234 ALEXANDER AGASSIZ 



On his return to Cambridge he writes : " I come back 

 in good order, but how long I will remain so remains 

 to be seen. I greatly fear that I have reached the stage 

 where I am well only when I do nothing, and that is not a 

 very agreeable prospect for an active individual like me." 



In the fall, Agassiz was offered charge of the section 

 of Marine Zoology on the U.S.S. Pensacola, which con- 

 veyed the U.S. Eclipse expedition to West Africa, the 

 idea being to dredge from the Equator to the Cape, 

 while the astronomers were at work on land. Unfortu- 

 nately, he was asked to join the expedition at so late a 

 date that he found it impossible to fit out the vessel in 

 time unless he could transfer the Blake equipment to the 

 Pensacola ; this, owing to red tape, he was unable to do. 



TO HUXLEY 



Cambridge, Jan. 14, 1890. 



We were very sorry not to be able to have your son 

 to stay with us while he was in Cambridge. But I have 

 been laid up with a most obstinate fever since the be- 

 ginning of December and am only allowed now to see 

 one or two people and to write an occasional note. For- 

 tunately, your son fell into good hands and I hope he 

 will be able to do what he has planned. But it needs 

 good backing from a few rich parents in New York, and 

 with that he is safe. Most of the schools, such as he pro- 

 poses to establish, are under the wing of some denomi- 

 nation, but there is plenty of liberal spirit to support an 

 entirely unsectarian affair. 



My fever has upset all my plans for work for this 

 winter. I came back from the West feeling particularly 

 well and hoped for a steady working winter. I was spe- 

 cially interested in working up the material of a most 



