12 3 Memoirs of DeCandolle. 
upon definite proportions became known at Paris, I was very much taken 
with them, and although they were in direct opposition to the principles 
of statical chemistry he sustained, I did not fear to tell M. Berthollet the 
high opinion I had of them. Far from taking offense at this preference, 
he He a me to study the writings of Berzelius. 
<M; -lace was of quite a different character. He had the dry- 
ssof a pecunitelsinn and the —— of a eh Over and 
ove these defects of manner , he was a man of honor and worth. .... 
He often seconded me, although j in truth he thought very little of natu- 
ral history. In our meetings he often had little quarrels with M. Berthol- 
let, and would think to silence him by saying: ‘ But you see, M. Berthol- 
let, what I say to you is mathematics.’ ‘Eh, par Dieu, what I say to you 
is physics,’ answered the other, ‘and that is quite as good,’ 
Humboldt also came from time to time; but he added much of life and 
interest when he appeared. He affected to pee himself as the creator of 
the science of Botanical Geography,—to which he has only added cer- 
tain facts, and the exaggeration of a true theory so as to render it almost 
false. He never quite pardoned me for having, in the preface to my 
memoir on the geography of the plants of France, cited those who be- 
fore him had oce = ee themselves with geographical oe oan 
in this exposition I had, in truth, much amplified his sha 
“ Among the other members of the society of shia I have not yet 
spoken, I would chiefly mention Thénard, who was then commencing a 
eareer which has since become very brilliant, His activity, his ardor, 
and his i aie pleased me ve uc - » I could draw, i 
an anecdote, the contrast between the  airbicin of Thénard aud Des- 
ams 3 It was then very difficult to correspond with Eogiands 
on account of the continental blockade. I happened to be the first 
receive, by a letter from Dr. Marcet, the news of Davy’s giant discovery in 
decomposing the fixed alkalies. By a y chance, it reached me on 
the morning of the day of our meeting. I h usual ren- 
pity and could not wait for the session to impart so important a dis- 
cove I read my letter to the members present. Thénard was enthu- 
sinstic': ; he ran 7 the room like a mad-man, crying out: ‘it is beauti- 
ful, it is admirable!” Then turning to me, and laying hold of his arm: 
‘Look here,’ said he, ‘I would give this arm to have made this discovery.’ 
ee tranquil buried in an arm-chair, said also, but in quite an- 
other tone: ‘It ‘arr but I would not give the end of my little 
a io, pers ma ate" 
We pass over all DeCandotle’ s account of his life and domestic 
affairs during his residence at Paris, his particular investigations, 
his excursions, in Switzerland and elsewhere,—even the memo- 
rable one in the Jura with Biot and Bonpland, in which he led 
the party into a position of imminent danger, causing Bonpland 
to bemoan his hard fate in having to perish on such a mole-hill 
as the Jura, after having ae climbed Chimborazo (p. 154) ;— 
his engagement and marriage (the latter in April, 1802) with 
Mile. Torras, of a Beier Menily resident in Paris ; ; of the 
foundation of his herbarium by the fortunate acquisition of that 
of L’Heritier ;—of the first course of lectures which he gave, at 
