Memoir of Charles Alexander Lesneur. 193 



ductive of valuable results, they resolved to labor in concert ; 

 and so effectively did they put forth their streggth, that they soon 

 became conspicuous to all on board of their ship. The talents 

 of Lesueur, it should seem, were not known, at first, to the artists 

 appointed to accompany the scientific corps ; but when these 

 talents were revealed in his masterly drawings of the mollusca 

 and soft zoophytes, with one accord, they pronounced him wor- 

 thy of a place in their department; and the youthful aspirant 

 was forthwith transferred by the commander-in-chief, from the 

 humble position he occupied among the crew, to the honorable 

 station of painter of natural history, and his appointments and 

 privileges were made to correspond with his rank. 



The chief zoologist of the corvette, the Naturaliste, was Bory 

 de St. Vincent, a colonel in the republican army of the west, and 

 well known for his learning and scientific attainments. Shortly 

 after the ships came to anchor in the harbor of Port Northwest, 

 formerly Port Louis, he went on board of the Geographe, to con- 

 gratulate with his fellow voyagers on their safe arrival. On en- 

 tering the cabin he perceived several persons looking over the 

 private journal of the commander-in-chief, which was embellished 

 by many beautiful paintings* of fishes, and of those phosphores- 

 cent animals which had been objects of uncommon interest to 

 all the naturalists in their passage from Teneriffe to the Indian 

 Ocean. Bory himself was no mean artist ; but when he beheld 

 the paintings in question, his admiration burst forth into eulogy, 

 and he inquired who was the author of these master pieces of art, 

 and where he was. "I was introduced," said he, "to a young 

 nian of modest demeanor, who, by a noble zeal, had embarked as 

 a novicc'timonnier, although worthy to form a part of a scientific 

 expedition, in a manner much more useful to the progress of the 

 arts. His talents had been discovered on board of the ship ; and 

 the commander-in-chief had availed himself of them by giving 

 him employment. I have been since informed, that strict justice 

 having been done him, his appointments have been assimilated 

 to those of the principals in each department ; and he truly mer- 

 ited this encouragement. I sincerely regret that I have forgotten 

 the name of this skillful young man, from whom the expedition 

 must derive one of its greatest resources- "f 



After a sojourn of six weeks in the Isle of France, the expedi- 

 tion set sail far the coasts of New Holland. They visited those 

 parts named Endracht's Land and 1 ,eu win's Land. Off the coast 



]>. 161. 



* Ce journal renfWmait une multitr. de figure <fe mollusques, de poi 0113, 

 Points avec ime perfection et une verii «* rien n'appruchc.— bory, Voyage, 1 1, 



J pe dans 1 Quatre Principals Dos des Men a Afriqne, pendant les an- 



n 5 i soi et 1 2. Paris, 1804. vols., 8°, et Atlas, 4 C . Tome 1, p 162. 



With respect to the commanders journal, report represented it of no value, ex- 

 cepting what was derived from Lesueur's figures 



Second Series, Vol. VIII, No. 23.— Sept, 1849. 25 



