DE CANDOLLE. II5 



tonished at the tone of voice. " I should like to 

 fire a cannon well into the middle of it" M. de 

 Laplace seemed as if he would sink. " Yes," con- 

 tinued the minister, " I would fire a cannon at you 

 all, and disperse you all over France. It is fright- 

 ful to concentrate all the lights of the age in Paris, 

 and to leave the departments in ignorance and 

 idleness ! I have sent M. de CandoUe to Mont- 

 pellier to stimulate others to activity." Consider- 

 ing that the members of the Institute of France 

 have always considered themselves the very cream 

 of the cream of science, this was very shocking. 



The new professor started with his wife, little 

 boy, his library and herbarium, and with many a 

 regret at leaving such friends as those who enlight- 

 ened Paris as anatomists and botanists. It was a 

 great position for a man of thirty years of age, 

 however, and it gave him sufficient to live upon; and 

 this was welcome, for hitherto he had been poor. 



When he was settled in his new establishment 

 his father, then seventy-two years of age, came to 

 see him, and, after a short sojourn, took his leave, 

 accompanied by his daughter-in-law and grandson. 

 Whilst they all went to Geneva, De Candolle pre- 

 pared for and went on an excursion into Italy. 

 During the visit to Italy, in 1808, politics came in 

 the way of botany, and nothing was heard of De 

 Candolle for a month, his letters having gone 

 astray; but he turned up at Geneva, well, and in 

 good spirits, for he heard that he had a chance of 

 being made a member of the Institute. But he 



