A Journey in Brazil

580 Pages·1868·65.811 MB·English

by  Louis Agassiz, Elizabeth Cary Agassiz

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JOURNEY IN BRAZIL:
BY
PROFE SOR A DMRS. LOUIS AG SSIZ.
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1 6

TO
MR. NATHANIEL THAYER,
THE FRlEND WHO MADE IT POSSIBLE TO GIYE THIS JOURNEY
THE CHARACTER OF A SCffi TlFIC E.XPEDITIO=',
i!rbe l~teseltt-Volume
IS GRATEFULLY INSCRIBED'ot

PREFACE.
I the winter of 1865 it became necessary for me, on
!lccount ofsome disturbance of my health, to seek a change
of scene and climate, with rest from work. Europe was
proposed; but though there is much enjoyment for a
nnturali t in contact with the active scientific life of
the Old World, thore is little intellectual re t. Toward
Brazil I was drawn by a lifelong desire. After the death
of Spix, when a student of twenty years of age, I had
been employed by Martius to describe the fi hes they
had brought back with them from their celebrated Bra
zilian journey. From that time, the wi h to study this
fauna in the regions where it belongs had been an
ever-recurring thought with me; a scheme deferred for
want of opportunity, but never quite forgotten. The fnct
that the Emperor of Brazil was deeply interested in all
scientific uudertakings, and had e.:s:pre sed a warm sym
pathy with my efforts to establi h a great zoological
mu eum in this country, aiding me even by sending
collections made expres ly under his order f I' the pur
po,e, was an additional incentive. I knew th'1 the head
of the government would give me every facilit "I)l' my
investigations. evertheless, tempting as wa the pro-
VI PREFACE.
pect of a ,i'it to Brazil, as a mere vacation it had little
charm for me. Single-handed, I could make slight use
of the opportunities I should have; and though the ex
cursion might be a pleasant one for myself, it would
have no important result for science. I could not forget
that, had I only the necessary means, I might make col
lections on this journey which, whenever our building
could be so enlarged as to give room for their exhi
bition, would place the Museum in Oambridge on a level
with the first in titutions of the kind. But for this a
working force would be needed, and I saw no possibil
ity of providing for such an lUldertaking. While I was
broodinO' over these thoughts I chanced to meet Mr. Na
thaniel Thayer, whom I have ever found a generous friend
to science. The idea of appealing to him for a scheme
oCtill magnitude had not, however, occurred to me;
but he introduced the subject, and, after expressing his
interest in my proposed journey, added, "You wish, of
course, to give it a scientific character; take six assist
ants with you, and I will be responsible for all their
expenses, personal and scientific." It was so simply said,
and seemed to me so great a boon, that at first I hardly
believed I had heard him rightly. In the end, I had
cause to see in how large and liberal a sense he proffered
his support to the expedition, which, as is usual in snch
cases, proved longer and more costly than was at first
anticipat..:d. Not only did he provide most liberally for
a_si...:::..nts, but, until the last specimen was stored in the
Museum, he continued to advance whatever sums were