He rendered a special service to the Commonwealth and to the cause of good learning which I think never would have been accomplished without his personal influence.

When Agassiz had been in this country but a few years he seriously contemplated going back to Europe.

It was understood that he would stay if a sufficient fund could be raised to enable him to prosecute his researches here and to establish a museum where his collections could be cared for and made useful to science.

There was a meeting in Boston to see about raising the fund.

The Governor was invited to attend.