LETTER TO DR. MAYOR. 165 



This relation continued until Cuvier's death, 

 and Agassiz enjoyed for several months the 

 scientific sympathy and personal friendship of 

 the great master whom he had honored from 

 childhood, and whose name was ever on his 

 lips till his own work in this world was 

 closed. The following letter, written two 

 months later, to his uncle in Lausanne tells 

 the story in detail. 



TO DR. MAYOR. 



PARIS, February 16, 1832. 



... I have also a piece of good news to 

 communicate, which will, I hope, lead to very 

 favorable results for me. I think I told you 

 when I left for Paris that my chief anxiety 

 was lest I might not be allowed to examine, 

 and still less to describe, the fossil fishes and 

 their skeletons in the Museum. Knowing that 

 Cuvier intended to write a work on this sub- 

 ject, I supposed that he would reserve these 

 specimens for himself. I half thought he 

 might, on seeing my work so far advanced, 

 propose to me to finish it jointly with him, 

 but even this I hardly dared to hope. It 

 was on this account, with the view of increas- 

 ing my materials and having thereby a bet- 

 ter chance of success with M. Cuvier, that I 



