444 ALEXANDER AGASSIZ 



He escaped the New England winter of 1908-09 by a 

 visit to southern Italy. While in Naples he tripped on 

 a curbstone, fell headlong on his face, and knocked out 

 his front teeth. It was a painful accident, but what 

 appears to have bothered him most was that he should 

 have spent his life in roaming about safely to the ends 

 of the earth, only to meet disaster on the sidewalk of a 

 European city. 



He had intended to spend the winter of 1909-10 in 

 wandering about Java and the East Indies. Ever ready 

 for new work, he had also meant to look about with a 

 view to seeing what arrangements he could make for 

 chartering a steamer for an exploration in those regions 

 another year. But that fall a persistent and severe 

 attack of the old trouble with his leg warned him that 

 it was wiser to keep within touch of doctors, and he 

 decided to pass another winter in Egypt. 



He appeared to enjoy his winter on the Nile, and to 

 be in his usual health and in good spirits. It was not 

 till afterwards that his son Maximilian realized how 

 often he had found him asleep ; still his last few months 

 seem to have been quiet and happy ones. 



On the way home there was some question of passing 

 around Paris on account of the recent floods which had 

 been causing such distress in that city. 



TO MRS. G. R. AGASSIZ 



Hotel Athenee, Paris, 

 March 10, 1910. 



As you see, after all we got to Paris. On further 

 inquiry I found the doctors thought Paris cleaner than 

 it had ever been, and that with all the disinfection that 

 had been going on it was really as safe as at any time 



