NATURAL HISTORY OF GENEVA. 159 



you are about to establish iu your lyceum. Your affairs must be in a 

 more advanced state now than last year, and I would be greatly obliged 

 if you would give me some information concerning them. I bave commu- 

 nicated my projects to M. de Humboldt, whom I see frequently, who 

 shows great interest in me, and aids me with his good counsel. 



* * * u ju jjjy different journeys, through my relations and through, 

 exchanges I have made a very pretty collection of n atural history , especially 

 rich in the classes with which your museum is the least furnished, and 

 which can fill the gaps iu the collections in the city of iS"euchiitel and ren- 

 der them more than suflicient for a complete course of natural history. 

 I have also thought you might include in the plan you propose to adopt 

 for the lyceum the increase of your zoiilogical collections, and, if so, I 

 dare to think mine would amply fulfill the end you wish to attain. If 

 this should be the case I offer it to you. The expense of arranging it, 

 of providing a place for it, and of its support is beyond my means, and I 

 must endeavor to dispose of it, although it will cost me much to part 

 from these companions of study, with which I have made almost all my 

 researches. I have also spoken of this project to M. de Humboldt, who is 

 much interested iu the matter, and will, if this transfer takes place, make 

 all the necessary arrangements with the government. You will do me 

 a great service, then, if you will give me your opinion in the matter, and 

 tell me, 1st, upon whom depends the nomination for the chair of natural 

 history ; 2d, upon whom will depend the purchase of my collection ; 3d, 

 what you think I will have to do to accomplish these two objects. You 

 may imagine I do not wish to give up my collections unless I have the 

 prospect of being so situated as to be able to consult them freely." 



At this time M. de Humboldt delicately remitted to his young friend 

 the sum necessary to continue his sojourn at Paris, and M. Louis Cou- 

 lon, on his pavt, obtained the creation of a chair of natural history for 

 the college of IS'euchatel. Iu the meanwhile a very sad event occurred. 

 Cuvier died of an attack of cholera, on the 13th of May, 1832. 



Here is a second letter from Agassiz to M. L. Coulon : 



" Paris, June 1, 1832. 

 " Sir : I have received with much pleasure your interesting letter, 

 and hasten to reply to it. What you have written gives me the more 

 pleasure, that I see in it the immediate prospect of establishing myself 

 near you, and of being able to consecrate to my country the fruit of my 

 labors. It is true, as you suppose, that the death of M. Cuvier has 

 sensibly changed my prospects ; for example, that I can, for the contin- 

 uation of my work upon fishes, associate myself with M. Valenciennes, 

 who made me a proposal to that effect, the day after the arrival of your 

 letter, when I confided to him my projects ; the conditions offered me 

 are very tempting, but I am too little French in character, and I am too 

 desirous to establish myself in Switzerland, not to prefer the place you 

 can give me, and to be as little as possible influenced by the salary 

 which would be attached to it. I cannot refuse, without cousidera- 



