ii$ LOUIS AGASSIZ. [CHAP. vi. 



Great Britain," a very expensive work. The first part, 

 or " livraison ' is entitled, " Sowerby-Mineral-Conchol- 

 ogie Grossbritanniens ; deutsche Bearbeitung, heraus- 

 gegebenvon H. Nicolet, durchgesehen von Dr. Agassiz," 

 and was offered by the editor to the library of the 

 Helvetic Society of Naturalists, at the meeting of July, 

 1837, at Neuchatel. 



Perceiving that he had too many irons in the fire, 

 Agassiz longed for a secretary; and, in a visit to Berne, 

 during the fall of 1837, he asked Dr. Vogt, the father of 

 Karl Vogt, if he knew any young man able- to write 

 well, with some knowledge of natural history, and 

 acquainted with the French language, because his pub- 

 lications must be in that language. And he added, " If 

 you can find for me somebody of that sort, Papa Vogt, 

 I shall bless the day which has brought me here." 

 Karl Vogt, then a young university student, who was 

 present at the visit of Agassiz, and has recalled the 

 whole conversation in his biography of Edward Desor, 

 says, " Desor had gone to Hofwyl to offer his services 

 at the great educational establishment of von Fellen- 

 berg, 1 with the hope of being accepted. But after two 

 days passed there, he returned to Berne absolutely 

 crushed by his failure to obtain a position, having re- 

 ceived the discouraging answer from Herr Fellenberg 



1 The Hofwyl College, placed by von Fellenberg in his chateau, was a 

 philanthropic institution created as a normal school of agriculture and a 

 model farm. There was besides a great school for secondary and superior 

 education. It was very expensive to von Fellenberg, who was obliged to 

 appoint too many professors of an inferior quality and who were poorly 

 paid, and who did not stay long. They were recruited mainly in Germany 

 among students who had just left universities. 



