1^47-490 ARBITRATORS. 11 



disagreeable it might be, but that I wished to be accom- 

 panied by Frank de Pourtales. The latter consented, 

 and we went directly to the house at East Boston, where 

 I delivered my message. Desor was at first stunned by 

 it, but he soon recovered, and became insolent to such 

 an extent that I withdrew, in company with Pourtales, 

 and we returned to Cambridge. 



There Agassiz, moved to tears, took me by both 

 hands and kissed me in the old Swiss fashion. He 

 was full of thanks and compliments. He felt him- 

 self another man, because he had been relieved of 

 a constant burden in his social and even mental life. 

 For little by little Desor had taken such a hold on him, 

 that he was not even free to express all his opinions and 

 views on scientific subjects. In fact, he was controlled 

 by Desor as by a manager, and not always consider- 

 ately, being too often handled rather rudely. He had 

 to provide all the money, and instead of being thanked 

 for it, he was subjected to all sorts of moral tortures. 



Matters took such a turn that friends interfered, and 

 by common consent the whole difficulty was submitted 

 to arbitrators. Agassiz chose John A. Lowell, Desor 

 took Dr. D. Humphreys Storer, and the two elected as 

 umpire Thomas B. Curtis, all of them among the first 

 men in the city of Boston. After a thorough investiga- 

 tion the three arbitrators came unanimously to the opinion 

 that Agassiz had been wronged by Desor, and conse- 

 quently gave an award entirely in favour of Agassiz. 1 



So ended the scientific, social, and friendly relations 

 between Agassiz and his German secretary, after a con- 



1 See the award, in "Trial of Desor versus Davis," pp. 53-56. Boston, 

 Stacy & Richardson, printers, n Milk Street. 1852. 



