AS COMMISSIONER AT PARIS -1878 509 



looked significantly at each other, and his majesty very 

 earnestly nodded to his wife several times, as if thor- 

 oughly assenting. 



The feeling thus betrayed was undoubtedly sincere. His 

 real love was for science, literature, and art; but above 

 all for science. Some years before, at the founding of 

 Cornell University, Agassiz had shown me private letters 

 from him revealing his knowledge of natural history, and 

 the same thirst for knowledge which he showed then was 

 evident now. From dawn till dusk he was hard at work, 

 visiting places of interest and asking questions which, 

 as various eminent authorities both in the United States 

 and France have since assured me, showed that he kept 

 himself well abreast of the most recent scientific inves- 

 tigations. 



On the following morning he invited me to call upon 

 him, and on my doing so, he saluted me with a multitude 

 of questions regarding our schools, colleges, and univer- 

 sities, which I answered as best I could, though many of 

 them really merited more time than could be given during 

 a morning interview. His manner was both impressive 

 and winning. He had clearly thought much on educational 

 problems, and no man engaged in educational work could 

 fail to be stimulated by his questions and comments. In 

 his manner there was nothing domineering or assuming. 

 I saw him at various times afterward, and remember es- 

 pecially his kindly and perfectly democratic manner at 

 a supper given by the late Mr. Drexel of Philadelphia, 

 when he came among us, moving from group to group, 

 recognizing here one old friend and there another, and 

 discussing with each some matter of value. 



Republican as I am, it is clear to me that his consti- 

 tutional sovereignty was a government far more free, lib- 

 eral, and, indeed, republican, than the rule of the dema- 

 gogue despots who afterward drove him from his throne 

 ever has been or ever will be. 



Another very interesting person was a Spanish officer, 

 Don Juan Marin, who has since held high commands both 



