180 Foreis^n Literature and Science. 



'b 



18. Ellions Boethor, professor of AraTbic in llic King's 

 Library. He died of a disease of the liver after two weeks 

 illness, on the 26th of September. He was born at Syout, 

 in Upper Egypt, and was interpreter to the French army. 

 He was scarcely 40 years of age. He had acquired bj'^ la- 

 bour and study, great perfection in the language and liter- 

 ature of France. He expressed himself with facility and 

 clearness in French and in Arabic, and though it was easy 

 to recognise in his delivery a foreign pronunciation, it was 

 not so with respect to the propriety of his terms and even 

 the elegance of his diction. 



The loss of this man is to be regretted not only on ac- 

 count of oriental literature, and public instruction : it is 

 still more sad in reference to the civilization of Egypt. 

 He formed a natural tie between France and his native 

 country. Familiar with the grammarians, the literati, the 

 philosophers, and all the principal writers of France, he 

 would have been able, above every other person, to initiate 

 pupils chosen among his own countrymen in our arts and 

 sciences. 



Ellious Boethor first became known at Paris, a few 

 years since, by his decyphering and translating with the 

 greatest facility, the numerous pieces in Arabic preserved 

 in the war department. He brought with him a large dic- 

 tionary in the two languages, the fruit of ten years labour 

 and meditation in which each of the acceptations of the 

 Arabic words is justified by examples taken from good au- 

 thors. This manuscript is in the hands of his widow, and 

 constitutes her whole dependence. We doubt not that the 

 government will obtain it and print it for the benefit of stu- 

 dents, and especially of the pupils in the oriental schools 

 of Paris and Marseilles. We believe the author had also 

 composed an Arabic and French Grammar. He has left a 

 blank very difficult to fill, for it requires conditions which 

 it is almost impossible to conciliate. 



Jomard. Rev, Ency. 



19. Botany. — They are now cultivating in Sweden the 

 astragalus ballicus (Linneus) as an excellent substitute for 

 cofTee, and the decoction of which requires only the fifth 

 part of the sugar commonly used. This plant produces 

 six hundred or a thousand fold, and does not suffer from 

 intense frost. Dr. Bayrhammor of Wurtzburg, offers to 



