40 LOUIS AGASSIZ. [CHAP. in. 



him, just as he had lately allowed Valenciennes to 

 help him to finish his " Histoire naturelle des Poissons 

 vivants." Of course the gift of Cuvier was highly 

 appreciated by his parents on the shore of the Lake of 

 Neuchatel. It was most gratifying for them to see 

 their dear Louis so well treated. But, alas ! just at this 

 time the small sum of money he had brought with him 

 began to run very low ; and there was no immediate 

 prospect of replenishing his purse unless he accepted 

 an offer from J. Daudebard de Ferussac to take the 

 editorship of the zoological part of his " Bulletin des 

 annonces et des nouvelles scientifiques," which would 

 yield an additional thousand francs a year, but would 

 require two or three hours' work daily. 



One of his first acquaintances at Paris was Alexander 

 von Humboldt, then a star of the first magnitude among 

 the numerous great French savants. If Cuvier's wel- 

 come was somewhat reserved and marked by formal 

 politeness, lacking cordiality, Humboldt's reception 

 took a form of indulgence and kindness which warmed 

 Agassiz's heart. From their first meeting at the apart- 

 ments of Humboldt, in his working room in the rue de 

 la Harpe in the Latin Quarter, a mutual attraction was 

 felt ; and the terrible Humboldt, the fear of all savants 

 and of all the great salons of Paris, took a fancy to the 

 young Swiss naturalist. He took him to breakfast at 

 his usual cafe-restaurant, the celebrated Cafe Procop, 

 rue de 1'Ancienne Comedie, near by ; and there, as was 

 his custom, hardly taking time to eat, he talked inces- 

 santly of his experience among the electric fishes in 

 Venezuela. Agassiz, who was all attention, did not 



