422 LOUIS AGASSIZ. 



of moUusks, zoophytes, fishes, and reptiles, 

 painted from life by Mr. Drayton. All these 

 plates, to the number of about six hundred, 

 are to be engraved, and indeed are already, in 

 part, executed. I can only compare them to 

 those of the Astrolabe, although they are very 

 superior in variety of position and naturalness 

 of attitude to those of the French Expedition. 

 This is particularly true of the mollusks and 

 fishes. The zoophytes are to be published ; 

 they are admirable in detail. The hydro- 

 graphic portion and the account of the voy- 

 age, edited by Captain Wilkes (unhappily he 

 was absent and I did not see him), has been 

 published for some time, and comprises an 

 enormous mass of information, its chief fea- 

 ture being charts to the number of two hun- 

 dred. It is amazing; the number of sound- 

 ings extraordinarily large.^ 



At Washington are also to be seen the head- 

 quarters of the Coast Survey, where the fine 

 charts of the coasts and harbors now making 

 under direction of Dr. Bache are executed. 

 These charts are admirably finished. Dr. 

 Bache, the superintendent, was in camp, so 



^ Agassiz subsequently took some part in working up the 

 fish collections from this expedition, but the publication was 

 stopped for want of means to carry it on. 



