1871-72.] SAN FRANC/SCO. 191 



ferred to purchase the most common fishes brought 

 from the city market. 



Here the party separated. Pourtales crossed the 

 Isthmus and took ship at Colon for Washington, while 

 Agassiz and the other members of the party cruised 

 along the Pacific coast of Central America, Mexico, and 

 the two Californias, entering the Golden Gate of the bay 

 of San Francisco on the 24th of August, 1872, a little 

 less than nine months after leaving the wharf of the 

 Charlestown navy-yard at Boston. 



A month was spent at San Francisco, in social activ- 

 ity and enjoyment of the great metropolis of the Pacific 

 states, although Agassiz, who was much in need of re- 

 pose, declined all invitations of too exciting a nature. 

 Every one showed much kindness to both Agassiz and 

 his wife ; in fact, it was impossible for Mrs. Agassiz 

 even to go shopping without being recognized by trades- 

 men and their clerks. Agassiz was too weary of travel- 

 ling to undertake any scientific researches round San 

 Francisco, and he did not even visit the gigantic 

 Sequoia trees in Calaveras County. 



Early in October Agassiz found himself once more 

 in his museum at Cambridge, and it was a great pleas- 

 ure to the assistants and to all the friends of the insti- 

 tution to see his genial face again. It seems in place 

 here to complete what has been previously said in re- 

 gard to his museum. 



The first four years of its existence, from 1860 to 

 1864, were very difficult years. Its success was all 

 that could be reasonably expected, both as to its exhib- 

 its, which were tolerably presentable, and as to its sci- 



