students, but often by the professors.
Among Agassiz's intimate friends in Munich, beside those already
mentioned, was Michahelles, the distinguished young zoologist and
physician, whose early death in Greece, where he went to practice
medicine, was so much regretted. Like Agassiz, he was wont to turn
his room into a menagerie, where he kept turtles and other animals,
brought home, for the most part, from his journeys in Italy and
elsewhere. Mahir, whose name occurs often in the letters of this
period, was another college friend and fellow-student, though
seemingly Agassiz's senior in standing, if not in years, for he
gave him private instruction in mathematics, and also assisted him
in his medical studies.
TO HIS SISTER CECILE,
MUNICH, November 20, 1827.
. . .I will tell you in detail how my time is spent, so that when
you think of me you may know where I am and what I am doing. In the
morning from seven to nine I am at the Hospital. From nine to
eleven I go to the Library, where I usually work at that time
instead of going home. From eleven till one o'clock I have
lectures, after which I dine, sometimes at one place, sometimes at
another, for here every one, that is, every foreigner, takes his
meals in the cafes, paying for the dinner on the spot, so that he
is not obliged to go always to the same place. In the afternoon I
have other lectures on various subjects, according to the days,
from two or three till five o'clock. These ended, I take a walk
although it is then dark. The environs of Munich are covered with
snow, and the people have been going about in sleighs these three
weeks. When I am frozen through I come home, and set to work to
review my lectures of the day, or I write and read till eight or
nine o'clock. Then I go to my cafe for supper. After supper I am
glad to return to the house and go to bed.
This is the course of my daily life, with the single exception that
sometimes Braun and I pass an evening with some professor,
discussing with all our might and main subjects of which we often
know nothing; this does not, however, lessen the animation of the
talk. More often, these gentlemen tell us of their travels, etc. I
enjoy especially our visits to M. Martius, because he talks to us
of his journey to Brazil, from which he returned some years ago,
bringing magnificent collections, which he shows us whenever we
call upon him. Friday is market day here, and I never miss going to
see the fishes to increase my collection. I have already obtained
several not to be found in Switzerland; and even in my short stay
here I have had the good fortune to discover a new species, of
which I have made a very exact description, to be printed in some
journal of natural history. Were my dear Cecile here, I should have
begged her to draw it nicely for me. That would have been pleasant
indeed. Now I must ask a stranger to do it, and it will have by no
means the same value in my eyes. . .
TO HIS BROTHER AUGUSTE.
MUNICH, December 26, 1827.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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