180 ALEXANDER VON HUMBOLDT. 



for a scientific position but for the means of existence. Hum- 

 "boldt condescended to visit his young friend, at the small apart- 

 ment occupied by him in the Hotel du Jardin des Plantes. The 

 first visit and its attendant circumstances are so characteristic 

 of Humboldt, that we propose to give the narration in Agassiz's 

 own words : l -' After a cordial greeting, he walked straight to 

 what was then my library a small book- shelf containing a 

 few classics, the meanest editions, bought for a trifle along the 

 quays, some works on philosophy and history, chemistry and 

 physics, his own " Aspects of Nature," Aristotle's " Zoology," 

 Linnseus's "Systema Naturae" in several editions, Cuvier's 

 " Eegne animal," and quite a number of manuscript quartos, 

 copies which, with the assistance of my brother, I had made 

 of works I was too poor to buy, though they cost but a few 

 francs a volume. Most conspicuous of all were twelve volumes 

 of the new Grerman cyclopaedia, presented to me by the pub- 

 lisher. I shall never forget, after his look of mingled interest 

 and surprise at my little collection, his half-sarcastic question 

 as he pounced upon the great encyclopaedia, " Was machen 

 Sie denn mit dieser Eselsbriicke ? " " What are you doing with 

 this ass's bridge ? " the somewhat contemptuous name given in 

 Germany to similar compilations. " I have not had time," I 

 said, " to study the original sources of learning, and I need a 

 prompt and easy answer to a thousand questions I have as yet no 

 other means of solving." It was no doubt apparent to him that 

 I was not over familiar with the good things of this world, for 

 I shortly afterward received an invitation to meet him at six 

 o'clock in the Gralerie vitree of the Palais Royal,'whence he led 

 me into one of those restaurants, the tempting windows of 

 which I had occasionally passed by. When we were seated, he 

 half laughingly, half inquiringly, asked me whether I would 

 order the dinner. I declined the invitation, saying that we 

 should fare better if he would :take the trouble. And for three 

 hours, which passed like a dream, I had him all to myself. 

 How he examined me, and how much I learned in that short 

 time ! How to work, what to do, and what to avoid ; how to 

 live ; how to distribute my time ; what methods of study to 



1 Agassiz, t Address/ &c, p. 45, &c. 



