114 ELIZABETH CARY AGASSIZ 



scheme was well laid, but I met Ida who told me she 

 was coming to pass the day with them here. Of course 

 I shall feign profound astonishment, but it 's perhaps 

 as well that I knew, for I was in town today and put a 

 few appropriate tributes to the occasion into my bag. 

 Pauline came with the children and they were per- 

 fectly satisfied with the effect of the surprise and 

 never dreamed that it was not complete. Even the 

 sponge drops and the plums and the little horn of 

 candy did not enlighten them, and Louis said, "Well, 

 Grandma always does have such good things." 



A notable event of the next year, 1869, for Mrs. Agassiz 

 as well as for Agassiz himself was the Humboldt Celebra- 

 tion held in Boston in September under the auspices of the 

 Boston Society of Natural History, at which Agassiz was 

 invited to deliver the address. 



TO MRS. QUINCY A. SHAW 



IF your father delivers the address at all as he has 

 prepared it, it will be really interesting, I think, and 

 from the nature of the subject wholly different from 

 anything you have heard him give before. He means 

 to have it ready for reading in case of necessity. Still 

 I think the whole thing is now so completely in his 

 mind that if he is in good mood he will be able to 

 throw aside his notes and trust memory and impulse. 

 I hope he will, for he speaks with so much passion and 

 power, and he does not read well. For the last week, 

 we have lived Humboldt together night and day. Hav- 

 ing collected all the materials, he has given the whole 



