DE CANDOLLE. Ill 



called Crassulacese, of which the houseleek and 

 stonecrops are familiar examples. Medicine was 

 quite given up ; and, in fact, it was hateful to De 

 Candolle, who used to say, " If I make a mistake 

 in naming a plant, I can set it right, but if I had 

 made mistakes as a medical man, who knows how 

 many dear little children I might not have killed?" 

 He became a friend of the Delessert family, and 

 met at their house all those rising naturalists who 

 were forming the great French school, and this 

 society was of great importance to him. Botanical 

 excursions to Fontainebleau were made by him, 

 with Brongniart, Cuvier, and Dumeril, all great 

 men in their day, and then he went botanizing 

 into Normandy, and nearly got drowned collecting 

 seaweeds. Returning to Paris, he was fortunate 

 enough to be again kindly looked after by some 

 good families, and he became attached to Mdlle. 

 Fanny Torras, one of a bright circle of ladies who 

 liked the brilliant conversation and good manners 

 of the rising young man. Going to Holland for 

 a trip, De Candolle was struck with the curious 

 vegetation of the hills or dunes of sand near the 

 coast, and this appears to have attracted his 

 attention to the geographical distribution of plants. 

 Nevertheless, and in spite of all those attractions, 

 he studied human anatomy and zoology. In 

 course of time he went home to Champagne, and 

 his future marriage was agreed upon. On his 

 return to Paris, he was received as the future 

 husband of Mdlle. Torras. 



