FIRST LITERARY EFFORT. 81 



the proposition. But I hope the premature 

 disclosure of my secret (indeed, to tell the 

 truth, I had not imposed silence on M. Schinz, 

 not dreaming that he would see any one of 

 the family) will not diminish your pleasure in 

 receiving the first work of your brother Louis, 

 which I hope to send you at Easter. Already 

 forty colored folio plates are completed. Will 

 it not seem strange when the largest and fin- 

 est book in papa's library is one written by 

 his Louis? Will it not be as good as to 

 see his prescription at the apothecary's? It 

 is true that this first effort will bring me in 

 but little ; nothing at all, in fact, because M. 

 de Martius has assumed all the expenses, and 

 will, of course, receive the profits. My share 

 will be a few copies of the book, and these I 

 shall give to the friends who have the first 

 claim. 



To his father Agassiz only writes of his 

 work at this time : " I have been very busy 

 this summer, and I can tell you from a good 

 source (I have it from one of the professors 

 himself) that the professors whose lectures I 

 have attended have mentioned me more than 

 once, as one of the most assiduous and best 

 informed students of the university; saying 



