IREDALE : MOLLUSCAN NOMENCLATUEAL PEOBLEMS. II. 199 



C. S. Rafinesque. 



A few years 9go in these Proceedings (ix, 1911, pp. 261-262) 

 I gave some details of the names proposed concerning molluscs 

 by C. S. Rafinesque in his " Analyse de la Nature ", a small 

 and rare book published in 1815. The only copy available at 

 that time was the one in the library of the Zoological Society 

 of London, though another copy was on record in North America. 

 I recently secured a beautiful, clean, and complete specimen, 

 and at the same time obtained a small pamphlet, of which 

 I here give details, because it is the only one I have note of in this 

 country, and its contents are of great interest to the student of that 

 unfortunate genius. Its title page reads : " Circular Address | on | 

 Botany and Zoology ; | followed by the | prospectus of two 

 periodical works ; | Annals of Nature | and somiology of North 

 America. | By C. S. Rafinesque, | of the Royal Institute of Natu.al 

 Sciences of Naples, | and of several other Learned Societies | in 

 Europe and America. | Chi fa quanto puo, fa quanto deve. | 

 Philadelphia : | Printed for the Author, by S. Merritt, | 74, south 

 Second Street. | 1816." 



The second page reads : " This Circular is respectfully directed to all 

 the Naturalists, Botanists, and Zoologists ; Professors and Students, 

 Universities, Colleges, Institutes, and Learned Societies ; Collectors 

 of Natural Objects and Mecenates of Natural Sciences ; Owners or 

 Directors of Botanical Gardens, Museums or Public Libraries ; 

 and to all enlightened Gentlemen, Ladies, Travellers, Supercargoes, 

 Merchants, Ship Captains, Booksellers, Reviewers, Physicians, 

 Farmers, Planters, Cultivators, Nurserymen, Seedsmen, etc., etc., etc., 

 in America, Europe, and all the parts of the world, by the Author." 



The address begins : " To . . . Philadelphia ", the intention 

 apparently being to write the addressee's name in the spaces between 

 the words ; the wording starts : " I hope that the motives which 

 lead me in the present instance, in taking the liberty to hand you 

 this circular, will be considered as a sufficient apology for intruding 

 so far upon you . . . After ha^dng published in Palermo in the early 

 part of 1815, a comprehensive view of my new ideas on the study of 

 nature, with the title of Analyse de la Nature ... I meant to have 

 paid a, visit to the continent of Europe . . . but the new political 

 convulsions which took place at that period, prevented me, . . . and 

 induced me to leave Europe altogether and return to the United 

 States of America with the intention of residing forever in that 

 peaceful and happy country. ... I left the island of Sicily on 21st 

 July, 1815, and after stopping at Gibraltar and the island of 

 St. Michael, I had reached the shores of America, when on the third 

 of November, I had the misfortune to be shipwrecked, losing at once 

 all my books, manuscripts, plates, drawings, maps, herbarium, 

 collections, minerals, etc., the fruit of twenty years labours, exertions, 

 and travels ; it was even with the utmost difficulty that I saved 



