46 LOUIS AGASSIZ. [CHAP. in. 



as a naturalist. It is always very difficult in Paris to get 

 a scientific position, on account of the great number 

 of aspirants always waiting for a favouring opportunity. 

 After a few months, Agassiz soon realized his superi- 

 ority over all the young and even old naturalists, and 

 acknowledged only one master, - - George Cuvier ! For 

 Agassiz was not naturally self-distrustful ; he knew his 

 worth, and it was rather humiliating to him to be placed 

 beneath certain savants whose merits and capaci- 

 ties were far below his. He had to reckon with those 

 who held what is called in Paris " positions acquises," 

 that is to say, with savants who had been gradually 

 promoted from very modest places to higher positions. 

 Cuvier's death left vacant a large number of places, 

 and a regular scramble to occupy all the positions he 

 had held began in earnest as soon as he was buried. 

 Not being a Frenchman by birth, Agassiz was at a 

 disadvantage; although an Englishman, Henri Milne- 

 Edwards had the good fortune to push himself forward, 

 and finally succeeded Cuvier. But Edwards, who was 

 older than Agassiz by several years, had been educated 

 in Paris,' and knew how to make use of influence. He 

 made loud claims to being a Frenchman born, because 

 he was accidentally born in Bruges in Belgium during 

 the occupation of that country by the armies of the 

 French Republic. Another competitor was Valen- 

 ciennes, also older than Agassiz, and an assistant of 

 Cuvier, who had begun with Cuvier the publication of 

 the "Histoire naturelle des Poissons vivants." To be 

 sure, the publisher of the work proposed to Agassiz 

 to join Valenciennes as a collaborator; but Humboldt, 



