Agassiz and Humboldt 



49 



. . . I do not write to ask a favour, but only to 

 express my warm gratitude for your noble and gen- 

 erous dealings with the young savant, M. Agassiz, 

 who is well worthy your encouragement and the pro- 

 tection of your government. He is distinguished by 

 his talents, by the variety and substantial character 

 of his attainments, and by that which has a special 

 value in these troubled times, his natural sweetness 

 of disposition. ... It gratifies me to see your 

 kindness toward a young man to whom I am so 

 warmly attached ; whom the illustrious Cuvier, also, 

 whose loss we must ever deplore, would have recom- 

 mended with the same heartiness ; for his faith, like 

 mine, was based on those admirable works of Agassiz 

 which are now nearly completed.'* 



Humboldt wrote also to the governor and gained 

 the influence of Von Buch for Agassiz, and as a 

 result he accepted the professorship. 



From now on, Humboldt showed an active inter- 

 est in the expanding life of the young naturalist. 

 He had complete faith in his future, and did not 

 hesitate to announce to his scientific friends and the 

 world at large that young Agassiz, who was but 

 twenty-five years of age, was one of the shining 

 scientific lights of the day. In the letters which 

 passed between these great naturalists at this time, 

 their tender and affectionate friendship is well shown. 

 Humboldt was always paying Agassiz some delicate 

 attention, while Agassiz constantly sought some 

 opportunity to express his gratitude to his friend 

 and patron, and accord him the credit he deserved. 

 The full nature of this friendship, the modesty of 



