3* i.orrs Ac.issrz. [AP. xiv. 



over him after his journey to Brazil; more and more 

 frequently he remembered his Swiss origin, and became 

 more and more attached to the French civilization. 



Early in January, 1851, Agassiz started for an explo- 

 ration of the Florida coral reef. His friend, Professor 

 Bache, the Superintendent of the Coast Survey, secured 

 his valuable services and put at his disposal and under 

 his orders the schooner W. A. Graham, of the Coast 

 Survey. During his ten weeks' survey he studied the 

 growth of coral reefs, their mode of living, the differ- 

 ent forms and associations of animals in the reef and 

 around it ; and the recent and present formation of 

 shell limestone and oolitic limestone ; but he found no 

 traces of upheaval or subsidence, even at the Tortugas. 



In August, 1851, Agassiz addressed his report to 

 Professor Bache, who published extracts from it in his 

 Annual Report, Washington, 1852, on pp. 145-160. 

 Bache was so impressed by the Report, that he asked 

 Congress for an appropriation to give the entire results 

 in detail, with drawings of all the species of corals ; and 

 the specimens were put directly into Sonrel's hands, to 

 be drawn on stone from nature. The plates were all 

 struck in beautiful style and are works of art by them- 

 selves ; they were even paid for by the United States 

 government ; but this was all, for it was impossible to 

 get the text describing the species. I saw Agassiz, 

 just after his return from Florida, full of his subject, 

 enthusiastic, as he always was, urging M. Sonrel to 

 finish the plates as quickly as possible, and I certainly 

 thought that his full observations would be before the 



