585 



of his researches, and zealously applied himself to discover by ex- 

 periments the influence of the atmosphere and of soils upon plants, 

 and the various chemical changes which they undergo. With the 

 exception of some few accessory labours, M. de Saussure spent a 

 long life upon this branch of science ; and it may be truly said that 

 he has done more to advance the knowledge of vegetable physio- 

 logy than any other person. It is worthy of remark that he laboured 

 seven years silently, before publishing the results of his investiga- 

 tions. These were comprised in his work entitled "Recherches 

 Chimiques sur la Vegetation," which appeared in 1804<. He sub- 

 sequently published in the Annales de Physique et de Chimie, the 

 results of his investigations into the action of the petals of flowers 

 upon the atmosphere. The great importance which he attached 

 to the nutritive power of carbonic acid upon plants, directed his 

 attention to the proportion of this gas in the atmosphere. In 1816, 

 he published, in the first volume of the Bibliotheque Universelle, 

 some researches on this subject, which being greatly extended, 

 formed afterwards a paper which was published in 1830 in the 

 Memoires de la Societe de Physique et d'Histoire Naturelle de Ge- 

 neve, under the title of " De Taction des huiles sur le gaz oxygene 

 a la temperature atmospherique." After examining the action of 

 the green portions of plants, roots and flowers upon the atmosphere, 

 M. de Saussure carried his investigation to the same parts of fruits. 

 The result was a long paper pubhshed in 1821, in the Memoirs of 

 the same Society, entitled " Influence des fruits verts sur Fair, avant 

 leur maturite." He shows in this paper, that unripe fruit exercises 

 the same influence as leaves upon the air. 



Independently of his vegeto-physiological researches, M. de 

 Saussure published some papers descriptive of minerals in the Jour- 

 nal de Physique. These are entitled, " Analyse du Sappare," 

 " Sur une hydrophane imbibee de cire," " Analyse de la Dolomie," 

 and " Sur le Sappare dur." 



M. de Saussure was of a most reserved habit, the result probably 

 of his solitary education : it is recorded of him that he seldom de- 

 sired to converse with his friends on the scientific subjects occupy- 

 ing his attention ; and so far did he carry this reserve, that even his 

 most intimate acquaintances were generally ignorant of the nature 

 of the papers which he proposed reading before the Society of 

 Natural History. The same disposition prevented him from acting 

 as Professor in the Academy of Geneva, though appointed to the 

 Chair of Mineralogy and Geology in the year 1802. It was found 

 impossible to overcome his repugnance to give the usual courses of 

 lectures, though at the same time he gave evidence of his warm 

 interest in the Academy by constantly attending its meetings. In 

 1814, he was elected a member of the Legislative Council of the 

 Republic of Geneva, but he was too timid to take an active part in 

 the debates of this body. In 1790 he became a member of the 

 Agricultural Section of the Society of Arts, and always continued 

 one of its most zealous supporters. He was a Foreign Member of 



