510 
Minutes  of  the  College. 
f  Am.  Jock.  PharMo 
X    Nov.  1,1873.  J 
been  present  at  the  battles  of  Mockern,  Liitzen,  Bautzen,  Hanau,  Katzbach 
and  Leipzic.  During  this  brief  period  he  experienced  many  severe  hardships 
incident  to  a  soldier's  life,  largely  increased  by  the  nature  of  the  contest,  'which 
was  virtually  a  retreat  through  a  hostile  country  until  they  recrossed  the  Rhine. 
He  was  once  taken  prisoner,  at  Hanau,  but  managed  to  escape. 
In  his  capacity  of  Pharmacien  he  was  very  little  exposed  to  danger,  unless 
voluntarily.  His  duty  was  to  follow  or  precede  the  army,  according  as  it 
advanced  or  retreated,  and  assist  in  the  establishment  of  military  hospitals 
when  needed,  so  that  when  the  army  was  in  motion  his  duties  were  light,  and 
being  on  horseback  during  battle,  he  was  frequently  an  eye-witness  to  very 
important  movements. 
On  the  3d  of  April,  1814,  Durand  tendered  his  resignation  as  Pharmacien 
aide  major  to  M.  Lodibert,  the  Pharmacien  in  Chief  of  the  Corps  (and  after- 
wards President  of  the  Societe  de  Pharmacie),  who  urged  him  strongly  to- 
remain  in  the  army,  where  efficient  services  had  pointed  him  out  for  promotion, 
but  he  continued  firm  in  his  decision. 
After  a  short  visit  to  his  home  he  went  to  the  City  of  Nantes,  well  provided' 
with  letters,  and  obtained  the  situation  of  head  clerk  in  the  store  of  M.  Fre 
taud,  one  of  the  principal  apothecaries,  where  he  remained  two  years.  It  was 
at  this  time  that  he  gave  his  leisure,  in  real  earnest,  to  the  study  of  botany, 
passing  all  his  vacations  in  botanical  excursions  with  the  principal  botanists  of 
the  place.  During  a  part  of  this  time  he  directed  the  Society's  laboratory, 
called  Laboratoire  du  jardin  des  Apothecaires,  and  delivered  a  course  of  lec- 
tures on  medical  botany,  during  the  summer  months,  to  the  apprentices  in 
pharmacy,  on  the  different  medicinal  plants  cultivated  in  the  garcL  n.  This 
laboratory  was  used  in  common  by  the  principal  pharmaciens  of  Nantes,  to 
prepare  their  chemicals,  and  was  so  conducted  that  the  management  went 
by  rotation,  the  materials  contributed  by  different  stores,  say  for  calomel, 
nitrate  of  silver,  ether  or  other  medicine  needed,  were  made  up  together,  and 
the  products  divided  pro  rata.  In  this  way  a  great  variety  of  costly  apparatus 
was  available  to  each  member,  quite  beyond  his  ability  to  possess,  and  his 
advanced  apprentices  were  afforded  opportunities  to  assist,  and  acquire  prac- 
tical knowledge. 
On  the  return  of  Napoleon  from  Elba  our  young  pharmacien  joined  the 
National  Guard  against  the  Royalist  party  of  La  Vendee  during  the  100  days. 
After  the  battle  of  Waterloo,  and  Napoleon's  final  abdication  he  returned  to 
his  duties  at  Nantes,  but,  being  strongly  suspected  of  Napoleonic  proclivities, 
he  was  placed  under  military  surveillance,  and  compelled  to  present  himself 
every  morning  at  the  police  station.  This  tyrannical  order  interfered  very 
much  with  his  business  duties,  caused  great  annoyance  to  his  employer,  and 
disgust  at  the  treatment  he  received  determined  him  to  abandon  his  country 
and  seek  beyond  the  Atlantic  the  freedom  denied  him  at  home.  Taking  passage 
in  the  brig  "  La  Nymphe,"  at  Nantes,  on  April  16th,  1816,  he  reached  New 
York  on  the  1st  of  July  following,  and  at  once  proceeded  to  Boston  to  visit 
Bishop  Chevrus,  afterwards  Cardinal  Chevrus,  a  distant  relative,  through 
whose  influence  he  became  acquainted  with  several  scientific  men  of  that  city, 
of  whom  Dr.  Joseph  Warren  urged  him  to  remain  in  Boston,  where  his  chem- 
