92 ELIZABETH GARY AGASSIZ 



These things make me feel as if I have been almost 

 wrong and ungrateful to write you so strongly about 

 the wickedness of Manaos, when we have received 

 such kindness here, and yet what I wrote was strictly 

 true. It is a bad place and the society is the worst I 

 have ever known. These people are the exceptions and 

 the greatest sufferers from their surroundings. The 

 politics of Brazil are the curse of the country — un- 

 happily it's a man's only road to distinction — no 

 other merit (if merit it be) is acknowledged except 

 that of political prominence, and men are ready to 

 sacrifice anything for public office. 



In this letter Mrs. Agassiz enclosed the following French 

 translation of the note accompanying the gift from the 

 ladies of Manaos: 



Nous autres, les femmes a qui le monde s'obstine a 

 refuser les grandes qualites qui ennoblissent la nature 

 humaine, comme I'intelligence, la fermete, le courage, 

 I'amour de la gloire et autres, en nous laissant par 

 grace la sensibilite du coeur, nous sommes heureuses 

 de voir reunies dans votre seule personne ces qualites 

 qui rehausees par votre extreme aimabilite et exquise 

 delicatesse nous ont gagne votre ami tie; agreez done 

 recevoir ce faible souvenir de nos sentiments a votre 

 egard. C'est une noix de Coco montee en argent; 

 elle n'a pas d'autre merite que d'avoir ete travaillee 

 par deux artistes indigenes et de vous etre offerte 

 par I'amitie. 



The following letter gives evidence of Mrs. Agassiz's 

 intense interest in the Museum in Cambridge and its devel- 



