1846.] FRIENDSHIP WITH A. THIERS. 273 



confidence in their power of conversation and public 

 speech, and being extremely fond of applause and 

 congenial society ; they soon came to appreciate one 

 another, and from this time Thiers, influenced by his 

 conversations with Agassiz, became devoted to natural 

 history. At that time, however, he had no leisure to 

 give to it, being absorbed by his history of the Consulate 

 and the Empire, and afterward by his political positions ; 

 but as soon as he was free after his Presidency of the 

 third French Republic, he turned to science as a favour- 

 ite study and consecrated the greater part of the last 

 years of his life to the history of the earth. 



There also came to Paris at this time, whether or not 

 attracted by Agassiz it is impossible to say, one who 

 had been a not over-scrupulous opponent of Agassiz 

 on the glaciers,- -no other than James D. Forbes, of 

 Edinburgh,- -and an attempt was made in his name to 

 effect a reconciliation. After the publication by Agassiz, 

 in 1842, of the history of his difficulties with Forbes, 

 the scientific world, at least on the European continent, 

 had pronounced against the method used by Forbes 

 during and after his visits to the glacier of the Aar as 



t 



Agassiz's guest. A common friend, Elie de Beaumont, 

 invited Agassiz to a great dinner party to meet Forbes, 

 insisting upon the desire on the part of Forbes to 

 forget the past and be friends again ; but Agassiz very 

 politely, though firmly, declined the invitation, feeling 

 that the attacks of Forbes had been marked by too 

 great impropriety to allow of further friendly relations. 

 During his stay in Paris, it occurred to several of 

 Agassiz's friends and acquaintances, that he might be 



