GTJSTAVE THITRET, 7 



investigation, in their generous treatment of younger botanists. Thure!; 

 was tall, and his complexion seemed light as his hair had become 

 rather gray. His manner was stately without being formal, and in 

 conversation he spoke slowly. Bornet, on the contrary, was short, of 

 very dark complexion, and spoke rapidly. Thuret was slightly 

 English in his manner, Bornet decidedly French. In his villa at 

 Antibes, Thuret was sheltered from the crowd of tourists who winter 

 at Nice and Cannes, and even visits from, his botanical friends were 

 not very frequent. A.t different times younger botanists visited 

 Antibes for the purpose of studying Algfe, and to such he was always 

 most friendly, placing his books and collections at their disposal. That 

 none came to Antibes who were not charmed by his hospitality, and 

 astonished at his minute knowledge of Algae, Woronin, Faminzin, 

 Janczewski, Rostafinski, Cornu, and the writer of this notice can 

 testify. His house was full of drawings, notes, and prepai ations of 

 Algse, and it required but a single question to start him upon a dis- 

 sertation, if one may use the word, which was often prolonged to 

 several hours, to the delight, at the same time discouragement, of his 

 younger hearers. When the heat of summer became intense, Thuret 

 left with Dr. Bornet for Paris, and, after remaining with their families 

 and friends there for a few days, they kept on to the Atlantic shore, 

 and studied until the cooler weather of autumn allowed them to return 

 to Antibes. 



Generally some special plant or group of plants was selected for 

 summer study, and a spot was chosen where they could be found 

 growing in abundance. The summer of 1873 was spent at Biarritz 

 in working up the development of Poly ides rotundus, the results of 

 which have not yet been published, and the summer of 1874 was 

 passed at Cherbourg, where Thuret's health did not permit him to 

 collect as usual. In the autumn of the latter year he returned to Antibes 

 as usual, and, although his health was feeble and he suffered much 

 from asthma, there was no immediate apprehension on the part of his 

 friends. On the 10th of May, 1875, however, as he was on a visit to 

 Nice, he was taken suddenly ill, and died, without warning, of angina 

 pectoris. For his friends there is only the mournful satisfaction that 

 he was spared long physical suffering, and that his devoted companion 

 for years was not absent in his last moments. 



The time has not yet arrived correctly to estimate the position 

 which Thuret holds in science, and it would be presumptuous, in any 

 event, for us to attempt such a task ; but we may be allowed to con- 

 sider some of his chief characteristics as an investigator and writer. 

 His published works are unfortunately few in number, for, although 

 he had accumulated an immense mass of notes and drawings, he was 

 constantly afraid of falling below his own ideal, and hesitated to give 

 the results of any study to the world until it had been thoroughly 

 elaborated. At his death he bequeathed his manuscripts and drawings 

 to Dr. Bornet, with the expectation that he would superintend their 

 publication. When this is done botanists will be able to realise how 

 much Thuret has effected for science. Judging only from what has 

 been already published, the scientific reputation of Thuret rests 

 principally on his algological work, notably on his " Rocherches sur 

 les Zoospores des Algues et les Antheridies des Cryptogames," pub- 



