ONCE MORE AT SEA. 759 



surprise. It announced his election as For- 

 eign Associate of the Institute of France, 

 " one of the eight." As the crowning honor 

 of his scientific career, this was, of course, 

 very gratifying to him. In writing soon 

 after to the Emperor of Brazil, who had ex- 

 pressed a warm interest in his election, he 

 says : " The distinction pleased me the more 

 because so unexpected. Unhappily it is usu- 

 ally a brevet of infirmity, or at least of old 

 age, and in my case it is to a house in ruins 

 that the diploma is addressed. I regret it the 

 more because I have never felt more disposed 

 for work, and yet never so fatigued by it." 



From Santiago Agassiz proceeded to Valpa- 

 raiso, where he rejoined the ship's company. 

 The events of their cruise had been less sat- 

 isfactory than those of his land-journey, for, 

 owing to the rottenness of the ropes, pro- 

 duced by dampness, the hauls of the dredge 

 from the greatest depths had been lost. Sev- 

 eral pauses for dredging in shallower waters 

 were made with good success, nevertheless, 

 on the way up the coast to Callao. From 

 there the Hassler put out to sea once more, 

 for the Galapagos, arriving before Charles 

 Island on the 10th of June, and visiting in 

 succession Albemarle, James, Jarvis, and In- 

 defatigable islands. 



