iS06.] 



Recount of Frances ScanagaitL 



'iGS 



»uation of this work, if the author had 

 lived to finilh it. 



Shortly before his death, Mr. Vahl re- 

 ceived a letter from tlie Go\eraors of 

 the Fund ad Ufos Fublicos, ftatir.g in very 

 Hatteriiig expi-tffions, that the Kiim-, in 

 confidcration of his perfcvering and ho- 

 nourable efforts towards the improve- 

 iBent of botany, had been pleafcd moft 

 graciouily 60 giant him, out of that fund, 

 a gratification of 500 rixdoiiars, as an 

 encouragement to the continuation of his 

 JEmtinerutio Flanturum. 



His great herbarium and botanical li- 

 brary, conipriling nearly SOOO volumes, 

 and hii ni;ui'.;fcripts, have been purchaf- 

 fcd by the Danilli Government, for 3000 

 rixdoiiars, and an annuity of 400 rixdoi- 

 iars to his widow, and 100 rixdoiiars to 

 each of his lix fun'iving children, for life. 

 The niantifcripts, wliich ?>Irs. Vahl is per- 

 mitted to have publiliied on her own 

 account by the licientific friends of the 

 decealed, are, — 1. iMaterials for the 

 vyoi'k Eiitimeralio, 6zc. — 2. A Si/Jlema 

 VcgetuhUium, in which all the plants 

 known to \'ahl are given in fyllematic 

 order, with their fpecitJc charatterillics. 

 : — 3. Third \ olume of Jlcloga Americana, 

 with prints. — 4. lectures in Danilli on 

 Zoology, on the Botanical Terras, and 

 on fome other Branches of Botany. — 

 .5, Drawings and Annotations collected 

 by Afcanius, iilufhating the Zoology of 

 Denmark and Norw ay. 



ACCOUNT of FRANCES SCANACATTI, « 



, siiLAXKSE YOUNG LADY, who Jervcd 

 . tvit/i itEPUTATiON as an ensign and 

 , xiEUTENANT of three different Aus- 

 trian REGIMENTS during the laji 



WAR. 



Ij^IlANCES SCANAGATTI was born 

 at ?.Iilan, and baptized at the parifli 

 tif St. Eufebius the I4th of September, 

 J7{31. In her infancy fhc made cmdidc- 

 rable progrefs in the German and French 

 languages under a Stralbur": governcis 

 named Madame Depuis. This lady hav- 

 ing in her youth belonged to a company 

 of tiie Cd/i/cdie Fruiiraijl; poficfted fbme 

 information, and engaged her pupil to 

 apply to liudy with plcafure, by the aumf- 

 ing means flic eiipployed of reciting and 

 explaining, lomftimes in the one, and 

 I'ometimes in the other language, fuch 

 fmall pieces of comedy and romance as 

 ^\■cre within her reach, and obhging her 

 to repeat the fame by degrees, ft is 

 ^lot improbable, in confcquence of lb 

 many comic and roinaiitic ideas arifing 

 ^Voiu tlicll- uuiuliiitjlUidits, that UysyoMu^ 



lady infenlibly conceived a paflion for 

 the military proielfion, and adopted as a 

 maxim, that women might run the courfe 

 of glory and fcicnce as well as men, if 

 they entered on them with equal advan- 

 tages of inltrudtioii and enrdation. 



At ten years of age (he was put under 

 the charge of the ?>'uus of the Viliiation, 

 an iiiftitution in high repute throughout 

 Italy for the education of young ladies ; 

 and here llie conducted herfeh' fo as to 

 obtain and deferve the eftcein and friend- 

 Ihip of tlie whole hov.fe, for her fweet, 

 amiable, and engaging difpo'itiou. Suck 

 are the very expreliluns made ufe of by 

 the veneriibie and diliinguilhed fupeiior, 

 Madame do Buyanne, t© convey lier ap- 

 probation, and the general feme of tho 

 nuns of this refpeCtable cdabliihment. 



Tuwaids the end of 179-4 her father, 

 Mr. Jolepii Scauagatti, refolved to (euj 

 Ins daughter to Vienna as a boarder witli 

 a widow lady, in order to im[)rovc her ia 

 the knowledge of the Geimaii language, 

 and to quality her in the details of houfe- 

 keeping. On the journey ihe was dreifecl 

 in boy's clothes to avoid trouble and im ; 

 pertinence, and Ihe was accompanied by 

 one of her brothers, who intended to llop 

 at Neulladt, in order to attend a courfe 

 of military iiudies in the Academy of that 

 town, which is efiecmed the nurfery of 

 the beft officers in the Aufhian army. 

 The pupils, to the number of four bun- 

 dled, molUy olllcers' fons, are maintained 

 and educated by the Imperial Court, 

 and, befides the military excrcifes, are 

 inltructed in languages, mathematics, and 

 the beUes-lett7-es. 



During the journey the brother ftll 

 lick, and acknowledged to his fiitcr, vvhat 

 he had not had the courage to avow to 

 his father, that he had neither tafte nor 

 inclination fur a military life. His lifter 

 then ilrcnuoully urged liim to return 

 home \vith the fervaut to re-eftablilh liis 

 health : and having obtained from him 

 the letter of recommendation he carried 

 to M. de Hallcr, furgeon on the ftaft" of 

 the Academy, and at whofe houfe he was 

 to have been boarded, (lie had the intre- 

 pidity to introduce hcrfelf, under its fanc- 

 tion, to tlie gentleman as the recom- 

 mended boy, and as fuch received the 

 kindell welcome. In a lliort time flie had 

 the good fortune to gain the friendfliip of 

 M. dc Hallcr, his wile, and two lovely 

 daughters, fo as to be conlidered as one 

 of the family. Giving daily proofs of 

 an aiiiiahle cliaracter and a ftroug difpofi- 

 tinii to l)e inftrndled, flic obtained from 

 C'yurl pciiuiliiott to attend liie lectures 



at 



