Retrospect of French Literature—Biography. 
member of the Academy of Sciences, of 
that city, and also of the Natural Society 
of Paris, &c. was born at Lyons, on the 
28th of August, 1762. His father, N. 
Riche, had been deputy to the attorney- 
general of the parliament of Dombes, 
and he was also the younger brother of 
Prony, amember of the first class of the 
Institute. ~ Destined originally for the 
law, he resided, during some years, with 
an attorney, in his native city; but 
having obtained full liberty to follow his 
Own inclinations, in consequence of the 
death of his father, he repaired to 
Montpellier, with the view ‘of resign- 
ing himself wholly to the study of 
nature, 
During a residence’ of three years, 
Riche applied himself to the sciences 
allied to medicine, more. especially 
natural history and physics. While in 
that city, he sustained several theses, 
and distinguished himself by one in par- 
ticular, on the chemistry of vegetables, 
replete with ingenious experiments: in 
fine, his reputation was now so well esta- 
blished, that the Academy of Sciences of 
Montpellier, elected him an_ associated 
correspondent, in express contravention 
to its own regulations, prolibiting the 
adinission of any medical student. Ina 
1787, he obtained a doctor’s degree. 
Finding himself attacked at this period, 
with a phthisis, which increased in the 
exact proportion of his application, he 
was obliged to resign his. labours, and 
seek for solace in the bosom of his fa- 
mily; which he quitted, however, soon 
after, in order to repair to Paris: there, 
encouraged by assistance of every kind, 
and also urged forward by a noble emu- 
lation, he continued to prosecute his 
studies with renewed ardour. His ge- 
nius, accordingly developed itself, in a 
variety of different memoirs, particularly 
one relative to the classification of ami- 
mals by their interior parts; another, 
concerfiing larve ; a third, which had for 
its object an account of microscopic 
animals; and a fourth, concerning the 
petrified shells in the vicinity of Paris. 
The best eulogium that can be paid to 
Riche, is, that he possessed the esteem 
and affection of those two justly cele- 
brated men, Fabricius, and Vicq-d’Azir. 
The latter made him the associate of his 
Jabours, and was indebted to his assi- 
duity for a large portion of what he pub- 
lished in the Encyclopédie Methodique : 
Riche is avthor of the ‘Tables which 
precede the Comparative Anatomy. ‘The 
original draughts of these, written and 
697 
, / 
corrected with his own hand, are still in, 
existence. 
Vicq d’Azir, accordingly, on all oc- 
casions, was ready to do him ample 
justice ; he praised him several times in 
his writings, and. was accustomed to 
prophecy that he would be his successor, 
Riche, however, survived him no more 
than two years; these were chiefly oc- 
cupied by a long voyage, of which we 
intend to give an account, as during that 
_period, he acted a very conspicuous 
part, in consequence of his zeal for the 
progress of science; to which, indeed, he~ 
devoted the whole of his life. 
{t is with a certain degree of affection, 
that the name of the unfortunate La 
Pérouse is always mentioned. Sent to 
the SouthSea, to reconnoitre those lands 
which the immortal Cook had not been 
able to visit, he set out, in 1785, with. 
instructions to return in 1788. But 
these three years elapsed, and no intel- 
ligence whatsoever was received con- 
cerning him, posterior to his departure 
from Botany Bay. It became extremely 
probable, and indeed appeared evident, 
at length, that he had either perished on 
some rock, or by means of soine.tem- 
pest. However, 10 the month of Janu- 
ary, 1791, the Society of Naturalists 
proposed to the Constitutent Assembly, 
to fit out a new expedition, to ascertain 
the fate of the former; and to resume, in 
case of misadventure, that project; the 
completion of which had been prevented 
by misfortune. ‘This scheme, equally 
honourable to the nation, and advan- 
tageous to the cause of science, was lis- 
tened towith enthusiasm. 
Two vessels were accordingly des- 
tined for the expedition: these were 
called, La Recherche, and L’ Espérance; 
D’Entrecasteaux, repaired on board the. 
former, as commander of the expedition; 
with Hernimy d’Auribeau,as bis captain, 
Crepin, his lieutenant, &c. Huon, who 
possessed the rank of captain, com- 
manded the Recherche; while Frobriart 
served under lim, as an inferior officer. 
Great discernment was displayed in 
the choice of the persons to be em- 
ployed for the purpose of making re-= 
searches in natural history; and at the 
recommendation of the Society of Nae 
turalists, Thévenard, minister of the ma- 
rine, appointed Riche, together with 
Labillarditre, a botanist, already cele- 
brated on account of his journey to Sy- 
ria, in the course of which he discovered, 
be 
and has since published, several curious 
plants. Deschamps and Biaviere, were 
the 
