1799:] 
religious opinions ; Wadftrom heard him 
in filence ; his head funk on his breatt, 
and his eyes were almoft clofed ; but ta 
his friend, changing the theme, related 
to him the triumphs of the French armies 
on the opening of the campaign, Wad- 
{trom raifed himfelf on bis bed, his coun- 
tenance became irradiated; and a gleam 
of pleafure lighted up his eye ; he defired 
to hear again the tale of Maffena’s victo- 
ries; and when his friend added that news 
of further victories was expeéted in three 
days, he exclaimed, with a feeling of re- 
gret, * Alas! that I have not three days 
to live }”’- 
Swift, after having written that cele- 
brated fatire on human nature, entitled 
“ Gulliver's Travels, exclaimed, while 
meditating on the rare virtues of his friend 
Arbuthnot, “* Oh, were there ten Ar- 
buthnots in the world, I would burn my 
book !”—It is difficult to contemplate the 
character of Wadftrom without a fimilar 
fentiment ; without feeling that, were 
there many Wadiftroms in the world, we 
fhould learn to think better of mankind. 
HELEN Maria WILLIAMS. 
Paris, 20th Germinal, 
7th year. 

LIFE OF SAUSSURE THE NATURALIST. 
FORACE-Benedi&t De Saussure was born at 
Genevainthe year 1740. His father, an 
enlightened agriculturift, to whom we are 
indebted for fome effays on rural economy, 
refided at Couches, on the banks of the Arve, 
about half a league from Geneva. 
A country life, joined to an active education, 
tended no doubt to develope in Saussure that 
phyfical ftrength which is fo effential to the 
naturalift, who Wwilhes to extend his know- 
ledge by travelling. He walked every day 
to the townin order to go to fchool ; and as 
he lived at the foot of the Saleve, that moun- 
tain which he has fince rendered fo famous, 
climbing the rugged road was nothing but 
fport tohim. Born, as it were, inthe midft 
of the phenémena of nature, he had every 
opportunity for ftudy, and thus avoided all 
the inconveniences in the fituation of thofe 
philofophers who form theories without leav- 
ing their clofets, or thofe cultivators who, 
though always familiar with nature, are in- 
capable of admiring her beauties. 
Botany was his firft ftudy. A diverfified 
foil, fertile in avariety of plants, invites the 
inhabitant of the banks of the Lemanian lake 
to cultivate that delightful fcience.. This 
tafte brought about an acquaintance between 
Sauffare:and Haller. He vifited that great 
naturalift in 1764, during his retreat at Bex, 
and in his travels he expreffes his admiration 
of that aftonifhing man, who excelled in all 
the branches of naturalfcience. Sauffyre was 
MonTaALY Mac. No. xiv, 
Life of Sauffure the Naturalift. 
465 
further excited to ftudy the vegetable king- . 
dom in confequence of his connection with Cc. 
Bonnet, who married his aunt, and who foon 
difcovered the dawning talents of his nephew. 
Bonnet was then engaged in examining the 
leaves of plants ; Sauflure alfo turned fe at- 
tention to thefe vegetable organs, and pub- 
lifhed the refult of his labours under the title 
of Obferwations fur Pecorce des feuillee—Obferva. 
tions on the {kin of leaves. 
This little book, which appeared about the 
year 1760, contained a number of new obfer-— 
vations relative to the epidermis of leaves, 
and the miliary glands with which it is co- 
vered *, 
At this time, the profeflorhhip of philofophy 
at Geneva became vacant, and Sauflure, who 
was then only twenty-one, obtained the chair, 
Experience, in this inftance,, proved that if 
early rewards generally extinguish the ardour 
of men who labour only for themfelves, they 
ferve on the contrary to animate the zeal of 
thofe who make truth the object of their pur- 
fuit. In Geneva the two profeffors of philo- 
fophy taught alternately phyfics and logic, 
and Sauflure acquitted himfelfin this double 
tafk with equal succefs. -He even gave to 
the teaching of logic, what may be called a 
practical or experimental turn. His courfe, 
which commenced with the ftudy of the 
fenfes, in order to arrive at the general laws 
of the underftanding, at once announced an 
able obferver of nature. 
Experimental philofophy was the branch of 
which he was fondeft; it conducted him to 
the ftudy of chymiftry and mineralogy. It 
was then that he recommenced his journies 
among the mountains, not in queft of herbs, 
but to examine the fubftances of which the 
elevated ridges of our’ globe are compofed. 
Geology, a fcience which then fcarcely ex- 
ifted, gave a charm to his frequent wanderings 
among the Alps. ‘There the talents of this 
great naturalilt were fullydeveloped. During 
the fifteen or twenty years of his profefforfhip, 
he was alternately employed in fulfilling the 
duties which his fituation impofed, and in 
traverfing the different mountains in the neigh- 
bourhood of Geneva. He even extended his 
excurfions on one fide to the Rhine, and on 
the other to Piedmont. About this time, 
too, he travelled to Auvergne, for the purpofe 
of examining fome extinguifhed volcanos 5 and 
foon after he undertook a tour to Paris, Hol- 
land, and England. Afterwards he went to 
Italy, and crofled over to Sicily, Thefe jour- 
nies were not commenced for the purpofe of 
haftening forward to a particular place: his 
object was conftantly the ftudy of nature. He 
always carried with him the inftruments ne~- 
ceflary for his obfervations, and never fet out 
without having formed for himfelf a regular 
plan of experiments. He often remarks in 
his works, that this method was highly ufe- 
ful to him in the progrefs of his fiudies. 
Re ees ce BEY, ©) RE EE 
* He had refumed the ftudy of this fubje& 
about eighteen months before his death. 
3 0 
s 
In 
