64 
ACCLIMATIZATION. 
Dr. Rufz de Davison (Etienne), Director of the Garden, was born at Saint- 
Pierre, Martinique, January 14th, 1806, his family having emigrated from 
Bordeaux in 1790. He went through his classical studies in Paris at the 
College of Louis le Grand, and passed his medical career at the School of 
Medicine (1825), and subsequently distinguished himself much in his various 
examinations. In consequence of the attention he had already attracted he 
was sent to investigate the cholera, which then raged at Marseilles. Por his 
shill and courage he received the Cross of the Legion of Honour, being 
then twenty-eight years old. Just at the moment when success at Paris 
seemed most certain, he suddenly disappeared, and went back to his family 
at Martinique. There he was chosen Physician-in-Chief of the Civil Hos¬ 
pital, and other honours followed, when up sprang the Devolution of 1848; 
physic was thrown (along with society) to the usual Shakespearian recejda- 
cle, and M. Bufz de Lavison was elected Mayor and President of the 
Council. In 1856 he wisely went back to Prance. Once more he essayed 
the practice of medicine, but his health no longer allowed him to continue 
such a laborious pursuit; yet still wishing to be of service, he turned his 
serious attention to acclimatization—with what success the actual standing of 
the new Society best will show. 
Such are a few of the moving spirits of the Association; the names have 
been selected chiefly as being those most familiar to the English reader. 
The great wish of this band of men and of their companions is that every 
traveller who leaves the shores of Prance (whatever his special duties) should 
create himself, as far as may be, an acclimatist,—consul, commercial agent, 
soldier or civilian, each alike may aid. To this end a series of printed 
rules have been provided. The official instructions are general and spe¬ 
cial : the general include the investigation, choice, gathering, exportation, 
transport, and reception of animals and vegetables, eggs, grains and 
other products : the special instructions bear reference to each of the 
great divisions of the globe, being a complete enumeration (corrected to 
the present date) of animals or vegetables which are deemed useful to accli¬ 
matize either at home or in the colonies. Before starting on the journey some 
preliminary study is recommended, and the traveller is desired to make him¬ 
self familiar with existing books, maps, charts, and all other available sources 
of information. If possible, it is further advantageous that he should not be 
unskilled in the manipulation of ordinary philosophical instruments, bearing 
in mind always that the Society enlists the co-operation of the humblest ob¬ 
server as well as that of the most scientific naturalist. Moreover, residents 
in any district are earnestly desired to supply reliable local information. 
With regard to vegetables in a state of cultivation, it is recommended to 
report to what extent they are hardy; of slow or rapid growth ; fertile and 
yielding useful products, or whether they are wild varieties; if so, to ascer¬ 
tain whether they may be capable of culture, and to what extent susceptible 
of improvement. 
The special list includes the following:— 
Erorn Scandinavia, the pine ; Spain, the cork-tree ; Bussia, the olive ; 
China, rice, beans, maize, ignames, oaks, wax-tree ( Ligustrnm lucidum), 
tallow-tree ( Croton lacciferum), varnish-tree ( Rhus succedanea et vernicifera), 
camphor, laurel, etc.; India and Siam, bombyx mylitta, caoutchouc (Ficus 
elastica) ; Algeria, leeches; Egypt, the Doum palm, cotton-tree, aromatic 
and medicinal plants; Central Africa, rice, indigo, and laurel; the Cape, the 
splendid pelargonium; the Pacific Isles, Java rice, the gutta-percha-tree 
(Isonandra Percha ); Australia, the caoutchouc-tree ( Ficus rubiginosa), 
eucalyptus, and mimosas; Polynesia, the bread-tree, arrowroot, sandal, and 
rosewood; North America, the castor (Canadian), oaks, maples, nut-trees, 
