54 



Louis Agassiz. 



Agassiz was the pioneer of science in this locality, 

 and his unwonted enthusiasm soon made itself felt, 

 and, as later on in America, he drew around him a 

 choice following of bright minds, embryo scientists 

 who in later years became well known in the world. 

 Among them were C. Vogt, Desor, Gressly, Guyot, 

 who followed him to America, Nicolet, of Montmol- 

 lin, as well as several fellow-students from Munich, 

 Dinkel, Weber and Buckhardt. 



To open a large and elaborate lithographic estab- 

 lishment at Neuchatel would seem hazardous, yet, 

 H. Nicolet, one of the citizens, was so imbued with 

 the value of the work that he undertook this, and a 

 vast establishment took form from which all the 

 famous plates of Agassiz were turned out. M. 

 Vogt gives an idea of the work at Neuchatel at this 

 time. It might be supposed,'' he said, " that in 

 such complicated machinery the wheels would some- 

 times have interfered with each other. The printing 

 office constantly demanded copy, the lithographic 

 establishment designs, and the work of his original 

 researches never ceased ; hardly had he the time 

 necessary to coniplete one set of labours before 

 Agassiz had new plans and assumed new tasks. 

 Every thought that passed through his head was 

 converted into a great work, with hundreds of foHo 

 plates, hundreds of pages of text ; in all this he was 

 the acknowledged master, as well as in the collection 

 of new material for his work. He knew how to 

 draw all Europe into contribution. Often boxes 

 which had been sent for and awaited with feverish 

 impatience remained weeks and even months un- 



