22 LOUIS AGASSIZ. [CHAP. n. 



Munich, a change began in his mind, his thought, and 

 even his body ; and when he left Munich, three years 

 later, on the fourth of December, 1830, he was entirely 

 a German ; so much so, that his Swiss friends had 

 some difficulty in getting acquainted with him again. 

 It was his first transformation ; several others succeeded, 

 as we shall see by and by. 



Munich was then the most celebrated university in 

 Germany, counting among its professors such men as 

 Oken, Martins, and Dollinger. It was at the house of 

 Dollinger that the three friends found lodging ; occupy- 

 ing rooms which soon became laboratories, lecture rooms, 

 and the rendezvous of many of their classmates. 

 Agassiz afterward had occasion to give a vivid descrip- 

 tion of their student life, in his paper, " Erwiederung 

 auf Dr. Karl Schimper's AngrifTe " (Neuchatel, Novem- 

 ber, 1842, 4to). In those days friendship reigned. 

 Almost everything was enjoyed in common; work, 

 pleasure, journeys, pipes, beer, purses, clothes, ideas 

 political and philosophical, or poetical, and even liter- 

 ary. In fact, it was a constant, enthusiastic, intellectual 

 life, lived at high pressure, lacking in nothing ; not even 

 student duels, and escapades of a more riotous nature, 

 after grand " Kommers." 



Agassiz enjoyed among the students the reputation 

 of being the best fencer in the various students' clubs. 

 The reputation was gained in this way : When at Heidel- 

 berg, an insult to the Swiss clan (Burschenschaft) of 

 which Agassiz was the president was considered so 

 serious among the students, that a challenge was sent 

 by Agassiz to the German club. At a meeting of the 



