AGAPIDA, ii'KapGMa, FitAT Antonio. The )niii;,'iii<iry luuiikisli (•hronicli'r from whoso papers Wasliingtun Irving professed in liis first intro- duction to tlu' work to liave rompiled his Coii- qui>:t of Graiittthi. lie was intended, Irvinj; later explained, as a tjpe of the piously prejudiced relij.'ious zealots of the time.
AGAR, a'giir'. The stage name of Florence
I^onide Charvin (1830-91). A French actress.
Slie was born at .Sedan, and went to Paris in
1S5S, where slie made her diMiut as a singer in
caf^s-concerts. Following the example of Rachel,
she adopted the biblical name of Agar (English,
Hagar). In 1870 she W'as engaged at the Come-
die Frangaise, where, during a representation
of the play Lr Lion Ainoiircii.r, she sang the ilar-
seillaisi! in the key of A, as Rachel had done in
1,S4S. She appeared from 1872 to 187(i in many
French classic dramas, chielly tragedies. She
was remarkable for her beaiity, her mobile and
expressive countenance, eloquence of gesture, and
perfect diction.
AGARDH, ii'giird, Jakob Geoug (ISlS-inOll.
A Swedish botanist, son of Karl Adolf Agardh.
He was professor of botany at Limd during 1854-
79. He increased his father's large collection,
and wrote several works on alga>. He also pub-
lished Theoria Systematis I'lantarum (Lund,
1858).
AGARDH, Kari, Adolf (1785-1859). A
Swedish bo'.anist. He was educated at Lund,
and devoted liimself chielly to the study of algae.
In 1S07 he became lecturer on matlu'matics at
Lund, and in 1812 was appointed professor of
botany and rural economy, lecturing at the same
time on general economy. He became a priest
in 1810; went into politics in 1817, and was
elected to the Diet, where he exercised consider-
able influence, became a leading liberal, and suc-
ceeded in improving and raising the standard of
education in Sweden. His work, tiystema Alga-
rum (l>und, 1824), was an important contribu-
tion to the science of botany. He also wrote
Essai de reditire la phijsioloyie vcgitiile <t des
principes fondanicnloux (Lund, 1828). In 1834
he was made Bishop of Karlsta<l. Agardh was
autlior of several books and papers, chiefly on
algie, and a memoir on Linmeus.
AG'ARIC, AGAR'ICUS. See Mushroom.
AGAR'ICIN (from C.k. iiyapwdv, ai/arikon,
a sort of tree-fungus). A substance known also
as agaric, agaricic, agaricinic, or laricic acid,
and obtained from the I'oliiponis o/Jiriiialis, com-
monly called white agarii', t(nichwooil, or ]nnik.
It is a while powder, slightly soluble in water.
Its formula is C„,H„A, + ll/>. It is used as an
anhiilrotic (i|.v.) in the night sweats of ]ihthisis.
AGA'SIAS (Ok. 'Ayaalac). The name of
two Hphesian sculptors, perhaps cousins, who
lived at the beginning of the first century B.C.
Agasias. son of Jtenophilns. made several stat-
ues of Romans on the island of Delos. Agasias,
son of Dositheus. was the sculptor of the "Bor-
ghese Gladiator" found at Antium, and now in the
Louvre. It pr(]bablv re|)resents a warrior on
foot raising his shield, as if to guard against a
7nounled adversary. The figure seems derived
from a group. Tt shows the characteristics of
Asiatic art of the period.
AGASSIZ, ag'a-se, or a-gas'Tz; Frriwh pron.
ft'ga's^. Alexaxdkr (1835—). An American
naturalist, capitalist, and philanthropist. He
was born at NeucliAtcd, Switzerland, December
17, 1835, the only son of Louis Agassiz. He
joined his father in Roston in 1849, and gradu-
ated at llarvanl Colleg<' in 1855. He was made
a bachelor of science by the Lawrence Scientific
School in 1857; became assistant in the United
States Coast Suivey in California in 1859, and
was assistant in the Museum of Comparative
Zoology at Harvard College from 1800 to 1805.
At this time he became interested in coal and
later in copper mining, and assisted in the de-
vcIo))ment of the Calumet and Ilecla mines of
native cop])er on the south shores of Lake Su-
perior. These mines were then in an unpro-
ductive condition, Inil Agassiz, as .superintend-
ent, applied!iis extensive knowle<lge of geology,
chemistry, and engineering, and so developed
them that they have since yielded to him and his
associates great w 'alth, which he has used to
advance zoological research. After visiting dif-
ferent nui.seums in Europe (1800-70). he was ap-
pointed curator (1874) of the!Museuni of Com-
parative Zoc'dogy, which his father had founded.
He retaineil this position nominally until lsi)7,
and was for some tiim^ a fellow of Ilarvard Uni-
versity. His chief interest has been in marine
zoology, where his studies of invertebrate life,
and especially of the development of polyps,
jellyfishes, and echinoderms have placed him in
the first rank of investigators. He explored Lake
Titicaca and the coast of Chile during 1874-75,
and founded in 1875 a |)rivate laboratory and salt
water aipiarium near his residence overlooking
Narragansett Ray, at Newport, E. I. lie su-
perintended deejj-sea dredging among the 'est
Indies, in the Ignited States steamer Blake,
from 1877 to 1880, and in successive winters he
has exphued all the oceans, adding greatly to
the knowledge of the fauna of the deep sea. His
more important works are: North American
Acalcplis (1805); Jtcvision of the Echini
(1872); Xorlh American Starfinhcs (1877);
Itcport on the Echini of the Challenger Expedi-
tion (1881): Three Vrnises of the lilakc (1888);
The Islands and Coral Reefs of Fiji (1899).
The latter includes a iihilosojdiieal discussion of
the whole subject of coral formations. He continued this line of work in 1901-02 by a private expedition to the Maldive Islands. Sir Agassiz has given a million or more dollars toward furthering the study of zoidogy at Harvard University and elsewhere, always in an unostenta-
tious way, and bis abilities have been recognize<l
by many iniiversities and scientific societies
in both Europe and the United States, where
he is president of the National .eademy of
Science and of the Anu'rican .Uademy of Arts
and Sciences.
AGASSIZ, Elizabeth Cabot (Cary). An
American teacher and writer. She was born in Roston, ami in 1850 was married to Professor Louis Agassiz. whom she accompanied to Brazil ( 1805-00), and on the //rj.v.sVcr expedition in 1871-72. Her publications include: A First Lesson in Natural History (1859): Life of Lonis Agassiz
(2 volumes, 1885). and fienside fit tidies in Natural History (I8G5), in which she was assisted by her son, Alexander Agassiz. Mrs. Agassiz's home is at Cambridge, Mass. She is president of the Board of Control of Radcliffe College, and has taken an active ])art in promoting the interests of that institution.
AGASSIZ, Lake. See Lake Agassiz.
