78 LOWS AGASSIZ. [CHAP. XVH. 



true happiness. He visited at Lausanne his younger sis- 

 ter, Mrs. Olympe Francillon, and other family relations. 

 The Italian war, then raging, had much disturbed 

 all Switzerland. The Helvetic Society of Natural Sci- 

 ences, which met every year in some part of the Swiss 

 Confederation, was to have had its session at Lugano, 

 in Tessino, close by the boundary line of Italy. On 

 account of the war, the meeting was postponed to the 

 next year ; but the arrival of Agassiz, and also the sud- 

 den conclusion of peace between France and Austria, 

 gave another turn to affairs. It was too late for a reg- 

 ular call of the Helvetic Society ; but Pictet had the 

 happy thought of asking the " Societe de Physique et 

 d'Histoire Naturelle de Geneve," to take upon itself 

 the calling of an extraordinary meeting of the Helvetic 

 Society of the Natural Sciences, in order to allow the 

 numerous scientific friends of Agassiz, scattered all over 

 Switzerland, to meet and shake hands with him. First 

 of all, Pictet asked permission of Agassiz, who answered 



at once :- 



MONTAGNV (VAUD), 17 aoilt, 1859. 



Mon cher ami, J 'arrive de Neuchatel et je n'ai que cinq mi- 

 nutes pour repondre a votre charmante lettre, avant le depart du 

 courrier d'aujourd'hui. Je suis enchante* de vos arrangements, et 

 je prdfere infiniment que la rdunion ait lieu a Geneve plut6t que 

 partout ailleurs. J'accepte avec reconnaissance votre aimable invi- 

 tation pour ma femme et pour moi, et vous pouvez compter que je 

 serai a Genthod [the splendid country house of Pictet] marcli, pour 

 peu qu'il me reste un souffle de vie. Mille remerciements a Madame 

 Pictct pour le bon acceuil qu'elle promet a ma femme. 



Mes amities les plus cordials ;i tous nos amis communs de Geneve. 



Bien a vous, 



Ls. AGASSIZ. 



