Page:Imperialdictiona02eadi Brandeis.pdf/60

DEC his contemporary Delacroix, Decamps has produced a very large number of works. But his subjects are even of a more motley nature than those of Delacroix, ranging as they do from the most sublime and terrible to the most humble and ludicrous. Besides, he seldom affects the pretentious size of grand historical painting, and very often limits himself to mere drawings in water-colours, or even to rough sketches and cartoons in chalk or charcoal. Again, like Delacroix's pictures, the works of Decamps, of whatever class they may happen to be, appear bedaubed in such a careless manner, especially if too closely inspected, as to excite at first a painful surprise—a sensation almost always entirely removed as soon as they are viewed from a convenient distance. Then every roughness of handling vanishes; every confusion of lines turns into defined forms; every glaring colour assumes its just balance, and falls in with the others in a general harmonious brilliancy. There are cases, however, it must be said, in which the sketchy nature of some of this artist's works defies every attempt at palliation. Decamps is amongst those artists who received the grand or council medal at the great French exhibition in 1855. He had there not less than forty-one subjects, comprising oil-paintings, water-colours, and other drawings. Their effect was imposing; but, as the works of this artist require time to be seen and digested, this number, which speaks so highly for his fertility of imagination, was rather against him in making a permanent impression upon the people at large.—R. M.  DE CANDOLLE,, one of the most eminent botanists of this century, was born at Geneva on the 4th February, 1778, twenty-five days after the death of Linnæus, and died at Geneva on the 9th September, 1841. He sprung from a noble family of Provence, which, from religious considerations, removed to Geneva in 1558. The younger Roman catholic branch of the family remained in Provence, and was represented lately by the marquis de Candolle. Augustin de Candolle, the father of the subject of this notice, was one of the first magistrates of the republic of Geneva. The son was delicate in his youth, and was threatened with hydrocephalic symptoms. As he advanced to boyhood, however, his health improved. He distinguished himself in the gymnasium by his progress in French and Latin, as well as in belles-lettres and in Greek. In 1792 the government of Geneva was overturned by the Revolution, and his father retired to an estate which he possessed in Champagne. The son continued to prosecute his studies in philosophy, logic, mathematics, and physics. During his residence in the country his mind was directed to natural objects, more especially to plants. In 1796 he attended the lectures on botany given by the celebrated Vaucher of Geneva, who was also professor of theology. At the age of eighteen, De Candolle chose botany as the science which he determined to prosecute. After paying some attention to law, he repaired to Paris, and resided in the house of Dolomieu the celebrated naturalist. He attended the lectures of Vauquelin, Fourcroy, Charles, Portal, and Cuvier. In the jardin des plantes he also became acquainted with Lamarck, Delouze, and Desfontaines. In the prosecution of botany, De Candolle desired to combine chemistry and physics with physiology and classification. His earliest treatise was on the nourishment of lichens, which was read before the Natural History Society of Geneva. He subsequently wrote on the medicinal properties of plants, in connection with classification. In 1798 Geneva was incorporated with the French republic, and De Candolle, finding that the resources of his family had been much diminished by the events of the Revolution, determined to study medicine. He repaired to Paris a second time, and, while he prosecuted his medical studies, he did not fail to profit by the treasures contained in the garden of plants. He assisted Lamarck in the Encyclopedie Methodique, and in other works, and, at the request of Desfontaines, he prepared the text for the Plantes Grasses of Redouté. In 1802 he married Mademoiselle Torras, the daughter of a Genevese then resident in Paris. In the same year he gave his first course of botany at Paris, at the college of France, in Cuvier's place. He received from Delessert an extensive set of duplicates, and he subsequently acquired the collection of plants made by L'Heritier. These formed the nucleus of the celebrated Candollean herbarium. De Candolle now commenced his "Flore Française," which was the first flora arranged according to the natural method. In 1806 he received a commission to travel through France and Italy for botanical purposes. For six years he made a journey each summer, and gave official reports of his travels. In 1810 he became professor of botany at Montpellier, and had the charge of the botanic garden committed to him. He acquired great eminence as a professor, and attracted crowds of students. He was a good extempore speaker, and delivered his prelections with clearness and elegance. In 1813 he published his "Theorie Elementaire de Botanique," which contains sound and enlarged views of vegetable morphology and physiology. In 1816 he returned to his native town, Geneva, as professor of natural history, and he lectured on zoology and botany. He instituted the botanical garden there, and was appointed curator, an office which he occupied until his death. The garden was well supported by the subscriptions of his fellow-citizens, who thus testified the esteem which they entertained for him. In 1816 he was chosen as one of the representatives of the canton, and a similar honour was twice afterwards conferred on him. He took a warm interest in all matters which concerned the prosperity of his native town, more especially as regarded science and art. In 1818 De Candolle began his great work, entitled "Regni Vegetabilis Systema Naturale." After publishing two volumes, he found that the work was on too extensive a scale; he therefore adopted a condensed form, and commenced his "Prodromus," in which he proceeded as far as the completion of the order Compositæ before his death. The remainder of the work was committed to his son Alphonse. De Candolle's task was one of no ordinary labour. He set himself to it with vigour, and seems to have injured his health by his assiduous application to the gigantic task. At his death the work had reached the middle of the eighth volume. De Candolle developed his morphological and systematic views respecting particular families and genera of plants in a series of treatises, which have been regarded as models of botanical monographs. These are his "Memoires sur la famille des Legumineuses," and his "Collection de Memoires pour servir à l'histoire du Regne Vegetal," Paris, 1828-1838. Another subject which engaged his attention was the geography of plants. In the Dictionnaire des Sciences Naturelles he published his "Essai Elementaire de Geographie Botanique." De Candolle's contributions to journals and the Transactions of learned societies are innumerable. He was honoured by the diplomas of almost all the scientific societies of the world. He was a fellow of the Royal Society of London, of the Royal Bavarian Academy of Sciences, and of the French Academy of Sciences; and Louis Philippe bestowed on him the cross of the legion of honour. A biographer states that—"Like all truly great men, De Candolle was modest; and the consciousness of his own worth is shown both in the lenity with which he judged others, and in the heartiness with which he applauded their services. His twofold enthusiasm to increase the knowledge and advance the welfare of the human race, reposed on a gentle but uncompromising character." He was of a sanguine temperament, of middle stature, firm, and broad-chested, with long muscular arms. He had a high and finely-arched brow, and expressive small eyes. In speaking his countenance displayed intellectual vivacity. He spoke easily and without effort. Besides his botanical writings, he has left behind him numerous lyrical poems. From 1821 to his death he kept up his autobiography. In 1825 he lost his youngest son, a promising youth of thirteen. After this his health began to fail. He suffered from attacks of gout and catarrh, and in 1834 he was compelled to relinquish his professorship, which was conferred on his son Alphonse. In 1835 he suffered from severe illness, accompanied with asthma and swelling of the feet. From this attack he never recovered. Dropsical symptoms continued to increase, and he died at six o'clock in the evening of the 9th September, 1841, retaining his consciousness till within a few hours of his death. His library and collections were bequeathed to his son, on the condition that they should be open as heretofore to the inspection of botanists. He left two thousand four hundred francs to the Natural History Society of Geneva. Labillardiere has recorded his name in the Australian genus Candollea.—J. H. B.  * DE CANDOLLE,, an eminent Genevese botanist of the present century, is the son of the celebrated Augustin Pyramus de Candolle. He succeeded his father as professor of botany and superintendent of the garden at Geneva. Political affairs, however, caused him to resign these offices in 1850. He resides at Geneva, takes charge of the famous Candollean herbarium, and carries on the publication of the Prodromus, with the aid of other botanists of renown. He has published a valuable standard work on botanical geography. He has also written a 