Constantine Samuel Rafinesque. 31 



mined Rafinesque to come to Kentucky, and this he did 

 after a visit to Philadelphia to &quot;settle my concerns and 

 withdraw from trade&quot;. The chief fact that influenced 

 him to this decision appears to have been the promise of 

 Clifford to secure for him an appointment to a professor 

 ship in Transylvania University. Clifford was himself 

 an enthusiastic geologist and indefatigable collector; he 

 had amassed a considerable collection of fossils, and 

 these helped Rafinesque in reaching a decision. More 

 over, Clifford looked with great favor on the scientific 

 work of his guest, and one may well be sure that the 

 guest appreciated this fact. Already Rafinesque had 

 been made aware of the hostile feeling that many men 

 of science entertained toward him, for to some of them 

 he had shown himself a formidable rival. 



The visit to Philadelphia again gave Rafinesque occa 

 sion to know something of the perfidy of man and 

 especially, it may be supposed, of Sicilians. He had 

 intrusted certain of his business adventures to a Sicilian, 

 who proved false to his trust and bankrupted and 

 defrauded him of all his earnings. Finally, however, a 

 start westward was made, business affairs left behind, 

 goods shipped, and for the third time Rafinesque crossed 

 the Alleghanies. The journey began in May, 1819, and 

 ended in the heart of the bluegrass region of Kentucky 



