY-THIRD STREET 27 Kine WittiaM Strert, STRAND

Che Story of the ations.

MEssrs. G. P. PUTNAM’S SONS take pleasure in
announcing that they have in course of publication, in
co-operation with Mr. T. Fisher Unwin, of London, a
series of historical studies, intended to present in a
graphic manner the stories of the different nations that
have attained prominence in history.

In the story form the current of each national life is
distinctly indicated, and its picturesque and noteworthy
periods and episodes are presented for the reader in their
philosophical relation to each other as well as to universal
history.

It is the plan of the writers of the different volumes to
enter into the real life of the peoples, and to bring them
before the reader as they actually lived, labored, and
struggled—as they studied and wrote, and as they amused
themselves. In carrying out this plan, the myths, with
which the history of all lands begins, will not be over-
looked, though these will be carefully distinguished from
the actual history, so far as the labors of the accepted
historical authorities have resulted in definite conclusions.

The subjects of the different volumes have been planned
to cover connecting and, as far as possible, consecutive
epochs or periods, so that the set when completed will
present in a comprehensive narrative the chief events in

the great STORY OF THE NATIONS; but it is, of course
not always practicable to issue the several volumes in
their chronological order.

The “Stories” are printed in good readable type, and
in handsome 12mo form. They are adequately illustrated
and furnished with maps and indexes. Price, per vol.,
cloth, $1.50. Half morocco, gilt top, $1.75.

The following volumes are now ready (November, 1891):

THE STORY OF GREECE. Prof. JAs. A. HARRISON,
ie st * ROME. ARTHUR GILMAN,

ox - “ THE JEWS. Prof. James K, HosMER,

se es ‘““ HUNGARY. Prof. A. VAMBERY.

a S “ CARTHAGE. Prof. ALFRED J. CHURCH.:

Mi = ‘“ THE SARACENS. ARTHUR GILMAN.

a oe ‘* PERSIA. 5S. G. W. BENJAMIN.

Ss be ““ ALEXANDER’S EMPIRE. Prof. J. P, MAHAFFY,.

uf ee “* ASSYRIA, Z. A, RAGOZIN.

ss ss ‘*“* THE GOTHS. HeEnry BRADLEY.

ss cS ** TRELAND. Hon, Emity LAwLess.

s st “* TURKEY. STANLEY LANE-POOLE,

s ss ‘* MEXICO. Susan HALE.

sé cf ‘““ THE HANSA TOWNS. HELEN ZIMMERN.

cs = ‘“ EARLY BRITAIN. Prof. ALFRED J. CHURCH.

“ = ““ THE BARBARY CORSAIRS, STANLEY LANE-POOLE.
$s ss *“ RUSSIA. W. R. MorFILL.

s a ‘“* THE BYZANTINE EMPIRE. C. W, C. Oman,
Now in press for immediate issue:
THE STORY OF SICILY. E. A. FREEMAN,
“e a “ VEDIC INDIA. Z. A. RaAcozin.
sy i “THE THIRTEEN COLONIES. HEten A. SMITH.

a *s ‘““ ‘WALES AND CORNWALL. OweEN M. Epwarps.
* bY ‘* CANADA, A. R, MACFARLANE,

G P. PUTNAM’S SONS T. FISHER UNWIN
NEw York LONDON

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