590 LOUIS AGASSIZ. 



table or unfit to eat. The mere fact of their 

 distribution is the point to be ascertained, and 

 this, as you see, requires the most extensive 

 collections, affording in themselves compar- 

 atively little interest, but likely to lead, by a 

 proper discussion of the facts, to the most 

 unexpected philosophical results. ... Do, 

 please, what you can in this matter. Spain 

 alone might give us the materials to solve the 

 question of transmutation versus creation. I 

 am going to make a similar appeal to my 

 friends in Russia for materials from that coun- 

 try, including Siberia and Kamschatka. Our 

 own rivers are not easily accessible now. 

 Ever truly your friend, 



L. Agassiz. 



