Life of De Sauffun'. 97 



liavino' been out of their clofets. and of thofe farmers who, 

 living too near to nature, are incapable of admiring her 

 beauties. 



His earlieft paffion was botany : a variegated foil, abund- 

 ant in plants of different kinds, invites the inhabitant of the 

 banks of the Leman to cultivate that agreeable fcicnce. This: 

 tafte produced an intimacy between De Sauffure and the 

 great Haller. He paid him a vifit in the year 1764, during 

 his retreat to Bex; and he relates in his travels how much he 

 admired that aftonifliing man, who excelled in every part of 

 the natural fciences. De SauiTure was induced alio to Itudy 

 the vegetable kingdom, by his connexion with Ch. Bonnet, 

 who had married his aunt, and who foon fet a juil: value on 

 the rifing talents of his nephew. Bonnet was then employed 

 on the leaves of plants. De Sanifurc fludied tliefe organs of 

 vegetables alfo, and he publiflied the refult of his refearches, 

 under the title of Oh/'crvations on the bark of leaves. This 

 fmall work, which appeared ioon after the year 1760, con- 

 tains new obfervatlons on the epidermis of leaves, and in 

 particular on the miliary glands by which they are covered*. 



About that period the place of profelfor of philofophy fall- 

 ing vacant, it was conferred upon De Sauffure, who was then 

 only twenty-one years of a'je. Experience proves, that if 

 premature rewards extinguilh the zeal of thofe who labour 

 merely for themfelves, they, on the contrary, flrengthen it in 

 thofe who labour only for truth. At that time the two pro- 

 fcflbrs of philofophy at Geneva taught phyiics and logic alter- 

 nately. De Sauffure difcharged this double tafk with equal 

 fuccefs. He gave to his courfe of logic a practical, and, as 

 one may fay, experimental turn ; and his method of teach- 

 ing, which began by (ludying the fcnfes to arrive at the ge- 

 neral laws of the imderftanding, announced already an able 

 obferver of nature. 



Phyfics however wero the part for which he had the greateft 

 tafic, and which coiid.ictcd him to the lludy of chcniillry 



• lit- ii.ul rcTumcd thii f'ubjift lif'itcci) moiuhs before his Jcaili. 



Vol. \\. n and 



