272 LOUIS AGASSIZ. 



like preaching. A thousand affectionate re- 

 membrances. No more ice, not much of echi- 

 noderms, plenty of fish, recall of ambassadors 

 in partibus, and great severity toward the 

 book-sellers, an infernal race, two or three of 

 whom have been killed under me. 



A. DE HUMBOLDT. 



I sigh to think of the trouble my horrible 

 writing will give you. 



A letter of about the same date from Von 

 Buch shows that, however he might storm at 

 Agassiz's heterodox geology, he was in full 

 sympathy with his work in general. 



LEOPOLD VON BUCH TO LOULS AGASSIZ. 



December 22, 1837. 



. . . Pray reinstate me in the good graces 

 of my unknown benefactor among you. By 

 a great mistake the reports of the Society for- 

 warded to me from Neuchatel have been sent 

 back. As it is well known at the post-office 

 that I do not keep the piles of educational 

 journals sent to me from France, the postage 

 on them being much too heavy for my means, 

 they took it for granted that this journal, the 

 charges on which amounted to several crowns, 

 was of the number. I am very sorry. I do 



