CONSTANTINE SAMUEL RAFINESQUE. ^ 



guages than all the American colleges united. But it was 

 granted at last ; but that of Doctor of Medicine was not 

 granted, because I would not superintend anatomical dissec- 

 tions." He continues: 



" Mr. Holley, the president of the university, despised and 

 hated the natural sciences, and wished to drive me out alto- 

 gether. To evince his hatred against science and its discov- 

 eries he had broken open my rooms in my absence, given one 

 to the students, and thrown all my effects, books, and collec- 

 tions into the other. He had deprived me of my situation as 

 librarian, and tried to turn me out of the college. I took lodg- 

 ings in town, and carried there all my effects, leaving the col- 

 lege with curses both on it and Holley, which reached them 

 both soon after ; for Holley died of yellow fever in New Or- 

 leans, and the college burned with all its contents." 



In one of his summer trips Rafinesque became acquainted 

 with Audubon, who was then painting birds and keeping a 

 little " grocery store " down the river, at Henderson, Kentucky. 

 Rafinesque reached Henderson in a boat, carrying on his back 

 a bundle of plants which resembled dried clover. He acciden- 

 tally met Audubon, and asked him where the naturalist lived. 

 The ornithologist introduced himself, and Rafinesque handed 

 him a letter from a friend in the East, commending him to Au- 

 dubon as an " odd fish, which might not be described in the 

 published treatises." The story of the interview is thus de- 

 scribed by Audubon : 



" His attire struck me as exceedingly remarkable. A long, 

 loose coat of yellow nankeen, much the worse for the many 

 rubs it had got in its time, hung about him loosely, like a sack. 

 A waistcoat of the same, with enormous pockets and buttoned 

 up to the chin, reached below over a pair of tight pantaloons, 

 the lower part of which was buttoned down over his ankles. 

 His beard was long, and his lank black hair hung loosely over 

 his shoulders. His forehead was broad and prominent, indicat- 

 ing a mind of strong power. His words impressed an assur- 

 ance of rigid truth ; and as he directed the conversation to the 

 natural sciences, I listened to him with great delight. 



" That night, after we were all abed, I heard of a sudden a 

 great uproar in the naturalist's room. I got up and opened 

 the door, when to my astonishment I saw my guest running 

 naked, holding the handle of my favourite Cremona, the body 



