AGASSIZ, LOUIS J. R. 



9 



States, whither his great reputation had already 

 preceded him, intending to study the natural 

 history and geology of the country. He lect- 

 ured on the animal kingdom and the glaciers 

 in Boston, and then visited New York, Phila- 

 delphia, and Charleston, in order to compare 

 the fishes and mollusks of the Southern with 

 those of the Northern coasts. On his return 

 to the North, in the early part of the summer 

 of 184-7, Prof. A. D. Bache, then at the head 

 of the United States Coast Survey, offered him 

 the opportunity of availing himself thence- 

 forth freely of all the facilities of the Coast 

 Snrvey for the prosecution of his investiga- 

 tions. This offer, so liberal and so important 

 for the carrying forward of his scientific labors, 

 decided Agassiz to make the United States his 

 home thenceforward, and from that hour he be- 

 came, in the noblest and largest sense, an Ameri- 

 can citizen, identifying himself with the best 

 nnd highest welfare of the nation. He availed 

 himself of the opportunity of making short ex- 

 cursions, which were marvelously fruitful in 

 good results, on the Coast Survey steamers, 

 and in this way made himself gradually famil- 

 iar with the marine zoology of our entire 

 coasts. In 1848 the Lawrence Scientific School 

 w;is founded by the munificence of Hon. Ab- 

 bott Lawrence, and a professorship of Zoology, 

 and Geology offered to Prof. Agassiz, which 

 he accepted, and thenceforward made Cam- 

 bridge his home. At the close of the academ- 

 ical year in 1848, he visited Lake Superior with 

 twelve of his pupils, and made a scientific 

 exploration of its shores, the results of which 

 were recorded in a volume entitled " Lake Su- 

 perior; its Physical Character," etc. The prep- 

 arations of a text-book of the "Principles of 

 Zoology," in connection with Dr. A. A. Gould, 

 also occupied gome time during this year. For 

 many years his vacations were devoted to 

 these excursions to various sections of the 

 country, from which he and his pupils always 

 returned laden with largo and rich collections 

 of great importance to natural history. In 

 1S.V2 he accepted a professorship of Compara- 

 tive Anatomy during the winter months, in 

 the Medical College of Charleston, S. C., and 

 for the next two years spent considerable time 

 in exploring the coasts of South Carolina, 

 Georgia, and Florida, where he gathered rich 

 spoils for his subsequent studies. At the close 

 of the term of 1854-'55, ho resigned his con- 

 nection with the Charleston Medical College, 

 the climate not agreeing with his health. He 

 now proposed to utilize his vast natural his- 

 tory collections by the preparation of a series 

 of volumes, largely nnd expensively illustrated, 

 entitled "Contributions to the Natural His- 

 t.irv of the United States." Of these mag- 

 nificent volume's, imt four have yet been pub- 

 lished. In 1861 he received the Copley Medal, 

 for his original researches, from the Itovnl 

 Socii-ry of London, of which he had been for 

 somo years a Fellow. He subsequently received 

 the Monthyon Prize and the Currier Prize from 



the French Academy; the TVollaston Prize 

 from the Geological Society of London ; and 

 the Medal of Merit from the King of Prussia. 

 In 1865 a liberal Boston merchant offered to 

 pay the expenses of a voyage to and an ex- 

 ploration of Brazil, to he conducted by Prof. 

 Agassiz and a corps of observers under his 

 direction. This expedition penetrated that 

 vast empire to the confines of Peru, and 

 brought home a large collection of valuable 

 specimens for the Museum of Comparative Zo- 

 ology which Prof. Agassiz had founded at 

 ('aniliridgc, and added very largely to the 

 world's knowledge of the zoology and natural 

 history of that interesting empire. Mrs. Agas- 

 siz prepared a popular volume, entitled " A 

 Journey in Brazil," on this expedition ; and 

 Prof. C. F. Hartt, who was a member of the 

 expedition, gave other results of it in a volume 

 published in 1870. In December, 1871, Prof. 

 A-_";i<-iz and a number of his pupils embarked on 

 the Coast Survey steamer Hassler, on another 

 exploring expedition, along both the east and 

 west coasts of the American Continent, from 

 Boston via Cape Horn to San Francisco. The 

 main discoveries of this expedition are record- 

 ed in the articles on Geographical Explora- 

 tions and Progress in 1871 and 1872, in the 

 eleventh and twelfth volumes of the ANNUAL 

 CYCLOP.BDIA. From this expedition there 

 were brought homo vast collections of fishes, 

 reptiles, mollusks, etc., thousands of them of 

 hitherto undescribed species. Over 3,500 gal- 

 lons of alcohol were used in preserving these 

 specimens. Thenceforward Prof. Agassiz had 

 set himself the gigantic task of so far complet- 

 ing his Museum of Comparative Zoology as to 

 make it the grandest and most perfect collec- 

 tion in the world. For this purpose he required 

 large sums of money, and within the past few 

 months they had flowed in from various sources 

 for this object. His daughter and her husband 

 had given $100,000, his son $30,000, the State 

 $50,000, etc. But he computed that about 

 $1,000,000 would be required within the next 

 eight or ten years to complete his plans. 



Another measure, on which his heart was 

 set, made a happy and prosperous beginning 

 during this year. He had always deprecated 

 the study of natural history and natural 

 science from books. Nature, he said, was the 

 best text-book, and he had been very anxious 

 to have a school for the instruction of teach- 

 ers during the summer, on the sea-coast, 

 where the teacher-pupils could study Nature 

 from the living specimens. The munificent 

 gift of Penikese Island, and of a sum of 

 money for its endowment, by Mr. J. Ander- 

 son, of New York, enabled him to carry this 

 cherished project into execution ; while other 

 gifts added greatly to its efficiency. This 

 si-h'iol, which seemed to be the realization 

 of his loftiest ideal in the teaching of natural 

 science, had been the subject of his constant 

 thoughts, and he was maturing plans for its 

 greater efficiency the coming year, when he 



