460 PIONEERS OF SCIENCE IN AMERICA. 



microscope, studying mosses, and on Sundays running in the 

 mountains to gather them." 



Lesquereux published some memoirs of his investigations 

 which attracted the attention of Agassiz, then occupying the 

 chair of Natural History in the newly formed Academy of 

 Neuchatel. Agassiz invited the author to visit him for a 

 consultation upon the theories he had set forth, and this visit 

 was the beginning of a friendship that ceased only with 

 Agassiz's life. 



On account of the rapid cutting away of the forests, the 

 subject of fuel for the poor was then becoming a matter of 

 concern in Neuchatel, and the government of the canton 

 offered a gold medal for the best treatise on the formation 

 of and the possibility of replenishing the peat bogs. Les- 

 quereux competed for this prize and won it ; his memoir on 

 the subject gained wide reputation, and is still quoted as one 

 of the best authorities. A committee of eight savants was ap- 

 pointed to explore the peat deposits of the canton, in order to 

 be fully informed as to the value of Lesquereux's researches. 

 Prof. Agassiz, who was a member of this committee, did not at 

 first agree with his theory, but after being out a few days 

 the committee was two weeks in the field he accepted it and 

 became its ardent supporter. Lesquereux was now employed 

 by the canton to write a text-book on peat for the schools, and 

 was made director of operations in the peat bogs bought by 

 the Government. Under the patronage of the King of Prussia 

 he also explored the peat bogs of the countries of northern 

 Europe, and in this way became acquainted with the botany 

 and geology of these districts. 



To the New World his labours were now transferred, when, 

 in addition to the misfortune of becoming totally deaf in the 

 prime of life, he also found himself deprived of scientific em- 

 ployment at home by the political changes that followed the 

 revolution of 1847. He embarked with his wife and five chil- 

 dren as steerage passengers, reaching Boston in September, 

 1848. At the earnest solicitation of that naturalist he became 

 a member of the household of Agassiz. Here he worked upon 

 the botanical part of Agassiz's Journey to Lake Superior, 

 until the eve of Christmas, 1848, when, at the invitation of the 

 eminent bryologist, W. S. Sullivant, he went to Columbus, Ohio, 

 and, entering his laboratory, continued there the study of 



