Knoxville weekly chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1875, 1873-12-24

genius of observation he discovered in
young AgassiZ, though he was not himself
rich, offered him to advance the money
necessary for his scientific education.
Agassia thankfully accepted and went to
Germany, where he made good his oppor-
tunity, and studied with the ambition Of
genius. Very young yet, he came back
and was elected Professor of Natural Sci
ences in the Academy of Ncufchatel, then
under the Protcctorate of the PTussau
King. There, surrounded by q bevy Of
distinguished French and Swiss students
and artists, ofwhom many have been since
illustrous, he achieved his splendid
works on fishes that placed the name of
Agassiz among the first in the scientific
world. Then the great scientific bodies i'll
London, Paris and Germany, acknowl-
edged him as a master. In the same time
struck by the discoveries of two Swiss
scientists, the ingenious Wenetz and De
Charpentier, he studied the glaciers OF the
Alps, he built on the largest field of ice in
the widest mountains of Berne. a cabin
aud spent many summers to study the life,
the growth, the motions and all the phe-
nomena of the wintery monsters, and pub
lished on them book we'll known of the
students. ...t ..f......
When Agassiz, in the full expansion OF
his genius and ready to reapall the honors
that European powers could bestow, left
Europe, and answered to the call of an
American Institution, he astonished all
his friends, and was blamed by not few.
His reason for such a STEP was without
doubt, his ambition to reach a new and
rich field of investigation and discoveries
and to bind his name and glory with the
greatness of the young nation striving then
after knowledge and scientific pursuits
with its youthful power and generous am,
bition.
Agassiz made Boston his home, and
married there distinguished lady, who
has been to him noble and useful help
mate, who accompanied him in all his sci !.
entific travels and wrote for him many OF
his books. / do not mention all the SER
vices he has rendered to science.
Every one knows his career in America
the generosity of the citizens and of the
Government to give aid to the learned man
in his researches. His last, perhaps his
most remarkable work, yet unknown to
the world, Il do not speak of the School OF
Pennikese), Is the new classification of the
animal world in the museum created fol
him and by him at Cambridge. L recol~
lect the Just pride and the enthusiasm with
which he was explaining to me, two years
ago, all the details of his scientific scheme
and the revolution it would bring in all the
museums of the world. He was speaking
of the classification by the embryonic
knowledge of the animal formation. Ii
man of science is great in proportion to his
discoveries, to the many new paths he
opens to science, AgassiZ was one of the
greatest geniuses of the age. He is the
father of the science of atoms, of icthyology
and of embryology. If America has reap
ed for herself his glory, Switzerland must
claim her part, for he is her son. She has
reared him as she has reared hundreds OF
such as Bonnet, De Sarssure, De Candoue.
Ic la Rive, in the same line of studies.
AS man, Asassiz was the most delight
full of entertainers. and no one acquainted
with him will forget his large, open,
smiling face, his genial Swiss laugh, his
open handed friendship. The last time
saw. him he was lecturing in behalf of the
poor French people, ruined by merciless
zoe. But he was already laboring under
the frightful disease that crrried him
away, so awful for man of thought and
great intellect, softening of the brain,
brought on by mental cxertion.
Yours, +. EsPERANDIEU.