PECUNIARY RISKS. 125 



ents, with these words from his brother on 

 the last sheet : " I hasten, dear father, to send 

 you this excellent letter from my brother, 

 which has just reached me. They have read 

 it here with interest, and Uncle Francois 

 Mayor, especially, sees both stability and a 

 sound basis in his projects and enterprises." 



There is something touching and almost 

 amusing in Agassiz's efforts to give a pruden- 

 tial aspect to his large scientific schemes. He 

 was perfectly sincere in this, but to the end 

 of his life he skirted the edge of the preci- 

 pice, daring all, and finding in himself the 

 power to justify his risks by his successes. 

 He was of frugal personal habits; at this 

 very time, when he was keeping two or three 

 artists on his slender means, he made his own 

 breakfast in his room, and dined for a few 

 cents a day at the cheapest eating houses. But 

 where science was concerned the only econ- 

 omy he recognized, either in youth or old age, 

 was that of an expenditure as bold as it* was 

 carefully considered. 



In the above letter to his brother we have 

 the story of his work during the whole winter 

 of 1830. That his medical studies did not 

 suffer from the fact that, in conjunction with 

 them, he was carrying on his two great works 



