210 ALEXANDER AGASSIZ 



" With one of the Afghan chiefs we went to take an 

 elephant ride through the narrow streets of Hyderabad, 

 with a howling escort preceding us and an equally dis- 

 reputable crowd yelling and hooting behind us, swing- 

 ing their guns and spears in a most careless manner. I 

 don't know which seemed the most dangerous, the 

 escort or the populace which followed us. The crowd 

 was so great that the elephants could only proceed at a 

 very slow walk, putting out their trunks and one foot 

 at a time to push aside the solid mass of people which 

 confronted us and which seemed to rise on the sides of 

 the walls of the houses as we slowly forged on." 



Early in the spring Agassiz was back in Cambridge, 

 bringing with him a very complete collection of photo- 

 graphs of Indian architecture, and some superb pieces 

 of old jewelry. 



TO SIR JOHN MURRAY 



Newport, Aug. 8, 1884. 

 I have to thank you for Vol. I of the Physical Chem- 

 istry of the Challenger, which came safely to hand, and 

 which I 've just dipped into a little. How are you get- 

 ting on with that Preliminary Report on the bottoms ? 

 Are you coming over this year to the scientific meet- 

 ings ? If so, don't fail to drop in upon me here. I shall 

 not budge. I 've been so keeled up since July — good 

 for nothing, and the doctor says the warning I have 

 this time is one I can't afford to neglect and that I 

 must give up everything I possibly can. So I shall stay 

 here principally and hope that a few of my friends will 

 drop in on me, but I am getting poor company just 

 now. I hope to finish my Blake Report, but that of 



