48 



Louis Agassiz. 



classes which are less fully represented in your 

 museum. My collection might, therefore, fill the 

 gaps in that of the city of Neuchatel, and make the 

 latter more than adequate for the illustration of a 

 full course of natural history. Should an increase of 

 your zoological collection make part of your plans 

 for the Lyceum, I venture to believe that mine would 

 fully answer your purpose. In that case I would 

 offer it to you, since the expense of arranging it, the 

 rent of a room in which to keep it, and, in short, its 

 support in general, is beyond my means. I must 

 find some way of relieving myself from this burden, 

 although it will be hard to part with these com- 

 panions of my study, upon which I have based 

 almost all my investigations. I have spoken of this 

 also to M. de Humboldt, who is good enough to 

 show an interest in the matter, and will even take all 

 necessary steps with the government to facilitate 

 this purchase. You would render me the greatest 

 service by giving me your directions about all this, 

 and especially by telling me: i. On whom the 

 nonination to the professorship depends ? 2. With 

 whom the purchase of the collection would rest ? 

 3. What you think I should do with reference to 

 both? Of course you will easily understand that I 

 cannot give up my collections except under the con- 

 dition that I should be allowed the free use of them.'* 

 Humboldt was almost as pleased at the proffer of 

 a professorship, as Agassiz himself, and he addressed 

 a letter"^ to M. Louis Coulon, in which he said : — 



^ Letters to Louis Coulon, Memoirs Soc. Phys., Geneve, 1874, 

 xxiii., 472. 



