Leo Lesquereiix. — Orton. 291 
explore and report upon the peat bogs of Germany, Sweden, 
Denmark, Holland and France. This errand gave him the 
unusual advantage of extensive travel and wide observation 
under letters royal. To these tours also he owed the extensive 
personal acquaintance with the scientists of Europe that served 
him so well through the remainder of his life. 
The political changes that were sweeping through Europe 
in 1847 and '48, affected even the governments of the little 
Swiss cantons. By these changes, Mr. Lesquereux's scientific 
work under the auspices of the State was arrested. Professor 
Agassiz had already been attracted to the United States by the 
splendid opportunities for advancing science that were offered 
to him here, and Guyot and Lesquereux followed in the next 
year, viz., 1847. To these three compatriots and lifelong friends 
American science owes a great debt. All have passed to hon- 
ored graves, but in countless ways their works still follow 
them. 
Dr. Lesquereux was forty years of age when he reached this 
country. Though in the prime of life as years are counted, he 
was totally deaf. In his native tongue he could maintain a 
conversation so well by following the movement of the speak- 
er's lips, that a stranger might not at once discover his infirm- 
ity. But our stubborn English tongue foiled him in this res- 
pect, and when it was employed, he was generally obliged to 
use pencil and paper in his conversation. Moreover, he had 
acquired our language without ever having heard it spoken 
and though he wrote English with force and precision, thanks 
to his early linguistic training, one needed to become accus- 
tomed to his pronunciation to follow him readily as he spoke 
it. 
His first scientific work in this country was done for profes- 
sor Agassiz. It consisted of a classification of the plants 
gathered by the latter in his Lake Superior expediton. While 
engaged in this w^ork, and frequently for months at a time he 
was a member of Agassiz household. His report was publish- 
ed in 1848. 
At the close of the same year, he was called to Columbus 
where he made his home for the remainder of his life. The 
circumstances under which he came to Columbus deserve to 
be mentioned, as they bring to light a history that has had 
few counterparts in the country hitherto. By the publication 
