20 LOUIS AGASSIZ. [CHAP. xin. 



in the death of his first wife. The first two events 

 proved most beneficial to his future life. 



Agassiz found at his house M. Sonrel and his wife, 

 awaiting his return from Lake Superior. A house was 

 immediately leased in the vicinity, and Sonrel began in 

 earnest the establishment of his lithography. During 

 September his two workmen arrived, a draughtsman 

 and a pressman. Then came, in succession, Professor 

 Arnold Guyot, with a nephew and a cousin ; Charles 

 Girard's brother and sister; Hiiber, with the library 

 and some specimens of rocks and fossils ; and M. Leo 

 Lesquereux, with his wife and five children. Every 

 one was lodged, at least, for several days, in Agassiz's 

 Oxford Street house. Mattresses were laid on the 

 floors of different rooms, even in the parlour ; the only 

 unoccupied room being the dining-room, where the table 

 was always abundantly furnished. It was a second 

 " Hotel des Neuchatelois," transferred from the glaciers 

 of the Aar to Cambridge. In all, there were twenty- 

 three persons, twenty-two of whom came from Neu- 

 chatel, town or canton. Pourtales and Marcou soon 

 left, but were replaced at the dining-table by the two 

 German assistant chemists of Professor Horsford. In 

 fact, it was "la Maison du Bon Dieu," as the French 

 call it, every one entering any room, and Agassiz receiv- 

 ing with a smile every new arrival. 



Some details may be interesting, for it is not likely 

 that such a naturalist household will ever be seen 

 again. "Papa" Christinat, as he was called, was the 

 general manager. More than sixty years of age, he 

 was still extremely active, possessed excellent health, 



