1 847-49. J LECTURES AT NEW YORK. 3 



obliged to issue them in the form of a pamphlet, under 

 the title, "An Introduction to the Study of Natural 

 History. Also, a Biographical Notice of the Author ' 

 (New York, Dec. 10, 1847; Greeley & McElrath, Trib- 

 une Buildings). 



His large and attentive audiences were so pleased 

 that the medical students and the New York doctors, 

 headed by the ornithologist, Dr. Trudeau, a special 

 friend of Agassiz, raised a subscription, which filled 

 a large box with silver dollars, and came in a body 

 to Dr. Trudeau's house, where Agassiz was a guest, 

 to present the offering to the professor, as a contri- 

 bution, they said, toward the payment of the debts 

 contracted on account of his magnificent work on the 

 " Poissons fossiles." Agassiz was much touched, and 

 tears sprang to his eyes, when, turning toward Dr. 

 Trudeau, who made the presentation, he thanked the 

 physicians, surgeons, and medical students of the great 

 city of New York for their very welcome and generous 

 gift. 



At the end of one of these lectures Agassiz received 

 a visit, which was to him a complete and agreeable 

 surprise, from Jacques Burkhardt, of Neuchatel, a 

 "salle d'armes" acquaintance as far back as his student 

 life at Munich. After a rather uncertain life as an 

 artist in Rome, Burkhardt had returned to Neucha- 

 tel just at the time that Agassiz was appointed pro- 

 fessor ; and as Agassiz was always in want of artists, 

 notwithstanding that he already had t\vo--Dinkel and 

 Weber - - in his service, he often employed Burkhardt 

 to draw fishes, and even took him, in 1842, to the 



