40 
rometer and thermometer. It may, 
perhaps, be worth remarking that the 
very violent winds of the 29th, Soth, 
and Sist ult. were preceded by one of 
the most remarkable red skies I ever 
beheld. About seven, or a quarter past, 
ah the morning ofthe 28th, the atmosphere 
Memoirs of Michel Adansons 
[Feb."¥5 
from the east to the south, and a point 
or twe towards the west scemed to be 
in a blaze, it lasted a considerable time, 
and afforded no small degree of light 
in the absence of the sun. Your's, &c. | 
Glocester-place, Cumden-Town, J. J. 
January 12, 1808. 
MEMOIRS AND REMAINS OF EMINENT PERSONS. 
MEMOIRS Of MICHEL ADANSON, MEMBER 
of the late FRENCH ACADEMY Of SCI- 
ENCES, and of the NATIONAL INSTI- 
TUTE, &c. born in 1727, died in 1808. 
HIS celebrated traveller was born at 
Aix, in Provence, and finished his 
education at Paris, in the colleges of 
‘St. Barbe and Plessis. Here he obtained 
the first prizes in Greek and Latin poetry, 
on which occasion he was presented with 
a Pliny and an Aristotle, and it is proba- 
ble the reading of these two authors 
contributed towards the development of 
his taste for natural history, with which 
he was occupied during the whole of his 
life. So early as the year 1740, when 
scarcely thirteen years of age, he had 
written some important notes on these 
ancient naturalists: but he soon relin- 
quished books, for the purpose of study- 
ing nature herself. Atthat time natura- 
lists confined the catalogue of species to 
fourteen or fifteen thousand: but to him, 
his collection of thirty-three thousand 
seemed still too defective. Being resolved 
to complete it, he found himself under 
the necessity of travelling, particularly to 
Africa. Accordingly in 1748, he sailed 
to Senegal. 1n1749 hevisited the Canary 
islands, and transmitted an account of his 
discoveries to the academy of sciences, 
which, in 1750, elected him one of its 
correspondents. In Senegal, that rich, 
and then but little known country, he 
discovered, during a residence of five 
years, by his unwearied exertion and ob- 
servations, an immense number of natu- 
gal productions, which had net been de- 
scribed hefore. But,not satisfied with these 
scientific discoveries, he likewise wish- 
ed to exert himself for the promotion of 
thearts andof commerce. In consequence 
of this resolution, he visited the mostfertle 
and best-situated parts of Senegal, drew 
“a map of them, pursued the course of the 
Niger, and, with the view of forming a 
colony there, surveyed a district of seven 
leagues, on the map of which he marked 
the woods, salt-springs, muscle-banks, 
lakes, &c. His researches led him to the 
discovery of the two genuine Arabic 
gums; and, after numerous experiments, 
he succeeded in extracting from the in- 
digenous indigo-plant of Senegal, which 
ditfers from the American, a sky-blue co- 
lour; a valuable discovery, which had 
escaped the most expert indigo-manu- 
facturers sent by the French East India 
Company, at different times, to Senegal. 
In the year 1753, Adanson, by the desire 
of that company, drew up a plan of a 
colony, for the purpose of deriving greater 
advantage from that country; in which 
he shewed that the culture of indigo, cot- 
ton, tobacco, rice, coffee, pepper, ginger, 
and the spices of the Melucca islands, 
might, by the heat of the climate, be 
brought to an uncommon degree of pers 
fection. He hkewise shewed, that, by a _ 
proper conduct towards the Kings of Ga- 
lam and Bambuk, permission might bé 
easily obtained to work the gold-mines of 
this country, which were more produce 
tive than those of Mexico or Peru; that 
they would yield an annyal income of 
from ten to twelve millions of livres, and 
even in cases: of necessity, three times 
that sum; that the gums would produce 
from eight to fourteen millions; the trade 
in negroes, senna-leaves, dye-woods, salt, 
raw hides, maize, &c. seven or eight mil- 
lions. ‘This plan, however, was not cal 
ried into execution. 
On the 6th of October, 1753, Adan- 
son returned to France with an immense 
collection of philosophical, moral, politi- 
cal, and economical observations on the 
government of the very different nations 
whose countries he had visited ; and with 
ohservations on almost thirty thousand 
non-descript natural productions, which, 
with the thirty-three thousand before 
known to him, give to Natural History a 
basis of sixty-three thousand species, 
which, as he frequently informed his 
friends, was afterwards increased to above 
ninety thousand, a: 
Soon after his return from Senegal, he 
was appointed, by Louis: XV. superiti- 
tendant of the botanic garden at Tria- 
non, 
