74 MEMOIR OP 



solicited, to return to his native country.* On his 

 arrival in Spain, as already mentioned, he soon 

 began the publication of those works he might un- 

 dertake without the permission of his superiors, and 

 of which we have given some account. Speedily 

 after this he went to Paris, that he might once 

 more have the felicity of meeting his brother, who 

 was then the Spanish ambassador at the court of 

 France. He here divided his time between the 

 enjoyment of his brother's society, and the cultiva- 

 tion of Natural History.' The king of Spain had 

 conferred upon him, in the month of October 1802, 

 the rank of Brigadier-General; but his brother 

 Nicolas, charmed witli his personal intercourse, 

 and, on account of his greater age, entertaining for 

 him all a father's interest, induced him to resign his 

 new commission, that he might always be near 

 himself. But, alas ! this tardy enjoyment was 

 short-lived. On the 26th of January 1803, Don 

 Nicolas died ; and Don Felix closed the eyes of a 

 brother he had ever loved, but had scarcely seen. 



The subsequent events of Azara's life are very 

 imperfectly known. The king of S{)ain shortly 

 recalled him, appointing him a member of the 

 Junta de fortificat'iones y defensa de Ambos Indias, 

 a board of controul, in which was chiefly centred 



* It thus appears that Azara never held the " office of Go- 

 vernor of Paraguay," a distinction Avliich has been conferred 

 upon him by the learned author of the Preliminary Discourse 

 on the Study of Natural History. (See Lardner's Cyclopajdia, 

 vol. ILx. p. 81.) 



