Jean Louis Rodolphe Agassiz¹ to Faraday   c. September 1855²

Cambridge, U.S.

My dear Sir, - It is so long since I have had the pleasure of direct intercourse with you that I might apprehend you would have forgotten me, were there not in my past recollections such circumstances as insure for me a place in your memory, I hope. You have surely not cast from your mind the enthusiastic fish-man whom you met at Dr. Mantell’s³ in Brighton seventeen years ago, and who at that time was so happy to pay homage to the great physicist in England. You were then already old in the walks of science, and, for my part, I shall never forget the impression which this contrast between celebrity and age made upon my mind, and I can hardly believe it has escaped your attention then. Though the nature of my studies has not drawn me nearer to you since, I may hope that scientific men in all departments feel sympathy for one another; and it is on that ground I take the liberty to introduce to you my friend⁴, one of your admirers, who is now visiting again the continent of Europe, where he has studied formerly, and who wants to pay you his respects whilst in England.

Believe me, dear Sir, with high respect, sincerely yours, | L. Agassiz