1 843-44.] DINKEL LEAVES NEUCHATEL. 237 



stantly obliged to furnish work absolutely unnecessary 

 and very expensive. In a letter to the firm Nicolet and 

 Jeanjaquet, dated 2d July, 1842, Agassiz says: " Vous 

 etes parfaitement libres de faire ce qu'il vous plaira a 

 1'egard de vos employes; deja trop souvent j'ai fait 

 faire des travaux considerables nniqnement pour occuper 

 vos employes, travaux qui me sont restes des mois et 

 des mois inutilement sur les bras. J'ai fait tirer de 

 fortes editions d'ouvrages divers, dont je n'ai que peu 

 d'exemplaires places, pour vous accommoder. ... J'ai 

 Fhonneur de vous prevenir que je desire savoir si je 

 puis compter sur les travaux dont je vous ai parle lors 

 de ma derniere visite aux Sablons, parce que sans cela 

 j'ai reellement 1'intention de les faire faire ailleurs, car 

 je suis sur d'avance qu'ils me couteront beaucoup 

 moins." We have here Agassiz's own confession that 

 he undertook some works, solely to give occupation to 

 the too expensive lithographic establishments of the 

 Sablons, an unbusiness-like proceeding, which was 

 certain to hasten the catastrophe which occurred, in 

 February, 1845, after a struggle of more than a year 

 and a half, when the whole establishment was broken 

 up and disposed of by auction. 



Joseph Dinkel, the trusted and true friend of Agassiz, 

 his constant companion since they were students together 

 at Munich, left him to go to England to find work and 

 make a home for himself. He disapproved the leader- 

 ship of Desor, and foresaw very stormy times for his 

 good friend Agassiz ; and he prophesied to an artist 

 friend, who repeated it to me a few years after, that 

 Agassiz would not always submit to such a dictatorship 



